Quite funny to award a product not yet on sale, with no price and no name as well.

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Anonymous wrote:
Quite funny to award a product not yet on sale, with no price and no name as well.

I guess if ALL you care about it wireless connections then it's an easy call.

As for me, I'd like to know the price AND what I would use a wireless connection for that my iTrip can't already do.

Fortunately the iPod really doesn't have to rely on being "In" to be popular; it just does what it is supposed to do and does it better than any other solution.

The iPod will still be around next year when some other unpriced, unnamed, unpromoted wannabe is Men's Health darling of the season and Aireo is languishing with no update, small user base, and WMF files sitting on it.

I agree with the prior posts, however this points to what I'd really like to see. Wireless iPods that can sync without wires and share/stream to other iPods. Enabled wifi networking opens up the door to internet radio stream over iPod as well--even XM radio. Then thow in iPod photo, and you've got wireless image streaming via wifi among iPods and over the internet. Gee Wiz--I hope I live to see it all come true.

"Boss! Boss! I've got a great idea for a story! Let's publish a list of top tech products, but we'll make the iPod #2. I'll search the Internet for a product that we could portray as an "iPod killer" and we'll make it #1! It will be so controversial! Think of all the free publicity!"

"I like it! Good thinking, kid!"

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Biff wrote:
"Boss! Boss! I've got a great idea for a story! Let's publish a list of top tech products, but we'll make the iPod #2. I'll search the Internet for a product that we could portray as an "iPod killer" and we'll make it #1! It will be so controversial! Think of all the free publicity!"

"I like it! Good thinking, kid!"

I don't think this is fair. The point they're making is that wireless ability will be an important feature in future MP3 players. THAT's their motivation for this article; I have no doubt about that.

Where they went wrong was AFTER they decided on that they should have talked about how this is a feature that has already started to appear in some products but won't really be useful until it becomes more widespread, has more uses, and exists on the player you'd want to buy anyway.

Instead they decided that it's the ONLY feature that matters and they should pick the first thing they could find that has this feature. THAT's the mistake here...their motive is good, though.

This would be like someone last year saying that color screens will be important. That statement would have been totally correct. It would have been wrong for them to find the only player with a color screen last year and call it the greatest product that you should buy, but even doing that doesn't mean that they're wrong about the basic idea OR that they're just trying to stir up trouble.

The difference here, though, is that this list is not about "features" it's about products. You're saying that it's ok discussing the merrit of wireless on an MP3 player... unfortunately the product they're lauding doesn't really exist yet, so there is no merrit to discussing its features within the context of this article. I have lot's of favorite imaginary toys, but I don't go around telling my friends that they should all go by them for Christmas.

I may be having a case of "sour grapes" but I think it is definitely a publicity ploy. It's not like Men's Health is known as a bastion of Journalistic integrity. Most of their stories involve doing excercise to improve your sex life. A slick copy magazine isn't above doing a little media distortion to enhance their bottom line, and that is the case here.

The lame excuses of Mac zealots to bash anything not Apple on this site is beyond belief!

May I remind you of one very important fact as you bash the Aireo 2...it is a product that will be available in 2005 in a technology review entitled, "Tech Guide 2005 - The 100 best new products for men in the new year."

It is just as much a preview of products not yet available as it is for already available products.

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mahuti wrote:

I may be having a case of "sour grapes" but I think it is definitely a publicity ploy.

Well of COURSE it's a publicity ploy. I'm just saying that the ploy is:

"Let's talk-up neat features that don't really exist yet 'cause guys love tech stuff, even if it's not practical."

and NOT:

"Hey, let's get Apple!"

I've already got one.
I think they call it a radio.

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Anonymous wrote:
I've already got one.
I think they call it a radio.

Yeah, I get that wireless is "cool" but I still don't really understand why it would be that great on my MP3 player.

I agree with Mahuti:

Look at the source (Men's Health)?

REALLY, does anyone read it. After seeing countless stories on "How to get those 6pack abs in less than 6 months" repeated like FOREVER or "What Women Really want and how to give it to Them" repeated when their not running the story on those 6 pack abs.

