@Sportyboard:
Honestly! Maybe they should stage a coup! I'd love to see Apple more receptive to 3rd party material rather than just obsessed with what they might be able to charge you for down the road. A jailbroken iPhone is pretty badass.

Bluesk1d

@Suttin:

Eh, I wouldn't mind using my phone as my music player, but I'd really want much better battery life in order to be comfortable doing that. I like knowing that my phone will have enough juice at any time, something that won't happen if I'm constantly using it (say the iPhone) to listen to music, watch a video, and surf.

daveNYC

@stupidjerk: "...at first i thought you might have been saying 'amen' in agreement with his statement, but being affiliated with gizmodo means you are here to spread your religious propaganda."

*sigh*

EnochLight

@Toastie:

Hmm, I've never heard the word proprietary used like that.

I agree. I would use my phone as my media device, only problem is that the T-Mobile Dash uses usb for the headphones, and I have to use the ones that come with it.

Suttin

@konshuss: Yes!!

Ike_Skelton

[Steve Jobs and I] don't like the fact that it's a bit of a religion. I would like to have the users influence the next generation. With a religion you're not allowed to challenge anything. I want our customers to challenge us.

Amen.

...amen? oh, i see...you took the religious approach and said "amen" after woz made a statement. like when Pope Jobs takes the stage and you get on your knees to worship.
at first i thought you might have been saying 'amen' in agreement with his statement, but being affiliated with gizmodo means you are here to spread your religious propaganda.

stupidjerk

@konshuss: What ever happened to Virgil?

jolejniczak

I think Apple already sees the iPod, at least its standard form, as losing momentum and will eventually die. Look at the classic. I mean, it's actually called CLASSIC, currently gets the fewest updates, is getting cheaper, and has now finally been reduced to a single capacity with only the color options. The iPhone is basically the replacement for all of them, and the iPod touch, I feel, is a stopgap between standard iPods and having smartphones take over completely. But, I think that the market for products like the nano will remain for a long long time. People don't all want a smartphone, and many, I'd say even most, don't want or need really high capacity, but rather something that's small and light. But, for the high end crowd, I think higher capacity iPhones will basically be the new ubiquitous iPod.

Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E

@lpranal: gah how the F do you put images in comments anymore???

lpranal

@konshuss: WTF??

Sean Robertson

@Sportyboard: I'd say he's already working on it

[iphwn.org]
[blog.iphone-dev.org]

lpranal

@Sportyboard: Jobs keep Woz on a short leash.

tex1ntux

"[Steve Jobs and I] don't like the fact that it's a bit of a religion..."

"Amen."

HAHAHA.

the_amazing_doug

Obviously the iPod is dying, smartphones are taking it's place. In about a year and a half I see 50% of people using their smartphone as their proprietary portable music player. 3 years and it will be as common as the iPod is today.

Toastie

"Consumers aren't getting all they want when companies are very proprietary and lock their products down. I would like to write some more powerful apps than what you're allowed."

Well if we want it, and you want it, then why not just do it?

Sportyboard

everybody's got a price for the million dollar man ted dibiase aahahaahaaha!

konshuss

Shouldn't it be schmipod, rather than schmpod?

Just sayin' ...

jonesjohnson

@Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E:
Word, I love my shuffle for running and working out. Im not big on having a bigass thing strapped to my arm as a status device. Just clipped to my waistband with the headphone cord running up the inside of my shirt I can discreetly "tune out" while running. Handy now that they have "banned" music players from running events.

While I wouldnt mind more capacity and a directory structure im not willing to give up the wicked small size.

archercc

@DaveTyranham:

Right, the iPhone is the sort of proverbial tricorder (there is a proverb about those, right?) that seeks to make ONE gadget for as many uses as possible. What's better than an iPod? an iPod you can call people on or access the internet on.

it's already here.

nutbastard

Well i guess the question is, what's better than an iPod? A walkman is better than a transistor radio, and an ipod is better than that - i dont think anyone didn't see the jump from magnetic tape storage to some form of digital (starting with CDs and ending here with NAND flash) - so then what would make it better?

