So, the collective gut feeling turned out correct this time and Apple did release a new iPod with video playback capabilities (and a new ad with U2, too) starting at $299. Now what? iTunes, that last month quietly added support for video files, will become a new distribution vehicle for video content. With its hefty memory and some luck, the new iPod could also become the mobile playback device for all that TiVoed programming you never had time to watch in the comfort of your home. We can also expect a range of third-party peripherals, most desirably some sort of TV tuner. Sony'd better hurry up and upgrade its PSP if it wants its part of the video pie. What about the advertisers? Well, here's your new platform for virals.
Flashback: A 4-year-old discussion on Slashdot around the release of the very first 5Gb iPod. A quote from back then: "There is no future in a $400 (about $250 too expensive) firewire-only (5% of computer users) hardrive-based (read: fragile) mp3 player."
