JBL has announced immediate U.S. availability of an additional model of its On Stage speaker system, On Stage III. Previously released in Asia and originally not expected to be shipped in the U.S., On Stage III is an iPod-only speaker system sharing features and similar dish-shaped styling to earlier JBL On Stage speakers. It appears to be the last On Stage to feature USB connectivity, which is being removed from the upcoming iPhone-compatible sequel, On Stage IIIP.
Confirming a report from eagle-eyed reader Brian V., JBL today said that USB ports will not be included in its upcoming 200- and 400-series On Stage and On Time speakers. Marketed as “OnePoint technology” that would have allowed docked iPods and iPhones to connect to computers near the speakers, the omitted USB ports leave these systems, as well as On Stage IIIP, to serve solely as speaker and charging stations, not synchronization docks.
Finally, readers may have noticed that some recent model JBL On Stage Micro units have begun to appear in stores with product codes that suggest that they are actually On Stage Micro 2s. According to JBL, these units are “the exact same units” but in new iPod nano-matching colors, and do not have any other differences from previously produced On Stage Micro speakers.
