iPod AV - Real or Fake? Monday March 6, 2006

Posted in: Technology

1. Ben Ward

   Mar 6, 02:23 PM

   Y’see, as bitter as this sounds I’d been thinking that touchscreens were the way to go with the iPod Video for a long, long while. As the patent details and early fakes cropped up the feeling of ‘shit, why didn’t I blog that? No-one will believe me now’ was inescapable.
   
   I recon these probably are fakes, but from all the information floating around, I can’t help thinking that they’re bloody close to the real thing.
   
   The hope has to be that whatever touchscreen technology they’re using is sensitive and responsive enough to replace the current clickwheel.
   
   We’ll see, I guess.

2. garrett

   Mar 6, 04:23 PM

   What’s interesting is that the photos also depict a dock which seems to be integrated into a large desk/worktop. I would guess that the only place you’d see such a unit would be in a store for dispay purposes.

3. Nathan Pitman

   Mar 6, 04:59 PM

   Ah, that’ll be the new iPod Hi-Fi.

4. hink

   Mar 9, 04:42 AM

   Nobody else finds it odd that the purported release date is April 1st? That being the most obvious thing, imagine, if you can, having to touch the screen of your iPod to manipulate the controls. How long would it be before the display was unusable? A week? I’ve had my 5G in a Speck Toughskin with a condom over the clickwheel since the day I got it and still there are scuffs on the face. Not to mention battery life—twice the screen real estate probably more than doubles the power draw. Good luck watching the first 35 minutes of your favorite movie.
   
   Hoaxity Hoax Hoax. Personally I wish iPod users would stop being so “uh… duh… purdy shiny new thing, I pay you now!” and more “Shove your pay2play Jessica Simpson music videos up your arse until you give me gapless playback ffs!”.
   
   But that really would be asking to much.

5. Daniel Oliver

   Mar 9, 01:06 PM

   I was just scooting around today and came across http://cultofmac.com/?p=71
   
   Maybe of interest.

6. Ben Ward

   Mar 9, 02:26 PM

   Hink: The April 1st day is legit as it’s Apple’s 30th Birthday. And I agree, they’d need to do something clever with the screen coating to ensure that it doesn’t become unusable, but that doesn’t mean they won’t.

7. Nathan Pitman

   Mar 9, 02:41 PM

   They’ll probably sell replacement screens for just short of the cost of a replacement iPod AV. ;)

8. John

   Mar 9, 04:01 PM

   Hink: as Ben said, I’m sure Apple have thought of this. Don’t forget they’ve applied for a ‘virtual clickwheel’ patent (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/02/13/apple_virtual_clickwheel_patent/) too—strikes more than a passing resemblance to the iPod clickwheel.

9. hink

   Mar 10, 04:19 AM

   I’d really prefer that they work out gapless playback before they proceed some other feature of dubious value. It’s rather like working on putting a thousand-dollar stereo in a car that—by design mind you—stutters at every stoplight. I’m gonna call up Jobsy and tell him how I feel. ;)

10. John

    Mar 15, 02:26 PM

    It’s fake.
    
    Watch the video of it being faked.
    
    Then read the forum posting from the faker.
    
    Good faking though.

11. Nick

    Apr 2, 03:34 AM

    its not fake it couldnt be. I’ve been doing reserch and to my calculations evrything looks posible. All you people who think its fake need to go back to kindagarten
    
    p.s.- I wana get one so bad!

12. Ben

    Apr 4, 02:19 AM

    Its Fake…but i want 1

13. Nick

    Apr 5, 10:45 PM

    wow thats gay that it didnt come out

14. Jeffrey

    May 19, 02:35 PM

    Hey
    its real bois. my uncle works at apple , and i asked him to find out if the iPod AV was coming out, and he said to wait and see, but he hinted that it would. technically they cant ell, but im pretty sure it will. they have something protecting the screen so it dosent get derrty though. errbody should get one. then get tipsy.

15. hermanator

    Jul 9, 10:30 PM

    I think that it is coming out, even if the pictures are fakes. Some techs or some people like that got drunk and leaked to his friends, and now this whole rumor thing has started. But I think that they are still coming out.
    I have a friend who is an electrical engineer who fifured it yout on his own time and says that it is entirely possible.

16. hermanator

    Dec 25, 06:03 PM

    i know when it is coming out. suckers!!!!!!

17. Dinky

    Jan 4, 04:27 AM

    Well, the technology is available, and protective coatings are proven (visit your local casino, many are touchscreen LCDs). Microtouch even makes a capacitive 4” touchscreen that has a protective coating the likes of which would be needed in this application. Still, protection can only go so far. The best solution would be a replaceable skin. On the power side, LiPoly batteries are being improved upon on a regular basis. I won’t take much for a compact, high capacity battery to be developed (that doesn’t detonate…) for use in this application. The problem is going to be miniturization of the components to get the hard drive, battery, screen and all the required circutry in the same space as the current iPod form factor. And controlling heat build up from the transistors. And strengthening the LCD for drops (com on, I know you’ve dropped that precious iPod at least once, I have). And a host of other, minute details that accompany any new product release. Is the pic faked? Undoubtedly. After all, the release of the 1st gen iPod Nano was a suprise to everyone. And this is even bigger than that. And Apple is well known for keeping things under wraps untill release date. Anyhow, that’s my two cents worth!

18. Victor

    Sep 6, 04:17 AM

    this is REAL!!!!!! iys called the iPod AV and it comes in a 40 gb and probably either a 90 or 100 bg as well, its much better than the iPod Touch, because of the memory, im not sure if it will have iTunes on it or internet acces, but the design and memory size is MUCH better than the iPod Touch!!!!

19. Nathan Pitman

    Sep 6, 07:41 AM

    This is now a reality, check out the iPod Touch.