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Technology Stocks : Apple Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: slacker711 who wrote (54465)	7/14/2006 1:10:53 PM
From: slacker711	Respond to of 213184

Amid iPod buzz, separating fact from fiction thinksecret.com By Ryan Katz, Senior Editor July 14, 2006 - It has been 9 months since Apple introduced the 5G iPod with video playback, 10 months since the debut of the diminutive iPod nano, and a full 18 months since the iPod shuffle arrived on store shelves. With the exception of Apple's February announcement of the 1GB iPod nano and price cuts to the iPod shuffle, the iPod line has gone untouched in 2006, which may explain the recent buzz surrounding future iPods. In February 2006, Think Secret first reported that Apple was hard at work on the "true" video iPod, which will feature a 3.5-inch touch-sensitive display and a virtual track wheel interface. At the time, sources were expecting an announcement to arrive in late Spring, but unforeseen technical obstacles—the details of which were disclosed to Think Secret in confidence to protect the identities of the sources—pushed the release date back. It is unlikely now that the new iPod will arrive in time for the holiday season, as recent information points to a release at Macworld Expo/San Francisco in January 2007. In the interim, sources say Apple is planning a smaller upgrade to the current 5G iPod, one that will likely encompass larger capacities and little more. "Whispers" on the web The delay of the video iPod has served to fuel the wide-ranging rumors about the music player's future path. One recently published report, courtesy of Scotsman.com, said the next iPod would feature a talking interface— but Think Secret sources say that feature not in the cards. While the necessary technology has existed for some time, Apple has yet to figure out how to implement it in a way that produces a desirable user experience, and the company believes the demand for such a feature would be marginal. Sources add that Apple obtains patents for countless ideas that never come into fruition, so relying on patent filings as an indication of future products or features, as this report did, is unreliable at best. Meanwhile, The Inquirer said Wednesday it heard a "whisper" that Apple's next iPods would sport organic light-emitting diode displays (OLED), but sources say Apple briefly explored and ruled out the display technology some time ago due to the limited life-span of OLED displays and poor performance in direct sunlight. Apple has used, and will continue to use, only LCD displays in its iPods. Wireless capabilities also appear unlikely to happen anytime soon. Prompted by reports that Microsoft's "iPod killer" due out by Christmas will feature Wi-Fi functionality, the Daily Mail recently ran the attention-grabbing headline that Apple and Microsoft are in a "race to launch wireless iPod". There is no such race, however; rather, Microsoft's device will feature Wi-Fi and Apple's iPods will not. Wi-Fi functionality simply doesn't fit into Apple's media player plans, sources say, because in doing so battery life would be compromised, which runs counter to one of Apple's top priorities for its portable devices. Further, the notion of connecting an iPod wirelessly to a computer makes little sense given the slow transfer speeds and Apple has no plans for the near future to roll-out a music store interface for its iPod that would enable users to purchase and download songs on the go. In contrast, Microsoft's "iPod killer," code-named Argo but affectionately referred to by some as the xPod given its development roots in the Xbox team, may do double duty as both a media player and a gaming component. Details leaked to Think Secret by Microsoft insiders call for the device to pack a 400MHz DSP processor, far more powerful than what audio and video playback would demand. Along with Wi-Fi, Microsoft is said to be considering a satellite radio receiver option for the device, along with hard-tying it to the new Urge music service. Lastly, sources report that Apple has frozen development of its iPod phone, or iPhone, but may resume work on the device next year. Several analyst reports this year have suggested a 2006 release for the phone, which Think Secret reported in March will not happen.