No-Regrets iPod

June 4, 2004 1:08 AM

[MacWorldFilter] So, I finally decided to buy a 40 gig iPod after my last posting. However I've now found out that Toshiba have announced a 60 gig drive and are shipping insane numbers of them to Apple. Oh, and now it turns out that MacWorld is happening in Boston next month. My question is: What is the chance that Steve will announce a new iPod at this show? Do you think he will announce the same 4th Gen iPod with a bigger HD or that they'll go for a 5th Gen? If it would be launched, how long would it take to get to market in the USA (and then UK)? I understand that technology always moves on, but the last thing I want to do is buy something and then one month later it gets superceeded by something dramatically better.
posted by ralawrence to Work & Money (17 answers total)

Buy the Ipod from a store that gives 30 day returns.
posted by Keyser Soze at 1:17 AM on June 4, 2004

Since the 60 gig drives won't be going into production until July or August, they won't be available until around September at the earliest. I was hoping that they might release a new iPod at the upcoming WWDC though, and indeed they still might; an iPod with a color LCD and AV-out features is very possible, but it won't have a 60 gig drive. That'll have to wait for another few months. I would find it very shocking if they didn't update the iPod to a 5th gen, since it's dropping behind the competition now.

As for getting it in the UK, try adding at least a couple of weeks onto the US release date. It could take much much longer though - the iPod mini is still unavailable in the UK, after all.
posted by adrianhon at 1:46 AM on June 4, 2004

I'd advise you to wait. If you wait, you win both ways. If they announce a new item, the old model will drop in price. You will also then have the choice as to whether or not to wait a little longer for the new model.
posted by skylar at 2:54 AM on June 4, 2004

Besides, do you have over 40 Gigs of music, or close to it? I have 27.2 which I think is pretty crazy.
posted by Keyser Soze at 3:57 AM on June 4, 2004

Another thing to note is that Apple will not participate in MacWorld Expo Boston, because IDG moved it from New York to Boston, against Steve's wishes. SO they won't be announcing any new products there or anything like that. If they are feeling extra vengeful, they may announce something new a few days before and then not show it at the show.
posted by donkeymon at 4:44 AM on June 4, 2004

Along the lines of what donkeymon said - new product announcements are likely to come at WWDC instead of MacWorld Boston, and those announcements are likely to be aimed at the pro line (read: G5s, 10.4) rather than the consumer line (read: iPods).

WWDC is at the end of June - and this is exactly what happened last year, FWIW, as the G5s were announced at WWDC and then merely shown at the debacle known as MacWorld CreativePro.
posted by Remy at 5:16 AM on June 4, 2004

I advise you not to wait. Just get the iPod now and have four more months of enjoyment out of it. The key question asked above is, "How much music do you have?" Other questions to add are, "How much music can you listen to?" and "How many files do you need to carry around?" I'd be very surprised if you have any need for 60GB of storage. I've got 70GB of music myself, and a 30GB iPod, and while I am highly committed to not listening to the same song more than once in a 60-day period, I have yet to run out of music because I have about 57 days worth of music and can listen to a couple hours, max, on any given day. It will take me 684 days to listen to what I have now, at two hours of listening a day, and that's only if I don't add any new music, which, of course, I will.

The other thing is: what if you wait and they *don't* announce it this summer. What if they announce it in January?
posted by Mo Nickels at 5:36 AM on June 4, 2004

I agree with Mo. If the new updates are absolutely incredible, you can always sell your iPod and get a new one. They tend to have terrific resale value--check eBay. Just ignore the rumors websites.
posted by bcwinters at 5:39 AM on June 4, 2004

I waited last year, when the rumors of the cheaper ipod were all over, and the eventual announcement of the mini wasn't what i was hoping for. I ended up buying 15 gig 3g and love it.
posted by amberglow at 5:57 AM on June 4, 2004

I've got 87GB of music and a 5GB iPod myself, and I'm definitely waiting for the 60. We're voting, aren't we?

Seriously, if the last thing you want to do is have the 60 announced right on top of your 40 purchase, then you should wait until the 60 is announced because it's only a matter of time. Unless of course Steve Jobs just totally flips out about the leak and starts selling flash media players or something.
posted by sudama at 8:08 AM on June 4, 2004

I've got an old 10 gig iPod, which was the bomb when I got it, and although new ones keep coming out, I am SO GLAD I got mine when I did. I use it EVERY DAY and love it. I'd get one asap. You won't be sorry. (And there's always going to be a bigger, newer, better one out there.)

The only bummer about iPods is that it counts music in playlists as a whole new song...not a pointer...so when I added a huge new playlist, suddenly I didn't have enough room on my iPod for all my music! Is there a way around that?
posted by aacheson at 8:16 AM on June 4, 2004

The only bummer about iPods is that it counts music in playlists as a whole new song...not a pointer...so when I added a huge new playlist, suddenly I didn't have enough room on my iPod for all my music! Is there a way around that?

This is not how mine behaves. I'm having trouble imagining what's going on here. What mode is your iPod in: update all songs, update selected playlists, or manage manually?
posted by sudama at 8:18 AM on June 4, 2004

I bought a 10 gig iPod in April 2003, and not too long after that a whole new generation of iPods came out. D'oh! But it doesn't really matter- I love my iPod, I use it just about every day, and it does what it does wonderfully, even if there is another generation newer out there. So unless you have your heart set on 60 gigs, just buy the 40 and start enjoying it now.

aacheson, I had the same problems initially when I ran out of room on my iPod. I found that doing a full erase and restore (instructions here) and then choosing "manually update" fixed it.
posted by ambrosia at 9:46 AM on June 4, 2004

I am in the same boat as Ambrosia. I bought my precious 10gig at the end Mar 2003. To me it seems that Apple now bleeds the supply before annoucing the new ones instead of selling the older ones at a discount after the announcement. Buy now and enjoy it, I know I am happy I did not wait.
posted by Razzle Bathbone at 10:42 AM on June 4, 2004

This article (rumor site, but they're one of the more reliable ones) claims that the expected revision won't happen until September. Makes sense, since the big splash this summer will be new G5's. *crosses fingers*
posted by mkultra at 1:16 PM on June 4, 2004

I update all songs, not selected playlists. I'll try wiping it, thanks for the tips.
posted by aacheson at 1:39 PM on June 4, 2004

Besides, do you have over 40 Gigs of music, or close to it? I have 27.2 which I think is pretty crazy.

100 GB here. Of course, I rip as high-bitrate MP3. I've given up getting all of it on an iPod; capacity is not growing as quickly as my collection. Instead I created a playlist that contains only the 27 GB worth of songs I have least recently listened to, and sync that. (I have a 30 GB.)

I must admit, I haven't listened to the iPod since my Christmas flight. I should probably sell it.
posted by kindall at 9:49 AM on June 5, 2004