Claymates Gather Around iPod Video

Positive mention in this article about the new Apple iPod video from ComputerWorld.com.

The video iPod: Cool, yes, but...
By Ken Mingis
Oct 13 2005 - 1:02pm

I'm of two minds when it comes to Apple's latest must-have iPod. No doubt, it's going to be a hit -- but it's not something that I personally must have -- at least, not yet. Apple has basically taken the old iPod photo and added video capabilities, allowing you to download videos, film shorts and, of course, the latest episodes of several ABC network shows, including Lost and Desperate Housewives. But the problem, if it really is a problem, with video is that you have to actually watch it. It's not like music, which you can listen to while doing other things like, uhm, driving, walking or working out. Even music can be a bit of a distraction, depending on the task at hand. But try pumping iron while keeping an eye on the latest episode of Lost, and you're likely to wind up with a barbell across your throat.
In other words, I think it's cool hardware and I'll probably wander down to the nearest Apple Store next week to check out the new video iPod -- if there any left by the time I get there. For now I'll stick with my iPod mini. (Although the idea of being able to cram the newest iPod with my favorite home-made digital videos and using it to show them off on the nearest TV has some appeal. Of course, that requires buying the optional dock. But as a transport device for videos, it doesn't get much more handy than this.)
Having said that, I realized late yesterday that my own needs -- or lack thereof -- aren't really an indicator of how well the video iPod will do. The canary in the coal mine on this? My mom. Before I'd even gotten home from work, she'd passed on two e-mails from her fellow Clay Aiken fans about the video iPod. Faster than you can hum Solitaire, I pictured mom and her "Claymates" gathered around the little 2.5-inch screen bopping along to Clay's latest video. Mom may be a bit more mature than Apple's target demographic, but if she's already passing on e-mails about the new iPod, I can see where my Christmas shopping is likely to take me. And in that, I'm sure I'm not alone.