iPod out of anodised aluminium?

Thats a good question. The only answer I can give you is Yes, No and Maybe. ;)

It's hard to tell WHAT Apple is going to do for the Gen 4s since they are not telling ANYBODY anything about them. I've not even heard anything on any of the Mac rumor sites talking about any new iPods anytime soon (which means they could be released tomorrow with the way Apple keeps things secret).

I think this is one of those occasions when we will all just have to wait and see how Steve surprises us this time. It will, if nothing else, be interesting. :)

i say Apple will likely use aluminum as suggested. I mean, Apple loves aluminum, PowerMac G5's, PowerBooks, iPod Minis they are all aluminum based. Aluminum is more durable than the plastic and looks extremely professional. A nice scratch-resistant iPod would make the iPod even better

Ha ha, I like a good rant, W9FIF.

My angle on the subject is along the lines of this:

Years ago, gentlemen of a certain standing carried snuff boxes, tobbacco cases and cigar cases. Mostly, these would have been made of silver plated brass, or solid silver or even gold. They would have been expensive purchases in their day, and henceforth they would have been looked after. By that I mean regularly cleaned and polished.

Now, any self respecting gent would get one of his staff to do this along with the rest of the silverware but, alas, times have changed and we don't (well most of us anyway) have the luxury of personal servants to do the cleaning. So we have to do it ourselves.

I like to think of the iPod as a modern day pocket watch - it's portable, yes, but also precious. With regular care your iPod will shine for years.

Actually, I'd like to see a limited edition (uber expensive) iPod constructed from stainless steel with a glass or crystal front. That would be something quite special.

Originally posted by W9FIF
Uh... scratches?....scratches? My 3G 20gb is 6 months old, gets used 3 to 5 hours EVERYday and has no scratches. My 2 yo Rio had no scratches. Both had cases! DUH! I'm really tired of the snivelin' about scratches when you're either too ____, too _____ or too poor (my sympathies) to buy a good case.
Look, ya buy a jewelbox-like MP-3 player that you know you're going to use everyday, (ya buy it partly 'cause it looks great, right?) and ... ya don't buy a case to protect it! Either buy a case, or don't c/o scratches.
Anodized aluminum is still soft. It certainly is not scratch resistant! It will deform, show dents, and show scratches even worse than the SS back and the slick plastic front we have now. Scratched anodized aluminum will look pretty crummy after a few months of daily use, unless...... unless.... you buy a case! Wow! We never thought of that!
Bottom line after the rant: If you can't/won't take care of a nice slick SS and plastic bodied player, you'll never be happy with a scratched up scuzzy looking aluminum player that'll show marks even worse. I can hear it now,"You gave how much for that?"

As usual, my 2 cents worth! ;-)

Well....

1. I'm in the "almost middle income" bracket of society, so yes an iPod is a big investment for me. I'll forgive you if you don't understand that.

2. Yeah I should've bought a case WITH the iPod, but that's Apple Australia's fault for not getting some adequate accessories in the Appple Centres. I mean a week to wait for a Showcase? So yeah, the only way I can get what I want (eVo) is to order online.

3. We shouldn't really have to preserve our iPods and take em out on special occasions to show it off in it's almost new glory. I mean if Apple picked their materials right, most of us wouldn't want a case.

4. If the iPod were cheaper, I wouldn't care a damn about scratches, but like my 240Z (spent a lot of money rebuilding it), it's an expensive item that you want pristine.

But whatever, I may as well get a case to HIDE the scratches lol.

I think they will keep the white front, metal back thing..

HOWEVER, i believe they will try and use a different type of plastic (normal plastic) which dosen't scratch so easily.

If they hard anodized, like calphalon pans, an aluminum case it wouldn't get any scratches. Biggest problem is it basicly comes in two colors gray or black. I've used on a lot of the products I've designed. You can take a file to it and it won't scratch.

Wood eh? Could be an interesting idea. If done properly a woodgrain look (not real wood of course) could look classy. Or maybe a car edition woodgrain iPod to match a nice luxury car (not that I have one or anything)!
It's just a thought though, maybe it would look horrible.

Seriously though I think the iPod metal back/plastic front looks great but, as many people have already said, it is prone to fingerprints and scratches easily. Mine sometimes even starts to feel slimey after a while! The mini-style metal seems to be much better with these things and still looks alright.
On the issue of the aluminium bending easily can't they make it slightly thicker, or put some more rigid spacers on the inside to stop it flexing as much?