Storage was the big issue for a long time - headphones have been around, and batteries aren't THAT much better, considering a walkman probably has 20 moving parts.

The only thing i can think of would be an implantable interface - an iPod you don't have to carry. Because that's the last thing:

"You mean you have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy!"

nutbastard

I don't really agree with him. The thing about the iPod is that it keeps being updated to prevent it from falling behind in the times. The transistor radio and Walkman got beaten by newer technology but right now, at least, apple seems to be good at beating the newer tech before it even goes live. I agree with him about the fanboyism though.

NcSchu

Hold on... isn't the fact that the iPod is dying the exact reason that the iPhone was manufactured?

This doesn't seem like any sort of typical Woz forsight. It seems like a repeate transcript from a meeting between Apple and hardware manufactuers 3 years ago.

DaveTyranham

iPod to die "soon"

define soon

avconsumer2

Saying the iPod will die because the walkman did is retarded. Crap like walkmans died because something better came along. Sure, products like the iPod won't live forever but the only reason it would disappear is because it's being replaced by something new, better, cooler. Not just because "it's time is up" or something. So as long as nothing better arrives the iPod won't fade into the background, not even a little bit.
Apple continuously updates their line-up and when new tech becomes available they work it into a new model. The've proven that with the Touch. The iPod name won't disappear at all. Perhaps just the design and storage method will change. I think this is a whole lotta hoo-ha over nothing.

We moved from transistor radios -> walkmans -> discman/minidisc -> MP3 players -> whatever they will come up with next. It's simply technological advancement. How can that be surpising?

Nathan Drake

The iPod CLASSIC will die soon, and the writing has been on the wall since last year. Especially with the improved iPod Touch this year, as soon as you can get 32GB for $299, the Classic will definitely be dead. I don't think most people really use 80GB or 160GB of space, heck even when the iPod Classic was around 30GB, the Nano outsold it by leaps and bounds. I doubt it was just because of the cheaper price too.

dagamer34

I'm not sure the market for a simple, small, and cheap mp3 player ever goes away. Whether it's because I can double it as a portable HD, or because I don't want to connect my phone to my car, or because I want to lend it to someone with my favorite music...there will always be a market for the Nano, and even the shuffle.

I also think there will continue to be a market for the Touch because having a video device and a portable browser will never be out of favor. Will smartphones eat into the market? Absolutely, but I don't think so much so that it completely goes away. The Classic, and other devices like it, I do believe will begin their exit within the next couple years.

enm4r

@Mpls_Mikey: Relax, that's got nothing to do with it ;) I just hate it when someone like Woz says crap like this.

Nathan Drake

@Nathan Drake:

Hey Drake, you didn't read the part about fan-boi-ism, did you?

Mpls_Mikey

@Silvio_73h-1337: Never happen; the faith is too strong.

Curves

@stupidjerk:

Dude, chill out... have some dip.

Mpls_Mikey

Well, the *iPhone* is an effort to keep things going. The iPod Touch is just an effort to milk some cash out of those Apple perceives as too cheap to get the iPhone.

phoomp

OMG this is so true.

What is going to happen to Gizmodo if there's no more fanbois following the iPod religion?

WTF?!?

Silvio_73h-1337

@daveNYC: Completely agree with you there. For a palmtop-sized computer to be worth carrying, I need to be able to make serious use of it without worrying whether I'll be without a phone before the day is through. Personally I'll be carrying separate devices until there are major leaps in battery tech.

Killjoy

Does Woz still work at/for Apple? If not (and I don' think he does), it's interesting he still refers to it as "we".

While I agree with his basic assertions, I concur with others who say that a move towards BETTER convergent devices ala the iPhone/Touch is definitely the future.

[And now, I will undercut my own argument by adding...] HOWEVER, enough people will want a single-use device (dunno about you, but I don't want my $500 Touch hanging from my sweaty arm/hip while hoisting iron at the gym) that there should remain a market -- perhaps not nearly as big as currently -- for basic-yet-well-designed music player(s).

