[MW Forums]

Christopher Breen and Dan Frakes talk about what they like - and what they don't like - about the updated iPod line. more

[caribiner23]

A great show, but you guys should mute the audio on your computers when you're recording. At 21 seconds into the show, we can hear a Windows notification sound on the podcast.
:-)

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Christopher Breen and Dan Frakes talk about what they like - and what they don't like

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iPod Touch controls in your pocket: the most important control works very well - unplug your earphones and the music is paused. This seems much more sensitive and reliable than on my video ipod where you had to pull it out quickly and smoothly to make sure it happened. Also it works whether the Touch is locked or not - unlike the video ipod.

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Christopher Breen and Dan Frakes talk about ... the updated iPod line.

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I really like the video out feature removed from the earphone line and put into the dock. It's so much easier/elegant to carry the dock around and set it up for use with a TV rather than the old plug it in style of the video iPod. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Also, the Apple video out plug color coding is more innovative than using a generic plug line which has to be cross coded to fit the TV. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
How many dock cups come with the new iPods - I mean the docks? I have two sets of cups for my docks.
I put interchangeable decorative skins on my iPods. That makes them thicker so they need different sized cups to fit into the dock.
The new iPods are really good looking. I bought a Nano as a gift for a 11 year old family member and he loves it. I'll get a Touch as soon as features are more developed. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[phat59]

You all spoke about the need for an inline wired remote for the iPod touch (similar to the Apple radio remote that no longer works on the touch). I'm surprised that no one is mentioning Griffin's iFM remote. I've got this (and use it frequently on my 5.5G iPod) and it works perfectly on the iPod touch. Radio, pause/play, forward, reverse, and volume all work nearly identically to the way it works on the 5G iPods. And you can get it for about $35 online...unlike Apple's $50 remote.
-John

[trip1ex]

Are the maps in Google maps stored on your iPhone? Do they cache them? I mean it seems like it would run faster if they could store the maps locally along with alot of the address data. And also it would be great for when you're in areas where you don't have wi-fi or even an edge connection.
I suppose they could do it by city or state too so it wouldn't take up too much room.
It would be even sweeter if you could do that via synching in iTunes. Let me pick a few states or cities that I plan to be in in the next week.
Just a thought. What do you guys think? Wouldn't that speed up the app alot? Or does Google already cache ahead or is the slowness of the maps due to a bottleneck in the hardware? (aka it's too slow)
Companies put out DVDs with maps on them. See MS's Streets and Maps. A dvd is nearly 5 gigs. (ok they can compress data and all that too,) but I figure storing a few cities or states is definitely possible to do with the 8gb of storage capacity on the iPhone.

Also you're right about the speaker on the iPhone. I use it all the time for music and video. It's great for sharing music in the car and crowding around to watch a quick video or movie scene. I would definitely miss this if I only had an iPod touch or other iPod. IT's alot more social. If someone comes in the room they often hear something interesting blaring out of the iPhone and that starts up a conversation. That doesn't happen with headphones. Yeah you have docks and what not, but that's for when you're 'settled.'

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Christopher Breen and Dan Frakes talk about what they like - and what they don't like - about the updated iPod line.

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Mr. Breen, I understand your story slant about what the iPod Touch is not, what it could have been. I, however, am more of a what it is person. Why is the iPod Touch released as it is?
The dark screen raises questions. It's not like this was a first try. The iPhone was already out. The design/production from the screen in the iPhone could have been copied without any trouble. Why did Apple deliberately put out a darker screen or do you actually believe it was accidental? What has Apple accomplished? Surely the stockboy didn't say, "Mr. Jobs, all we have are these screens that didn't pass the iPhone test. It will save money if we use them. Okay?"
Why was video out limited? What partnership agreements or video use philosophy is being pushed by Apple? Are we being set up for a style of viewing that Apple is pushing?
The new iPods can't be used in disk mode. Why would Apple deliberately stop this practice? Was this an oversight, the use of cheaper components or the elimination of components, or a design flaw? How were people using the disk mode that was against Apple's interest to allow? What does non-disk mode do for Apple or for the customer?
The lack of physical/remote control is interesting. A remote, in my experience, will control every device within range. Your mythical subway rider would have to contend with other iPod Touch riders for control of the contents. What is Apple trying to accomplish by teaching/forcing us to use the GUI?
You went to lengths to describe what features were missing from the iPod Touch. Why were the included features chosen? What makes them good for Apple or good for the customer base?
There is a very large third party market for iPod accessories. Why did Apple change the accessories landscape? What business practice is good for Apple? A change to make money works only if Apple releases its own very large supply of accessories.
As a story about iPod Touch non-features, you did a good job. Interpret Apple for us. Who are they targeting? What kind of user will have a good experience with the iPod Touch? How can we change our user practices to be a better Apple customer?

[bookaroo]

Hi, in the podcast you said that on the ipod touch to change the volume you have to unlock it, go to music and then bring the volume down, that is not true, anytime locked or unlocked you can double click the button below the screen and a special menu appears just for controling volume and playback. This is much easier...