Living with Apple's new iPods, iTunes

Apple's refresh of its iTunes and iPod line, while not a radical remake, looks like a winner, according to our preliminary tests. As the embedded video shows, we found that the new iPods and iTunes features worked as promised.

As we noted previously, the new Nano received the most radical overhaul, inside and out. The tall, slim design, a throwback to the second-generation Nano, is extremely palm-friendly, and its curved display and rounded edges look very cool.

The built-in accelerometer reorients the display when you tilt the Nano—just like those on the iPhone and Touch—and you can view your albums in cover-flow mode as well as play games. One feature it borrows from a lesser-known MP3 player, the Sandisk Shaker, lets you shuffle your songs by shaking the player. 

The new Touch's more subtle improvements, a built-in speaker and side-mounted volume control, also worked very well. It's a pleasure not having to plug in earphones just to watch a video or play a game. The edges of the new Touch are noticeably thinner than the original model, which makes it feel more comfortable in the hand. Otherwise, it appears and handles the same as the previous Touch.

The jury is still out on the new Genius feature, however, which creates a 25-song playlist based on the type of song to which you’re listening. For it to work properly, Genius requires iTunes users to open an account, and it has to scan your entire library. We tested it on a collection of about 1,000 songs and found it easy to befuddle. It frequently came back saying it was unable to make a playlist because there weren’t enough similar songs. It’s better if you have a large collection of music. Genius playlists can be created and saved on the iPod and then synced back to iTunes. One quibble is you have to enable Genius in iTunes then sync to the iPod to get it to work on the iPod. The Genius feature is available on iTunes, the new iPods, and older Touches and iPhones.

We will be completing our in-depth tests very soon. But our initial impression is that these new arrivals have a lot to offer.

—Mike Gikas

Apple Spruces Up iPods, iTunes; Prunes prices, and fixes for iPhone 3G

Apple unveiled significant updates to iPods (Click on the image at right for a closer look) and the iTunes store at its "Let's Rock" event in San Francisco. These include a slimmer, greener Nano with a larger display, a slimmer Touch with a built-in speaker, and a revamped iTunes that adds a cool new music-search feature and the ability to download HD programming. There's also a firmware update for iPhone 3G users that promises to fix dropped calls and other problems reported by its users. Many of the products are available today; others will roll out over the next few weeks. We'll be reporting on these new models and features as they roll through our labs over the next few days. In the meantime, here's what we know now:

iTunes 8.0. With this update, iTunes' 65 million customers will be able to download and view high-definition programming on their computers and Apple TV. Shows in HD will cost $1 more than those in standard definition. What remains to be seen, besides the purported improvement in quality, is how long it will take to download such shows. Also new is Genius, a search feature that takes its cue from Internet radio stations by seeking out songs from similar-sounding artists. How it works: While you're listening to a song that you like on your iPod or iTunes, pushing the Genius button will send it scanning your library for  25 to 100 songs from like-sounding artists. Of course, Genius will also make recommendations from the iTunes store, as well. Genius is available to all iTunes and iPod users who install the free update.

Apple iPhone 3G vs. Samsung Instinct

Apple's latest iPhone is a winner, adding faster data-network access and GPS-assisted searching and mapping to the slick, innovative platform of its predecessor. Competing phone makers have taken their shots at iPhone's touch-screen design, but haven't made a dent.

That is, until recently.

Samsung's Instinct touch-screen phone, available exclusively from Sprint Nextel, has been flying off store shelves. In fact, Sprint stores have had a hard time keeping up with demand for this cool new phone, which has the unique ability to act on voice commands.

Does the Instinct have the chops to dethrone the iPhone? Watch our video to see how the Instinct and iPhone stack up against each other. (You can also view the video by clicking on the player at right if you have Flash software installed on your computer.)

To see how the iPhone 3G compares with other cell phones, check our Ratings of smart phones (available to subscribers).

—Paul Eng

iTunes movie rentals: A generally strong opening

After years of simply selling movies, iTunes last month added the option to rent them. The service adds a welcome and relatively painless way to view films on your iPod, iPhone, or computer—though the service does have a few minor annoyances. After renting and viewing on a number of computers and players, here’s what we liked and disliked about the new service:

HIGHS

It's less costly than buying. If you're like me, you’ve resisted movie-watching via iTunes because you don't want to pay $9.99 apiece to own films that you'll likely watch only once, especially given the restricted size of computer and iPod screens. The rental costs—$3.99 for new releases, $2.99 for catalog titles—are in line with those for pay-per-view offerings from satellite or cable companies. Apple says selection will also be comparable by the end of February, when it promises more than 1,000 titles.

