More on iPod/PDA convergence

1. I read somewhere once that some big honcho executive at Microsoft only carries two gadgets with him at all times: a Blackberry and an iPod. One has all his music, the other lets him send and receive emails on the go. Now wouldn’t it be nice if you only have to carry one device?

2. Imagine an all aluminium iPod, around the same dimensions of the current iPod. On the outside there is the black and white display, the scroll wheel and navigation buttons, with the hinge on one side, and the release catch on the other (which magnetically retracts, a la PowerBook). Press the release catch and the iPod unfolds like a clamshell, revealing the colour touch screen on one side and a thumb board on the other. Nestled in the hinge is the stylus.

3. Running the PDA side of things is a mobile version of OS X, ported to run on Embedded Linux. Included is cut down versions of basic OS X productivity programs — Mail, Safari, Address Book and iCal — all of which ties in perfectly with the full calorie versions.

4. Bluetooth is enabled automatically when it is opened, and at the click of a button it’ll hook up with your phone and connect to the internet. mac.com you can synchronise your contacts and iCal. With iSync all your personal info would be transferred across, including all the Safari bookmarks. With a special cable into the dock connector you could plug in your digital camera and import new photos using mobile iPhoto, sort them into a new album, plug in the TV cable and show the day’s shots at a friends house. Including that short video shot with your digital camera. And in the morning it’ll make you coffee just how you like it too.

5. Pipe dream? Maybe. Apple’s spread pretty thin, and I’d doubt they’d have the resources to waste on Mobile OS X. They’re more likely to licence Palm OS and have iSync run any Palm conduit. But the point is that this device could solve a problem that may plague Apple in the coming years — how do you get people to pay that much for an music player when all the parts, and your competition, are getting cheaper?

6. As storage space becomes cheaper it’s more and more difficult to charge $900 (Au) for a 40gig music player. Sure, you can replace that with an 80gig drive, but 200gig? 300gig? Just how much music do most people have anyway? The iPod mini is a runaway success, proving beyond doubt that most people don’t have that much music, nor do they care about storage capacity. So sonner or later storage is so abundant that it’s not worth thinking about. So what will Apple include to keep those prices (and in turn, profits) high? Suddenly a high end iPod that’s differentiated by features, not capacity, makes sense.

7. Whilst my super iPod (or is that iPod super?) idea is more fantasy than reality, an iPod with that feature set would fill out the requirements for a high end iPod nicely. There is a market for expensive PDAs that plays music and video, otherwise Sony wouldn’t bother. Who better than Apple to build such a device? It was Apple that popularised the PDA concept with the Newton years ago, and a PDA with a 40gig capacity as opposed to bugger all would make any gadget freak or technosexual weak in the knees. Apple can then position the rest of the iPod range to attract those who want one, but can’t justify the entry price. If they can get the iPod mini at the $250 (Au) range, there’s no reason not to buy one.

8. This high end iPod could potentially stimulate sales of Mac hardware, if Apple can put the OS X “look and feel” along with it’s key programs on top of whatever PDA OS will drive it. The super iPod would be an introduction to the Mac interface, and whilst if would still work with Windows (people can still sync to Outlook or whatever), to get the full experience you need a Mac.

9. To be honest thought, I’d really doubt Apple would go down this path. Apple was burnt pretty badly by Newton (even though it was Apple’s mismanagement of Newton that brought about it’s demise), and Steve Jobs has said on the record that PDAs are not worth the effort. The PDA market just isn’t as bright as it once was, but I think if there was one company that could inject life into that market segment it would be Apple. Would a super iPod drive Mac sales? Or would it just be a distraction from Apple’s other profitable product lines? I think if Apple could product a super iPod with a price point between AU$799 to AU$999 they might just have a winner. At that sort of price it wouldn’t be all the things I’ve described, but it’ll do everything an iPod can — let you input information, surf the net, and check emails, all the while playing all your favourite songs. What more would you want?