[milhous]

I'm loving my iPod 5gb version very much! I love this thing. But here comes the "but" part.

But couldn't they have added some stuff for virtually no charge like an AM/FM tuner and audio recording capabilities? I was just thinking about this the other day when I was staring at my iPod and admiring how nice it was.

I know that the AM/FM frequency steppings would have to be localized for our European and international friends, but I don't think it's really a big deal.

As for the recording part, I bet journalists and reports would love to have their audio collection as well be able to record interviews and soundbites.

Or are these features already in the iPod but not yet available due to software reasons? Is the headphone jack actually an audio input as well and does it have a miniature radio crystal in it?

[scaught]

if the firewire can charge, and import data, im sure someone could come up with some sort of "firewire microphone/audio input" to plug in there and a software update to make it record.

[SupahCoolX]

Personally, I HATE the radio. They play the same stuff I don't like ad nauseum. I got my iPod so I could carry the songs I want in my pocket without editing, commercials, and repetition.
However, the iPod is pretty robust. There's a nice processor (actually 2 CPUs, I believe), 32MB RAM, a great OS, a firewire port, and a 5/10/20 GB Hard drive all packed in there. I'm sure the possibility for all sorts of add-ons exist. Of course, Apple won't release the APIs for the OS, so there may be some software hurdles to overcome before anything really good is possible.

[Apple Pro Underwear]

NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO

The reason...I LIKE my ipod, is because it has no extra crap on it

i had a nomad with that stuff on it and it was there but i never used it and the entire mp3 player suffered for it Ipod plays mp3s, holds some contact info and THATs it. leave it alone! No extra buttons...no extra menus...Nothing!!!

I would like to personally thank apple for "thinking different" and NOT follow the other mp3 players on the market.

[slider]

Voice recording is something that I think most iPod users would never use, I know that I would not. If anything I could see Apple putting in a radio, however I too dislike the radio and would prefer none. If you really want a radio, I would suggest getting a separate unit, I believe you can get them in extremely small packages now. The iPod is an mp3 player, everything else is extra and not why I bought it, I was not sold on the iPod because it has a contact list or calendar.

[Benjamin567]

I only like talk radio, if I want to listen to music I pop in a CD, or browse until I find something good. Most radio is, well, bad.

[blasto]

Its interesting to think what will come next. I don't agree that the iPod is "just and MP3 player". A major attraction for me was its also a 5-20GB firewire hard disk. That's a major alternative use that mnost Mac owners will proobaly make use of at some time. The PDA side is a little weak without input.

There's a lot of talk about integration and merging of devices. Its something Apple have always gone for in some way: the "all in one" desktop has been around almost since the beginning.

But its a concept that has some major drawbacks if its taken too far. Do I really want a telephone that takes extremely crap photos? I'd rather have a really good camera, and a small and light telephone. And to be able to have the two communicate... (i.e. bluetooth).

I see the iPod as a portable fireire drive, and MP3 playback is the first major use for it. What avbout being able to download straight from a DV camera for a clean 20GB of clean VD storage, and then integrate iPod with iMove and FCP in the same way as it is with iTunes.

the same goes for digi cams - An ipod would soon pay for itself if it meant not having to buy loads of flash cards for a camera, but be able to download onto the iPod. And preview on the screen?...

I think that the firewire port is the main factor with iPod. Its so powerful and liberated from the PC, unlike USB2.

And why waste time devloping a 20GB PDA, when Palm are busy filling landfill sites with their machines?

[slider]

Yes, you're right, iPod is also a portable storage device and was introduced as such as well. This was also a feature that I liked, just haven't used it yet.

[Fipher]

I don't like the radio either, but those other idea's sound great, but ot for the same machien. Mabe Apple could make an iPod Pro that has audio recording capabilities and the ability to dl stuff from a digi cam or digi video cam. mabe even other stuff that we can't think of right at the moment. but there should always be the option of buying the simple mp3 player/porable storage divice that is the great and wonderouse iPod of today. I wish I had one, but I unfortunatly am unimployed mat the moment, otherwise Im would by myself a 20 GB iPod right now.