Basically, Apple needs to ride the iPod income as long as possible while looking ahead to the Nextnextnext Hot New Thing. Stockholders and/or fanbois need not fear, however: under Jobs, that's been one of Apple's true strengths (as opposed to other companies -- Palm comes to mind) that just don't seem to plan ahead very well.

gyffes

I'm waiting for a HDD based touch. I already have an iPhone so have no need for a nano or shuffle. BUT I DO have a lot of music and would like to take it all with me. And I think there ARE some, possibly many, who are like me. You're right, the classic is on it's way out, as soon as there is a larger capacity touch.

Also I'm really not sure about comparing the iPods to the walkman. The reason I say that is because of iTunes. Love it or Hate it, once you get used to it, it IS incredibly easy to use. Sometimes bloated? Sure. But it makes music organization easy for the average person. And no other MP3 player has a program as easy to use. I own a Zune and I HATE syncing it because the flexibility and control JUST aren't there (it has gotten better though). Sandisk and creative have horrible syncing systems too. Part of the iPods success is iTunes.

Now to get back to my point. If you ask me Cassette Tapes are to Walkmans as iTunes is to iPods. You could buy an off-brand cassette player and it would still play cassettes but you CAN'T buy a non-Apple MP3 player and connect it to iTunes.

ARGuck

@Toastie:

I think that the main problem with that would be at places like the gym. I use my iPhone while at school or walking around. When I am at the gym, I want something smaller and that I won't get interrupted on (ipod nano/shuffle)

jaredluse

@stupidjerk: Way to live up to your name, dude.

GadgetPlay

@phoomp:
I'm not too cheap to have an iPhone however it just isn't available in my area. AT&T has zero market/service/stores where I am and has seemingly no plan to rectify that. So until they change their mind, the iPhone is released to other carriers or I move back to a better place, I live with my iPod touch and Blackberry Curve.

The preserved head of Richard Nixon in a jar

@stupidjerk: Spread that propaganda....with the Force.

Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E

What I want from Apple: Stock price above $100/share again. Please.

yipes

Did I miss the part where he said the iPod would die out *soon*? The quote was "The iPod has sort of lived a long life at number one. Things like [...] they kind of die out after a while." That's an ambiguous measurement of time.

sumocat

@nutbastard: Well i guess the question is, what's better than an iPod?

Music in the cloud. Once wireless technology is ubiquitous enough someone will launch a Pandora/Last.fm like service where you pay a monthly fee to access all the music you ever wanted, buffered on your portable music device. You could still purchase music, but you would be able to have your own personalized radio station wherever you want.

If Apple pulls something like that off they'll stay ahead of the curve.

SAN66

Hence why companies evolve and develop new products. Maybe he should have mentioned that is the reason he's no longer with Apple.

DaneB

@phoomp: Not everyone is too cheap to get the iPhone. A lot of people don't want AT&T, already have an iPod, or don't want or need an smartphone. I personally wouldn't spend that much on an iPhone when I already have internet at home. The internet can wait till I get home if I need to use it.

JW

Well, if there's content available to support the product i don't see why would it die. Tapes for Walkmans were supplanted by "better quality" media players. Radio is different, but it mostly now sucks.
The IPod might die, not because it's bad, simply because the market it saturated with similar products. I don't have one.

MarlboroTestMonkey7

"[Steve Jobs and I] don't like the fact that it's a bit of a religion..."

Uh...

Jobs may not like it - but he sure is doing what he can to promote it that way. Their ad campaigns and their entire marketing and development strategy is based on this idea.

If Woz is right, then Jobs is a serious hypocrite and opportunist (oh wait... maybe Woz IS right...)

Woz really should stick to representing himself.

TheWerewolf

@enm4r: you're not using enough imagination here. soon enough you won't need to 'connect' to anything. all connections will be wireless. you'll be able to beam your favorite music to your friends (assuming DRM continues to die [stop buying from itunes and buy from amazon and this will happen]) you'll be able to beam your music from your iphone (or any other smartphone) directly into your car/home/office/computer stereo.

once this tech starts really materializing (i'd guess it's widely within 5 years), there won't be a need for much besides an all-in-one device. I'll give you the shuffle though, that's nice and useful for things like running/working out.

cpthook

"[Steve Jobs and I] don't like the fact that it's a bit of a religion. I would like to have the users influence the next generation. With a religion you're not allowed to challenge anything. I want our customers to challenge us."

