Until then, everyone on this site sees you as a total fool!

Again, your terminology is wrong. You’re not an “answer man” for anything. You’re nothing more than an industry “yes man”.

I can see it now, poor spike is still too young to understand larger concepts, so he’s typing an ignorant reply as we speak

I’m just the “answer man” for your questions, what I say stands… I just have a knack for being correct I guess.

And yes… you are welcome!

<3

It may be what the law says, but the industry doesn’t play by the rules either. They’re constantly trying to rewrite them to fit their whims and desires. DRM is also making it less possible for paying customers to enjoy a purchased song “wherever” they want. (Not to mention the rootkits and spyware that come with it.) Most CDs with this crap won’t even play in a car stereo. There is no truth in anything you say.

“you simply want all music to be stolen, nobody to ever make a penny on anything, you want to throw society back into the dark ages, you want shoplifting to be allowed, car theft to be legalized, no locks on doors, the rape of your women, the burning of all trees, books and cities, etc.

that’s what you REALLY want, since it’s the only thing you understand”

The only clueless and close minded one here is you. Our eyes are wide open. We WANT to see the artists get paid. We just don’t want to pay though you, the middleman, who is the REAL thief earning a plush living at the expense of everyone else, the artists and paying customers.

“No problem, you will grow up and come to the realization that I’m 100% right, and you are 100% wrong. It’s really that simple.

If you disagree with my comments, you are a thief.”

You are so full of yourself. Not you or anyone else in the industry is 100% right. History has already proven that.
“To err is human”, and this includes even you.

The top of the Hi-Fi hosts Apple’s Universal iPod dock cradle; 10 adapter inserts are included for compatibility with all current and previous dockable iPods. In front of the dock are touch-sensitive up/down volume pads. Although this top-mounted dock design allows for quick docking/undocking and keeps the iPod’s screen accessible and visible, it also makes it more difficult to pick up and move the Hi-Fi — you have to worry about the iPod falling off — and it means that if you want to put the Hi-Fi on a shelf or in an A/V cabinet, you have to leave 4 to 5 inches of space above it.

The Hi-Fi’s back panel provides a 1/8-inch (3.5mm) auxiliary input jack that accepts either analog or optical S/PDIF input. The Hi-Fi includes its own digital-to-analog converter [DAC]. The back also hosts a battery door - -the system can run off six D batteries–and the jack for the system’s AC cable. Note that unlike many similar systems, the Hi-Fi doesn’t require an external power brick; the power supply — an auto-switching model that supports 100-240V at 50-60Hz — is actually inside. I also like the fact that you get a 9′ 6″ cable–long enough to reach from most outlets. One prominent omission: a video output port. Given that Apple is pushing the Hi-Fi as part of your home entertainment system, a video-out port seems like an obvious feature that would allow you to view your iPod-hosted photos and videos on your TV.

Apple told us that the Hi-Fi is designed to take the place of a home audio system, not a home theatre system. In addition, the company pointed out that you can still get video from the AV [headphone] jack on video-capable iPods; the drawback is that this is a composite video jack vs. the higher-quality S-Video signal of the iPod’s dock connector. The Hi-Fi also does not include a dock-connector port for connecting a docked iPod to your computer for syncing, but since the system is clearly not designed to be used on a computer desk, it’s hard to fault it for this omission.e ”

The bottom of the Hi-Fi is almost completely covered in a thick, gray rubber foot — similar to the one on the bottom of Apple’s iPod docks — that keeps the unit from sliding around while also protecting its white plastic surface. Given that Apple touts the rigidity of the Hi-Fi’s enclosure — it does feel very solid — I assume that this rubber mat is also designed to reduce vibration and resonance.

Finally, behind the front grille are the Hi-Fi’s speaker drivers: two 80mm wide-range drivers — designed to take the place of separate midrange and tweeter drivers — in sealed enclosures, along with a 130mm, dual-voice-coil, ported woofer in a larger overall enclosure; the woofer’s two ports are clearly visible with the grille removed. The speakers are powered by a built-in Class D amplifier, but Apple doesn’t publish official power ratings.

