evildoug

Oh wait a minute. That's because the ipod is a DAP - Digital Audio Player.

Other players are out there with tuners built in. plenty of products for everyone. This one is designed with a purpose that doesn't include FM (rightfully so IMO).

Wireless for syncing (WiFi) would be ce of course. And iTunes not being Windows-like? That's a good thing.

hybrid8

as for voice recording, really, who uses that feature anyway?

wetboxersguy

Seriously, I think Clear Channel should get some credit for iPod's success. They managed to clear cut what was once a diverse forest of surprising delights, with thousands of indie radio stations perculating the best of what music is out there, into something you vaguely hear in the background when you're buying your Jamba Juice.

I could also mention MTV ("pretty" musicians don't make a difference to EARS) but they're so irrelevant...

Half the other stuff (bluetooth, WiFi...) contradicts one of your other peeves: battery life. iPods are about music, not driveby browsing of others' lists (besides my list kicks ass! :D). I'd rather have 2x battery life than networking. That's what my iMac (yup - one of those) is for.

Trai_Dep

xxenclavexx

shokk

I just bought two tiny card readers with one-gig on-board memory at run on one AA battery. The memory cards are interchangeable. Each member card can be up to 4 gigabytes in size. The players were $35 apiece. Each memory card is $50 to $100 depending on size. No software, no moving parts, no DRM, no crappy built in lithium battery. There you go.

olegna

I'm tired of the new Microsoft zune/xbox fanboy attitude and the constant iPod slagging. It's not fair nor balanced, so why even bother reading - it's all POI, not news. I know your point of view and it's not mine.

Adios Gizmodo.

JimInHolland

ObscuredCelery

so what you want is for there to be no ipods for 5 years and have it come out with a 1TB of memore a week of usable battery and 802.11z right?

wldchld22

http://www.shieldzone.com/

yohamed

I like you don't like DRM. No one does. I don't like driving the speed limit on the highway! But, i realized that until i owned the highway, I couldn't set the speedl.
If you don't like the drm, then why don't you negotiate a deal with the record companies that own the rights to the songs and get them to give you a better deal!! I and everyone else will follow you to your music portal!!

Russ

russurquhart1

Yeah, cuz subscription is a PC invention.

rawhead

djdare

bdesign

Come on, bluetooth & wifi for a music player? what a waste of energy!
I'd rather stick with my higher speed cable and purchase a 3rd part accesssories if I need them.

Anow you are thinking an Apple software doesn't follow MS windows convention....OMG

And, please don't compare a rip-off from Taiwan with ipod, they are just DIFFERENT.

Seriously, I wonder why on the earth would Gizmodo post such meaningless article?

lava

For a long time I have assumed bunches of nerds use iTunes like I do, but perhaps I am wrong. Over the years I have used WinAmp, Musicmatch, etc. iTunes has a far better mixture of features and ease of use than ANY of them, imo.

This is my set-up: Music library on external hard drive attached to an older sleeping iBook in the bedroom, running iTunes 24/7. I then use my other iBook as a glorified remote in the living room. I access the music using iTunes to stream content from my bedroom to the livingroom and then to an Airport Express attached to my entertainment system. I have access to 95GB of music from my couch and the ability to listen to it on a sweet sound system without buying an expensive Sonos system or the like and my iBook not being tethered to an ext. hard drive in the living room.

Can another pice of software do this as seamlessly and for free? I LOVE iTunes.

kevinmaples

Come on, for once will you guys please get off of your higher-than-thou horse and just laugh, for once?

RiceBandit

Jason R

I'll tell you what backwards is -- backwards is making your customers fork over roughly $40 extra for a feature that your competitors already include in their competitively priced DAP.

To the person who said that if the Taiwan knock-offs batteries work better, why not just buy one of those -- erm, the whole point of this post is to point out how the iPod can be fixed/improved. Seriously, if some Taiwanese company can do it, then surely Apple can.

mela_luvs_gizmodo

JiltedCitizen

I still love my iPod though, because I'm a consumer whore.

Carl_with_a_K

KesCaesar

James

iameleveneight

pjsson

i.am.mozman

ewilliams

Scratches: I've had mine for a year and do not have a single scratch. Remember that little sleeve it came in? Slipping the iPod in and out before and after each use is a religious thing. You can even use it to clean off your fingerprints.

Battery life: I have so many gadgets that will charge it for me that I don't even hook it up specifically to charge it anymore.

