iPod, Rendezvous and video
It occurred to me after my last post that the WiFi iPod would of course have to have Rendezvous. Think about what that means in terms of updating your iPod wirelessly over your home LAN. Easy cheesy - a bit like updating your phone's address book over Bluetooth, but more satisfying.
The PortalPlayer 5002($latestversion) chip in the latest iPod is immensely capable; it's essentially a dual-ARM7 core CPU with a fair bit of media (vector) and interface logic (USB 1.1 in the 5002c/d and 5003) hanging off of it. (I helped update the processor register and other technical manuals for the PP 5002 and PP 5003 a few years ago, and I think that's about all I can divulge without blowing my NDA.)
I thought it obvious at some point after the first-gen iPod shipped that Apple would add video to the iPod, but before we saw the second generation of iPod, I'd dismissed that notion out of hand.
Video adds a lot of complexity to the software layer of the iPod without a clear demand or content for the feature. Apple is better (in the post-Amelio era, that is) than most companies at cutting out product features that won't be used or have no strategic value. Power budget would go into the toilet with video - a color screen, the extra memory and higher CPU usage would prohibit the current handy form factor - a much larger battery would be needed to "do" video.
I'm fascinated by these things and I still don't have one. I don't see getting one any time soon either, but they're only going to get more capable. when I can afford one, it'll be even better than now, right?
The PortalPlayer 5002($latestversion) chip in the latest iPod is immensely capable; it's essentially a dual-ARM7 core CPU with a fair bit of media (vector) and interface logic (USB 1.1 in the 5002c/d and 5003) hanging off of it. (I helped update the processor register and other technical manuals for the PP 5002 and PP 5003 a few years ago, and I think that's about all I can divulge without blowing my NDA.)
I thought it obvious at some point after the first-gen iPod shipped that Apple would add video to the iPod, but before we saw the second generation of iPod, I'd dismissed that notion out of hand.
Video adds a lot of complexity to the software layer of the iPod without a clear demand or content for the feature. Apple is better (in the post-Amelio era, that is) than most companies at cutting out product features that won't be used or have no strategic value. Power budget would go into the toilet with video - a color screen, the extra memory and higher CPU usage would prohibit the current handy form factor - a much larger battery would be needed to "do" video.
I'm fascinated by these things and I still don't have one. I don't see getting one any time soon either, but they're only going to get more capable. when I can afford one, it'll be even better than now, right?
Labels: Archived
posted by Doug at 1:31 PM
<< Home