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Sunday, December 05, 2004

New In-Wall iPort for the Home
Here's one that left me shaking my head. Our pals over at Mavromatic covered this in-wall dock by Sonance for the iPod. The idea is that you can elegantly place your iPod in the doc when you come home and it will charge up and connect to your in-wall sound system.

Now I am all for fancy in-wall systems. Who doesn't lust for one? But before you shell out $598 and dig a giant hole in your wall, think about this one. Isn't the iPod going to change faster than a rabbit chased by rabid dogs thanks to the current crop of iPod killers on its heels? I expect this current version of the iPod to look seriously outdated a year from now, and there you'll be with this giant cradle in your wall showcasing yesterday's technology. Save the money and buy another iPod, for a friend and you can even thorw in an extra-nice headset.

# Permalink Posted at 11:57 AM 5 comments Email this Link

Comments on this Item:

I completely agree. When Apple changes the iPod design/dock you're going to be stuck either using an old iPod or with a big, useless hole in your wall. I would never install something in my wall unless I was certain it wouldn't be obsolete in only a handful of years.

# posted by David 2:26 PM

Amen, you're better off just putting in a shelf and an extension cord than risking this unit.

# posted by Alice 5:07 PM

You don't suppose that a couple of really brave technology columnists might run a campaign to get the pod industry to adopt a single standard that would allow all pods to link into the 'average' home or car stereo system?

# posted by Anonymous 8:23 PM

I agree wholeheartedly about the absurdity of spending that much money on something worth so little. But, strange as it may seem, there are those of us who can't afford or do not have to have THE MOST RECENT version of everything. I, for one, don't forsee buying a new IPOD with every new release. Those of you who do are certainly invited to send me your castoffs, not only IPOD's, but all other electronic goodies. (address available on request!!) I realize this is tantamount to sacrilege in a tech column such as this but I do tend to use something until it breaks before replacing it.

# posted by Phillip 3:23 PM

As an example of the basic folly of this idea, I tried a while back to buy a remote control for my original iPod after the first remote failed. Unfortunately, my iPod (which was not much more than a year old at the time) had been discontinued - along with all of its accessories. The pinouts had changed (of course), so Apple had no solution for me.

I eventually ended up buying a remote on eBay, where they were selling for sometimes absurd prices.

And these people want me to hack a hole in my wall for one of these things?

# posted by Anonymous 11:40 PM

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