Also on the front of the unit are the sensor for the remote control (on the left, between the midrange driver and the woofer) and the system’s status light (in the lower-right). The grille attaches via four metal pegs that make it easy to remove and put on; with the grille off, the Hi-Fi takes on a decidedly retro appearance.

The Hi-Fi includes Apple’s standard Apple Remote, featuring Play/Pause, Forward, Back, Volume Up, Volume Down, and Menu buttons. Although an infrared remote, which generally means “line-of-sight with limited range”, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the performance of Apple’s remote, which also works with the Mac mini, iMac, MacBook Pro, and Apple’s Universal iPod Dock. If you’ve got more than one Apple Remote-capable device, Apple recommends pairing specific remotes with specific devices to avoid accidentally controlling multiple devices with a single keypress. Unlike most infrared remotes we’ve tested, the Apple Remote works across large rooms and at off-axis angles; I even had regular success using it from behind the Hi-Fi. My only criticism of the remote is that it would be nice to have a bit more functionality–some systems offer control over playlists or shuffle and repeat modes.

You can take it with you

Unlike Bose’s SoundDock — but similar to Altec Lansing’s inMotion iM7 — the Hi-Fi doesn’t require that you be tethered to an AC outlet, since it can also run off batteries. Sturdy, built-in handles on the upper-right and -left help you move the Hi-Fi from place to place. Granted, at nearly 8kg with batteries, it’s not something you’re going to be carrying with you regularly, but it’s nice to be able to take it out to the patio for a barbecue.

Given the Hi-Fi’s surprisingly loud output levels and impressive bass response (see below), I was curious as to the system’s battery life. Although Apple’s Web site doesn’t provide official figures, Bob Borchers, Senior Director of the iPod Ecosystem for Apple, told us that you should be able to get approximately five hours of playback at maximum volume, with up to 15 hours at normal listening levels; as with any battery-powered speaker system, actual battery life also depends on the type of music, with bass-heavy and dynamic music requiring more power than other music types.

Interestingly, the Hi-Fi includes unique circuitry to prevent the sort of low-battery distortion found in other portable speaker systems: As the batteries drain, the Hi-Fi automatically scales back the maximum volume level. In other words, you can’t turn the system up as loud with weak batteries — the system’s indicator light turns orange as if to say, “Sorry, that’s it!” — but you get clean, undistorted sound all the way to the end. Similarly, when you unplug the system’s AC power cord, causing it to run off battery power, the Hi-Fi automatically reduces volume to an “ambient” level to conserve power; you can then adjust the volume as desired. These touches are classic Apple — and I mean that in the very best way.

In my testing using brand-new Duracell alkaline batteries, the Hi-Fi played at very loud volumes for two to three hours, then automatically dropped down to a lower maximum volume, where I let it continue to play. Overall, I got just under 11 hours of battery life

Related to the Hi-Fi’s battery life is a unique feature for keeping your iPod running: whereas most portable speakers charge your iPod only when the speaker system is running off AC power, the Hi-Fi will charge your iPod even if running off battery power. Apple’s documentation states that the Hi-Fi will charge an iPod for “up to 30 minutes”, but Borchers told Playlist that the Hi-Fi will actually charge the iPod intelligently, providing enough juice so that it plays until both run out of juice. Of course, this reduces the Hi-Fi’s own battery life, although Borchers said that the amount is negligible compared to the amount of power used by the Hi-Fi itself. This is a great feature for those times when you bring your iPod Hi-Fi along on an outing, only to realize that you forgot to charge your iPod. However, this charging also occurs even if your iPod is not actually playing: The Hi-Fi will go into low-power mode after two minutes of idleness, but it will continue to charge your iPod for the full 30 minutes. For this reason, Apple notes that your Hi-Fi will get better battery life if your iPod is fully charged before docking it. Another tip: Don’t store your iPod in the Hi-Fi’s dock unless the Hi-Fi is plugged in.

I should mention a couple caveats for those considering the iPod Hi-Fi for portable use: First, its glossy white plastic scratches fairly easily — this isn’t something you want to toss in your trunk. Similarly, you’ll need to be careful not to snag the fabric front grille when moving it around. I wouldn’t recommend transporting the Hi-Fi with the grille off, as you risk damaging the drivers themselves. Thankfully, vendors are already working on cases: WaterField Designs told Playlist that they’re working on a padded case, similar to their (much smaller) iPod Gear Pouch, that will hold the Hi-Fi, your iPod, and a few other pieces of gear; you’ll be able to carry the whole package via a handle or shoulder strap. The Waterfield case should be available in a few weeks.