What a crock of sh*t. We all know what happens whenever anybody challenges SJ. It's never pretty..

Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another dude

@SAN66: Actually, ANYONE could pull that off, fairly simply. The problem is all current networks suck at doing that. 3G isn't quite fast enough to provide a seamless experience and isn't everywhere. WiFi will never be ubiquitous enough.

In order to produce a game changer like the ipod, apple would have to build a huge, seamless Wimax-like network, for which you have one account that stores your music, data, whatever in the cloud, is as fast as your home network, and acts as your phone, TV, and internet connection.

I dunno though, I honestly think Apple's kind of painted themselves into a corner. where do you go from here? I think they should just cut to the chase and create the matrix.

lpranal

@jonesjohnson: Absolutely.

GadgetPlay

Consumers aren't getting all they want when companies are very proprietary and lock their products down. I would like to write some more powerful apps than what you're allowed.

HAHAHAHAHAHA. uh, hello? This categorizes the ENTIRE apple brand.

cpthook

@dagamer34: It's the tendency of hard drives, especially those that get lugged around, jostled, and dropped on the floor, to DIE. Flash memory is where it's at; if it works the day you bought it, it will probably work forever. Someday you'll be able to find these things at thrift stores and yard sales, and they'll still work, not to mention still have the original owner's music collection on them.

HurtsSoGood

@gyffes: he's a "consultant", that still gets paid according to the company's financial statements. obviously he doesn't have that much input, if he talks all kind of shit about his own company and it's decisions, and has a jailbroken iphone.

geedots

1st comment = best comment

thepeopleselbow

@dagamer34: hasn't the writing been on the wall for the mac mini for a couple years now? when's that ship going to sail?

everyone agrees that as soon as flash approaches the size of hd's at a similar cost, you can stick a fork in the ipod classic.

geedots

@phoomp: Haha, can you imagine Jobsey saying this at an Apple event. "Yes, we have created the iPod Touch for all you cheap bastards who wont buy our iPhone, Im sorry for all our customers who are still in contract or for whatever reason wont buy an iPhone."

I understand what you are saying phoomp but there are some legitimate reasons besides being cheap why people havent bought the iPhone.

pdditty

@ARGuck: Youll see higher capacity flashed based units than an iPhone with a hard drive built in.

pdditty

@Nathan Drake: Well, to be fair, the Walkman name never died either; it's a line of MP3 players these days. But Sony lost their position as "the market leader so ubiquitous that the entire product sector is unofficially named after their entry into it" eventually, and you have to believe that the same will happen to Apple. Let's face it, when you get right down to it, the others in the market have been innovating a lot faster than Apple. All that needs to happen is for one of them to hit the "killer app" -- the feature that makes everybody else say "oooh" -- and suddenly, the iPod will be yesterday's news.

As for the iPod Touch... well, you know how people bitch about the difficulty of installing anything not in the repositories on Linux? At least Linux doesn't require you to hack your firmware to do so, and most distros don't enforce any arbitrary restrictions on what goes into the repository. Right now, the iPhone and iPod Touch are hot, but, once people start demanding more from their phones, Apple won't be able to keep up without significantly changing the system.

HeartBurnKid, creepy morbid freak

@Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E: Looks like Ill be finding another personal music player then. I refuse to get an iphone.

UncleArgyll

While the iPod may have reached it's prime, I don't believe it's ready to keel over just yet. Apple has created a category for itself, so much that the term "iPod" is thrown around much more than the term "mp3 player" these days.

