iLounge

"What's Missing From the iPod?"

1) Support for additonal codecs, possibly allow users to upload codecs rather than supporting them in dedicated chips.

2) Audio Recording (preferably with a choice of compression options MP3, AAC, WAV)

3) Get rid of that annoying break in long continuous tracks (when the buffer is reloaded)

4) Allow deletion of tracks on the pod rather than having to do it on your Mac/PC

5) Allow editing of all playlists (rather than just the On the go playlist)

6) Colour screen & video playback. Obviously a variety of video & audio codecs need to be supported (DivX, XVid, AVI)

7) Integrate with iSee to provide video recording, possibly with an external powerpack as this is likely to be a hard-disk intensive activity and thus will drain battery power very quickly.

8) Larger capacity! If video is to be supported then 60Gb should be sufficient

Posted by superphunk on July 17, 2003 at 4:26 AM (PDT)

BusinessWeek: The Chili Peppers' Sour Grapes Over iTunes

Everyone automatically assumes that its the artist’s greed that makes them withhold selling singles on itunes. 

That doesn’t make any sense. 

The artists, like everyone, realize that by selling singles, they would make even MORE profit by selling songs to those who, while they wouldn’t purchase a whole album, *would* buy maybe a song or two that they liked.

The reason these bands are withholding singles is because when you camp out in that studio for a couple months, you’re not just writing singles, you’re making an album.  And asking a real musician to cut that album into pieces and sell it is like asking an author to cut out the climax of the book and sell it, or just ripping Mona Lisa’s smile out and forgeting the rest of the picture.

I could understand it if some label-made teeny pop idol was pulling her tunes to get more money, but insulting a group who has been together for two decades HONESTLY at least TRYING to make good music (whether you like it or not, it should be respected) is shameful.

Posted by koolio on July 17, 2003 at 4:13 AM (PDT)

BusinessWeek: The Chili Peppers' Sour Grapes Over iTunes

About people buying more CD’s after downloading…  I’m curious… and I guess I don’t understand the motivation there.  The question is, what was it about Napster that caused you to go out and spend more money on the same albums that you downloaded?  Were the quality of the songs on Napster crappy?  Were you limited to the number of songs you could find off of any given album instead of having access to every song on the album?  Or was it for another reason?

I’ve never downloaded one song without paying for it, so I respect the concept of paying for my music.  But if I could legally download an album for free or just the songs I wanted and at good quality, I wouldn’t spend another dime on going out and buying the CD.  I’d just take the songs that I had downloaded and rip them to a blank $1 CD or load it onto my Ipod and that would be the end of it. 

Maybe people aren’t getting good quality encodings when file swapping or they aren’t finding all of the songs online that they want from an album, so it causes them to seek the only other alternative apart from physically borrowing a copy of the album from someone else and ripping it themselves - which would be just going out and buying it.  Other than that, what would be the motivation for buying any album when someone has a perfectly good copy of it’s songs on his or her computer, ready and waiting to burn to a CD or load onto an MP3 player however they want?  Because they wanted the album jacket?  And with that in mind, why would a band want a legion of people to download their songs for free?  What would they gain from that?  I don’t get it.  If I made music for a living, I’d want to know that I was making at least a dollar for every song I created.

Giving one item away for free to a few people in order to create word of mouth is one thing, but giving an entire album or even half of its songs away to anyone who wants it - potentially tens or hundreds of thousands of people or more just to create a bit of a buzz, from a fiscal standpoint, just doesn’t make any sense.

Besides, name one thing in this life that people would only want or need one copy of and that they would later pay for if they could get an exact replica of it or its contents for free.  Why would music be any exception?  Maybe a handful of people do this, but I have a hard time believing that the masses would.

Posted by Z on July 17, 2003 at 3:22 AM (PDT)

NYTimes: Can an MP3 Glutton Savor a Tune?

I think it’s always been the case that the music you know in your youth remains more special and meaningful to you for the rest of your life. For my parents, it was the swing music of the 40s. For me, it was the Beatles and the folk music of the 60s. I don’t think it has anything to do with music being more or less available.

Posted by lesliet on July 17, 2003 at 3:04 AM (PDT)

iPod 20GB for Mac $299

can this 20g ipod be used for pc?  i checked out the site and its for mac, wonder if you can convert it to use with pc and how?

Posted by deadlift on July 17, 2003 at 12:43 AM (PDT)

iPod 20GB for Mac $299

this is not the “new” 3rd gen ipod. They only come in 10gb, 15gb, and 30gb.

This 20gb is the 2nd gen pod, but still a very good price!

