Apple to Release iPod Earbuds with Microphone
— ♣Apple Inc. will be releasing two new varieties of earbuds for their iPod line of digital music players next month. The standard set will be priced at $29, while a higher-quality in-ear set will set you back $79. Both will include controls to play, pause, and skip through currently playing music on your iPod. Additionally, both sets will be equipped with an integrated microphone which will allow recording directly to your iPod. Chapter markers can be set in the recording, for easier navigation of longer recordings.
Coupled with the new accessibility features of the iPod nano, this gives visually impaired users a quick and easy way to record notes for themselves, such as phone numbers or appointment information. Previous iPod models provided recording capabilities, but these were tied to hardware devices that attached to the iPod’s dock connector.
And, of course, with recording input now being routed through the iPod’s mini-jack, we’re sure to see an array of third-party products, such as higher quality or more sensitive microphones, released. College students could record lectures right to their iPod, without the need of a separate digital audio recorder.