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News September 9, 2009
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Apple’s It’s Only Rock And Roll Event Roundup

Gear Diary Apples Its Only Rock And Roll Event Roundup photo

At this point it is a familiar dance.

The first rumors come out some months prior to the event.
My rumors come forth in the name of some nameless “high-level” informant.
Initial rumors are squashed and replaced by new ones.
Fuzzy images are released and their authenticity debated.
Rumor rumblings get louder and louder.
Odds are placed on what we will and won’t see.
Certain “journalists” call one thing or another a “lock”.
The event happens. The truth is known.

The disappointment enters… “You mean Apple isn’t releasing a 1 pound, 15″ notebook with 16GB RAM and a 1000GB SSD drive???” WTF???*

The cycle begins anew.

Let’s start with the conclusion- sure people are disappointed. Largely we suspect because no touch’s with camera have been released. At the same time let’s be honest- expectations are always so high that there is almost no way Apple can make people happy. and this has been the case since the release of the first iPhone. That device set the bar so high, and was so revolutionary, that there was really no way for Apple to make everyone happy short of releasing something else that is transformative. Couple that with the degree of rumor that is par of the cycle and we really weren’t totally kidding when we wrote above “You mean Apple isn’t releasing a 1 pound, 15″ notebook with 16GB RAM and a 1000GB SSD drive???”

There was some good news today but, as is almost always the case it is incremental not revolutionary.

So let’s look at the summary of announcements and where Larry and Dan think they fall on the

Gear Diary “meh verses awesomeness” scale



iPhone 3.1
Warning if you are jailbroken WAIT!!!!
Genius function applied to apps in the App Store- ie recommended ways to spend more money based on the places you have already dropped cash.
Ringtones- Over 30,000 new ringtones at $1.29 each. Yes, more ways to separate you from your cash

Available today and free for both touch and iPhone.

Question- Where is MMS people???

Gear Diary Apples Its Only Rock And Roll Event Roundup photo

iTunes 9.0

Genius mixes
Improved selective sync
In Photos you can sync events
App Management-
Arrange home screens and move apps around in iTunes then sync back
Home sharing- copy songs, TV shows etc with up to five computers in house. Drag and drop.
App Sharing
Redesigned iTunes Store with cleaner layout
iTunes LP- extended information when you buy an album

Gear Diary Apples Its Only Rock And Roll Event Roundup photo

iPod touch
50% Faster processor
lower price
64GB available
NO CAMERA

Gear Diary Apples Its Only Rock And Roll Event Roundup photo

iPod Classic
“I’m not dead yet!”
160GB
Same Price

Gear Diary Apples Its Only Rock And Roll Event Roundup photo

iPod Shuffle
More headphones with the adapter
Voice Over tells you about battery
New Colors
Special Edition

Gear Diary Apples Its Only Rock And Roll Event Roundup photo

iPod nano
Camera!
Bigger screen of 2.2 inches
Mic and speaker
Built in pedometer
FM radio
Voice Over
8GB and 16GB

Gear Diary Apples Its Only Rock And Roll Event Roundup photo

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About Dan Cohen

View all posts by Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him.
  • http://www.s-consult.com/index.php Wayne Schulz

    If I could have wished for one iPhone OS improvement it would have been better notification handling.

  • http://www.s-consult.com/index.php Wayne Schulz

    Can anyone verify that iTunes sharing allows computers with DIFFERENT iTunes accounts to copy music?

    I can’t figure out whether the 5 machines all must be on the same account or if they can all be different. And if they can be different what is to stop you from totally copying a friends huge iTunes library.

    Also do only purchased iTunes songs transfer (DRM or not)?

  • Carly Z

    I was following this on engadget as it unfolded. At first the reality distortion field started to suck me in (maybe it was Jobs being back?), but as the event wore on I flipped to the “meh” side.

    Best part is that the old nanos and touches are cheaper on Apple.com.

    And apparently iTunes 9 killed Palm Pre sync again. It’s starting to feel like a South Park episode. “You *%#$*%@! You killed Pre sync!”

