Mmmmm, new toys...

You have to hand to Apple, if nothing else they know how to build up hype. About 10 days ago, they send out a little e-mail saying "It's Showtime" to a bunch of technology reporters. And then the Internet exploded with rumours about what Apple was about to unleash. A little bit of everything was mentioned. I was personally rooting for a brand new super-duper iPod that has been speculated on for months.

The rumour on this iPod was that it was going to be "widescreen" - meaning the entire front of the iPod was a screen. If you wanted to access the features, the screen would be touch sensitive. So an imaginary wheel would appear on screen when you need it and disappeared afterwards.

Plus, there were rumours about it being either bluetooth or wifi enabled so you could transfer songs wirelessly. Even more elaborate were stories of a radio receiver or a satellite radio built in.

Instead, we got this...



And I mean it's nice and all. I like the 80 gigs of hard drive space. I like the longer battery life and brighter screen. I like the video games. I couldn't give a rats ass about being able to download movies. I mean really, I can rip the ones I own and put them on my iPod if I understand it right.

It's nice. I was just hoping for a lot more.

Why do I care? Well, I'm in the market for a new one. The one I've had for the last two years is doing just fine. Battery life is fine. Works just great for what I need. The one downside is that it's 20 gigs of hard drive. I currently have 9 megs left and a lot more music I could easily add. So I really would like a new one.

(Which is funny because when I got the 20 gig one I figured there was no way on earth I would ever fill it up. Now, I'm looking at the 80 gig one.)

I just wish this one was a bit flashier or with more stuff. This iPod feels like a placeholder. I know a new one is going to come along eventually and leave this new version in the dust. I just hope it isn't a few weeks after I get one of these.

And if I get one, when will it be? Not sure. Cathy wouldn't mind getting it for me for Christmas, but I'm not I'll last that long. Besides, it's a lot of money for a Christmas gift.

And, you know, it's shiny electronics. Guys can't really resist that sort of thing for very long if they really want it.