Apple will beat anyone to market on this thing.

Just on the fact that, like many other digital music players, it looks like total ass, I would never get one. How the interface performs still remains to be seen as well.

And I too still don't know why I should need or want a digital music player with WiFi. I'm not big on featuritis.

It's a music player, and it's Airport compatible, but what does it do with it? Does it sync with your Mac when you walk in the building, stream music from your Mac so it doesn't need a hard drive, or something else I've not thought of?

(Digs around the web site) Ah, it's so you can pay for subscriptions for extra content. Talk radio, newspapers, Audible books, magazines. Also, if it's like the version currently out, it won't work with a Mac at all. So it's really just an extra revenue stream for the maker's business partners. I've very unimpressed.

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Small White Car wrote:
I don't think this is fair. The point they're making is that wireless ability will be an important feature in future MP3 players. THAT's their motivation for this article; I have no doubt about that.

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Small White Car wrote:
Well of COURSE it's a publicity ploy.

So which one is it?

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Biff wrote:
So which one is it?

It's both. Those two things aren't exclusive.

It's a publicity ploy that's supposed to show off new technology. That's the two points you've quoted there. I don't see why I have to pick one.

My point is that it's not a publicity ploy that's supposed to put down Apple, or "get" the iPod, or something like that.

I own an Aireo 1 and my opinion is that the WiFi is great, but only if you have a need for it. For me, I have been a long-time subscriber to Audible.com and have a long commute to work each day. With my Aireo, I can download the latest copy of the New York Times from Audible before I leave the house without ever turning on a computer, then listen to it on my way to work over my FM radio, all without ever plugging in anything.

Now if my only interest was listening to MP3s, I would have absolutely no need for the WiFi capability. The built in FM modulator is nice for listening in the car, although the signal is a bit weak. The SoniqSync software however still has a lot of room for improvement, and the carrying case is the most ridiculously designed thing I have ever seen...you have to take the unit out of the case to operate the player.

It looks to me like the only major difference in the Aireo 1 and the Aireo 2 is the ability to listen to streaming audio via the WiFi. Not really something I'm all that interested in.

It is not out and out putting down Apple, but it's definitely disengenuous to give this non-existant player top spot, and shunt the iPod to the end of the line. That being said, making money is what they're there for, so I can hardly blame them, and in the end it's really harmless.

Oh, and for that guy that said we mac zealots are stupid... the article is "best products FOR 2005" not the best products FROM 2005. FOR implies that you need to stock up on these items to be cool when we reach the new year

Is wireless fast enough to import all your songs? On my iPod, I have about 1500 songs. How long would it take to upload that many songs using 802.11b?

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Alphax wrote:
It's a music player, and it's Airport compatible, but what does it do with it? Does it sync with your Mac when you walk in the building, stream music from your Mac so it doesn't need a hard drive, or something else I've not thought of?

(Digs around the web site) Ah, it's so you can pay for subscriptions for extra content. Talk radio, newspapers, Audible books, magazines. Also, if it's like the version currently out, it won't work with a Mac at all. So it's really just an extra revenue stream for the maker's business partners. I've very unimpressed.

Who cares... it syncs with Windows when you walk in the door. Nobody is building to compete with the iPod on Macs because the Kool-aid is too strong for that 5-6% of the market. What it does mean is that while Windows people have flash players with upto a 1GB, and media players that play video and even games. Apple people have what Jobs thinks they need and no more.

Mac sites often praise Apple annnounce products mnonths before ship. SO it is just sour grapes to say.. you can't compare it until it is for sale.
The iPod is well designed, but the look is getting old, the technology is not leading edge. People are not just going to keep bowing before the iPod because it is Apple.. Apple will have to innovate or fall behind, again. The first Aireo got lots of praise, so this is up date of a product reviewers liked already. Apple can't even figure out how to add an FM tuner, like almost every player on Windows has. Guess Steve doesn't listen to the radio, so none of you should have a choice.

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Small White Car wrote:
My point is that it's not a publicity ploy that's supposed to put down Apple, or "get" the iPod, or something like that.

