All Articles in iPod

Everyone, including Steve Jobs, has very reasonable sounding theories as to why the third gen iPod touch camera was removed. Rather than rehash it again, however, we thought we’d let our minds wonder into parody, and consider what might have happened in a world only slightly more cartoonish than ours…

Steve Jobs, fresh from his recent leave of absence, comes crashing back into Apple’s Cupertino campus, and after fixing the typography on the iPhone 3G S 3GS, tweaking some pixels on the Snow Leopard UI, and spending time meditating deep in the iTablet vault, he heads over to the scorched closet that used to be reserved for iPhone A2DP testing…

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We’d heard rumors that the iPhone 3GS would be getting fast 802.11n Wi-Fi to go along with that S for Speed, but that never panned out — except for the new third generation iPod touch.

iFixit has been doing their prerequisite tear-down of the brand new device, and MacRumors says:

One of the more intriguing differences uncovered so far is the inclusion of a Broadcom BCM4329 combination Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chip, which supports the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard in addition to 802.11a/b/g standards. The iPhone 3GS and the second-generation iPod touch utilize a different BCM4325 chip, which supports only the 802.11a/b/g standards. While Apple has apparently not activated 802.11n capability in the iPod touch and it is unknown whether it will choose to do so in the future, the new iPod touch hardware does appear to be capable of supporting the standard.

Speaking of rumored-but-not-delivered:

iFixit has also revealed that there is a small empty space at the top of the device (approximately 6 mm x 6 mm x 3 mm) where an iPod nano-style camera could fit. The iPod touch does not appear to be thick enough to adequately house an autofocus camera as found in the iPhone 3GS.

Would we have wanted an iPod touch with VGA video like the nano, but no 3mp stills like the iPhone 3GS?

Did Apple plan to add a camera to the third generation iPod touch — just like the iPhone 3GS and iPod nano — but pull it roughly a month ago due to technical difficulties? We heard that rumor last week, after months of previous rumors and leaks that made the camera seem all but a certainty.

For his part, Steve Jobs said Apple prioritized lowering prices over adding new hardware features.

Now, AppleInsider is merging those two story lines into one consistent, and not incredible report. Sourcing people familiar with the matter (PFWTM), those familiar with the situation (TFWTS), and others familiar with the situation (OFWTS), Apple initially decided to add the cameras to the iPod touch feature set only to discover issues with the camera sensors they received. So, Apple execs made the call to yank the cameras last month. However, Apple still wants to add the cameras back in to the hardware, and could do it at any time, and at the same price point.

Obviously, not announcing new iPod touches before the holidays, or announcing that newer ones might show up at some point (who knows — maybe not even Apple yet — when exactly), were not options, so they went with the beefier internals at 32GB and 64GB.

Wether that’s the real, or even approaching real, story or not, likely only a few folks high atop Apple know for sure, but it does make a modicum of sense (even if well seasoned with salt grains).

So, as part of the It’s only rock and roll, but we like it special music event, Apple pretty much gave the one big feature everyone wanted for the third generation iPod touch… to the nano instead.

• Camera and mic for video (with nifty iChat style special effects!)
• VGA 640×480 recording, H.264
• Sync photos and video to PC (iPhoto on Mac)
• FM Radio + Live Pause, Tagging
• Nike +
• Genius Mixes
• VoiceOver
• Still nanochromatic in wide color range
• $149/$199 for 8GB/16GB

Still, sounds like a jogger’s, or ultra-light traveler’s dream music player, with a great amount of convergence built in… What do you think?

More pics after the break!

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Apple just announced the new, third generation iPod touch during their It’s only rock and roll, but we like it special music event. The big news?

Looks like the $199/$299/$399 price point for 8GB/32GB/64GB was spot on, and along with the OS 3.1 update, similar to what the iPhone is getting (including Genius Mixes, Genius App Recommendations, Voice Control, VoiceOver, etc.). The 8GB looks to be last year’s model priced to clear, like the iPhone 3G, while the new 32GB and 64GB devices get a 50% speed boost (iPhone 3GS got a 100% boost, by the 2nd gen iPod touch was faster than the iPhone 3G to begin with), OpenGL ES 2.0 for better graphics,

Apple Store shows they ship in 1-3 days (3 days for the 64GB monster).

