Apple iPod video
Video support is just half the story: Now, the iPod has a bigger screen, yet a smaller body and a better price.
It looks like Apple didn't want to let all of its cats out of the bag during its exciting September 7 announcement, which included the unveiling of the iPod Nano and the Motorola Rokr phone. Today, despite Steve Jobs's previous claims that a video-enabled iPod was not ripe for the market, Apple introduced the long-rumored video iPod, in addition to a new iMac and an updated version of iTunes. Available in white or black and in capacities of 30GB and 60GB, the iPod features a big 2.5-inch photo- and video-friendly screen, as well a superthin design previously reserved for smaller-capacity MP3 players. The new iPods will be available beginning next week for $299 and $399 for the 30GB and 60GB versions, respectively.
Upside: The Apple iPod was due for an update, given the fact that competing players were hitting the market earlier, with video and other premium features. And the new iPod is more than a simple update. Apple somehow shrunk the width of the iPod body so drastically that the 30GB version, at 0.43 inch, is 31 percent thinner than the 20GB iPod. The 60GB version measures only 0.55 inch, making it also thinner than the 20GB iPod. The new decidedly refined body, available in black or white, has a polished backside that gently slopes in from the front of the player. It also has a 2.5-inch, 260,000-color display with a 320x240-pixel resolution. The extra half-inch diagonal gives the iPod a screen-heavy look, and it not only does wonders for photos (now you get a six-by-five grid of thumbnails), album art, and the interface in general but also makes viewing videos a reasonable if not pleasurable experience.
The iPod also features all the little extras of the Nano, including the world clock and the screen lock, plus it adds a video option in the main menu. Videos of all types, except for full-length movies, are available in the new iTunes 6. The iPod is able to play video encoded in H.264 video up to 768Kbps, 320x240 pixels, and 30fps. What differentiates the iPod from video competitors such as Cowon and Creative is that legal video is easily available in the form of music videos, theatrical trailers, and TV shows, plus the fact that it doesn't take a genius to get them to play on the iPod. Other goodies: 14 and 20 hours of battery life for the 30GB and 60GB versions, respectively.
Downside: So far, we don't see any immediate weaknesses with the new Apple iPod. Steve Jobs never mentioned full-length movies, and while Apple is certainly trying to close some deals with movie houses, we won't see any A-list flicks soon. But of course, the iPod will be able to play any properly formatted video, so users will spend hours converting DVDs and other videos to get them to play on the iPod or, more predictably, scour the Net for downloadable movies from P2P networks. Surely, we're going to test the claims of 14 (or 20) hours of battery life, but with primarily photo and video playback on a big fat screen, we can bet that battery life will be at most half that. And where's the removable battery we lust for? We're also interested in listening to the device; if there is one place the iPod could improve, it's in the important, and oftentimes subjective, area of sound quality. While the iPod has TV-out capabilities, it will ship with earbuds and a USB cable only--no dock and no A/V cables (though these and the new remote control are available as accessories). Also, the new iPod lacks a smart jack, which normally sits next to the headphone jack, so many older accessories will be useless. We're nitpicking, but we'd still like to see an FM tuner, gapless playback, and a better equalizer on the iPod.
Outlook: The new Apple iPod looks like an instant classic, thanks to its amazing form factor and ability to play video. Sure, portable video's been around, but Apple's ecosystem--which seamlessly blends the hardware (iPod) with software and content (iTunes)--makes video suddenly possible. Throw in a few popular TV shows available for download for $1.99 each, and you have a public that will simply say, "Wow, did you just see that?"