DRM: Buy the CD and rip yourself.

Yes, iTunes is weird, but even my 10 year old figured it out for her shuffle.

No bluetooth... I think I could live without this. I don't see any killer reason to have it right now.

No WiFi... I would loooove for this thing to read the Rendezvous stream I have running from my Linux box at home using mt-daapd. This is the same stream I read over an SSH pipe from the office. For more info on how its done...
http://www.shokk.com/blog/articles/2006/02/06/getting-ipod...

Thief magnet... well, can't be helped. Even criminals love them.

shokk

WiwiJumbo

I disagree with Worf, one because he's on trial on deep space nine right now, but second because i don't think that those features such as AM/FM, bluetooth, wifi, etc, would necessarily need to cpmlicated to implement. If the Ipod already has video / music capabilities, it would be easy to implement, GUI-wise, just different sources for the media than the hard drive...

soldstatic

I'm looking forward to Sony's new offering."

You kind of have a ponit there but at the same time, I don't think the ipod was envisioned to be the default player for music in people's cars at it's inception. Companies live and learn right? Well Apple was fortunate not to have to worry about that one as about 60% of car manufacturers (I don't have the exact number but it is more than half) are offering interfaces for the ipod to work with their vehicles from the factory. This number is not declining at the moment and will most likely grow. Good luck with your Sony.

Pumi

Pumi

Anyhow, Jobs knows the demand is there for stuff like AM/FM, bluetooth, wifi, etc.. The question is how can it be implemented such that it works nicely rather than (on a lot of devices) thrown in as a line item for the marketing brochure. After all, if it takes a million steps, people won't use the feature.

Worf

GreenApple123

I want WiFi so I can stream my entire collection to it if I want. Or stream any of the many, many Internet-based radio stations, most of which have larger selections that I.

And I want the UI fixed. You should be able to whiz around the pad until you get to what you want, then click right where your thumb is to select it. You shouldn't have to then hit the center button. The center button should be for backing out. The UI is wrong. Just plain wrong. So close, but still wrong.

TommySez

agentmckay

Just pull Steve's nuts out of your mouth and look around at the offerings of other players. Apple wasn't first, and is far from the best. You might say they're the Windows of mp3 players...

Brad

happy birthday, enjoy the good times while they last, i doubt you will stay on top much longer if you are even still there.

king_of_fools

castlecraver

Most of them should be left as addons of some type, so that the featureset is modular, even if the incremental cost is higher.

I don't need any of the above mentioned, and radio sucks donkeys, except for FMU & 1 or 2 college stations.

*** BUT -Wireless Sync does sound swanky, and a James Bond "Launch Exploding Battery" button in the gearshift knob would be nice. I'd prefer my $9 at batteryship.com doesn't destroy something 25x more expensive.

Will

Like Mr. Gentzen said, I'd use the FM for tuning into the TVs at my gym along with the times where I'd just want to listen to the radio instead. However, there are many times when I want to listen to talk radio or Cubs broadcasts so including both bands would be a great help and would, in my opinion, be the perfect addition to the iPOD (without the addition of some bulky accesory). I doubt there's much difference to adding both -- component-wise or cost-wise -- to the iPOD.

shockidelica

Subscription music. Love it. Really love it. What? You say I can't own it? So untrue. I pays my .79-.99 per track and purchase it. The rest of the shite? I explore for a nominal monthly fee. Love it. And within two years, iTunes will cave in and copy the pc world. Cuz that's where it's going.

Voice recording and FM would be nice. Almost every other top DAP has it- why not the "market leader?" Oh yeah, paying $50 additional for a bolt on aftermarket kludge is hardly an elegant solution.

Other than that ... I too like the iPod. It's the Toyota Camry of the DAP's.

crescentdave

Luuey

chillywilly

fardated

fardated

digiprod

notlazyjustdontcare

You are talking about syncing to the iPod wirelessly, why would you want to SLOW things down? Think about it - WiFi - 802.11g runs 54Mb/s, 802.11n, 108MB/s (or so..) - neither of these even come close to competing with Firewire (400Mb/s or 800Mb/s) or USB 2 (480Mb/s) connections we have now. Therefore, trying to sync up 60GB of music at 1/4 the speed of a wired connection...you'll get so damn pissed off that you'll end up plugging it in anyway!

Good idea - but, only on paper.

The better idea is for wireless streaming, to say, an AirPort. Now, that is something I could get on board with!

ksat

Batteries can be replaced, in under 20 minutes for most models.

