Launch of Video IPod Shines Light on Jobs, Disney Drama (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-apple13oct13,0,3781481.story?coll=la-home-headlines) -- LATimes, 2005-10-13
SAN JOSE — Before he took over this month as Walt Disney Co.'s chief executive, Robert Iger made clear that he wanted two things: to explore new ways to distribute the media giant's entertainment content and to thaw his company's icy relationship with Steve Jobs.

Iger moved forward on both fronts Wednesday when he and Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Computer Inc., announced that Disney-owned ABC would offer some of its most popular television shows for download at iTunes Music Store.

Appearing together here to introduce Apple's much-anticipated video iPod, both executives stressed that the agreement was between Disney and Apple — and not with another Jobs company, Pixar Animation Studios, which last year said it would not renew the distribution deal it signed with the Burbank company in 1991.

People seem excited but for the life of me I can't figure out why anybody would want to watch television on a 2.5" screen.

The ability to do so on portable machines has been with us for decades (I had one when I was 10) and it isn't like everybody is carrying a small TV in their pocket. Yeah, being able to download and watch at will is there but if I'm a big fan of <i>Desperate Housewives</i>, I can't imagine that my preference would be to watch it that small when I could just wait until I was at home.

Conversely it will allow people to carry around every stupid internet meme-video with them at all times.

Will the TV shows only play on an iPod? I'm assuming they will only have the 640x480 (or whatever the resolution is) so that they don't compete with eventual DVD sales.

I'm with you Alex... All I wanted was a 80GB (+) iPod with the camera connector built in but instead they released video featurers which I can't imagine using (I don't even use it on my PSP and that screen is a lot nicer and bigger and just as portiable as the iPod)

I thought it was strange, too. Closest practical application for this is to download favorite shows (including for young children) to be able to view them anywhere. Potentially for young children who will get restless but Mom or Dad can download "Sesame Street" and let the young kids view it, or if anyone had to view an upcoming college or professional sports game but can't be at home to do that. This will dilute traditional TV viewing even further in a time with national TV ratings are declining. And ABC has some good shows, popular ones, but perhaps with busy people and long commutes and people not fully owning VCRs or DVRs this is a way to get ratings credit for a show but the show is also time-shifted by the viewer who downloads it to the pod.

I was thinking about it and the one enhancement they could give an iPod that would get me to buy one would be an AM/FM tuner.

I was thinking about it and the one enhancement they could give an iPod that would get me to buy one would be an AM/FM tuner.
Many other brand MP3 players have FM tuners, but I haven't heard of any with an AM tuner.

Well, since I don't listen to music, I need AM. So I could live without the FM part, but an AM tuner would get me strongly considering it.

Yeah, Griffin Technologies was thinking about releasing the iFM but it never made it to market.

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/ifm/index.php