Apple Launches New iPods and Downloadable Music Service
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Jobs On-Stage with a Top View of a Docked iPod as the backdrop
(Click for a close-up) |
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April 29, 2003While the rumors of of purchase of Universal Music by Apple may not have materialized, many of the other whispers of things to come did turn out to be true - Apple has revamped their iPod line and unveiled a downloadable music service that integrates with iTunes and iPod. The iPods offer substantial improvements, but the real news was the music service which launches now with over 200,000 songs.
Steve Jobs was definitely excited to get this news off of his chest at the launch event held in San Francisco. The music service has been over a year-and-a-half in the making, with the most impressive part being Apple's success in lining up the Big Five record labels to participate. Apple's music library currently boasts over 200,000 songs and will continue growing. According to Jobs, in some cases they are going back to the original studio masters to create the files for the service. The new music store also offers some exclusive tracks, never before released, plus some videos.
The newly released iTunes 4.0 functions as the center of the music service. You browse, search, preview, and buy from the store directly within iTunes, and it's pretty darn easy. The songs are encoded with the Dolby AAC codec, which has also been adopted as part of the new MPEG-4 standard. Purchased songs are listed in iTunes just like your other files, but there are some restrictions, though not as severe as many expected. You own your purchased music for life and can play them in up to three different Macs (you deauthorize and authorize new Macs as you upgrade), files can be freely transferred to an unlimited number of iPods, and burned to CD essentially an unlimited number of times - a playlist must be changed after ten burns.
Apple has hit what many consider to be the magic price point of $.99 per song, with the majority of albums selling for $9.99. Thirty second previews are provided for all songs, and purchases can be made with a single click once your account is set up. You also get album art with your purchases (you can also add art manually) which iTunes can display.
We encountered occasional problems accessing the store shortly after the launch, but since this was the first day with a big spike of usage, it will likely pass. The experience overall is a pleasure, and makes it extremely easy - perhaps too easy for some - to buy music. Even if you prefer to buy CDs, iTunes 4.0 and the music store provide a very convenient way to preview new music. The annoying wait to buffer data in RealPlayer or WMP when listening to previews on web sites is essentially eliminated if you have a broadband connection. The faster your network the better, but iTunes is definitely the first place I'm going to sample new music.
iTunes 4.0 also adds Rendezvous support so other Macs with iTunes installed are automatically detected and become accessible from your own copy of iTunes. Songs then stream between computers.
The music service is Mac-only right now, but Apple does plan to support Windows by year's end.
The new iPods offer a thinner, sleeker body and the controls have gone all solid-state with no moving parts (and cool backlighting on the four control buttons). Available in 10GB ($299), 15GB($399), and 30GB ($499) sizes, these new models move the FireWire connection to a new connector the bottom of the unit to make a docking station more practical - you can set your iPod down vertically so the display is visible. And the docking station isn't just for hooking iPods up to a computer. A line output is provided on the rear or the docking station, allowing you to connect it to other audio equipment. Hook one up to your stereo and you can now listen to your music there while charging the iPod at the same time.
USB 2.0 support is also present on these models to make it easier for Windows users, however USB 2.0 can't provide enough power to charge the iPod. An alternate cable will be available that provides both power and USB 2.0 connections. Software improvements are also here, including a customizable main menu, the ability to build playlists on your iPod, support for AAC encoded audio, as well as two new games.
This Friday, May 2nd, the Apple retail stores will be hosting a public launch party and will reportedly have plenty of new iPods on hand, as well as posters, t-shirts, and a JBL sound-system giveaway. For more information, visit their web site at www.apple.com. | 