Unique playback features

Physical size and battery use aside, what really sets the Hi-Fi apart from other transportable speaker systems are a number of interesting playback features. For example, a new Speakers menu appears on fifth-generation and nano iPods when you dock them with the Hi-Fi. This menu — actually present, but hidden, in these models since they were released, and updated via January’s iPod Software 1.1 — provides several options specific to Hi-Fi-docking. Tone Control allows you to choose a Hi-Fi-specific EQ setting: Normal, Bass Boost, and Treble Boost; unlike the iPod’s EQ settings, the tone controls take effect in real time, so you can quickly compare the options as you scroll through them. Note that the iPod’s standard EQ settings also appear to affect the iPod’s output when docked with the Hi-Fi; however, the Tone Control setting doesn’t affect audio output when docked with a different speaker system, nor does it affect headphone output.

Backlight lets you choose when your iPod’s screen backlight should be lit when docked in the Hi-Fi: Always On, Always Off, On Keypress, or While Playing. Finally, a Large Album Art option will display are in full-screen mode as long as your iPod is docked. The only problem with this last setting is that if a track has no album art, the screen simply goes blank; it would make more sense if the screen showed the standard informational display until another track with album art is played.

The caveat here? According to Apple, the Speakers menu item and its settings are not available on older iPods; they rely on technology found in the most recent models.

As I mentioned above, the Hi-Fi includes a 1/8-inch (3.5mm) auxiliary input jack for connecting another audio device via an analog or optical-S/PDIF cable. For example, you can use the Hi-Fi to listen to an iPod shuffle, a TV or DVD player, or even the output of an AirPort Express. During my testing, I used an AirPort Express — via both analog and optical cables — to listen to music streamed from iTunes; the Hi-Fi worked flawlessly. So much so that I had to wonder if Apple considered including wireless functionality in the Hi-Fi itself; it would make a great “remote speaker” system for iTunes/AirTunes. However, unlike many iPod-docking speaker systems, which simply mute iPod playback when a second audio source is connected, the iPod Hi-Fi allows you to switch between the two sources using the remote’s Menu button: If the iPod is playing, holding down the Menu button for a few seconds pauses the iPod and switches to the auxiliary input; holding down Menu again switches back to the iPod (although you have to manually press Play on the remote to resume playback). During auxiliary-input playback, pressing the Play button mutes/unmutes the system’s volume.

So get with it, get an iPod and start living a better life.

http://www.apple.com/ipod/

-

you simply want all music to be stolen, nobody to ever make a penny on anything, you want to throw society back into the dark ages, you want shoplifting to be allowed, car theft to be legalized, no locks on doors, the rape of your women, the burning of all trees, books and cities, etc.

that’s what you REALLY want, since it’s the only thing you understand.

but i’m wise enough to understand anyone that thinks that way is just too immature to understand what I’m saying. No problem, you will grow up and come to the realization that I’m 100% right, and you are 100% wrong. It’s really that simple.

If you disagree with my comments, you are a thief.

-

If I “buy” a song I also expect to be able to listen to it anywhere, anyway, and anytime I choose… forever. If there are restrictions, I’m not having it.
You industry folk don’t understand the meaning of “forever” (unless you’re talking about how long copyrights should last). If you did, I should have been able to trade my Peter Frampton 8-track tape in for a cassette tape, or my album in for a CD. Why did I have to pay again when I already “owned the right to listen to the songs forever”? So spare us your double talk. The industry has been milking the money out of the common people forever this way. Now that everything’s gone digital this is no longer the case. With no more repeat purchases and no quality music of today, of course CD sales are down, and they will continue to dive. P2P has nothing to do with it. The industry killed itself with their lack of foresight and their unwillingness and sluggishness to adapt. You’ll find no sympathy here.

Yes, it will be better now:) Think I’ll watch that movie I recorded off the TV last night. But I’m sure you object to that too. Too bad:)