[austonia]

sorry, not yet. but it looks like this is where it's headed.

5 years?

color screen, video playback, etc all seem like natural progressions and then the camera and PDA stuff should end up in there as well

would you guys rather have a pure music player, separate from other PDA-type functions..?

at first I would answer yes, stick with a music-only device.. but really, if they were the same size and didn't cost much more, wouldn't it make sense to have the added functionality..?

 

[Ch0mp]

of course... its human nature.. people will always want more..

 

[PooJou]

Those features would be nice... sure... but i would still rather a shrink of the player and keep it audio only. The more stuff you add in, the more you are asking the battery to run, and the more sacrifices you have to make in order to make it all work in harmony in regards to software and audio quality. If they made the iHP-120 the size of a ipod mini or smaller, i'd be really happy with all its features etc. -WITHOUT- the colour LCD. Oh, and USB-on-the-go 2.0 would be nice too.
The phone can handle the PDA functions, the camera functions. Leave the music player alone

 

[blessingx]

I thought the PDA stuff was there since the 2G iPod (and firmware upgrade to the first)? Calendar, contacts and a game. On a Mac you can even sync NYTimes headlines, movies times, etc.

 

[Idiot MD]

I'm still waiting for when Apple starts releasing the iCell.

Now you get your music and your phone calls in crystal clear stereo! With the convergence you can even download new music without having to connect to your desktop! And there's a planned release for text messaging with the next firmware.

 

[lee0539]

i think LG is the closest at making these kinda things. Of course they dont use hard drives but they did get pretty close with 256mb of flash mem for mp3, something like 3 mp camera, minimal PDA functions (basically calender, mail, txt msg), color screen, video, etc. Too bad its only in korea and cost like 700-800 dollars

 

[Sebhelyesfarku]

Just a mobile phone and a 10-20GB mp3 player in one device would do it for me. Ok, maybe 5GB mp3 would be enough...

 

[austonia]

lol... and then i find this:

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/do...1015/sharp.htm

it's allready begun

 

[fiddler]

Well rumours say that the next 60-gig iPod is going to have a colour screen with photo viewing capabilities, and a video out port so you can put them onto your friend's TV. Just a rumour though.

And the current iPod already does a semi-PDA thing with it's auto-syncing with iCal and stuff. It's lacking in terms of user input though..

 

[TMC]

Personally I'm just waiting for a small microdrive player with 10GB+ capability and good fm reception for around $250. That should take about a year already. While I like the concept of cramming in a phone, pda, music player etc into one package I'd expect something quite revolutionary in the way of small, powerful and still fast to recharge batteries, otherwise it would become a quite heavy multi-unit or a phone with really bad stand-by. I think the shrinking process will slow down considerably soon though as physical/economical barriers are being confronted more frequently, much like how processors for the consumer market don't ramp up in speed like 2 years ago.

 

[Gandhi]

Adding all those functions in to one device will most likely lead to a complicated user interface. The biggest reason I like the iPod so much is the easy to use interface of the scroll wheel. Adding phone and PDA function will most likely require a keyboard or keypad of some sort and/or a touch sensitive screen - adds complication and costs, reduces battery life, and muddles the simple interface the iPod boasts. I would not want Apple to do this to the iPod.

This is not even taking in to consideration requiring multiple chip sets to support all these function in one device - and all the inherent compromises. I am happy with the quality of sound coming out of the line-out on my iPod. Music sounds so sweet when hooked up to my GoVibe and HD595s. I do not want camera or PDA processing capability to cripple that quality sound.

May be introduce a new version of the Newton PDA and perhaps add cell phone capabilities in collaboration with partner Motorola. That would work, but I would rather Apple focus on making the iPod simpler and easier to use then it already is instead of adding features and complication.

Western society has survived just fine with seperate, dedicated electronic devices. I see no reason to abandon that for the future - espcially given the state of technological capability in the near future for these devices.

 

[Talonz]

How's this?

http://www.oqo.com/

Pocket sized

 

[lee0539]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talonz How's this? http://www.oqo.com/ Pocket sized

not only is that thing crazy expensive.. but it doesn't have camera

 

[Kirosia]

I just want a music player. I'd actually prefer if they reverted a bit. Get rid of the radio and the fancy functions, just give me a player with an entry-level home deck sound and I'd be all over it. If I want a camera, I'll buy a real one. If I want a PDA, I'll buy a real one. If I want a video player, I'll buy real one. I think you see where I'm going here.