There are many PMPs out there that do so much more than the iPod (i.e., FM radio, voice record, native support for multiple formats...) and yet fail to make an impact in the market. Apple's ability to reach the common man is what put them ahead. If they keep their products idiot proof, then they'll be going strong for years to come.

misterwho

@konshuss: haha!

imaginaryplaya'

He just took a jab at the fanboys, but they have already forgiven him about it :P hahaha

efenili

@konshuss: Snap into a Slim Jim!! Ooohhh yeeeaaaahhh!!

VakeroRokero

First off, I am pretty sure that Woz is on Apple's board or something like that. Second, we should all listen to him. If it was not for his work on personal computers we would still be sitting at terminals connected to mainframes. If anyone can see the future it's The Woz.
What I see for the future is pocket devises with Bluetooth headsets, all connected via Wi-Max so that users can listen to stuff on their home server, internet and broadcast radio and listen to other sources like iTunes, Pandora, and LastFM. They won't need much storage because it's connected to your home server. These devises will be cheap and made by every personal electronics manufacturer out there. Apple will either become just another run of the mill company or they will move on to something else.
Wi-max is going to change everything.

reddingofish

@hadees: I agree. Sony still calls their MP3 players Walkman. It's the same thing, just files instead of tapes. I had a Walkman 11. It was not much larger than a tape. I wore that sucker out.

reddingofish

The ipod classic may die and Apple might not always be the top dog but I think Apple will use the ipod as the brand name for their portable media devices. They will simply keep updating them with new features and changing them kind of like how the thinkpad hasn't died it just have new revisions.

hadees

@jaredluse:

Simple solution. turn the radio off. won't get phone calls while you're working out.

dantaylor08

@ARGuck: You may be right about your comparison, but the only thing I do not like about my ipod is the need for itunes.

BlackSmokeDMax

@JW: Don't knock the power of having the internet in your pocket, until you've tried it.

Mandatory_Field

@konshuss: Come on...that was The Macho Man Randy Savage...not Ted! Didn't Miss Elizabeth Die? I love reminiscing the WWF!

jolejniczak

Smart phones are definitely the successor to the iPod. If trends continue, they have a great chance of succeeding the laptop!

cjguest

What a groundbreaking and surprising exclamation (sense the sarcasm). C'mon guys, the iPod's been out a very long time. I'm a Mac prefer-er and i can see it. Technology is becoming advanced enough that we are starting to integrate the power of the iPod into other devices, mostly phones. It's not dying, it's morphing, and its been going for quite a while. The Woz's vague statement might as well have been about oil. "EVERYBODY LISTEN TO ME: Oil is being used! We're going to run out at some point in the future!" Thank you, captain obvious.

ShrivalliAspasia

I find the Shuffle to be just the perfect jogging companion. It's small and light and easily stores enough music for a half marathon. I used to jog with a 3rd gen ipod and I'm pretty sure that was bad for both the iPod hardrive and my back. The Shuffle fills that lifestyle niche perfectly. Beyond that, I'd go for iPod touch before the iPod classic. The Classi is pretty obsolete in terms of its niche.

AtwoodFantazmic

"You get to a point when they are on display everywhere, they get real cheap and they are not selling as much."

In other words: "We're not making as much money on them now, so we're gonna re-re-invent the wheel and come up with yet another 'must-have' gadget to sucker people into buying at a premium price."

Something like that.

EricAlder

@lpranal: Slacker gave it a shot, I'm not sure how it went over...

Con Seannery

@nutbastard: Keep in mind, no combination device can ever be as good as a dedicated one...

Con Seannery

@Nathan Drake: The iPod line has a slowly shrinking market share, and this recession/depression can and likely will hurt it more, being one of the more expensive players, even though it's cheap for what you get. There are better players, they just don't have the marketing...

Con Seannery

@Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E: No, I'm gonna use my Media Hub...

Con Seannery

@UncleArgyll: I used to be an iPod man, but for my most recent player, I picked up a Sansa. No regrets...

Con Seannery

"The iPod has sort of lived a long life at number one. Things like, that if you look back to transistor radios and Walkmans, they kind of die out after a while."

That's not a fair comparison at all. The Walkman and transistor radio were replaced by better tech. At this time we don't have any tech better than an digital music player for what it does. The digital music player may be replaced (not until someone comes up with something better), but to speculate that the iPod's popularity will die off soon is simply that... speculation, which is my world is worthless.