DRM is not compulsory. P2P, ripped CDs, DRM-free MP3 online stores... DRM-free music solutions are plentiful.

iTunes originated on the Mac, ergo it won't EVER respect Windows conventions, until Windows follows Mac OS X GUI guidelines, which is getting nearer by the minute.

WiFi bandwidth is A LOT SLOWER than that of USB 2. WIMAX would be better, but suck battery life like a hummer sucks gas.

The iPod 5G screen is OK for short clips and TV shows. If you want 16:9 aspect ratio for watching movies on the go, then you're begging for bad eyesight. Movies belong to the living room and movie theatres.

The regularity of any given kids insistence on getting new and shiny gear is based on said kid's education. No, junior, you don't NEED another pair of Nike shoes, the ones you're wearing are in perfect condition.

Envy from others is proportional to your propensity to flash your expensive gadgets in public; white earbuds are a give-away; buy better earphones and hide your luxury items.

Granted: Bluetooth wold be cool.

flyermoney

Where were you 5 years ago when I was unwrapping my launch day 1st Gen iPod, and reveling in it's Mac loveliness - oh yea, still in the dark ages.

I took my iPod though JFK 2 days later, and had it taken away for further inspection by TSA - they'd never seen one and 'wanted to check it out'.... Just in case.

Back then - I had people come up to me on the plane, and ask to look at the iPod, see how it worked, listen to the quality - it was like alien technology.

Of course, now everyone and his PC owning granny have one - and all you can do is bitch and moan about the product that moved the music industry into the 21st C.

Damn you all for doubting the Mac deities!

DrD

When my wife wanted an audio player I mistakenly got her an ipod. She wanted it to listen to audio books too. She was constantly asking me to fix it so it would play the song(chapter) that she wanted. The ipog firmware will not rewind form one song into the end of the previous song. If you need to go back a little bit to relisten to the last few paragraphs of the last chapter you need to skip back all the way to the beginning of that song. Replacing the firmware with rockbox http://www.rockbox.org/ allows to use the ipod to listen to audio books.

#1 - Can not rewind from song through to previous song.
#2 - I hate the interface it sucks. The touch wheel is just gimmicky.
#3 - Does not use AA batteries.
#4 - No line in recording.

jimwatters

I'm secure in my own life not to need such petty status-symbols for their own sake. Personally, I'd rather pay less for more features.

the_caveat

Eric
www.mondogadgets.com

ericdiaz03

SirGromit

daftrok

Otherwise nice article. In an odd way it actually brings one closer to the little thing thinking about it's faults and realising everyone else is doing the same or worse.

P.S. New firmware is worth it for higher resolution video and more battery life. Even if it cripples iPod Linux and you have to use the daft iTunes 7. (iTunes 7 is not all bad but has some things that make you go Wha?!)

quayzar

w3c.org

Eric

ericdiaz03

dont be an idiot man. read.

ronnsprocket

I'm looking forward to Sony's new offering.

hakubak

bdesign

Toneman

mac_kix_windoze

wanago

1. The products "mission" is to take YOUR music with you. Not some radio station with 50% of the good, 50% crap, and another 25% in ads. Hmmm... does that add up? You as Gizmodo have a mission and your site succeeds because it focuses on something. If you really want it there are third parties that offer an add-on.

2. True. The iPod is prone to scratches. I have had many and I know that I need to care for them like I would my pair of glasses. However, with simple care the iPod does not become unusable like many people claim. You want shiny? It will scratch.

3. Battery life is getting better with every generation. Apple does not live in its own battery dimension. It uses the same batteries that the cheap products use. However, building a better product, especially if you focus on looks and portability requires trade-offs. Lately the trade-off is more balanced. I use my iPod Nano in my car (not my XM or FM) and I go days without recharging as it accompanies me in my twice daily 30 minute commute. With the Video the trade-off is the always on color screen while watching video. With time things will improve but it is not entirely in Apple's hands. Blame battery manufacturers as well who cannot seem to come up with anything better. Perhaps they are busy with their recalls.

4. DRM is not Apple's fault... it is imposed on Apple if it wants to offer an online store. This is 100% the fault of record labels. Apple's is more balanced than most and as it gains power it should improve. This will take years though. I mean what else do you want to do? You can burn CDs; you can have your library on up to 5 computers; 10 iPods. What do you want the ability to broadcast to the world? I DO agree that Apple should license Fairplay to hardware manufacturers in specific areas. I would like my XBOX to be able to play music from my iPod or my Mac via streaming. There are many other products that allow you to stream music all over the home (many of which Gizmodo has featured) that will not transmit iTunes music.

