IPod Hi-Fi

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iPod Hi-Fi is a speaker system developed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer which was released on February 28, 2006 for use with any iPod digital music player. ^[1]. The iPod Hi-Fi retails at the Apple Store for USD $349.

[edit] Features

The unit resembles a typical center speaker from a 5.1 setup, with a white encasing and a black speaker grill. It features a three driver speaker system: two 80-mm wide-range speakers and one 130-mm woofer. It uses an internal power supply, which can run off of AC or DC (with six D batteries).

An Apple Remote (a remote control) is included with the unit so that the user can remotely adjust the playing volume, can start and pause tracks, can navigate up and down tracks in each playlist, and fast-forward and rewind within each track.

It includes a dock with adapters for every model of iPod that feature the 30-pin iPod dock connector. Non-dockable iPods and iPod shuffle must use an auxiliary audio input port on the back of the unit. It can also be used with an Airport Express via an S/PDIF digital connection, as well as any device (including computers and television sets) with an audio out jack.

The unit's frequency response is 3Hz to 16kHz ± 3 dB. The maximum peak sound pressure level is 108 dB at 1 m (using AC current) or 102 dB at 1 m (using DC current).

The unit's measures are 167.6 mm x 431.8 mm x 175.3 mm. Its weight is 6.6 kg (7.6 kg with batteries).

[edit] Reaction

[edit] At launch

The iPod Hi-Fi was announced by Steve Jobs on February 28, 2006 alongside the first Intel-based Mac mini. Many Apple users were expecting to see other new products (such as the anticipated Macintosh Tablet or an iPod dedicated to video) and much of the disappointment associated with the release was directed to these products themselves. ^[2] In fact Apple's stock price fell by almost $3 per share in the two hours following these announcements reflecting this disappointment. ^{[3] [4]}

[edit] Early criticisms

• High price, more expensive than other similar products such as the iBoom and Bose's SoundDock. ^[5]
• Lack of an AM/FM radio. ^[6]
• Placement of the iPod itself in a vulnerable location compared to other similar devices such as the Bose SoundDock. This is due to the iPod device sitting atop the unit, with no other method of securing the player to the dock besides the 30-pin dock connector. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Sound quality

Reviews on the iPod Hi-Fi's sound quality have been notably mixed. A clear trend in these reviews is based on how the reviewer classes the iPod Hi-Fi: will it be a replacement for a high-quality hi-fi system or is it simply a "boom-box" for the iPod? The true hi-fi enthusiast tends to be critical, while the home user is likely to be more positive about it. ^{[citation needed]}

The iPod Hi-Fi has a warmer sound and bigger bass than other iPod and MP3 player speaker systems. It is also plays noticeably louder than its competitors. ^{[citation needed]} However, some of its competitors fare better in the treble range ^[7]. It is a convenient way for some to share the music on their iPod with friends, family, and other people while on the go, or at home.

It has been noted that the sound quality of the iPod Hi-Fi is not that of "audiophile" quality as the company has advertised. ^{[citation needed]} However, much of the criticism is due to the fact that the higher quality sound coming from the iPod Hi-Fi makes the lossy quality of the sound files (such as MP3), normally listened to through the ear-sets of iPods, much more noticeable. ^{[citation needed]} This is then a criticism of playing such lossy sound files over a home stereo system rather than a specific criticism of the iPod Hi-Fi itself. While lossless codecs (i.e. AIFF, WAV, Apple Lossless etc) are available for playback on iPods, they are not as commonly used.

Specific technical criticisms of the iPod Hi-Fi are that:

• Frequency Response: the system loses clarity and depth with frequencies higher than ~17khz due to the lack of a proper high frequency driver. This is believed to be the fault of Apple's decision to use polypropylene cones in their wide-range drivers. ^{[citation needed]}
• Stereo quality: the placement of the two stereo drivers results in a loss of stereo depth and imaging due to their close proximity to each other. Also sound quality suffers because of the linear arrangement of the drivers on the front panel. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Marketing perspective

Apple's marketing of the iPod Hi-Fi has been the subject of criticism since its release. These criticisms include:

• Audiophile quality claims: The iPod Hi-Fi initially met with harsh criticism by the Audiophile community, due to Apple's claims of the system delivering audiophile quality sound. Many audiophiles feel that Apple has started using this term incorrectly, due to the sound quality issues noted above. ^{[citation needed]}

• "Home Stereo, Re-invented" ? : Apple's use of the slogan Home Stereo, Re-invented for the iPod Hi-Fi has also been the subject of some rather harsh criticism, notwithstanding that other similar speaker systems for the iPod and other MP3 players have been around for some years. Another criticism is that while the iPod Hi-Fi is only capable of playing back audio from the iPod itself plus one other external source, home stereo systems are often much more multi-purpose; they can play back audio from multiple component pieces such as CD decks, DVD players, AM/FM tuners, and multimedia sources such as computers and television sound in one complete system. Also, the iPod Hi-Fi as stated by Apple, was never intended to replace a complete home stereo system, going against their marketing. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• iPod Hi-Fi Web Site
• Chicago Sun Times Review
• Consumer Reports Review
• CNET Review