Pros: Small, truly portable size, clean iPod-matching design, and runs off batteries. Cons: Clock radio audio quality, no volume controls, and no AC power supply. Over the last several years, one company rapidly became synonymous with premium-priced, bling bling audio and video accessories – the sorts of parts people would find connecting their brand new home theater components when they told a Best Buy or Circuit City salesperson to spare no expense. Whether it was $59.95 for Monster Cable’s gold-tipped Xbox cables when Microsoft’s reference version sold for $19.95, or $49.95 for “gas-injected dielectric” FireWire cables that could be had…
Author: Jeremy Horwitz
Jeremy Horwitz
Jeremy Horwitz was the Editor-in-Chief at iLounge. He has written over 5,000 articles and reviews for the website and is one of the most respected members of the Apple media. Horwitz has been following Apple since the release of the original iPod in 2001. He was one of the first reviewers to receive a pre-release unit of the device, and his review helped put iLounge on the map as a go-to source for Apple news.
Even technophiles have conceded that 2003 was not a banner year for portable gadgets. With the exception of a certain shining white star – one that sold out in stores across the world and established Apple Computer as the dominant player in the digital music industry – there wasn’t much pocket-friendly hardware to slobber over last year. But the ever-optimistic crew at iLounge has continued to dream about the surprises Apple might have in store for the 2004 holiday season, and we wanted to share some of our thoughts with you. When you’re done reading, it’s your turn. If your…
Pros: Inexpensive way to bring an iPod along when exercising. Cons: Design problems create concerns about stability and potential scratch and shake damage to iPod, as well as limiting access to iPod and controls when in use. Not a great fashion statement, either. A Sack, a Strap, and a Purpose Two years after the iPod’s release, most third-party accessory designers have chosen to accentuate the uniquely sleek curves and thin profile of Apple’s digital audio player – often with premium-priced offerings. But one company has taken a different approach. Using surfer-friendly neoprene rubber and one-size-fits-all design principles, Tune Belt has…
Pros: Great looking portable design, more than acceptable audio quality with enough volume to use outdoors in a park (maybe even a major league ballpark), and plenty of battery power. Cons: Not an indoor audio standout given its high price, and missing a handful of generally standard speaker features. The Little White Brick That Could Fans of the Transformers will appreciate the design of Altec Lansing’s new inMotion speaker set for the iPod: with one flip, inMotion transforms from a book-sized plastic brick into a mighty little iPod boom box. Powered by batteries or AC power, inMotion may seem like…
Pros: Simple and serves its purpose for some users, better than some commonly available alternatives. Cons: Expensive relative to its components; simple tweaks would have made it more universally useful and a better value for the money. Addiction binds iPod owners together; shirt- or pants-pocket portability is so inherent to the appeal of Apple’s little white music devices that many users carry their iPods wherever they go, creating an endless stream of background music for everything from lonely nights at home to intercontinental travel. Recognizing both iPod owners’ addictions and generally deep pockets, Belkin has gradually developed a series of…
Pros: Digital photograph card reader device with good build quality and stable functionality. Cons: Other media (music, movies, text) not officially supported for transfer off of memory cards, and iPod’s battery life limits device’s usefulness for heavy music listeners. Not Just for Audio Any More Flash backwards several weeks to Apple’s release of iPod Software 2.1 for the iPod. At the time, the iPod was widely understood to be little more than a digital music player – one that people only suspected might be used for other purposes, as its ever-larger hard drive sizes began to suggest. But 2.1 changed…
Pros: Appropriate size and solid quality for both build and features, including a very good microphone. Cons: Limited functions, premium price point, and it can’t record direct audio in. It’s Not a Rumor Even if they’re untrue, rumors have a tendency to excite people. Months ago, iPod users discovered a hidden, cryptic iPod self-test menu that included a mysterious microphone test option – the bigger (and counterintuitive) surprise was that a pair of headphones could actually be used to test a unit’s audio recording capabilities. Rumors and conspiracy theories soon abounded, positing Apple in possession of a secret plan to…