Apple just keeps churning out new products to sucker it's fans into buying newer toys. I admit they are nice features (some of which I would love SatRad to incorporate) but Apple needs to calm down with all the new products that constantly come out.

yea i know man its a good thing satrad doesnt do that.......oh wait.....they do!

Umm - I could be wrong (but Im not) but instead of chastizing Apple for churning out new products and perking consumer interest, shouldn't you be waving your finger at SatRad for their utter lack of ingenuity and ability to generate products like this that generate this much hype? Frankly, I think Sirius/XM should strive to be more like Apple. I for one have had the same iPod mini for the past 3 years and can honestly say the odds that I buy the iPod Touch are easily 100%

Umm - I could be wrong (but Im not) but instead of chastizing Apple for churning out new products and perking consumer interest, shouldn't you be waving your finger at SatRad for their utter lack of ingenuity and ability to generate products like this that generate this much hype? Frankly, I think Sirius/XM should strive to be more like Apple. I for one have had the same iPod mini for the past 3 years and can honestly say the odds that I buy the iPod Touch are easily 100%

And he just announced a partnership with Starbucks where when you're there with your iPod Touch, you can buy the last ten songs played. Since that music's coming from XM, is this a hint that there could be some sort of XM-Apple hookup in its early stages?

(Screw the merger, imagine the possibilities if Apple bought XM...)

oh yay!!!

i can't wait till i grab my iphone in the morning while half-asleep and try to call a client on the way to the office...only to have the Wu-Tang Clan hollering tha mathmatics at me because i picked up my ipod instead.

I am so sick of this iPod culture. It's a shitty mp3 player backed by a great salesman who will sell you the 6-month lasting, faulty iPod touch with a shit-eating grin on his face I wish people would stop giving Apple so much attention. Their products are second rate and that new nano looks exactly like one of Creative's models....

Wi-Fi on the iPod means internet radio on the iPod which means another mobile device competitor with live radio in addition to cellphones.

Correct Ryan???

What's next, the iToilet? You can take a shit and sync your iTunes library! It's a shitty mp3 player that costs *way* too much money, yet the Apple robots keep going out and giving Uncle Stevie all their money. . You can have 300 songs but they all sound awful. Apple needs to just stop right now. Can you tell I'm not an Apple fan, er i mean cult member?

TVGenius:

That would be true if Starbucks was getting music from XM.

Unfortunately, judging by reports on XM411 and XMFan, the vast majority of Starbucks use CDs to provide the music being played, not XM (which makes the XM/Starbucks "alliance" all the more interesting).

If the Rockbox developers get the firmware working on the 160GB iPod, I may consider upgrading to one of those from my 30GB...Over all, I dislike apple because they've never (until recently anyway) given a crap about making their product accessible to blind users...So why give them my money? The only downside to running Rockbox on an iPod is diminished battery life, which doesn't seem to happen on other players...But, as far as high-storage-capacity MP3 players, the iPods were the only ones anyone around here had in stock, so that's what I went with.

So, maybe a 160GB pod for Christmas. :)

From a music perspective, I believe Apple has Satrad by the balls. I consistently hear songs repeating on channels I listen to. I realize this isn't universally true, but it's my personal experience, and I do listen a lot. My music collection just seems deeper. Now, the iTunes WiFi Store comes along and completely eliminates the computer out of the middle for purchases. There will be people who will do everything from the iPod now. Apple has won the music battle against Satrad. This should be good news for the merger.

leviramsey:

In the original press release, it said XM's channel would be heard in over 4,000 Starbucks in the US, and they only had 8,000 worldwide at the time, according to same press release, so I figured that meant it was in most Starbucks (obviously not counting those in grocery stores, etc where it's not feasible). I hate coffee, and have been in a Starbucks exactly once ever, so please forgive me...

The iTunes WiFi Store is game changing. The conduit for music distribution is changing, first with Slacker and now the Starbucks.

It's just the beginning of a new paradigm centered around "music clouds". Imagine walking into a restaurant, bar or nightclub and instantly saving the track that's playing. Or perhaps a teen walks in to a retail store such as Abercrombie or Hollister and saves the song that just played for free with a purchase.

Apple's domain keeps broadening.

SIRIUS on the other hand keeps adding artist only channels when they should be expanding in to niches and coming up with smart ways to cache content and make custom channels on the players.

>> Wi-Fi on the iPod means internet radio on the iPod which means another mobile device competitor with live radio in addition to cellphones.

Where do you get this crap?

Let me know when you can drive down I40 through Oklahoma listening to music via WiFi.

You can drive down the highway listening to music on cell phones, ipods, mp3 players, terrestrial radio, HD Radio, CDs and satellite radio.

Stackpointer how did you like the former FCC commisioner saying in today's NY Sun that practically all of the items noted above are competitors to satellite radio. But I guess you know better :)

This TulaneJeff is pretty lame, huh?

