Is Life Really Random? A New Random iPod….
If the Italian web site MacityNet is correct, Steve Jobs will be unveiling a new, flash-memory iPod at the Macworld Expo tomorrow, January 11. This iPod will have 1 GB of flash memory, enough to hold 240 songs (at Apple’s calculation of 4-minute songs), and will work on “shuffle songs” mode only. The posters that say “Life is Random”, which can be seen on the MacityNet website, suggest that this is the case. If so, this tiny iPod, with no screen, will be a major change from the current line-up of models.Is life random? Well, for many iPod users, it is indeed. One of the features that iPod users requested most, before the 4th generation iPod (the current model) was released, was easier access to the shuffle function. Apple did this, putting it at the top level of the menus, providing a one-click (well, scroll then click) method of playing back all your music in random order.
In my contacts with iPod users, as well as on mailing lists and forums, many users claim that they only use the shuffle song mode. This is probably what has led Apple to consider a “random only” iPod. If I’m reading the clues correctly, this will be a tiny iPod with play, pause, next and previous buttons, but nothing else. You’ll be able to start playing your music at random, but won’t be able to access either playlists, artists or albums.
Apple is clearly (if this is the case) approaching two types of people here: first, those who only have a little bit of music and who listen to it in shuffle mode. This is great if you use your iPod when you exercise, run or bike as well, since you don’t need much music. You can create a subset of your music for when you jog, and not worry about finding the right playlist, or having the wrong songs play in shuffle mode.
But Apple is also focusing on another group of people: those who already own iPods, and who want a second (or third, or fourth…) iPod for specific uses. A tiny, light, pocket-sized iPod, with only a selection of music (240 songs is still about 16 hours of music) is great to carry around when you go for a short trip and don’t want to bring your entire collection with you.
With this in mind, Apple needs to improve the way users with multiple iPods can access their music. They need to integrate multiple libraries in iTunes. But that’s the subject of another article to come soon… Unless Apple announces an update to iTunes that does just this.
"240 songs is still about 16 GB of music" – using what compression???
Even 1.6Gb would mean a pretty low compresson ratio.
I have over 3,000 songs in AAC that take just over 12Gb. 240 pop cuts should
come in somewhere in the 800-900Mb range. Figure about $100-129 for a
1Gb device. Makes a lot more sense than an iMac-killing $499 eMac…
Sorry. Typo. Corrected.
Typo, yes. But what you meant to say, if I may be so bold, is that 240 songs is
about 16 hours of music.
That’s also about 20 average CDs — in a tiny player that fits in the palm of your
hand that you could really take everywhere.
They will sell like crazy.
Yes, you’re right too! It’s great to have readers to edit my stuff… Seriously,
that is what I had meant to write – that 240 songs (at the standard 128 kbps)
is about 16 hours of music (well, let’s be honest – the 1GB won’t be 1GB; it’ll
be about 950 MB, so let’s settle on 15 hours). That’s a lot of music.
Even at 160 kbps, which I use for my music, it’ll come to between 11 and 12
hours. That’s still a lot. That’s all of Bill Evans Turn Out the Stars set, plus
another few hundred MB; that’s about six Dick’s Picks sets (live Grateful Dead
concerts); or that’s about 20 or more pop, rock or jazz albums. It’s 5 operas,
40 to 50 Bach cantatas, or all of Beethoven’s piano sonatas.
It’s a great selection of rousing music to listen to, at random, when I exercise,
or simply a selection of music for travelling. It’ll sell.