October 27, 2004

Photo Technology

Apple Announced iPod Photo today.

http://www.apple.com/ipodphoto/

A delight for the ears. A feast for the eyes. Though it�s no bigger than a pack of playing cards and weighs in at just over 6 ounces, iPod Photo delivers a one-two sensory punch. Letting you carry an entire library of your favorite music � up to 15,000 songs � or enough photos � as many as 25,000 � to fill nearly 200 slide trays or cover nearly 5,000 square feet of wall space. Got a really big den?


The newest member of the iPod family, iPod Photo comes in two sizes: a 40GB model, available for $499, and a capacious 60GB model that sells for $599. Both feature a razor sharp LCD display that lets you see your photos in vivid color � 65,536 colors, to be exact. And with its built-in backlighting, you�ll be able to admire those photos indoors or out.

Take Your Photos for a Spin
Like its famous siblings, iPod Photo features the touch-sensitive Apple Click Wheel that�s the envy of the industry. You�ll use it to navigate iPod Photo�s new menu. Now in living color, its easier to read than ever. That�s thanks in part to the clarity of the display � it offers 220x176-pixel resolution � and in part to the new Myriad typeface. Spin the wheel to Music, and you can scroll effortlessly through dozens of playlists, hundreds of albums or thousand of songs.


Or highlight Photos. iPod Photo displays 25 full-color thumbnails at a time. And you can scroll through them the same way you scroll through song titles. Quickly. Just spin the wheel to see more. And when you see a photo you�d like displayed all by its lonesome, just click the center button and voila. No one will have to say �cheese� as long as you have iPod Photo around. Whether you�re listening to tunes or checking out photos, you�re sure to be all smiles.


Get Brownie Points for Sharing
If you�d like everyone else to smile right along with you, iPod Photo makes it easy. Sure, you could let them take the Click Wheel for a spin themselves, but here�s a way to get extra points for style. Use the included AV cable to connect iPod Photo to a projector or TV. You can mesmerize friends and family with a glorious multimedia experience, offering them a breathtaking slideshow accompanied by the music you already have on your iPod Photo. Of course, you get to choose the songs, albums or playlists.


iTunes 4.7: Your Photo Passport
Wondering how you�re going to get all your digital photographs into iPod Photo? iTunes 4.7. The new version lets you import your images directly into iPod Photo from a folder on the hard drive of your Mac or PC. Spent time organizing your photos using iPhoto on a Mac or either Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 or Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 on a PC? iTunes 4.7 rewards your diligence by importing the albums you�ve created in iPhoto or collections created in Album or Elements. You�ll be able to choose them from the Photos menu on iPod Photo.


Wait, there�s more. iPod Photo features even more robust Auto-Sync capabilities. Now, in addition to offering the industry�s best music syncing, iTunes offers stellar photo syncing, as well. Update your photo collection by adding images or creating new albums, and the next time you connect iPod Photo to your Mac or PC using the included FireWire or USB 2.0 cables, iTunes 4.7 will automatically synchronize your photo collection. And did we mention that iTunes 4.7 also autosyncs Album Art? It�s true. The Album Art downloaded when you purchase music from the iTunes Music Store is transferred to iPod Photo along with the music. So while iPod Photo plays your tunes, you can enjoy the Album Art � in color, of course � on the Now Playing screen.

Enjoy Improved Battery Life
Whether you�re on a transcontinental flight or an extra long hike, if you plan to listen to music for hours and hours, iPod Photo has you covered. Fully charged, it lets you enjoy up to 15 hours of continuous music; or up to 5 hours of continuous slideshows with music.(2) Use the FireWire or USB 2.0 cables to quickly charge the batteries. Or use the iPod Photo Dock that comes with both 40GB and 60GB models.

Music capacity is based on 4 minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; photo capacity is based on iPod-viewable photos transferred from iTunes.
Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and the number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information.

iPod Photo Features
Take up to 15,000 songs or up to 25,000 photos wherever you go
Auto-sync your music, photos and album art with iTunes 4.7
Sharp, vivid 2-inch Color LCD screen displays more than 65 thousand colors
Connect iPod Photo to a projector or TV and give slideshows � complete with music
Enjoy up to 15 hours of continuous music thanks to extended battery life(2)
Copy full-resolution photos to iPod Photo as a backup or to transfer originals to another system
Find songs and photos fast with the Apple Click Wheel
Use iPod Photo with Mac OS X or Windows 2000/XP
Take it everywhere � it weighs just 6.4 ounces
Shuffle songs in the main menu
Play music in MP3, AAC and Apple Lossless formats
Create and save multiple On-the-Go Playlists
Adjust the read speed for Audiobooks
Enjoy seamless integration with iTunes
Sync and charge via included FireWire or USB 2.0 cables
Use as a portable hard drive � take your files with you
Remind yourself with Text Notes
Play games on-the-go � in living color
Keep appointments using the Alarm Clock/Sleep Timer
Stay organized with contacts/calendars/to-do lists, all in color
Benefit from more language support
Record voice notes (with accessory)
Choose from hundreds of cool accessories designed just for iPod Photo

Posted by Craig at October 27, 2004 08:11 PM