Why no AM radio in MP3 players?

[Jim Bancroft]

Just curious to know why most MP3 players, aside from the iPod, have FM receivers but no AM capability? Is it because FM has all the music, or is an AM receiver not feasible in the small packages most players come in?

Also, any notions if / when the iPod will have radio reception?

 

[Deeko]

apple doesn't believe in providing features their competitors have been offering for years. Maybe some day consumers will wise up.

 

[ViRGE]

AM radio inside of an MP3 player is virtually impossible due to a couple of issues. First is the size of the antenna required, quality AM reception requires a much larger antenna than FM reception requires (see: wavelength). The second reason is that AM radio is highly susceptible to electro-magnetic interference, which a complex device like an MP3 player is full of. Even if you somehow managed to fit an antenna in one, all you'd pick up is the noise your hard drive and other components are generating.

Ultimately AM radios aren't feasible to put in a MP3 player. You're more likely to see a subspace radio in such a device than an AM radio.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I would say it is what ViRGE said (although I would think the antenna issue would be easy to overcome as most MP3 players us the headphones/cable as their antenna), coupled with simple supply and demand. The demand for radio of any sort in an MP3 player is not all that high. Most people consider it a nice extra that they might use every great once in a while. The main reason stuff like the iTrip sold well is it allowed people to use their iPod in their car without a crappy tape deck converter (and thats if their car has a tape deck). AM radio is even lower on the list (although I'd say the number of people who listen to AM radio and feel it is essential is higher than those for FM, the number of people listening to FM is far higher, at least I would say, but I don't have broadcast numbers or anything like that).

 

[DivideBYZero]

AM radio. LOL!

 

[RandomFool]

I wish I could listen to the music on the AM radio (am radio)

 

[Lorax]

i would use the AM too... news, sports. oh well.