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http://www.macnn.com/articles/04/07/29/time.on.4g.ipod/

4G iPod selected as TIME's 'Gadget,' has 'secrets'

updated 07:45 am EDT, Thu July 29, 2004

 

TIME on 4G iPod


TIME magazine reports that the new 4G iPod, selected as the "Gadget of the Week", is a "modest hop forward and a complete overhaul," but says Apple is holding back on some on publicizing some of its new features: "But you should know that internally the new iPod is a ground-up reconstruction, and its really compelling applications — the ones that very well might get the goat of anyone unable or unwilling to upgrade — . All that Apple is saying is that there's more to this than what's being publicized." The article notes that new iPod sometimes delivers delivers more than its advertised 12-hour battery life, offers positive comments about the new click-wheel, and highlights the new multiple On-the-Go Playlists feature, but notes drawbacks in its shuffle features.


by MacNN Staff

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  1. jimothy

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2000

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    07/29, 08:37am | report spam | Reply |

    Secrets?

    Well, what are these secrets, man? How does the author know there are "secrets," and why doesn't he let us in on them?

  1. Will C

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Jan 2001

    0
    07/29, 08:50am | report spam | Reply |

    My Guess

    Abilty to play many more formats, but just needs to be 'unlocked' - somehow.....?

    Only an idea.

  1. riverfreak

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0
    07/29, 09:37am | report spam | Reply |

    I bet it's...

    hiding a color screen in there with the ability to play back video.

  1. trevj

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Dec 1999

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    07/29, 10:46am | report spam | Reply |

    May be nothing but...

    Last night I walked into my office and caught my iPod redecorating the room and listening to show tunes. Weird!

  1. southtdi

    Dedicated MacNNer

    Joined: Aug 2003

    0
    07/29, 10:48am | report spam | Reply |

    Maybe, just maybe...

    it's an internal bluetooth module for listening to music without wires. Maybe it will be activated when the headphones make it to market.

    Who knows.......

    All I can say is if they do have something exciting built in that I find is something i want I will upgrade then, but at this time I don't see that need. I like it but I also like the 3G I have now and don't want to go and spend money for the new one unless that must-have feature shows up.

  1. testudo

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0
    07/29, 12:17pm | report spam | Reply |

    Comments

    I'm still waiting for the day when I can delete iPod's tracks and playlists using the device itself, because once I've returned to my computer, I can no longer remember which songs I don't ever want to hear again.

    Here's an idea, just give it a rating of 1 star. Then sort your iTunes by rating and you're off.

    To me, the new "Shuffle" feature runs both hot and cold. Apple says "shuffle songs in the main menu" and it's true, though it might not be what you imagine. Once you tap the command, it starts shuffling through your whole library. Certain people I know are fans of this kind of potluck playing, and I am capable of enjoying the serendipity. Still, I would prefer that the real Shuffle option, from Settings, be placed in the main menu. That way you could toggle between your shuffled and ordered experiences — genres versus albums, for instance — without seven extra button taps. (Also, the Shuffle algorithm is still less than satisfying: while shuffling through 1,643 songs, two of the first eight tracks it pulled were from the Beastie Boys.)

    First off, did the shuffle feature in the 4G change to allow shuffle on genre? Because my 3G doesn't do that.

    Also, the shuffle algorithm is just a random generator (which is what it should be). You're just as likely to get two songs from the same artist as you are from two different artists. And its hard to judge his statement for he doesn't say how many BB songs he has (for if he has 200 of them, you're going to hear them more often). Because once you start saying "Its no good", then you have to come up with a better algorithm, and what should that be based on? Don't play the same artist within 20 songs? Or should it give precedence to songs that haven't been played recently? Or should it give precendence to higher-rated music, or to music played more often, or how about less often. Its easy to complain, but everyone also has their own ideas on how it should work (and how much battery life are you willing to sacrifice so it can act 'more random'?

  1. jimothy

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2000

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    07/29, 01:22pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: May be nothing...

    "Last night I walked into my office and caught my iPod redecorating the room and listening to show tunes. Weird!"

    Oh man, they're going to bring back the rainbow Apple logo, aren't they?

  1. Bogartte

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Jun 2000

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    07/29, 01:45pm | report spam | Reply |

    secrets

    Could it be the ability to make excellent quality recordings "in the field?"

  1. ender

    Junior Member

    Joined: Mar 1999

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    07/29, 03:53pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: Comments

    "Also, the shuffle algorithm is just a random generator (which is what it should be). You're just as likely to get two songs from the same artist as you are from two different artists."

    Actually that's not true. If you have more then two artists (assuming roughtly equal number of songs each), any two songs played in a row are more likely to be from different artists than from the same artist. Anyway, statistical probability aside, just from practical experience my iPod must not have a true random generator. In a playlist of roughly 450 songs from about 2-3 dozen different artists I get two songs in a row from the same artist (and usually same album) far too often for it to truly be a random selection.

  1. DeepDish

    Forum Regular

    Joined: May 2001

    0
    07/29, 03:54pm | report spam | Reply |

    "October Suprise"

    Maybe the iPod is part of the upcoming October Surprise?

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