They say that 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Apparently, Apple Computer wasn't listening. After they make a great best-selling product for a little while... they replace it.
They started the iPod, which was seen as a 'niche' product in 2001. Rather than keep it the same, theyve increased the capacity, improve the battery life, reduced the physical size, lowered the price, etc... There's even been the iPod shuffle, that's the size of a pack of gum.
Then in early 2004 they introduced the iPod mini, a smaller version of the original 4GB iPod. Around Christmas that year, they couldn't keep it on the shelves, and therefore became the best-selling digital music player. And just a month or so ago, they replaced it with the iPod nano, an even smaller one, this time with a color screen, flash rather than hard drive capacity, and about as thin as a #2 pencil.
Now, they have overhauled the regular iPods with the fifth-generation model. The biggest
new feature is a long-awaited one: video playback. And iTunes has been upgraded to 6.0 to allow videos, and the iTunes Music Store now sells a handful of music videos, TV shows, and short films that will be priced at $1.99 each, that will play on the 5th generation iPod.
The screen is bigger (2.5") to better please the video buffs, but the unit itself is smaller... the 60GB 5th-gen is even smaller than a 30 GB 4th-gen iPod. Since money is a bit tight for me, it might be a while before I own one (i might keep my 4th-gen 40GB monochrome one for another year, at most, and opt for a nano or shuffle for more rigorous activities) but I'll likely make a trip to the Kenwood Apple Store within the next week to check it out!
More info: Apple and iLounge
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