Decent picture quality. We viewed movies on a laptop and desktop, two iPods (a Touch and a Nano), and an iPhone. They looked good on all platforms—bright, clear, and surprisingly sharp. Unsurprisingly, it was hardest to appreciate that quality, and the movies themselves, on the tiny Nano screen, though the images were still surprisingly watchable.

Apple doubles the capacity of iPhone, Touch

Expanded capabilities, expanded capacity. New versions of Apple iPhone and Touch (the iPhone-without-the-phone), available today, have doubled the maximum storage capacity of these big-screen multimedia devices. They provide 16 and 32 gigabytes (GB) of storage, respectively; both cost $500.  Still available are the 8GB iPhone, $400, and 8GB and 16GB Touches, $300 and $400, respectively.

The storage boost comes just weeks after the software upgrades announced at the MacWorld trade show in San Francisco, which added GPS-like tracking on Google Maps, rented-movie playback, and customizable menus to these Wi-Fi-enabled products. In September, when the Touch debuted, another software update enabled both products to download iTunes content directly over their Wi-Fi connections.

These content options further challenge the capacities of these flash-memory digital media players. For example, just one movie rental alone can eat up 1.5GB to 2GB of storage. Add to this the ever-growing library of TV shows and free video podcasts and an iOwner could face a content overflow. That may explain why Apple discontinued the 4GB iPhone just two months after its June 30th debut.

Just ordered a less-than-maximum-capacity iPhone or iPod you don’t want? Call and cancel the order. If it's already shipped, Apple says, you can refuse the delivery and call the company to order one of the new, large-capacity models.

—Mike Gikas

Macworld 2008: Add to your iPhone; handsfree talk

Besides printers, scanners, and networked storage solutions, which you always expect to find at Macworld, the focus this year seemed to have shifted towards new 3rd-party peripherals revolving around iPhone. Dozens of new headset, headphones, and docking options have recently become available to support Apple's new flagship product.

Macally, a long time provider of Mac peripherals, offered Tune Pro and FlexTune. Designed for the iPod, TunePro is an audio minisystem with a flat-panel appearance and includes an alarm clock—perfect for the nightstand; FlexTune is a small but very versatile charger and speaker set for both iPod and iPhone. What was interesting about the latter was the way the speakers could slide laterally so the iPhone could be rotated to landscape mode for video viewing, to minimize the device's footprint on an office desk.

Skullcandy offers creative designs that appeal most to a younger crowd. They recently introduced the iPhone FMJ headset. They also offer full-featured wireless headphones. Most of their prices are under $100, except for the high-end phones, which retail for $169.95.

Ultimate Ears offered four models of high-quality headsets for iPods and iPhones: the Custom, the Triple.fi, the Super.fi, and the Metro.fi for the style conscious.

I briefly stopped by Xtreme Mac as well, and saw a wide variety of good-sounding, aesthetically-pleasing docking stations, speakers, and clock radios, most notably the Luna X2 and the Tango X2. They also offered nearly a dozen varieties of cases, pouches and protective covers for iPods and iPhones.

One of the more interesting presentations I attended was from Altec Lansing, who said their new T612 iPhone dock and speaker system (Click on the image at left for a closer look.) is the first to be "Apple certified", meaning Apple agrees to sell them in Apple stores. Apparently such certification is difficult to attain, as Apple has very tight engineering standards regarding specific emissions and GSM shielding. Capable of both desk and wall mount, the sound is very rich and clean. It is also backward compatible with dockable iPods.

MacBook Air, super-thin notebook, introduced

What may be the most talked about of Apple's four major product releases Steve Jobs introduced today is a new addition to the MacBook line called the MacBook Air. With a teardrop profile only 0.76 inches at its thickest point, it's the thinnest notebook computer ever. (You can get closer looks at the new MacBook Air by clicking on each of the embedded images.)

Apple didn't compromise much on features. There's a full-size, backlit keyboard, 13.3-inch screen, iSight webcam, large trackpad with multi-touch gesture support (similar to the iPhone's, which lets you use your fingers in more ways than the traditional tapping and sliding), plus a new magnetic latch.

