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Say Hello to iPod: Apple's HDD MP3 Player

In an press event at the company’s Cupertino, CA headquarters today, Apple announced the iPod, an MP3 player with a hard drive and iTunes 2.0.

Apple's iPod!


In an press event at the company’s Cupertino, CA headquarters today, Apple announced the iPod, an MP3 player with a hard drive and iTunes 2.0.

Apple's iPod!

iPod is a US$399 digital music player that supports MP3 (incl. VBR), MP2, WAV, AIFF playback.

iPod comes equipped with a 5 GB hard drive (1000 songs) that has 20 minute skip protection. The iPod includes one 400 Mbps FireWire port and a 10-hour lithium-polymer battery that takes only one hour to charge.

iPod dimensions: 2.4-inch wide, 4-inch tall, 3/4-inch thick, the size of a deck of cards. Backlit LCD display, playlist support, interfaces with iTunes.

To transfer songs, just enable FireWire disk mode on the device. It comes with a backlit LCD display, the thing in the middle is a “unique scroll wheel” piezoelectric clicker, so you can hear it as it goes around.

It lets you play by song, by artist, by album — much like iTunes. Menu items include: Playlists; Artists; Songs; Settings; About Now Playing. iPod will ship November 10. (Part#: NP1023 3-4 weeks Estimated Shipping).

Apple also just announced iTunes 2.0! Features include:

  • A graphical EQ and cross fade support (like Audion)
  • You can burn MP3 CDs directly from iTunes 2.0.
  • New devices, like the iPod will “autosync” with iTunes 2.0
  • Available as a free download in “early November”
  • 6 million copies of iTunes out there, “Our users love it” -SJ
  • Cross fader: automatically fades between songs
  • New equalizer button next to burn and eject buttons, with presets, 10 sliders plus a preamp slider.
  • Runs on OS 9 and OS X
  • “Coolest feature of iTunes 2”: designed to be used in conjunction with the iPod. “iTunes knows all about iPod, and iPod knows all about iTunes”
  • When you plug in iPod via FireWire, iTunes is launched, and all your songs and playlists are automatically downloaded into iPod. If you add songs or re-arrange playlists, iPod automatically updates

Moby appears in the Apple promo video. “This kicks every other product’s ass right here,” says the guy from Smashmouth. (in the video) “Do you remember what it was like when you got your first walkman? Wow! I want to carry this wherever I go.”– Seal, in the video.

Special thanks to John Gettler for the live updates from Cupertino!

More details as we get them…

The Apple Store is now taking orders!

By Jason O'Grady

Founded the PowerPage in 1995.