digg

Facebook Connect Join Digg About

FM Radio Enabled iPod Announced

gadgetreview.com — Apple has announced an add-on remote to enable FM radio reception on the iPod. The iPod can also dispaly Song and station information by utilizing RDS.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jan 10, 2006

Digg DudeWhat is Digg?

Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. Digg surfaces the best stuff as submitted and voted on by the community. Take the Tour to learn more.

97 Comments

show profanity settings
expand all
  • AttroPheed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2$50 for a useless feature that's built into lesser players? How dumb does apple think it's customer base is?
  • topper24hours, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1radio has always been a ***** idea for an mp3 player but EVERY time there was an ipod update ppl complained "but even cheesedick mp3 players have fm, can't Apple get it together?". ok, so finally they give in and offer it and ppl still bitch? don't like it? don't buy it! anybody complaining that they didn't bulk out the ipod to add this silly feature as "you get it whether you like it or not" should be shot.
  • LittleOni, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1For all the people bellyaching about why Apple doesn't make all these features native to the iPod, it's called marketing. They make a product that everyone wants. But they leave out a few things that most other products have. They wait a few months, then they release some cool add-ons (that apparently over half of you will cry about having to buy, but because you're so loyal to Apple, you'll buy it anyway...) Rinse and repeat.

    Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft do the same thing with their controllers and memory cards and other accessories. People bitch about it but they buy the stuff anyway. None of these guys are gonna just give you a bunch of accessories because they know you'll want it. They're gonna make you buy the stuff. Call it greed or good marketing, either way it's how things are.
  • LeonThePro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1They need to make it an AM/FM/Shortwave/Televison/XM/Sirius/cell phone/PDA/iTunes download in a smaller case with a bigger screen for $20.
  • Markdoggin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is a crap product. I thought the iPod was about giving people what they want. First it was load up your mp3s, then ITMS, then smaller, bigger, better, now what? a freaking dongle? Why can't they smoothly integrate this stuff? They need to build in an am/fm tuner, and make deals with a satellite radio company for audio and downloading music on the fly. Apple is falling off the wagon on this one and may loose their competitive edge if they don't innovate.
  • jblithe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=MA070G%2FA
  • aaumiller, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is great but a lot of mp3 players already have a FM radio.
  • JeffH, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's funny since Creative had FM tuners BUILT IN since some of their first players were released. Apple kept ragging on it, saying FM Tuners weren't needed, then go and release this 3 years too late and at an added price.

    But hey, it's Apple, they'll make it hip and make it so everyone must have one.
  • cwoolf34, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1People will pay $40 for the current headphones and remote (for 4th gen. ipods), yet $50 for a better designed remote with FM receiver is perceived as ludicrous?
  • pongx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1As far as price is concerned....they are called profit margins. If Apple doesn't make money on a device why would they sell it? Apple tends to have 30%-50% profit margins on pretty much everything they make. Apple makes great products and therefore you must pay a premium for them. If you don't like an Apple product go and buy a creative zen whatever. Sure, it's going to be bigger and less sexy, but it might save you a few bux. However, remember that you get what you pay for! Also, there is a reason that Apple is selling millions of iPods each quarter and Creative probably doesn't sell a million Zen anythings in a year.....
  • ipodman715, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Misleading title..
  • macslut, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0OMFG, they released a $50 radio & remote accessory...but I don't listen to radio...what to do...what to do...LET'S GO TO WAR!!!

    Or

    Maybe, just maybe, this is an Apple product that I don't need/want and life will go on after all.

    Personally, I like the implementation of it. I don't have any use for radio since podcasts hit critical mass, but if I did, this would be a decent product...especially considering it;s also a remote.
  • tomwsmf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0FM on an mp3 player???? OMG teh inn0v@+ion!!