I never meant to imply that their agenda was to attack Apple. My intention was to illustrate their choice of making iPod #2 and then out of all types of electronics just happening to pick an iPod competitor for #1 shows that their intentions were soley to get iPod-related publicity for their magazine. I appologize for any confusion stemmig from my initial post.

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Biff wrote:
I never meant to imply that their agenda was to attack Apple.

I believe you, but you can see how I got to that conclusion. You said that they probably singled out the iPod and then tried to find something to "beat" it. That's where I got the "attack Apple" thing from. But I do see how it could not mean that too, so I get what you're saying now.

WiFi can't charge the iPod battery. You have to plug in sooner or later.

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Guest wrote:
The lame excuses of Mac zealots to bash anything not Apple on this site is beyond belief!

May I remind you of one very important fact as you bash the Aireo 2...it is a product that will be available in 2005 in a technology review entitled, "Tech Guide 2005 - The 100 best new products for men in the new year."

It is just as much a preview of products not yet available as it is for already available products.

You do realize that using the term "Mac zealot" (and in the first sentence, too!) makes people disregard you statements just as a matter of course, don't you?

BTW, people on this site "bash" Apple all the time when they do something not so bright.

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Anonymous wrote:
Apple can't even figure out how to add an FM tuner, like almost every player on Windows has. Guess Steve doesn't listen to the radio, so none of you should have a choice.

And how many of those players are selling as well as the iPod?

Apple filed a patent for a wireless mp3 player last year - a mini-ipod portable device which could simply play music wirelessly (al la airport extreme). You could then have one iPod and multiple cheaper play-through devices, all which could act as portable receivers within the house.

I'm not personally all that ga-ga over the idea anyway.

additionaly, this list is for products to be released in 2005 - the Areo 2, pictured above, is not going to be out until the second half of next year.

The ipod they were comparing it too are were the ones actuallly available to purchase at the time - Apple doesn't announce products much before they are released; they have no fair comparison for this review. :p
I call shennanagins.

The "others" are SO pissed off at that, it makes me laugh, HAhahahaah. No one can touch the ipod...NO ONE! this thing is rather weird looking. You can tell that there influenced by the ipod in the design. But it just doesn't look nearly as nice. I'm sure the ipod will have wifi in a upcoming version of the ipod. They don't NEED that feature just yet. Look at the market share, that proves it.
P.S.
Its nice to see apple at the OTHER end of the market share thing this time. I should have bought apple stock years ago...

Wish Aireo2 good luck.

Every competitor try to add features in place of design. What consumer want is simplicity and ease of use. Good design is knowing what not to add.

IPod is cool but being able to wirelessly play thru my tuner in the car and wirelessly update from my home (and work) nets is SOOO convenient. I have like 1000 CDs. I take a few to work each day and turn them into WMAs. They download automatically to my Aireo I at 3:00PM. Then, at night, when the car is in my garage, the same CDs upload themselves from the Aireo to my home computer at 3:00AM. The CDs I have invested in for years are now starting to pay dividends. Can you hear Van Morrison's "MoonDance" playing in the background? I can. I can't wait till the Aireo II is available. More CD music for me!!!

I have an original Aireo with a 1.5 gig hard drive.
Aside from the lack of cavernous storage space, this is already an ipod killer. I don't need 40000 songs on my hard drive, I don't even own 4000 songs in any format that I'd actually listen to. (especially not any Itunes DRM'ed crap) I have several select cd's and mp3's that I listen to regularly, and I also use it to listen to Podcasts, and Audible content, which I sync wirelessly with my windows media player 10, while I work, sleep, or websurf.

The best thing about the Aireo is the software/firmware which is so smooth and intuitive, you don't need a manual.
Also the Aireo (1 and 2) has a built in fm transmitter, fm tuner, and the wifi. all for a price comparable to a basic Ipod.

Now if it only had a satellite radio receiver too.

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Anonymous wrote:
I have an original Aireo with a 1.5 gig hard drive.
Aside from the lack of cavernous storage space, this is already an ipod killer.

iPod-killer implies that it is beating the iPod in sales, not features. The numbers don't support that.

Glad you are happy with the Aireo.