That block on the right side of my Web site keeps a running tab of what is currently pumping through my headphones. Granted, I may not actually be there to listen as I often forget to pause iTunes before I leave the apartment in the morning. There is a small plugin I wrote to get the refresh button to work, but most of the hard stuff is handled by last.fm.
Tuesday's Apple event did not yield nearly the level of "wow" moments some were expecting. You know it is not on par when a good ten minutes are spent highlighting a new recommendation algorithm for iTunes. To be fair, when you already have the hottest selling portable music player on the market, why goof with it?
New iPod nano
The nano is starting to look like the star of the lineup again if you believe the iPod touch belongs in its own category. The accelerometer to switch from landscape to portrait viewing, the shake-to-shuffle feature and slick industrial design probably guarantee that it will be a top seller this holiday season. Unless you planned on buying an iPod for the first time or replacing an aging model, there likely is not much else for you.
New iPod Classic
I am still trying to fathom how someone would be able to fill up the 120GB of the new iPod Classic. My personal computer only has an 80GB drive to start with, so I would have to use the external drive to even make even a drop in the bucket for this thing. I have to wonder what internal notes went around at Apple that suggested that the average user had anything close to that amount of media.
New iPod touch
The reason this one should not be counted among the other iPods is because its primary function can not reasonably be assumed to be a music player. If that is all you wanted to do with it, save your money for something else. The wi-fi Internet browsing and thousands of applications are likely the primary motivating factors for buying the iPod touch. The new one looks more like the iPhone 3G and has external volume control and speakers. Other than a price drop and built-in integration for the Nike+ platform, there really is not a "wow" feature here either.
iTunes 8
As I am not planning on replacing my four-year old iPod mini anytime soon (it came free with Samantha's laptop in 2005, right before they axed the line), the iTunes update is the only thing I planned to get my hands on after the event. I opted in to the Genius service, and I personally believe that this may be Public Enemy Number One for shopaholics-anonymous. Sure, it recommends songs from within your library. But the real impressive feature is when you look at the sidebar of suggested music for purchase. I subconsciously had added five songs to my cart within an hour of playing around with it. They are still there, but I can see exactly where they were headed when they came up with the feature.
The visualizer and overall interface are slick as usual. Apple rarely upsets the accepted norms on their software, a reflection of how they kept it simple in the first place. The grid view is mostly eye-candy, although grouping by composer and genre is handy. They also introduced High Definition television shows, but that is one area I have not bothered exploring.
What's next?
Despite its lack of shocks and surprises, Apple's "Let's Rock" event met most reasonable expectations. Their music market usually takes center stage around this time to gear up for the holidays. The holidays are generally considered a bad time to buy a Mac because the MacWorld Expo in January usually means several new product roll-outs. Nothing like buyer's remorse only ten days after you dig it out from under the Christmas tree.