The biggest news, however, is the stunning lack of a camera — something the new iPod nano received. It seemed like such a no-brainer addition, perhaps rumors of production problems forcing Apple to delay them were true? If so, delay them until when? Any time soon, and buyers of this version will be angry. Until next year, and everyone will be annoyed. What’s it going to be, Apple?

Of course, with the Zune HD about to be released, the loss of a camera and lack of HD-out (or OLED) are competitive disadvantages. However, the new price points and massive lead in Apps likely even things out.

What say you?

Yesterday we heard a rumor that Apple may be experiencing problems with the iPod’s new camera feature, and those problems could cause a delay.

Today, Hardmac [via MacRumors] threw in some rumored details about the rumored problems:

The issue would be linked to the new camera module. We did not get any further details, but the problem has been spotted in the first dozen of thousands units produced. Those units have been put aside.

Again, even if true, this would likely only cause a delay in the release of the third generation iPod touch, not its announcement at tomorrow’s “It’s only rock and roll, but we like it” special music event. This has happened in the past when products weren’t quite ready or had last minute spec changes necessitating a delay.

Still, we’ll only know for sure when Apple hits the stage.

Could the long-rumored cameras being added to the iPod touch, iPod nano, and even iPod classic have hit a snag, leading to a delay that might affect Apple’s “It’s only rock and roll but we like it” special music event planned for Wednesday?

AppleInsider, citing a “person with a strong track record in predicting Apple’s upcoming product launches” (PWASTRIPAUPL), is rumoring just that:

the iPod maker experienced technical problems with the cameras months ago. The person said that it was uncertain whether the new hardware, which has been widely expected to debut at Wednesday’s “Only rock and roll” media-centric event, would make the cut for early September.

Since the iPod touch is so similar to the iPhone, unless Apple is trying to cram the cam into too thin an enclosure, we have a hard time seeing the problem in that SKU. Whether or not the rumor is accurate, whether or not it effects all the of the iPods or just iPod nano and iPod classic, and whether or not Apple delays announcing the new iPods or simply announces them as “shipping in the future” are all, of course, unknown.

With so much of the music events — and holiday shopping season — relying on the iPod lineup, however, it’s hard to imagine them letting things slip much, if at all.

What say you?

Ars Technica brings word that supplies of current generation iPods are running low, with no new deliveries in sight. How convenient, then, that Apple’s annual Music Event, focused on iTunes and the iPod, is just around the corner, presumably on September 9th?

Just over a week to go!

Looks like Wednesday, September 9 might just be this year’s date for Apple’s annual iPod and iTunes event, where it’s widely expected we’ll see the third generation iPod touch (with video camera?), iTunes 9 (with Blu-Ray and “social” integration?), as well as other refreshes to Apple’s music-themed lineup.

Now, TiPb thought it would be September 8, because Apple almost always drops product on Tuesdays, like last year’s Let’s Rock event (and it still might this year, the above is only a rumor from a source), but we’re not going to read anything into it if it is a Wednesday this time around either.

All Things Digital also says, however, there’s one big ticked item we won’t be seeing:

The event will be held in San Francisco–most likely at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where it has occurred in years past–and is expected to showcase upgrades to the iPod line and an update to iTunes that may involve some sort of social element. Our sources insist it will not involve any discussion whatsoever of the tablet Apple is reportedly developing.

Still remaining, however, is the other great unknown — will Steve Jobs take the stage once again, or leave things to the Tim Cook/Phil Schiller/Greg Jozwiak team that filled in during his leave of absence earlier in the year?

Rumors of the third generation iPod touch getting a camera — even video camera — is nothing new, however Wired.com now claims they may be getting a built-in microphone as well:

A well-connected source tells us those rumors are on the money, and that Apple’s factories in China are already manufacturing iPod Touch models with integrated cameras and microphones. An Apple spokesman declined to comment when reached by phone.

With the addition of video to Camera, and the Voice Memo app, combined with a built-in mic making VoIP even easier, we’ll come out and say it — ultimate non-phone handset is nigh.

Apple typically unveils new iPod touch models once a year at their special music event, alongside other iPods and related announcements — which last time, at Let’s Rock included the iPhone 2.1 firmware and iTunes 8.

[via MacRumors]