Posted by DimJim on July 16, 2003 at 11:02 PM (PDT)

Booq releases PodPaq case for 3G iPods

Can ANyone post any pics of it like the real thing, not just on there sight.  A couple people said that they got one at MW, can you guys post some pics, or send some to:

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address),

thanks!

Posted by Rob on July 16, 2003 at 8:45 PM (PDT)

Booq releases PodPaq case for 3G iPods

button closure?

yuck!

give me velcro or zipper.

Posted by Foo_Foo on July 16, 2003 at 8:34 PM (PDT)

"What's Missing From the iPod?"

Fireware… accesories… software… updates…

i can go on..

apple has added support for AAC, might as well let the iPod support APE.. pfff..

give us a format we can use like OGG, which is 10 times better than any mpeg-4 garbage. Create better accesories that can be integrated within the iPod… not iTrip ( devloped by 3rd party)..

oh well, im sure apple just wants to make more money, and disregard all the comments made by owners of their products..

Posted by Foo_Foo on July 16, 2003 at 8:31 PM (PDT)

Booq releases PodPaq case for 3G iPods

I bought the leather version today at the Macworld Creative Pro Expo NY. It’s great. Looks very sharp. Functional. Just what I was looking for… My 30 GB iPod fits in it like a glove.

Posted by Louis in Long Island on July 16, 2003 at 8:27 PM (PDT)

Griffin Announces RadioSHARK and iFire

Nicholas, that has to be the funniest thing I have ever read!  You’re right, that does seem very wrong…

Product looks cool though.  I always wanted something like this.  I wonder if this does/could integrate with iTunes at all.  It would sure make since to be able to control, set playlists, etc real radio stations in the same way you can with internet radio.

Posted by Sven on July 16, 2003 at 7:57 PM (PDT)

BusinessWeek: The Chili Peppers' Sour Grapes Over iTunes

RHCP does not suck nor has it come to suck recently. They still kick ###….maybe you should pay more attention to their songs. I admit BTW had to be listened to a few times but once I learned the songs I loved the album just as much as Blood Sugar Sex Magik. And their recent concert in Orlando KICKED ###! It was one of the best I’ve been to. And BTW, the Peppers have consistently put out CDs where EVERY SINGLE song is not only good, but great, so I don’t think they have to worry about putting out filler songs.

“Of course, its all about the money, not some sanctimonious pap about “not wanting to contribute to the demise of the rock album format”. Puhleez. Only when the Peppers or Metallica create entire albums that are worth listening, like OK Computer (or anything by Radiohead for that matter) can they have the right to say that.”

The Peppers do have the right to say that because their CDs are GREAT. And there are NO filler songs. I’m not into Radiohead but I really doubt they are as good as the Peppers. RHCP have been making music FOREVER and have had many #1 hits. And I still say it doesn’t seem like the Peppers themselves really care about music downloading, in fact I’d be willing to bet that they like to see their songs DLed. They’re true artists and like to see their work admired. Besides, John is Jesus, just look at him.

“Who wants their music that they work so hard to create to be given away for free? And despite what some people say, this does not cause people to run out and buy more.”

I have actually purchased more CDs since the days of Napster than the days of pre-Napster. And HELLO? System of a Down wants theirs stuff downloaded. They even titled their latest CD “Steal this Album” and it looked like a burned CDR.

Posted by zync on July 16, 2003 at 7:55 PM (PDT)

BusinessWeek: The Chili Peppers' Sour Grapes Over iTunes

I like the RHCP.  But when an artist says that they don’t want to contribute to a perfectly legal and profitable music distribution model like the iTunes store, all it says to me and I’m sure to many others, is that these bands know that most of the songs they put out are crap, while only a few are worth buying.  Which means they know that they’ll have to work harder at making more or all of their songs better, otherwise their profit will decline because people will only buy what’s good and ignore the rest.  No more having to pay for entire albums where two or three songs are great, and the other seven or eight are garbage.

I can understand why an artist wouldn’t want their music downloaded for free.  I wouldn’t want that either.  Who wants their music that they work so hard to create to be given away for free?  And despite what some people say, this does not cause people to run out and buy more.  Who would pay money for something they can get for free, unless the consumer just wants the jacket and lyrics, most of which you could probably download off the internet anyway?  But this isn’t about free downloads.  The iTunes store is about legal downloading where the bands profit and where consumers are provided with a more convenient method of obtaining the music they love.  This is the model that all artists should be embracing, not rejecting.  So why would the RHCP complain about this?  All it amounts to are bands that are lazy and scared and don’t want to work harder at their craft, but instead just want to shove their crap down everyone’s throat while making consumers pay for it, too.  They lack vision and courage.