    Please folks, cults are nasty things to spread. Drink the koolaid and be still.
  • MKEmodz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0what would be better then an fm radio...since they only support the video and nano, if they made an adapter that picked up over the air tv stations...i might spend some money on that....
  • vdubski, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0NM according to the apple site. It is only compatible with iPod Nanos and Videos. Undugg not cool. I'm sure they could of made it work with the older ones. I'm still holding on with my 3G.
  • tsupersonic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Few words, I think you're all forgetting why are they doing this? You know a few weeks later, they will probably come out and say hey we made a new iPod with Satellite radio. Great, it always seems like there is a new iPod every damn month. These products just don't stay "new." So, why buy a $50 accessory when it should be built in? Who knows, who cares. Infact, isn't the point of an iPod to act like a mp3 player? Why in the world would I want to listen to a commerical based program on the radio? Not to mention you have to wait for your song to come up, why don't people just listen to their music *Commerical free.* I don't understand what Apple is trying to accomplish with the iPod. I want a Mp3 device that lets me play music (for that fact, let's say any format, that would be great). I don't want to see freaking photos on my iPod, and I certainly don't want to watch videos or video podcasts on the tiny screen. What's next? Satellite radio? I say Screw the iPod (yeah, I have one and it's almost broken).
  • weirdal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0meh
    Wake me up when they decide to make it built in.

    and AM would be great, I don't know why no mp3 players have that ability.
  • salmonmoose, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Yeah what I want to know is why they don't ever have AM reception? There's still a lot of stuff on AM that is worth listening to."

    I beleive it's because it's much harder to use the earphones as an antennae for AM radio, and it also requires one of those big black dealies the size of a pencil you find in radios. I'm pretty sure you can't get keychain AM radio for the same reason. Anyhow, well done Apple, now all you need to do is improve the audio quality, support open formats, and add host mode :)
  • ipodman715, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0NEW IPOD FIRMWARE!!

    "What's new in iPod Updater 2006-01-10:

    * Support for the iPod Radio Remote for iPod with video and iPod nano
    * Bug fixes for iPod with video, iPod nano, iPod with color display, iPod mini, and iPod with Click Wheel"

    http://www.apple.com/ipod/download/ :D
  • maguirer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I just ordered mine from the Apple store. I didn't buy it for the radio tuner. I wanted the remote feature.
  • diggnationdevon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0bought it the moment I saw it in the apple store
  • terrya64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0My 3 year old Archos has fm radio, records and came with a 20gig hard drive for $250.00.
  • mockstar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0omfg RADIO on the move for $50!??? I want one!11111111111oneone
  • shockingbird, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Add on. Could it be that hard to build it in to the unit?
  • longofest, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0FreeMind: firmware update upcomming. patience

    misleading as hell title. Just an addon
  • Stopher, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Now they just need a cell phone add-on for my nano and I'll be happy.=)
  • Trepan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yeah what I want to know is why they don't ever have AM reception? There's still a lot of stuff on AM that is worth listening to.
  • blugu64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0RDS is pretty cool deal....didn't think any other mp3 players support it do they?
  • elfhat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is lame, perhaps if it also had AM and or XM radio or if the radio features were actually built into the unit it would be worth the cost, but otherwise there's no point b/c 3rd party companies have been making FM attachments for ages now.
  • SlashNot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Same price for the cowon remote, but the cowon remote shows you more with a screen. It doesnt need fm tuning since the unit already has it. But than again, im not a appe freak, but i am buying one of those new imacs, i cant resist any longer.
  • gamerzworld, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0no iPod invisa! =(
    Introducing iPod with FM Enabled. It lets you listen to you AAC files plus it lets you listen to FM radio.
    Imagine that!
  • jeffg79, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I would buy this simply for the remote capabilities combined with the larger cord (the FM as a little bonus) except no iPod mini support and I'm not going out and buying a new iPod Stevie.
  • ryanmeadows, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'm possibly embarrassing myself in front of a bunch of geeks here...but as an ipod owner who listens to podcasts I enjoy talk radio. When the hell are they going to make an AM/FM receiver? And if there already is one can some one please post it.

    ---

    Yes, I want my talk radio! I love it.
  • Dither, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The product page says this compatible with the nano and iPod Video.. does that mean i cant use it with a 4G iPod? It doesnt have color.. but it really should beable to support what ever this thing does..
  • super_structure, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0RichM: "If you go to a health club and you want to watch one of the TV's while you are working out, you usually need to tune in the audio on an FM tuner (down in the 88.5 range). This is why a lot of people want FM tuners in their iPods (or MP3 players)."

