Thoughts on New iPods

While the keynote of yesterday Special Event just finished, Toshiba announced its new generation of 1.8" HD based on 120 GB per plate. There are currently available in 2 versions, 120 GB and 240 GB, the first one finding its way in the new iPod Classic. However, unlike previous iPod revision, Apple decided to stop the race to storage capacity and will not offer an iPod Classic featuring 240 GB of storage space, as it dropped the 160 GB model. Not so surprising since the current HD-based online music players are living their last "hours" as flash memory should become the default physical support for storage in such device, it is only a question of time and cost/GB. The choice of 120 GB might indicate that the next iPod Classic will feature 100 GB of flash memory; indeed larger storage space might interest only a niche market or users who can get similar storage space via external HD featuring small Linux OS for being "independent". The last iPod Classic with 160 GB storage space are available on the Refurb Store for just 296.95€.
This new 120 GB 1.8" HD is also an interesting news for Mac users, as the MacBook Air could now have a larger HD with the right format for an upgrade of current "small" 80 GB HD.
New iPods seems to define the way Apple defines the digital music player models based on their usage and target: Shuffle for the "pocket version", iPod nano for the main stream market and iPod Touch for those willing to have it all (music, video and games), a kind of PDA without phone capability. The iPhone is the ultimate device to corrupt users into a severe addiction to Apple devices. So next steps for us are the expected revision for MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini. How long will we have to wait? Back-to-School period is there and Apple does not seem ready to offer new models for students yet.