  • http://www.geardiary.com Michael Anderson

    My thoughts on all of this:
    - iPod Classic “I’m not dead” … great one!
    - iPod Shuffle – I’d call that an ‘Eh’, as the coolness of 2GB for $59 is quite nice. I love my shuffle for the gym!
    - iPod Nano – I’d also call that an ‘Eh’. The FM transmitter? I thought we all knew that radio was crap? Isn’t that why we carry MP3 players even in our cars? The camera is ‘video only’ by default and is low-res, same as the DSi as was pointed out … and that has crappy resolution! Also, no WiFi means that Facebook / Youtube integration is through iPhoto … isn’t that what I do now?

    But my biggest complaint is definitely the iPod Touch. Bottom line, I was ready to order one *today* if it met the following – 64GB, faster processor with OpenGL, and the same camera / video cam as the iPhone 3G S for ~$399. And they came close – but lost out on the camera. I disagree that the bar was too high – heck, they ALREADY MAKE IT for the 3G S!

    iTunes looks great, and everything else would have been fine IF the Touch had been done correctly.

  • http://www.s-consult.com/index.php Wayne Schulz

    Is Apple setting themselves up for customers to wait for a Touch with a camera? The upgrades that Apple puts out are fairly incremental and I think they passed up a lot of money not including a camera in at least one Touch model.

    Heck they could have made a Touch Pro with a significantly faster processor for $599 and I bet it would have sold.

  • Jessica Fritsche

    I am pretty “meh” about the whole thing. I am pretty excited about the new features of iTunes, and I like the inclusion of the pedometer in the iPod nano. I use it mainly at the gym so that’d be ideal. I need to replace my dead nano fatty (RIP) so I will probably pick up a new purple nano.

  • Dan Cohen

    I was wondering this too Wayne-
    Are we going to wake up one day and find these same touchs from speed and storage perspective but suddenly with cameras??
    Me thinks yes.

    Note to self- WILL NOT GET SUCKED INTO RUMORS AGAIN….

  • http://www.geardiary.com Michael Anderson

    OK, I change my mind – the new Nano is ‘teh 4w3zum’ (awesome for you non-leeters). I was being unfair by trying to force the expectations for the new Touch to transfer to the Nano. For my kids, for example, the new Nano would be transcendent!

    My other thought is about gaming … my bottom line is this: the iPod Touch is cool for gaming, but has a LONG way to go before it is better than the DS or PSP, and Apple touting the bajillion mediocre apps barely worth the $0.99 asking price doesn’t make it a great platform.

    Actually, I’ll call out that ‘number of games’ slide as the biggest piece of misinforming bullhockey I’ve seen in a long time.

    The iPod Touch is great for games – but not always great for all games! I’m playing Dissidia on the PSP, which is a Final Fantasy themed fight game, and it makes use of all four face buttons, all four direction keys, both shoulder buttons and the analog stick – and STILL has to overload controls (e.g. L + Square, etc)! How exactly would the Touch manage that? Developers need to keep working to devise compelling schemes to make games really work well.

  • Dan Cohen

    Jessica- if you use your nano at the gym will the camera in it be an issue? Aren’t camera phones increasingly prohibited?

  • Jessica Fritsche

    Dan – I hadn’t really thought about that. I use my iPhone at the gym right now since my nano died, and nobody has ever said anything.

  • http://www.geardiary.com Michael Anderson

    That *is* becoming an increasing concern – they have signs all over our local YMCA about it (with cause – http://www.stargazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090903/NEWS01/90903023 ). I’m not sure what I’d do … but they have asked folks to leave cell phones at the desk under lock & key.

  • Larry Greenberg

    I was able to transfer an iTunes app from my account on my iMac to my wife’s account on her Mac Book Air, after much tinkering.

  • http://www.geardiary.com Michael Anderson

    Well … we’ll soon see if I can send over the ‘Smiths’ CD’s I ripped to my iTunes to hers without the typical USB drive dance …

  • Travis Ehrlich

    It is funny how we all create the hype ourselves. Apple can sit and say nothing and let everyone whip themselves into a frenzy. I am usually guilty of getting excited myself even though in the back of my mind I know it really won’t be that amazing. These are obviously incremental updates so we always have the next event to look forward to the next big thing! (Tablet ?!?). Let the photoshopping begin!

  • Thomas R. Hall

    A bit disappointed at the lack of camera on the iPod Touch, but the increased space/speed for OpenGL is welcome. With a 64 GB model, I may be able to have only one iPod instead of keeping my 5G 80 GB model. Double that on the newly updated Classic is nice, though. :)



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