There are a lot of people wondering what Apple will do next. After all it hasn’t released a new iPod model in six months, which is unheard of in recent years. Speculation over the pointless concept of a video nano continues in the absence of any other information.
But the trouble is, where do Apple go from here? They have the market share, an excellent form factor, great styling and a brilliant music management software (iTunes), plus the ability to watch videos if you really have nothing better to watch them on.
I think that the recent introduction of the Apple iPod speaker and the Nike running add-on could be the sign of things to come. The iPod accessory market is enormous and I think that Apple is going for that area of the market. If you take a look at what people use their iPods for, there are three main areas:
Travelling by car - iPod integration is a huge opportunity to tie in to specific brands of vehicle and target their customers. I think that we will see some pretty tight integration coming in to factory fitted head units over the next couple of years. A standard accessory would be a decent dock, maybe in the glove compartment, because once you have all of the track and playlist data on the head unit, you can tuck the iPod away out of the sight of thieves.
Travelling by public transport - Noise cancellation and wireless headphones are the two areas that stand out. However both will take a chunk out of battery life so that is a challenge. Noise cancellation could be a real selling point. After all, using noise cancellation headphones with an iPod adds a big chunk of hardware and additional batteries. Integrating a microphone and the circuitry in to the iPod could be a goer nowadays.
Exercise - Man my gym is full of people wearing their iPods. Whilst the Nike running add-on appeals to many dedicated runners, I think that a heart-rate monitor add-on would have a wider market. An interface unit to Polar products would capture the marketplace, and allow both companies to sell their products in to new customers. It would certainly save me carrying more gadgets than Batman to the gym.
So there you go, my view of the future that is absolutely true until disproven.
And whilst we are on the subject, here is one improvement that I wish they would get on with: zero gaps between tracks. Is it beyond the wit of man to remove the gap between tracks so that continuously segued albums don’t sound rubbish? You either need to rip the CD as one continuous track, or put up with a stutter every five minutes or so. Personally it puts me off listening to mixed albums on my iPod, which is a bit limiting given my love of melodic trance. So come on Apple, sort it out!!