>>> You can drive down the highway listening to music on cell phones, ipods, mp3 players, terrestrial radio, HD Radio, CDs and satellite radio.

Yes, in some fashion or form, all of the above. None of which have anything to do with WiFi.

But the important point is that every one you listed other than sat radio is fundamentally different FROM sat radio.

>>> Stackpointer how did you like the former FCC commisioner saying in today's NY Sun that practically all of the items noted above are competitors to satellite radio. But I guess you know better :)

I wouldn't say I "know better", but I do have a difference of opinion. It is important to remember that regardless of what a past FCC commissioner (from nearly 30 years ago) has to say about it, the bottom line is that the DOJ is going to make the decision.

If a DOJ official says, "We're not going to challenge it", then, the pro-merger forces have won. My personal belief is that they won't do that, but I am certainly aware of the possibility, perhaps even probability, that they may. If they do allow it, it will quite obviously be a bad outcome for consumers (and, IMO, for XM stockholders).

I've simply made the point that for DOJ to allow this merger will be counter to their past positions and may well set a precedent they aren't ready to follow going forward.

YES!!!! Man, I want one of these TODAY!!! Call me one of the "brainwashed" Apple cult members if you like. I'll glady accept that label. I've had Ipods since they came out, and I just recently (after 20 years of wanting one) finally made the big switch and moved from PC to Apple with an I-Mac and am also buying a new Macbook in a few weeks as well. And let me tell you, I couldn't be happier. Apple's products are just plain superior, work better, are far more advanced, intouitive and in touch with emerging technology and what today's users want. Apple is and always has been a pioneer. Maybe they didn't have the best marketing plan in the beginning, but they've always had the better product. (And hey, even if you don't like the product, heck you can just sit them up and look at them as pieces of art, because their products are beautiful.)
Anyway, yeah, I've "drank the Kool Aid", if you will, and I'm loving it. I'll be in line for the new I Pod Touch as soon as they hit the stores. I can't wait. (Man, XM or Sirius seriously needs to work out a partnership with Apple, NOW!)

Wes, thank you for saying that! I could not agree with you more dude! Apple does not give a shit about making their products accessible to blind and/or visually impaired users. We might be a smaller market than most but we got money too and if it's a good product, we'll buy it. It doesn't even mean having to make a separate blind friendly iPod, I know some of you are already thinking that. But if they put some kind of accessibility into the product, like some kind of audible indicator as to where you are in the menus or in a playlist or something...it's very doable. The only prob with Rockbox is that they have to practically reverse engineer everything to port a version of it so it'll work on an iPod, but Apple gets these fucking things out so fast that by the time the Rockbox developers have a version of the firmware that'd work with the new iPod, there'd be something even newer to replace it. So either Apple needs to slow it down, or Rockbox development needs to speed up. and I see neither happening soon.

Very insightful TheHoff.

>>> pple's products are just plain superior, work better, are far more advanced, intouitive and in touch with emerging technology and what today's users want. Apple is and always has been a pioneer.

Someone up in the comments section said AAPL products were "2nd rate" and I was LMAO.

AAPL is consistently hitting on all cylinders now, and this new lineup is just fantastic. The "phoneless IPhone" is a master stroke, and while pricey, is apt to be very popular. I just wish it came in a 160 GB model ;)

Nobody else comes close. These are truly exciting products.

I am beginning to see a trend in people slating Apple's iPod products. obviously for some there are faulty products which marr the judgement of the end product I refer to a discussion regarding accessibility to the iPod for blind and visualy impaired users. this is being investigated by apple and other parties who need to see the iPod and iPhone as fully accessible as OS X leopard with voiceover. speaking as a blind professional apple product user with several years expertise with access technologies etc. incluyding hardware and software adaptation and app development for blind and visually impaired users on the mac platform. certain things do need to be done and it is a case to change the way that people think. we will get there and at least Apple's accessibility and assistive technologies departments are assessing all avenues and working closely with individuals to make things easier. if you have an issue with an apple product or you just want to moan about the fact that it isnt accessible enough etc then fair enough but do understand there are some of us who have serious skills and are remotely qualified to speak on these issues

I am beginning to see a trend in people slating Apple's iPod products. obviously for some there are faulty products which marr the judgement of the end product I refer to a discussion regarding accessibility to the iPod for blind and visualy impaired users. this is being investigated by apple and other parties who need to see the iPod and iPhone as fully accessible as OS X leopard with voiceover. speaking as a blind professional apple product user with several years expertise with access technologies etc. incluyding hardware and software adaptation and app development for blind and visually impaired users on the mac platform. certain things do need to be done and it is a case to change the way that people think. we will get there and at least Apple's accessibility and assistive technologies departments are assessing all avenues and working closely with individuals to make things easier. if you have an issue with an apple product or you just want to moan about the fact that it isnt accessible enough etc then fair enough but do understand there are some of us who have serious skills and are remotely qualified to speak on these issues