Apple Moving to All Flash-based iPods?

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2476

According to this article, it has been reported that Apple is considering transitioning their entire iPod range to flash memory, possibly by the end of 2007. Given that the current maximum flash chip is 32GB, and that the current iPod with video comes in two capacities, 30GB & 80GB, is it possible that they could integrate two (or maybe more) flash chips into the one iPod to make a larger model like the 80GB version.

I'm sure the iPod software could be configured to make this not apparent to the end user and seamless, as per usual, in function.

I just can't see Apple changing their entire iPod range to flash memory if it meant abandoning the development of a larger ~60/80GB model.

David

Makes sense. Flash memory will get cheaper, especially with Apple's bulk buying power they can drastically reduce prices.

Smaller iPods with 20+ hours of battery life and absolutely no skipping. What's not to love?

I predict Apple will discontinue the regular-sized iPod models in favour of nano and mini sized iPods.

Makes sense. Flash memory will get cheaper, especially with Apple's bulk buying power they can drastically reduce prices.

Smaller iPods with 20+ hours of battery life and absolutely no skipping. What's not to love?

I predict Apple will discontinue the regular-sized iPod models in favour of nano and mini sized iPods.

Well unless they are considering using more than one flash chip in an iPod, i don't think it's the best decision until larger flash chips become available and aren't cost prohibitive.

This makes absolute sense, you could have 1 x 36gb flash drive with your most listened to tracks and another 20gb (16gb + 4gb) for other less listened to stuff?

I predict Apple will discontinue the regular-sized iPod models in favour of nano and mini sized iPods.

The market just starting to swing to portable video players from music only players. (I know they've been available for ages, but it's just been the last year or so when the quality of the LCDs, the size of storage available, the life of batteries, and most importantly the availability of content has improved to where it's become an "everyday" type product).

Apple is clearly pushing for more media to be sold through iTMS, and putting some significant resources towards that end. Considering that, there's no way they will drop the "full sized" iPod, as watching video on a nano sized device would suck. Plus, there's not a whole lot of room in a nano for a battery that can power a full video processing chip for long enough to be useful, I would bet.

They might go all flash, they've shown they can get the best deals on memory with their massive buying quantities (remember when the 4gb nano came out the retail price of 4gbs of flash ram was near the price of the whole unit). It'll be awhile, though. People like/want their 30gb/60gb/80gb/plus iPods for video and flash RAM just isn't going to be that cheap yet.

I'm expecting to see an iPod with a hybrid drive soon, though. I figure a 60gb HDD with another 8 or 16gb flash memory as well. iTunes will show the iPod as being 60gb and will dynamically/intelligently use the 16gbs of flash memory as a preloading area, sort of like it does with RAM cache now, but on a much larger scale, and also doing it at sync time (as well as on the fly).

For example, anything you sync this session will be stored in flash memory rather than the HDD as you are probably much more likely to access it before you next sync the iPod. The last few gigs of music/video you've played will also be stored in flash, and if there's room, so will frequently played and highly rated, but not necessarily recently played data. As the iPod sees changing needs (for example, you play a song off of an album or playlist that isn't in flash memory) it will move things in and out of flash RAM.

This is already being developed for laptop computers to improve battery life and boot times, so it's only natural to expect it in the iPod. A 30gb HDD/4gb flash and 60 or 80gb HDD/8gb flash seems like something that we could expect sometime soon. It's be cool if they also offered a "long battery life" mode where you could set the iPod to ONLY use the flash ram, so you would conceivably get 2 days or something out of a single charge.

Makes sense. Flash memory will get cheaper, especially with Apple's bulk buying power they can drastically reduce prices.

Smaller iPods with 20+ hours of battery life and absolutely no skipping. What's not to love?

I predict Apple will discontinue the regular-sized iPod models in favour of nano and mini sized iPods.

What about video, will that be iPhone (with bigger memory) only?

about time. personally i was always reluctant to buy an ipod till the flash-based nano came out.

I predict Apple will discontinue the regular-sized iPod models in favour of nano and mini sized iPods.

Hmm, I'm not so sure about that. The current size strikes me as being quite close to that ideal, comfortable, yet small size. It feels good holding it in your hand. It's not so small that it feels delicate or flimsy which, in my opinion, the Nano feels like at times. Sure, the next gen. could get smaller by a few mms here and there but not too much.

And iPhone technology will most likely extend to the iPods eventually, the Nano or even the mini's form factor would definitely be too small for this.

Bring on the higher capacity Flash storage. :cool:

Hmmm, this is interesting. On one hand, I think it's a great idea: better battery life, better form factor, less skipping. On the other hand, flash can't keep up with the storage capacity of a good old fashioned hard drive.

Perhaps we'll see iPods with interchangeable flash memory via SD cards?

Great idea. Put 4 flash memory chips in the iPod.. the more storage the better. Even more interesting idea - 2 flash cards - one removable. Very flexible and should not effect the design of the iPod too much.