There are only three ports on the right side: USB2, MicroDVI, and a headphone jack. (There's no Ethernet port for wired networking, but that's not really an issue with a notebook designed for extreme portability.) Apple says that the 1.6-GHz Core 2 Duo processor is 60 percent smaller than chips made for other models. The standard MacBook Air comes with an 80GB hard drive—or a 64GB solid-state drive for an additional $999. The standard memory configuration is 2-GB and Apple claims 5 hours of battery life. The built-in wireless capability supports 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

There's no internal CD/DVD burner; to use discs you need the $99 external MacBook Air SuperDrive which connects to the USB port. Also, a new custom application in Leopard called "Remote Disk" lets you wirelessly "borrow" other users' CD/DVD drives.

In keeping with Apple's environmental initiatives, MacBook Air notebooks have a fully recyclable aluminum case, displays that are mercury and arsenic free, and logic boards that are BFR and PVC free. In addition, the packaging has 56 percent less volume, to save trees.

The base model, which starts at $1,799, pairs a 1.6-GHz processor with an 80-GB Parallel ATA hard drive. A second model that features a 1.8-GHz processor and 64-GB solid-state drive starts at $3,098. Both ship in two to three weeks, but can be pre-ordered starting today.

Compared with Windows-based 13-inch slim-and-light notebooks we've rated (Consumer Reports' Ratings are available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers only), the MacBook Air is pricier and its hard drive is a bit slower and has a smaller capacity, but weighs more than a pound less. When compared with notebooks in the 3-pound range, such as the Sony TZ series 11-inch or Toshiba Portege R500 12-inch, its pricing is very competitive.

Macworld 2008: Preview

Apple goes into Macworld Expo, the annual party, love fest, and religious revival for the Cult of Mac, which opened today in San Francisco, following a year that's had a few fizzles (Apple TV, the first release of OS X Leopard, 10.5), one big hit (the iPhone) and under-the-radar sales growth of 40% for Mac desktops and laptops. The one adjective that no longer describes Apple is "beleaguered."

While analysts don’t see the same kind of explosive growth for Apple this year, they still hope a few compelling new products and services will keep the company on a growth track.

I do believe Apple will deliver. My first clue was this week's pre-event announcement of a new MacPro tower and XServe, powered by 8-core Intel Xeon processors, offering 2.3 times the speed and raw horsepower as the dual, quad-core 3.0 Ghz machines being sold only a month ago. If they couldn't wait one week to announce this, it often indicates they have so many other things to show us, there simply wasn't room in the Keynote program to hold it all.

Below is a distillation of predictions, hopes, and wishes from the amassed Mac pundits and bloggers for Keynote 2008:

Movie rentals in iTunes—Fox and Disney are reported as already signed on and almost everybody wants the "One More Thing" to be—at long last—the entire Beatles collection, made available at the iTunes Music Store (iTMS). (If that happens, no one will be crying over the loss of Universal.)

Improvements to iPhone: A 16GB, 3G model, with no limits on cell service provider—we can certainly dream, can't we? Also rumored is an iPhone SDK (software development kit), which would mean that there would be a market for third-party software. We might even see a demo of 3rd-party apps—something developers were clamoring for most of last year.

Office 2008—slam-dunk #2, as Amazon is already taking pre-orders. I expect someone from Microsoft will make the official announcement during the Keynote. (I'll write more on Office later in the week, when I get to see it for real.)

Leopard 10.5.2—this is almost a slam-dunk, as the Developers Cut is already making the rounds. There are at least 75 fixes and feature additions in the works, and this would be a perfect time to announce their deployment.

New Cinema displays with touch-screen and built-in webcam—possibly 24-, 27- and 30-inch models, an upgrade that is long overdue.

Blu-ray drives in some Macs—a rumor that is growing some legs, now that Blu-Ray seems to be winning the format war, and there is going to be a growing need to handle HD content.

Ultraslim notebook/touch tablet—this is the biggest rumor to make the rounds, and highly likely: Apple fills out its laptop line with an ultra-thin notebook, running on flash memory instead of a hard drive, sporting a 12-13 inch touch screen, which could possibly fold over to become a tablet Mac.

Final Cut Studio update—not likely, but definitely overdue, considering the plethora of new digital camcorders that have hit the market

Apple TV "2.0"—look for a "reboot" of this product, with new features, more storage, and built-in compatibility with iTMS movie-rental.

If you are not attending this year, here is a link to sites offering live blogging of the Keynote (SFW). Stay tuned!

—Thomas A. Olson

Thomas Olson, the Publishing Systems Administrator for Consumer Reports' Editorial, Design, Production and Pre-Press groups, has been a Mac enthusiast since 1984.