Many months ago, maybe even a year or so ago, I came up with what I thought the next step in the evolution of the iPod should be. Apple's little portable music storage and playing device should have graphic capabilities added. This would consist of a color display to show off album covers and photographs, and even to play videos. I called it the "eyePod"
Well, guess what? I was right. Last month, Apple brought out two new top-of-the-line models of the iPod. Unfortunately the company wasn't nearly so clever as I was and called this new version simply "iPod Photo." Another conflict with my prescience is that it doesn't play videos.
The appearance and heft of the new device is exactly the same as existing models, though slightly thicker. The two-inch color screen is bright and crisp, which not only makes photos and album covers look good, but also enhances visibility for included programs, such as the calendar and the arcade games
The new version of Apple's free iTunes software lets you select which albums in iPhoto you want to carry around in your iPod. You can then update those albums the next time you synchronize your iPod Photo with your computer. That way you will always be sure to have the latest photos of your pets and grandchildren with you in your pocket.
Of course you may not think the tiny display shows off your photos to the greatest advantage, so a cable allows you to connect the iPod Photo to a television set for viewing on it. While you are exhibiting your photos in a slide show, you can accompany them with some of the music you already have stored in the iPod.
The iPod Photo is not for the frugally minded. The model with a 40GB drive holding 10,000 songs goes for $499, while the 60GB version, storing 15,000 songs, costs $599. If you were to cram that larger capacity model with all photos, you could transport some 25,000 of them. Now how's that for photographic portability?
If an iPod Photo isn't in your future, maybe one of the new iBooks is Or, if you've won the lottery or received an inheritance, maybe you'll want both.
Last month Apple improved the entire iBook consumer line of notebook computers and lowered prices in the process. The entry-level 12-inch iBook now sells for $999. It has a faster processor, the 1.2GHz G4, as well as a 30GB hard drive and a Combo drive that lets you play DVDs and burn CDs.
In the middle is a 14-inch display with a fast 1.33GHz G4 processor, 60GB of storage and the Combo drive, all for $1.299. The top-of-the-line goes for $1499, and has the same display, processor and storage as the mid-range, but adds a Super Drive allowing you to burn DVDs, as well as play them and make your own CDs. All three models have AirPort Extreme built in so if you are within range of a wireless system, they are up and ready to go.
Now Apple lets you have a well-equipped and wireless portable computer for less than $1,000. And if you have $2,100 to spend, you can get a laptop with a larger screen, faster processing, more storage, and both CD and DVD burning capabilities, along with an iPod Photo that will hold 15,000 songs or 25,000 photos, or some combination of the two. Then, of course, there are a lot of possibilities in between these two extremes.