Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPod Family
30GB iPod to replace 20GB iPod?
With all the iPod nano hubbub swirling about today, this one was kind of easy to overlook. If you attempt to purchase a full-sized iPod at the online Apple Store, you'll see the graphic at right, which lists your options as 30GB for $299US and 60GB for $399US. Yet, in actuality you can only purchase either a 20GB or a 60GB 'Pod. Is this simply the result of an error in the art department? I would say yes, but since both the size of the iPod's hard drive and its song capacity have been altered, I'm inclined not to. It seems kind of odd that someone would make an error on both of those statistics. If it said, "30GB/5,000 songs," it would be easier to write off as a mistake. I guess time will tell.
In the meantime, what do you think, TUAWers? Error or omen?
Thanks, Barb!
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mark said 7:56AM on 9-08-2005
hmm... i was thinking about buying the nanno, but now i might just get the 30gig when it comes out becuase that's a really good deal!
Reply
Laurie said 8:15AM on 9-08-2005
The image has been updated already, It says 20GB/5000 songs in the Apple store as of this morning.
Reply
Brad said 9:56AM on 9-08-2005
It's gonna happen. You think that they screw up sometimes? I do.
And I bet it was there as a back-up if the nano or the ROKR wasn't available for the press yesterday.
Reply
Oliver said 10:58AM on 9-08-2005
I hope to god they replace the 20 with 30, keeping the price the same.
I'm in the market for a new iPod, and i had planned to get a colour mini when they came out. But now with the nano instead (4gb max, which is too small, and no Firewire syncing, which blows!) I think i will go for a full sized iPod. Especially since this will probably be the last ever iPod to support firewire.
so it would be sweet if i could get 30gb instead of 20gb.
Reply
TheDoode said 11:07AM on 9-08-2005
I placed an order for the 20GB last week. It got here yesterday morning, and it's a 30GB model. I have no plans to call Apple and complain.
Reply
D said 11:39AM on 9-08-2005
USB 2.0 is as fast a the Fire400 sycning. Quit your crying.
Reply
Oliver said 12:55PM on 9-08-2005
re: D
Maybe you don't know this, so I'll educate you. Apple was very late to the game with USB 2, which means there are lots of mac users with USB 1.1 (and firewire). For example, my rev.A 12" powerbook only has USB 1.1.
USB iPods are really out of the question for many of us.
Reply
D said 1:03PM on 9-08-2005
USB 2.0 is as fast a the Fire400 sycning. Quit your crying.
Reply
D said 1:13PM on 9-08-2005
Get a new laptop then. Apple moves forward not back. Mostly. Have both USB 2.0 and Firewire doesn't make sense moving forward. Specially when you'd have to guess that more ipods are sold to WIndoze folks anyhow. Complaining about "less" Firewire400 support on the top end ipods is whining. Side they haven't dropped it yet anyway. Save your cable.
Reply
Oliver said 1:22PM on 9-08-2005
yeah that's realistic, just buy a new laptop..
the point is, i don't think they had to drop firewire support with the nano. but they did, and i accept that, and i also see a trend which suggests the regular iPods will also loose firewire syncing sooner rather than later.
So although i'd prefer the nano, i guess i'm gonna go for a regular one.
Reply
puckles said 2:12PM on 9-08-2005
I'm more interested in when they accidentally replace 60GB/ 15,000 songs with 80GB/20,000 songs.
Until then this is a sleeper...
Currently running 20GB 3G, 4839 songs (without the christmas songs) only 320.5MB free space - with the xmas songs, I think i MIGHT have 100MB free...
Did I mention I have about 14GB of music I'd like to add?
Reply
Ffats said 4:34PM on 9-08-2005
I believe that USB 2.0 is backward compatible with 1.1 on the PowerBook. I wouldn't see why not.
Reply
Eric said 4:54PM on 9-08-2005
USB 1.1 is backward compatable... just very very slooooow. USB 2.0 is slow too, compared to firewire. I don't care what the actually specifications say, USB 2.0 hardly ever runs at full speed.
Reply
mike said 5:43PM on 9-08-2005
it would be even better if it supported firewire 800 ;-D
Reply
Duncan said 6:14PM on 9-08-2005
Firewire 800 support on an iPod would be nice... On a 60 gig, it'd be pretty useful for moving around video footage.
Reply
Matt C said 9:48PM on 9-08-2005
I placed an order for the 20GB last week. It got here yesterday morning, and it's a 30GB model. I have no plans to call Apple and complain.
Posted at 11:07 AM ET on Sep 8, 2005 by TheDoode
In response to this post, what is the depth of the 30G ipod you received? The reason I ask is because they discontinued the 30gig ipod photo some time ago and I am wondering if it is the same unit or a slimer version say the depth of the 20gig version 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.63.
Reply
Michael said 8:52PM on 9-09-2005
Here is the 30gb ipod for sale at buy.com
Reply
Tom said 12:22AM on 9-10-2005
I wish...
As for the USB issue, Firewire, although it has a lower top speed (400 mb/s) is known for having better sustained speeds. Whereas USB 2.0, although having a higher total speed (480 mb/s), doesn't sustain that high speed.
I really wish Apple would allow you to order with either one, but what can you do?
Reply
don graf said 9:11PM on 9-10-2005
I note thatthe 20GB Ipod is priced at about $230 on Amazon.com, whereas Apple is still asking $299. I'd guess Apple is dumping the 20GB model through Amazon and switching to the 30GB model.
Reply
Radu Dutzan said 11:59PM on 9-10-2005
They should make a 30GB iPod and keep the 20GB's price, but also make some sort of 10 or 15GB 'Pod to fill the gap between the biggest nano (that's 4GB) to the smallest regular iPod, that would be 26GB. Or just bring back the 40GB iPod, but only thinner, so there's something in that 40GB difference between the 20GB and 60GB iPods. Something mid-end, something for the rest of us.
Reply