This is the way of the future.  But it’s also now.  And this model is going to happen whether the opposers like it or not, because it makes sense.  There are people who are always going to be resistent to change, but what else is new?  It takes time for people to see the benefits to technological change, especially when it affects business models and demands that people get off of their butts and rethink things a bit.  But technology and convenience always win, and the few opposers can never stop the momentum simply because they lack vision or courage.

If Apple doesn’t do it, someone will.  Music downloading is inevitable.

Posted by Z on July 16, 2003 at 6:54 PM (PDT)

Booq releases PodPaq case for 3G iPods

I wish they would make a white version of it, i like to keep the ipods look.

Posted by Riyad Chowdhury on July 16, 2003 at 6:44 PM (PDT)

BusinessWeek: The Chili Peppers' Sour Grapes Over iTunes

Overall, the Chilis DO NOT suck. Lately, (meaning past few albums) they do suck. But that is beside the point. They just cant comprehend the logic that either way, their music WILL be downloaded. By not choosing to participate in i-tunes, the downloaders will go to kazaa and grokster and download from there.

Of course, its all about the money, not some sanctimonious pap about “not wanting to contribute to the demise of the rock album format”. Puhleez. Only when the Peppers or Metallica create entire albums that are worth listening, like OK Computer (or anything by Radiohead for that matter) can they have the right to say that.

O well, their shortsightedness will result in more losses from piracy for them. If downloaders have a choice between a legit, hassle-free crystal-clear and complete copy in i-tunes vs a dubious, crappy bit-rate, incomplete copy in kazaa, it is pretty obvious what they will choose. By witholding that choice from the consumer, theyre just opening theirselves up to more illegal downloads.

Cant wait to say “I told ya so.”

Posted by Reorx on July 16, 2003 at 6:30 PM (PDT)

Booq releases PodPaq case for 3G iPods

this case is sweet, only it won’t fit my 10gb
:(

Posted by Joey sue on July 16, 2003 at 4:54 PM (PDT)

Booq releases PodPaq case for 3G iPods

Rich, do you have a 15 or 30G ipod?  And is it loose on the 15?

Posted by Albert on July 16, 2003 at 3:59 PM (PDT)

Booq releases PodPaq case for 3G iPods

I got the case today at Creative Pro. It rocks. It looks great, the fit is perfect, the inside is lined with leather…

Posted by Rich on July 16, 2003 at 3:52 PM (PDT)

'Pods Unite' : VW & Apple Team Up in New Beetle

The holder in the spot is the exact holder you get when you buy the Beetle.

Belking designed the holder - custom made for the Beetle.

The salesman didn’t know what he was talking about - program launched yesterday—some guys are slow.

It’s cool.

Posted by ntheno on July 16, 2003 at 3:47 PM (PDT)

Griffin Announces RadioSHARK and iFire

Although, I just realized that recording a radio broadcast, transferring it onto my iPod, and then using my iTrip to broadcast back to radio just seems so wrong! 

Posted by Nicholas Howard on July 16, 2003 at 3:01 PM (PDT)

Griffin Announces RadioSHARK and iFire

To comment on above:

MP3 is a codec you must license for inclusion in software packages, hence, no MP3. From what I hear, the yearly prices for use of MP3 ain’t cheap.

Also, this is far better than an FM card on the PC, or using a line-in to encode. The missing link in that simple solution is the software that will record the right shows at the right times (switching from station to station at the set times). You can’t do that with a line-in and leaving the radio on.

I’m sold. I’ve preordered mine! I have big plans to set up automation via folder actions and applescript to get my favorite shows onto my iPod daily!

Posted by Nicholas Howard on July 16, 2003 at 2:59 PM (PDT)

BusinessWeek: The Chili Peppers' Sour Grapes Over iTunes

Chilis suck

Posted by Rob on July 16, 2003 at 2:44 PM (PDT)

Booq releases PodPaq case for 3G iPods

Umm.  Nice, but doesn’t have screen protector.  It would be nice for it to have a screen protector and a flap. 
i-Vod it is then.  Too bad.  The i-Vod is the case to beat.

Posted by deep on July 16, 2003 at 2:10 PM (PDT)

Booq releases PodPaq case for 3G iPods

Just ordered it! I think this is the one case to beat. How cool is that removable flap!!?? Now you can use the same case for traveling as you do for working out too.

Posted by ntljr in Woodland Hills, CA on July 16, 2003 at 2:06 PM (PDT)

Booq releases PodPaq case for 3G iPods

I live right near this Booq place, I just called them to see if I can pick one up. I can’t afford another frickin’ scratch on my iPod!!!

Posted by ntljr in Woodland Hills, CA on July 16, 2003 at 1:51 PM (PDT)