In this recent article from the Ohio Akron Beacon Journal, technology journalist Eric Benderoff makes some good points about the iPhone and the possibility of a similarly design iPod on the horizon:

If you want to know what the next iPod will look like, go to Apple.com and watch the demo for the coming iPhone.

In his article he echoes something on the minds of every MP3 enthusiast out there; what will the iPhone mean about the next iPod? Probably, quite a bit.

iPhone in Glass case at Macworld 2007 pictureAt Macworld, January 9th 2007, Steve Jobs stated that the iPhone was the best iPod the company had every built. That’s great, but for people who just want a new iPod, and not necessarily all the features the iPhone has built into it, why pay $500+ for a new iPod?

Apple plays the product release game very well, keeping all new technology under tight wraps, and then revealing them via one of Steve Jobs charismatic speeches, in order to pump everyone up and prepare them to buy buy buy. The next generation iPod is overdue, and probably well along in production.

If the iPhone is the best iPod the company has made yet, we can expect a new iPod with many iPhone-like features within a few short months after the iPhone’s slated June release.