It seems to me that
there are more than the usual number of new technologies coming to market that
could make the next few years really interesting. I’m writing this on my way
back from visiting customers in New Jersey and I’m listing to my newest toy, a
video iPod. Apple isn’t the first to make it possible to watch video on a
handheld device, but they’ve made it easy. First some stats.
there are more than the usual number of new technologies coming to market that
could make the next few years really interesting. I’m writing this on my way
back from visiting customers in New Jersey and I’m listing to my newest toy, a
video iPod. Apple isn’t the first to make it possible to watch video on a
handheld device, but they’ve made it easy. First some stats.
- My iPod has a 60 GB
hard drive in it. That’s the same size as the hard drive in my fairly-new Dell
laptop. - Right now my iPod has
3238 songs on it. I buy more CDs than ever and I purchase music from artists
that will never have a real recording contract. I enjoy my music more too
because of how I can easily create playlists that capture exactly what I want to
listen to at the moment. - 13 videos (I said I
just got it!) - 12,540 photos. That
is every single digital photo I’ve ever taken and my first digital camera was a
Sony that wrote to floppy disks. My niece Lisa looked at every single one of
the photos the day after Thanksgiving. It took her about an hour, so she was
speeding through, but it was fun to see photos I had forgot about when one would
catch her eye and she would ask about it. I did the math, that’s about 4 a
second. I just tried it myself and it is easy to go that fast and still get
some idea of the photos. - 38 unabridged audio
books from Audible (two are Stephen King books so these are not small
books) - 4 podcast
subscriptions – I’m not really into podcasts. One of these is really a video
podcast.
With all of that,
there is still 29 GB of space left, which is quite a bit more than is available
on my laptop. If I need more space on the laptop, I could always mount the iPod
as a second hard disk. (No, my laptop is not an Apple. Windows XP and the
iTunes synchronization software works great together.)
there is still 29 GB of space left, which is quite a bit more than is available
on my laptop. If I need more space on the laptop, I could always mount the iPod
as a second hard disk. (No, my laptop is not an Apple. Windows XP and the
iTunes synchronization software works great together.)
You can
already buy a few TV episodes and music videos from iTunes, but in a very short
time much if not most of what is available on the TV will be available as
easy-to-sync content for the iPod and other players. Trust me on this, the
introduction of the video iPod is going to be a big part of the move to make it
possible to watch whatever you want, whenever you want it and not just on little
screens but also on your regular internet-connected TV. USA Today had at least
3 or 4 stories today about the changes that are sweeping the entertainment
industry and what it means for the studios and
networks.
already buy a few TV episodes and music videos from iTunes, but in a very short
time much if not most of what is available on the TV will be available as
easy-to-sync content for the iPod and other players. Trust me on this, the
introduction of the video iPod is going to be a big part of the move to make it
possible to watch whatever you want, whenever you want it and not just on little
screens but also on your regular internet-connected TV. USA Today had at least
3 or 4 stories today about the changes that are sweeping the entertainment
industry and what it means for the studios and
networks.
Speaking of
the little screen, I haven’t tried to watch a movie on it yet, but everyone who
has played with it has commented on how great the screen looks. For about $20 I
bought a cable that makes connecting to a TV as easy as plugging in a DVD
player. The image scales nicely but again I haven’t tried to watch a movie this
way.
the little screen, I haven’t tried to watch a movie on it yet, but everyone who
has played with it has commented on how great the screen looks. For about $20 I
bought a cable that makes connecting to a TV as easy as plugging in a DVD
player. The image scales nicely but again I haven’t tried to watch a movie this
way.
Someday this
device will end up in my Museum of Cool but Obsolete Technology, but for now it
is making me think a lot about how the world is changing, and I’m getting to
listen to some great Bluegrass in the process.
device will end up in my Museum of Cool but Obsolete Technology, but for now it
is making me think a lot about how the world is changing, and I’m getting to
listen to some great Bluegrass in the process.