“When XM Satellite Radio launched the MyFi on October 28, 2004 it was hailed as the world’s first portable satellite radio. As soon as MyFi was announced I got to thinking about when the second portable satellite radio was going to arrive,” Jason O’Grady writes for O’Grady’s PowerPage.
“A source close to the PowerPage informed me last night that Apple has been meeting with Sirius Satellite Radio, the competitor to XM that recently signed Howard Stern, and that the pair is rumored to be developing a portable Sirius Satellite radio that could arrive in Apple’s signature iPod form factor,” O’Grady writes. “Spring or summer of 2005… Say hello to SatPod.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Rumors. But, this would be quite a coup. The only real problem with our iPod is that we can’t listen to Howard on it live. Other radio, too. On the go, how are iPod users supposed to hear new music? Or news? Or talk? Shouldn’t it all be possible to do it on the iPod? Perhaps that issue will soon be fixed if this rumor turns out to be true. If so, XM executives can’t be very happy. Howard Stern + iPod = XM Doom. Howard Stern is due to join SIRIUS on January 1, 2006.
Wow. APPL and SIRI are my two best performing stocks (although I don’t have that much of either). If they team up I will probably be able to get the Mac of my choice if I can bring myself to sell. I don’t think this will effect me in Japan though. Sirius is only US, right?
Lots of features could be added to the iPod but they are keeping it simple and it is working for them. Personally being a gadget freak I would like to have all the bells and whistles as long as they can keep the interface intuitive (and if anybody can, Apple can)
iit doesnt need to be satelite radio. regualr am/fm is good enough for me. and by good enough i mean free.
Well, I thought the iPod and the music on it were a matter of choice and not something decided by others. Although, for some, it would be nice to have a built-in radio to listen to satellite programs, it’s Sirius that provides the programming, not Apple, and you have no choice in what they offer. You have to pay a monthly fee to listen, so in the end this is just another form of subscription even if you can keep songs on your iPod. Eventually they’ll be gone when you run out of room. Within the next couple of years terrestrial broadcasting will convert to digital to compete with the quality of satellite (it already has to a limited extent in some markets). And those broadcasts will be free, with no monthly costs.
terrestrial ones might not be free if digital… and can be scrambled… but interesting point.
Imagine a new iPod that also doubles as a detachable face plate for a Sirius radio in a car?
Wouldn’t mind such a device, but not if it is a morphed iPod.
Swiss Army-type technology isn’t the answer, but having task-specific devices does seem to jibe with Apple’s overall philosphy…
“Oh, yeah, well my new ‘CatheterPod’ can…” Ok, sorry about that.
pkradd: Of course you have a “choice” � don’t buy the service. What’s the big deal if Apple gives its users one more option for the iPod???
As for terrestrial stations converting, the beauty of satellite radio – which I have only as part of my Dish Network service – is that it is highly diverse and has NO commercials. Terrestrial stations can’t compete with that. On satellite I can listen to all 80’s metal; or progressive rock; or classic rock; or Elvis if I desire. Terrestrial radio just plays the same junk over and over and over again….
My guess is all this will be is an attachment that allows you to receive the satellite broadcast. I doubt it would be to download anything to the iPod itself….
Something like this will make all of the iPod “killers” with FM radios pale by comparison.
MDN…get with the current thinking…it will all be PodCasting. We don’t need no satellite!
Read these two…
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1210/p12s03-stct.html
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/services/2004-12-10-podcasts_x.htm
Howard’s been giving away iPod’s and iPod Photo’s this week too.
howard is to radio what springsteen is to music.
Suckers………………….
iPod, iPod, iPod zzzzzz
Why not change the name from MacDailyNews to iPodDailyNews.
That would be killer!
Critter.. read Fortune lately?
If you don’t like imac stuff and you don’t like ipod stuff..
wow wouldnt it be fantastic if you could access hundreds of digital music channels on your ipod… but why would you want do do this when you HAVE an ipod? youve got 10,000 songs in you pocket, who gives a crap about the 70s bluegrass channel? the best way to listen to the radio is still with a radio. and what is the difference listening to stern live or not? its a talk show.
i will never be a proponent of making the ipod a digital swiss army knife. keep it to music. and yes the ipod photo is acceptable because you can see album art and it has a color screen, the slide show stuff i do not care for.
screw subscription radio, and screw the yankees, arrrrrrr!
Critter,
Because this site is about Macs and *Mac-related* news.
There happens to be an emphasis on iPod related stories right now because that’s what tens-of-thousands of people are buying right now, AND that is what most of the mainstream press is focused on.
When, because of their exposure to the iPod, more people start buying Macs, then we will see more and more stories about Macs and Mac-related apps.
At this point in time, the bread and butter for Apple is the iPod and this *can* be viewed as a very good thing. We all (Apple, Mac users, people who haven’t *started* using a Mac yet) win because it makes Apple a stronger company. When a company is financially strong, there is less liklihood that it will shut down anytime soon.
For those of us who sweated through The Dark Days� of 1992-96, when it looked as if Apple, as a company, would be disappearing (and when the press’ favorite adjective for Apple was ‘beleagured’), we understand what the iPod (and related stuff) is doing for Apple: it is bringing in large amounts of cash.
This is a GOOD thing for Apple, and for us. So, if you get tired of hearing about the iPod, just remember that that little device (that you’re currently rolling your eyes at) is helping to make Apple a financially stronger company which will in turn allow Apple to create some kick-ass Macs and OS X applications in the future. When seen from this perspective, I think that we all could agree that, for right now, the iPod is ‘A Very Good Thing�’.
iPod Satellite. Billions of songs in your pocket.
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Common people. be sirius.
Who needs a “subscription service” when you can have iTunes Radio? Mel Karmazian, one of the best and brightest to ever work in Media, is the new CEO of Sirius. Look out. I would imagine a Griffin Sirius Shark is coming and maybe an adapter for SkyTunes.
The Sirius subscription service will come with and only with .Mac. Don’t underestimate Apple’s willingness to control their users.
That said, I have .Mac and would find that such a service might justify the high price of .Mac.
Just one more thing: Don’t mess witht he iPod brand. It’ll be “iPod sirius” or “iPod live” or “iPod reloaded” or something along those lines. If they didn’t do it with “miniPod” or “photoPod” then they certainly won’t do it here.
Might be an neat idea but I can’t see the two companies together. may be an after market device.
one word, PODCASTING, as i type, i am lestning to one.
Doubt it would be satellite radio directly to an iPod. Why mess with the hardware “system”. If anything, Sirius (paid subscription) through the current iTunes radio network. Adding iPodder type functionality to iTunes so you receive it as a PodCast. That expands the whole system, not just the iPod. If they are going to screw with hardware, I’d rather have WiFi.
Besides, radio is so “yesterday”. If there is going to be a subscription involved, Apple would be better off adding it in just like the other services, they don’t need no stinkin radio (satellite or not).