People have so much money tied up into an iTunes collection that I highly doubt the iPod is going anywhere for a long time.

I think Woz wants to buy more Apple stock while it's low and he's trying to lower the price more for himself.
Shame on you Woz, even if you're not trying to be malicious.

hagrun

@BlackSmokeDMax: That's why I quit iPod

Con Seannery

Woz is right, of course, but only to the extent that something better comes along. Everybody owned a Sony Walkman in the early 80s (or a cheaper clone). It was the iPod of that era. It was replaced by MP3 players and Apple currently is the market leader.

Everybody has to have a desktop PC has morphed to everyone has to have a laptop. That may change to everybody has to have a web-enabled pocket multifunction device (like an iPhone). Some day something better will come out than that too.

No worries about obsolescence as long as Apple is the one that is moving the market.

AlphaBob

Never thought Id say it but, Amen brother......

"(I)don't like the fact that it's a bit of a religion. I would like to have the users influence the next generation. With a religion you're not allowed to challenge anything. I want our customers to challenge us."

Think this is literally the first time I've ever truly agreed with the fat boy....

Out2gtcha

@lpranal: I attended some time ago a training with a wireless network expert. One of the exciting technologies was the "zigbee" specification.
In short: a new wi-fi standard, with very cheap chips consuming an amazing low amount of energy, and capable to build automatically a mesh network through any other similar chip within range (supposedly about 100m) and if any member of this network is connected to the net, they alle are.
The idea: put one in every ipod/iphone/laptops... you build. In a densely populated city (of fanboys) the network builds itself, everybody is connected. If you manage to get other manufacturers involved, you widen and densify this network.

He concluded that the Cellphone operators are doing everything they can to block the development of this kind of projects.

fargi

@SAN66: Hmm, wireless music from the cloud. They call that FM radio around here. I think if I streamed music off the internet on my cell I'd get cut off by the end of the month. Funny how "unlimited" suddenly has limits.....

Barry99705

Is it me, or does Woz make a lot of anti Apple remarks?
The iPod touch? Sure, the nano is similar, but now that they're using different technologies, they can keep changing their lineup. The iPod Touch convinced me to upgrade, even though my 5G iPod Video had more HD space. I think Apple will manage.

------------------------
[gregstechblog.blogspot.com]

MacAttack7388

Woz is the man. I will always look favorably upon and Woz, while I will always have a love/hate relationship with Jobs and Gates.

tamoko

@dantaylor08:

yah but an ipod/mp3 player is still smaller. also, i dont feel as bad if i drop my ipod, since it can take a bit of a beating, but dropping my berry is just the shits. i get what jaredluse means.

dee_ess_dee_1

@enm4r: What about Nano technology? We have all seen the video for that Samsung phone that can be worn as a watch and carried (whose name eludes me right now)...

pj24

I'm a hold-out on the iphone. I will get one as soon as it will hold all my music, making it actually functional as a player.

Wait, then I want digital TV and radio, multiple sims, 3D projection, and full umpc functionality. Oh,and make it some kind of love-bot.

That would kill the ipod (and perhaps civilization.)

savarian

@Mandatory_Field:
I've tried it, its nice but the whole being slow and on a mobile device thing kinda ruins it. Still, i cant believe how few alternative web browsing smartphones there are.

roflwaffles

@Sportyboard: Because you'll buy the version that doesn't have it AND the version that does next year.

MikeGrenade

@TheWerewolf:

" Their ad campaigns and their entire marketing and development strategy is based on this idea."

The idea that Apple is a religion? Please explain, because I really don't know how one could construe any Apple ad as feeding into, or playing off of that kind of notion. Seriously.

Dearhaw

Can you please fix the silly graphic? My brain is starting to hurt trying to pronounce "schmpod"

Lou Zucaro

I think everyone is running out of stuff to bitch about. This is such a non-story.