    What would be even better is if you get an FM TRANSMITTER and force everyone to listen to your favorite music. Or just broadcast about 30 minutes of silent signal and watch everyone fiddle with their radios. Your time on the life-cycle/treadmill/stair climber will go by much faster than watching TV, I promise.
  • jsnkc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"ehhh...i dont know about that...they are extremely close...you hear no difference"

    I like that my iRiver actually has some bass which the ipod I had for 3 days didn't....that made my choice VERY clear
  • MindTrigger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0
    Does anyone actually still listen to the crap, commercial infested content of FM Radio? I can't believe this is a selling feature.
  • MarkStrube, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I might've considered getting this if it had an AM tuner too. A big reason iPod's and satellite radio is so popular is because FM has nothing but ***** music.
  • SniperGX1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I like this only because I use my nano at the gym. At the gym they have TV's and for the audio you need a FM receiver. This will [hopefully] work perfectly in that situation.
  • syobwoc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0yet another misleading title...
  • LeFrenzy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Who cares about local radio. I live in O-H-I-O, you think I give a ***** about crappy local stations here? Sure, a FM tuner would be sweet in SF/LA, etc, but here, it'd be a waste of time. That's one of the main reason I bought an iPod video: podcasts.

    Now if they actually put a XM or Sirius tuner on it, so I could *FINALLY* listen to BBC Radio One, and other british/french radio stations, I'd buy that.
  • vdubski, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'm gonna buy it for the ability to display RDS alone. No other portable FM radio in the 50$ price range does this that I can find. I need to be able to check RDS for my job as a radio engineer. Dugg.
  • Lumiras, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Does it record FM radio? I mean, this would be a real reason to actually buy the thing, because I would like to record NPR shows onto my iPod without having to subscribe to Audible or something, or having to be there when the shows air. If it just lets you listen to FM radio, it's worthless; like a lot of people said, why not buy a $5 keychain radio at target? you can even get them in white
  • FreeMind, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0the thing is, how will it work?
    the thing says it needs firmware version 1.1
    and both the nano and the iPod have version 1.0 for now
    so im wondering does it work with the current firmware or does it not
    i have the ipod camera connector and it wont work
    i have a camera on the list that says it should work but it dosent
    i am waiting for a new firmware update
    anyone with any leads as to when one will come out?
  • Sebastian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0What A rip of the Creative Zen Touch Remote , It has A MIC , Controls the Mp3 player has FM reception and has a screen , so the player can be hidden out of view. All that for $50

    Apple Blows

    No Digg
  • heydigital, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Who went behind Steve Job's back? He said users don't want FM tuning. Jeez.
  • mateo60, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I've owned irivers, creative, and ipods. Ipod is still the best mp3 player out there.

    Are you really implying that they "ripped off" hard drive based mp3 players? If you remember the SIZE of a hard drive based mp3 player when the ipod came out, it was the size of a brick, because they all had laptop hard drives in them. They were crap. The ipod was the first hard drive based player that someone would want to use.

    I think it is a lame accessory though. However, there are a lot of lame ipod accessories out there (an iPod sock?). To the last poster, the health club thing is a good point. My health club is the same way. Other than that, FM radio is dead and I don't want to ever have to pay $50 for an fm radio.
  • Webjunkie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Didn't we buy MP3 players in the first place because we don't want to listen to the radio? I'm confused.

    "Hey guys, everyone is expecting a new iPod gadget, did any of you come up with anything new? No? Crap! Uh... Uh.... Johnson, what was that thing you came up with? Yeah, the radio dongle. Ship it off for press photos. You really saved our ass buddy! You people could learn a thing of two from Johnson."
  • tedc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I could see myself buying one of these for the bike ride to work for several reasons. First, it extends the headphone cable. I have never understood why those cables are always so short. Do tall people never listen to music? I like to tuck the iPod into my back pocket when I'm cycling, but it barely reaches my ears (and third party headphones are generally no longer). Second, I can fiddle with it when I'm stopped at a light without having to extract it from my pocket. Third, of course, is the radio. The iPod has always looked like a radio with its dial interface, so it'll be great to have it finally functioning like one.
  • flickr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It's a remote with included headphones first and foremost, isn't it? The FM player is just a bonus I think.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 97 of 97 discussions

  • Add a Comment

    Login or register to comment!
    Or, sign-in super fast with your Facebook account ...


© Digg Inc. 2009 — Content created and posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain | Terms of Use Updated | Privacy Policy
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.