iPod

With all the hype that led up to the release of the iPhone, paired with all the coverage once it was actually launched, one could almost believe we had seen the end of the wild Apple speculation for a while. I'm here to tell you--and if you're a longtime Apple fan you know this already--when it comes to Apple, the rumor mill never stops. You may have already heard the rumor about the iPhone Nano--a smaller, less expensive version of the iPhone. Though it sounded like an interesting concept and got plenty of coverage, it did indeed turn out to be only a rumor. Personally, I wouldn't want a smaller, cut-rate iPhone--I say let's keep it the way it is and bring the price down. I'm sure I'm not alone on that idea.… Read more

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has revealed a raft of new patent applications submitted by Apple's lawyers, covering new technologies for iPods, Web pages and mice.

Macsimum News spotted several patent applications that were filed months ago but just revealed this week on the PTO's Web site. The most intriguing example appears to involve a method for allowing an iPod or iPhone to talk to a neighboring device through a wireless network. The application assumes that mobile devices already are capable of downloading data from the Internet over cellular or Wi-Fi networks, "however, as portable … Read more

What is it about outdoor music systems that makes manufacturers insist on designing them to look like ice buckets? Are they supposed to look like coolers or ice cream makers to blend in with the poolside decor?

Whatever. SkyMall, everyone's favorite catalog at 30,000 feet, is the latest to offer one of these picnic wannabes with its "Boombucket iPod Music System." Like others of its ilk, the $150 bucket claims to be "weather-resistant" and can play an iPod up to 8 hours per battery charge, though we wouldn't recommend dunking it for laughs.… Read more

One of the features iPhone users don't get to enjoy compared to their iPod brethren is mass storage--the option to use the device as a portable hard drive. Despite the iPhone's 4 and 8GB capacities, Apple isn't giving folks access to that beautiful free space. Not to fear though, eCamm Network has iPhone users covered with a $10 piece of Mac software called iPhoneDrive that turns the phone into a mass storage device.

Once installed, the program lets you send files of any size (iPhone storage permitting) back and forth. It also supports drag and drop. Unlike … Read more

OK, so I get the iMac, the iBook, the iPod, iTunes, and even (grudgingly) the iPhone. Apple thought up the moniker, so we can't begrudge them for expanding on the very successful franchise. But the iTrip, the iRiver Clix and Cowon's range of iAudio products tested the limits of my patience. And I could have held my tongue if BMW's iDrive had been the end of iOpportunism.

But when I noticed the iLoad--a device for ripping CDs and DVDs to iPod without a computer--on Senior Editor Donald Bell's desk this morning, I felt the need … Read more

I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard of the Wingspan iLoad. Until recently, the product's only claim to fame was that it enabled you to rip CDs directly to your iPod without having to involve your computer. It was a handy tool for iTunes-haters and Luddites, but at $300 it wasn't a terribly compelling product. Just this past month, however, Wingspan published a firmware update that allows the iLoad to rip any DVD movie directly to an iPod. We've tested it, and it works (although not with the iPhone). In fact the video quality … Read more

The Macalope wants to delve into the iPhone nano rumors spun out of a report from JP Morgan Tawain's Kevin Chang that were briefly touched on MacBreak Weekly.

In a rather hilarious move, JP Morgan's U.S. group came into the office yesterday morning and said something to the effect of "Kevin Chang? Never heard of him. Not one of our analysts. Maybe he works for Piper."

Now, the horned one was actually an iPod shuffle doubter before the smallest iPod of them all came out, so maybe his track record on this isn't the … Read more

So that report on Monday from JPMorgan Chase, the one about the supposed iPhone Nano? The financial gurus have decided to rethink that one.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog spotted a new research note from JPMorgan analysts (thanks Gizmodo) that takes a very skeptical look at claims made Monday by their colleague, JPMorgan analyst Kevin Chang in Taiwan. Chang said in his report that Apple was hoping to launch a smaller, cheaper iPhone based on the iPod Nano design later this year. But JPMorgan's Bill Shope, Elizabeth Borbolla, and Vlad Rom threw Chang under the iBus in their own report … Read more

We need to have a talk.

Listen, the horned one knows you're really sick of hearing about the iPhone. Heck, Jonathan Ive is probably sick of hearing about the iPhone.

"If I hear one more word about what a design genius I am I'm just going to scream!"

The good news is, it's going to get better. The rest of the year will be more Mac-centric as Apple starts shipping new hardware and Leopard is released in October. Jobs has alluded to some great new hardware announcements in the near future and visions of tiny … Read more