With the decision by Apple to nix analog audio input on the recently announced G4 towers and G4 PowerBook, Nashville-based Griffin Technology is looking at a situation where it is now one of the only third-party products that will give audio aficionados the answer to getting audio into their Mac.
Now, Griffin has signed a deal with Apple whereby the USB-ready iMic will soon be available for purchase through the Apple Store online.
“We couldn’t be more excited that Apple has decided to carry our iMic,” Griffin Technology product manager Jason Litchford told MacCentral. “After taking over a year to finish and get to market, we’re glad to see the product recognized as the right solution for so many.”
Litchford said it’s funny to see that what appeared at the time to be bad timing in coming to market so late has turned into almost perfect timing for new Apple products that no longer have analog audio in on the motherboard.
“So many people thought this product was dead and would never come to market since it was more than a year between our initial announcement and availability (last October),” he said. “But because we made sure it worked and worked well, it appears we’re getting the benefits of our hard work.”
The US$35 iMic allows the connection of virtually any microphone or sound input device to a USB-ready Mac, including the Cube. The product supports better than CD quality at up to 48Khz sampling, works with virtually any microphone and has both 1/8-inch stereo inputs and outputs.
Litchford said it’s ironic that the product works for the Mac right down to its graphite silver and clear acrylic look of the G4, Cube, and G4 PowerBook. “It was just pure luck that we got the look and color so right,” he said. “Hey, when it works, it works.”