>From the Desk of David Pogue The Newest Member of the iPod Family By DAVID POGUE The New York Times March 15, 2006
The newest member of Apple's iPod family debuted last week, complete with 10-to-15-hour battery life, clean white lines and rounded corners, and the now-familiar circular control dial. It costs $350, and it weighs 15 pounds. Yes, 15 pounds, because it's not actually an iPod. It's a one-piece bookshelf speaker system with a slot on top that recharges your iPod and plays its music. It also has an input for other analog or digital sources, like your TV, CD player, iPod Shuffle, AirPort Express wireless module, or really old iPod. A tiny white remote control--the exact same one included with recent Mac models--lets you control playback, or switch between sources (the iPod on top or the external input). It's called the iPod Hi-Fi, and it's got the audiophiles blowing steam out their ears. "I would never buy one," wrote an angry poster on the Engadget blog, "but it's a perfect fit for the iPod: overpriced, underfeatured and overrated for its price." Wow--harsh, dudes. Especially when you haven't actually listened to the thing. Apparently, Apple's mistake was to call the Hi-Fi "audiophile quality." True, you set yourself up for ridicule when you use the term "audiophile," given that audophiles are a notoriously cranky lot. But it should be pretty obvious that a $350, one-piece system will not duplicate the sound of a pair of $1,000 freestanding speakers. It's safe to say, though, that the iPod Hi-Fi sounds just about as good as a $350 system can sound. It puts out some serious bass; at high volume, there's so much air being pumped out its bass-cabinet ports, you could practically dry your hair in front of them. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/15/technology/circuits/16POGUE-EMAIL.html Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