The fact is iTunes and the iPod together have revolutionized the method of putting digital music into a portable device. It is pretty damn near perfect.

silversurfer

This guy sounds like a douche bag. I mean, how could you even compare an iPod to a Walkman?
Yes, eventually the actual iPods will not be as popular... But look, the iPod just evolved into an iPhone. There is an iPod (app), within an iPhone. So just because it's called an iPhone, it doesn't mean that it isn't an iPod(mp3 player).

The reason why the Walkman went out of style, was because it used cassettes. When CDs came out, that was the end of the cassette. The quality was better, you didn't have forward/rewind music for like ten minutes, and so on...

As we know it, CDs are now being replaced by MP3s. That's where the iPod comes in.
The iPod is pretty much the best MP3 player out there, or at least the most popular.
Until someone invents a better way to store/listen music, then the iPod isn't going anywhere! At this point, the MP3's are THE best way to store music. Doesn't take up much space, and it's easy to transfer.

The day that a new invention comes along, a better way to store, listen to music, and is superior to the MP3, that is the day when the iPod will die.
As of now, I don't see anything in the near future, that could replace MP3s.

HollywoodLeo

@stupidjerk: hmm... facepalm.jpg? 'o rly?' owl? 'lolwut?' i'm just not sure, so many options...

adaorardor

By merging phone/wi-fi/touch technology with a tried-and-true iPod music playing capability they have reduced the desire for a great many people. With diminished advertising for existing previous-gen iPods, they will lose that market eventually.

If the iPhone was open to third-party developers, and open to multiple carriers, it would probably gain a much wider following. I don't want to be beholden to Apple's choice of apps, and Apple's choice of carrier. They are doing far more to limit their devices, and their capabilities than anyone else ever has.

I bought an iPod Video 30Gb a couple years back, and it was fine, but iTunes has since become a tangled, bloated behemoth and isn't worth using anymore. The iPod is in a drawer now, and I have no compelling use for it, because I have a much smaller USB-stick-sized device that holds nearly as much, and lasts ten times longer, and cost 1/10th the price.

Apple creates the obsolescence by increasingly (and artificially) limiting the hardware, software and third-party life-extending abilities while decrying others as being establishmentarians and closed-minded. Apple is more concerned with style than substance, and trend appeal. I honestly don't understand why anyone would willingly devote themselves to blindly following such a fascist-minded corporation who routinely treats their consumer-base like garbage by selling them overpriced garbage.

BeautifulAgony

@Con Seannery: o combination device can ever be as good as a dedicated one

That argument is weak for digital devices, (and I own separate pre-, left, and right audio amps). The electronics in a phone and a digital music player are almost identical. A phone has 6 or more sides; you can dedicate one or two to music playing, or have a touch interface and the interface morphs to fit. You only have two ears so it's a hassle to switch between music playing and phoning.

So you're left with the audiophile argument that the phone has extra circuitry and electromagnetic radiation interfering with audio perfection and the initial hiccup of getting the phone to switch to its music UI. A dedicated player avoids those compromises, but it's not compelling.

As for running out of battery faster, carry one or two spare phone batteries in place of your dedicated music player. (My phones have user-replaceable batteries, they all do right? <ducks>.)

skierpage

@reddingofish: I am pretty sure that Woz is on Apple's board or something like that.
[www.justfuckinggoogleit.com] and in 10 seconds you have Apple's board. No.

Or there's this magic called [en.wikipedia.org] : "However he still remains an employee (and receives a paycheck)[4][2] and is a shareholder.[5] He also maintains connections with Steve Jobs."

I hear you can run the Internet on a mobile device and find out things instead of guessing and wasting your readers' time. Hmm, Internet and Phone, inetPhone.... phoneI... ??

skierpage

Woz is right...Apple fanboys can never say when the company does something wrong, when other companies get criticized even by their loyal costumers. That kind of affinity is unhealthy and is what can lead to things like the iPhone missing a lot of features but still being praised. The app store being locked down. The ipod classic and iphone 3G not offering anything different from their predecessors.Eventually all of these will take a toll and we might see the effects soon.

ZitaNeoptolemus