iPod with Flash memory?

[ArcticStones]

In a Norwegian Mac discussion group last week, I read speculations that Apple might introduce an iPod with Flash memory, to compete in the low-end market.

Maybe I’m terribly naïve, but I don’t see why anyone would pay dearly for a music player with less than 0.5 Gb, since the costs per Mb become so high. So I was astonished that the question was even raised.

Do Flash-based music players have any advantages whatsoever over disk-based iPods?

Just curious!

Best regards,
ArcticStones

[Caius]

Longer battery life iThink as it doesn't have to spin the hard disk up to read the song information. and isn't there a 1GB Flash Drive knocking around for about $99? i seem to remember reading that somewhere...

[guardian34]

Afaik, flash memory doesn't have moving parts. This is good if you want to exercise with it, or are otherwise active enough that you don't want a hard drive getting tossed around.

[MBHockey]

There's no way apple would sell ANY form of iPod for $99. Besides, flash memory is very expensive to begin with. I could see them selling a flash iPod, 2GB, for 250. however, i'm not sure how that would fit into their current pricing scheme.

[bedouin]

I use my flash player while walking, and in my car. I don't listen to music, just audiobooks, lectures, and the occasional comedy MP3. A 45 minute 22 kHz mono MP3 is only about 7-8mb, and for voice recordings that's fine. I'm using a Creative MuVo with 128mb of flash memory, which gets 11 hours of playback (sometimes more, since a 22 kHz mono MP3 takes less processing power to decode than say a 192 kHz one) on one AAA battery. At 22 kHz I can fit about 12 hours of audio on it; more if I use lower encoding. Also, it's the size of a cigarette lighter; when it's not in use I just hide it away in my car's ashtray.

It was only $70 or so. I'm not enough of a music fanatic to justify the purchase of an iPod. Even 5gb of storage is overkill for my needs. It also doubles as a USB flash drive, which is convenient as well.

If Apple released a $150 256mb flash drive I would probably purchase it assuming it inherited some of the iPod's intuitiveness.

[Caius]

There's no way apple would sell ANY form of iPod for $99. Besides, flash memory is very expensive to begin with. I could see them selling a flash iPod, 2GB, for 250. however, i'm not sure how that would fit into their current pricing scheme.
I wasn't meaning that the iPod would come out at $99, just that I'd seen someone say somewhere that there was a flash drive (note, the actual drive) going for $99.

:D