Sleeker than the last generation, the latest iPods are cheaper, offer more functionality in a smaller space and are available in shiny black as well as white. The 30 GB ($299) model measures just .41 inches thick (1.1 cm), while twice the memory (60 GB for $399) increases the device to just .55 in (1.4 cm). The screen is now a color LCD that spans almost the entire width of the device, measuring 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) diagonally, bigger than any iPod screen we’ve seen so far.
It’s what can be viewed on this screen that has set technophiles on fire in recent days. The new iPods can hold up to 15 hours of video when saved at optimal conditions, comes with a video-out port so material can be viewed on a television or computer screen, and are designed to seamlessly integrate with videos available from the iTunes Music Store.
Apple is already offering music videos and other material through iTMS, including several exclusives from ABC and Disney like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives.” This is the first time major media companies have made broadcast material available via paid download, and is a long-overdue shift in policy for television studios.
This partnership with a media giant like ABC/Disney could give the iPod an advantage over Sony’s PSP and others, but it will not likely steal much of their marketshare, as the iPod is still primarily geared for music, not video.
“Don't call it the Video iPod, the vPod, or anything that indicates that this is a video player,” wrote Michael Kobrin of PC Magazine in this article, “It's the new iPod, period.”
Reviews across the net this past week talk of the quality and novelty of watching video on the new iPod, but rarely tout the device as a great achievement in personal video.
A review by Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal stated the new iPod was capable of “crisp, smooth vivid playback,” while Tobias Butler’s article on AppleXNet stated the video was “as smooth as if I was playing it on the computer itself.”
But few seem to feel the iPod was a perfect video device. Mossberg said he “wouldn't want to watch a full-length movie on this iPod [because] the screen is just too small,” adding he was also turned off because the device doesn’t come with a stand, and is too annoying to hold in place for the length of a film.
These downsides are only the beginning of the faults with the iPod’s video capabilities, though. Butler noted the short two to three-hour battery life for video playback, and Mossberg accused that “Apple skimped on included accessories for this iPod,” and is shipping orders without a wall charger or the TV connection cable. These are available for $29 (€25) and $19 (€16), respectively.
Many have also noted that these iPods lack the ability to use a firewire cable, which will slow information transfer considerably. Other flaws in transferring material handicap the device’s performance also.
“Unfortunately, the new iPod won't play most of the many millions of downloaded video clips and home videos people have acquired over the years, which are in older formats produced by Apple's own QuickTime video program, and by other common video programs on Windows. To play these files, you must use extra software to convert them to one of the three video formats the new iPod can handle -- MP4, H264, or M4V,” wrote Mossberg.
Rob Pegoraro authored this article for the Washington Post, calling the conversion process “unacceptably complicated,” and requiring the purchase of Apple’s QuickTime Pro for $30 (€25). Butler offered an alternative of using ffmpegX instead, but noted “the video that was produced was unstable (sometimes garbled colors) and did not function on the iPod Video.”
Mossberg addressed this problem eloquently, stating:
“the video format and conversion problem is a mess that will hold back the video iPod unless Apple fixes it by incorporating free, reliable, and easy video conversion in iTunes. The original iPod had no such problem playing most existing music files people had collected.”
This shortcoming of the new iPod may make some independent video producers cringe, as their material will not be easily accessible on the device.
However, Apple is known for delivering exactly what customers need, so we may be able to look to Steve Jobs and company to fix these flaws ASAP.
Until that happens, the fifth generation iPods are still the next step in personal music player and are likely to keep Apple at the head of the audio player market again this year.
