Let's cut to the chase, bypassing for the moment the deluxe headphones, car chargers, cozy little iPod car seats, colorful knit socks, docking stations for simultaneous charging and synchronizing, and the myriad other paraphernalia designed especially for Apple's portable music player.
Consider the iPort, from Sonance (San Clemente, Calif.), a firm that specializes in architectural audio. The iPort is an in-wall docking station that lets the iPod's music play over any whole-home audio system. In effect, the iPort could turn a home, whether the user's own, or a friend's, into a giant headphone. The iPort lists for $598-installation, whole-home audio system, and iPod are sold separately.
Another of the many iPod-centric options for in-home or in-office sound is the Bose SoundDock, a $299 digital music system rendered in iPod white and designed to play iPod or iPod-mini music while simultaneously charging the player. The SoundDock comes with a remote.
For those on a tighter budget, FXSound, a subsidiary of Power Technology (Brisbane, Calif.), offers a 25-foot MP3 connector consisting of a cable with an MP3 plug on one end and RCA connectors on the other (cost is $19.95). You simply plug one end into the iPod, and the other into the audio input jacks of a home stereo.
Logic suggests that most people who pay hundreds of dollars for a portable media player will want to protect it from damage because dropping the device is all but inevitable. And who wants to slip a well-designed product into a poorly designed case? For that matter, who really wants to be limited to hearing his or her music over headphones when speakers are an option, and why shouldn't the music go wherever a user goes, including a car or an office.
Belkin Corp. (Compton, Calif.) was one of the first firms to introduce iPod accessories that leverage the product's design. "When Apple introduced the third-generation iPod, it put a docking connector on the bottom of the device and enhanced the iPod's remote control potential in the connector at the top," says Brian Van Harlingen, senior technology manager.
The company had a long-standing relationship with Apple based on the products it developed to support Apple's computers. In April 2003, Belkin introduced a $39.99 kit that connects the iPod to a car's power source and speaker system through a 3.5-mm audio-out jack, while simultaneously charging the iPod via the cigarette lighter. It also introduced a mobile cassette adapter, and a backup battery pack.
Belkin, which was first to market with voice recorder and photo storage products for the iPod, currently offers more than two-dozen iPod-specific accessories. "We've got a list of 37 items we're trying to get to, none of which have popped up from any other manufacturer," adds Van Harlingen.
Big sellers from his perspective include cases; speakers, which Belkin doesn't make; and products that integrate the iPod with car stereo systems. Belkin's TuneBase FM ($79.95) is for mounting, and simultaneously powering, charging, and playing an iPod mini inside a car. It plugs into a cigarette lighter outlet and connects wirelessly to a car stereo via an FM transmitter that operates on multiple FM channels. Four programmable memory slots are available, eliminating the need to search for an open station.
For $35, Nashville, Tenn.-based Griffin Technology's iTrip enables users to play their iPod music through any FM transmitter, whether at home, in a car, or at a friend's house. For users with a yen for multitasking, Griffin offers an iBeam Flashlight and Laser Pointer that's useful, it says, for finding keys in the dark or creating emphasis during presentations. They're actually two separate snap-on devices, but available together for $19.95 (www.griffintechnology.com). Griffin's PodPod, priced at $9.99, is a soft foam insert for an auto cup holder that provides a "safe, secure ride" for an iPod or iPod mini.
Cases and other accessories can also be purchased from their manufacturers. Marware Inc. (www.marware.com) offers, among other products, a 4G Sportsuit Convertible case. Priced at $39.95, the 2-mm neoprene case allows an iPod to be synchronized without first being removed. It features a Multidapt clip system that supports interchangeable clip options (except for a low profile belt clip and armband, these options are sold separately). A bike holder accessory costs $7.95.
u r article is vry nce c'n u sed me a article on latest trend electronics.
Anonymous -September 22, 2005
Don't worry about the battery issue. You can get a new iPod battery for $29.95 ($25.95 for 3G, 4G models) from macsales.com, if you need one. (They also sell "high capacity" batteries for $10 more.)
If you buy AppleCare (an extended warranty) for the iPod, Apple will replace the battery if it fails within three years.
If you don't have AppleCare, and the iPod is out of warranty, Apple will still replace the battery for $99.
Anonymous -February 20, 2005
Unfortunately, Apple decided (again) to seal its system -- with the battery. Because it's sealed without the ability to change the battery, you have to buy another one when the battery can no longer be charged. This is exactly what happened to my daughter's first iPod.
Anonymous -February 01, 2005 (Article Rating: )
There has really never been anything this hot since the Walkman. Give innovation by Apple some credit. Everyone else had the chance.
Anonymous -January 28, 2005 (Article Rating: )
The iPod isn't about the High End. It's about the Sony people out there. It appeals to the masses, but to the small few (like myself - CJ Premire 1, quickies 60, Oracle TT, Koestu), who demand more and better.
Anonymous -January 23, 2005 (Article Rating: )
No digital I/O - the iPod is a poor choice and a poor design for integrating with high-end audio.
Anonymous -January 22, 2005
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