5. I have had my battles with iTunes but it is not rocket science. I was using Windows Media Player with its "I do not like menus anymore" interface. I was stuck and I am far from computer-dumb. THANK GOD Apple stays away from Windows conventions. iTunes sometimes does give me hiccups even on a Mac but I cannot really complain about the interface or its ease of use.

6. You complain about battery life and also want Bluetooth. Bluetooth eats through battery life like a shark in a goldfish tank. I also do not like the idea of transferring music and movies via slooooow Bluetooth. USB 2.0 is slow enough as it is. We had to give up Firewire because of PC-Firewire-illiteracy already.

7. I guess not too many people are as unhappy with the iPod as you.

8. That's good it means Apple is not standing still like many companies do. You want change. Make a list of change but don't want the company to change too often?

9. AGREE. Apple should have gone wide with this generation and made the whole iPod usable in panorama style.

10. Wi-Fi. Why complicate things more? Why? Do you think you grandparents will appreciate this or Bluetooth? I don't want windows mobile! I don't want the cluttered mess that most geeks like! It's a music player.

sadex76

jeblis

iTunes on the other hand can rot in a dark alleyway in taiwan.

Starfish79

GadgetGav

djdare

Dude are you serious? I can't believe you didn't get this WiFi so I can just bring the ipod near my computer and it will sync up and download my new tracks from my itunes...

Nothing to click on nothing to plug-in just bring it near the computer and i'm done... Dude do you know how hot that would be...

Crazyglues

jrubzer

Nosir. When iBuy iWant the most for my money.

Not to be bled dry adding features and durability that should have been there to begin with.

iWent with Sansa.

strider_mt2k

MacGeekGuy

/long time Archos user who expects this function.

The Brain

kerry

PS - Half of these "reasons" to HATE the iPod are pretty far fetched.

MBsam

KermityFrog

As you point out though, Apple is probably very happy to keep things the way they are.

isolationism

2. Buy a damned case. (Although I keep my 1st Gen Nano in nothing but my pocket, and I don't have a problem with scratches.)

3. I suspect the "cheap knockoffs in Taiwan" don't operate with the same sophistication, or as well as an iPod. If they are in fact superior devices, why not just buy one?

4. If you don't like the iTunes Store DRM, don't shop there. You can still buy CDs. Having and iPod does not force you to use iTS.

5. Golly, an Apple-designed program that doesn't conform to Windows "conventions?" That's a shocker. I use OSX and have never had the slightest trouble working or navigating iTunes.

6. And you're unhappy with battery life NOW?

7. Buy. New. Headphones. As a general rule, bundled headphones blow.

8. This one is just laughable. Honestly, your suggestion for improving the iPod is to make it less desirable? Really? REALLY? "Please don't make them so appealing, so I won't have to buy them." Wow.

9. A legitimate qualm I suspect will be covered in the next refresh.

10. Again, battery life. Not to mention total worthlessness.

Honestly, this entire thing reads like a big joke. Half the statements are self-defeating. Gleh.

it.goes.there

Other than that, the article is spot on.

JB3

Zune has wi-fi, but only for sharing, not for syncing. That's why he said crippled.

Bender

There's not going to be any major service like that that isn't going to have DRM of some sort. Anything you get from somewhere that isn't DRM'd will work in the iPod.

"Steve Jobs himself talked about how iPods must often be replaced."

The context for this was you're going to have to buy a new one every six months or so if you want to stay on the cutting edge. It's a good thing that they add new features frequently, isn't it? I consider it a good thing if when I'm ready to replace my Nano (hopfully a couple years from now) that I get more value for the same price.

I agree on the FM point. I'd use it at the gym sometimes if I wanted to listen in on what's on the TV screens. FM radio sucks here (washington, DC, USA).

Pretty much agreed on the rest of the items though.

Happy Birthday.

ScottGentzen

ronnsprocket

oceanmajk

oceanmajk

punkin

oceanmajk

haha. plus, i think its the second time you used "janky" today.

ronnsprocket

Or, is it just Zune's Social Network you want access to? You DO realize that's the most bizaar excuse for WiFi ever? Well - it is!

ksat

CCNA1AB

dambo29

FROST1