Griffin Technology will very soon be releasing an FM receiver for your iPod, called the Griffin iFM.

Playlist magazine posted a First Look of the Griffin iFM, and it looks promising.

Like most Griffin Technology devices, it is compact, performs well, and has a superior user interface compared to other products.

I never listen to the radio. Why would I care about one of these? Because when we go to assemblies or conventions, and the sound system transmits the speakers over a radio frequency, I can use this device to record the speaker with, effectively, a direct line in, with minimal background noise, because the iFM also support recording the radio frequency it is tuned into.

My dad actually tried this with an off-brand MP3 player that supported FM reception and recording, but unfortunately the reception was very poor. My hope is that the iFM will have better performance.

As usual, John C. Dvorak’s articles are abrasive yet stimulating. His article this week inherently bashes Apple’s game plan yet simultaneously giving the good ol’ pat on the back for something Apple probably isn’t really doing.

Please read his article: Apple on the Brink.

The premise is that Apple is “brain-dead” for not wanting to release OS X into the entire x86 jungle; yet, he opines, that is not what Apple really intends to do, and that, instead, Dvorak sees Apple’s bluff in his crystal ball.

And it really is a fantastic concept he has forecasted. I thoroughly enjoyed indulging myself in the unfolding of events that he described. As much as I would like seeing it happen the way he described, and as clever as Jobs et al have been of late, I find it very difficult to believe that the scenario that Dvorak has described is even remotely close to the truth. Frankly, I don’t think that he does either. Beware: This pat on the back is likely a slap in the face, if only we had turned around to pay attention.

News from a couple days ago says that HP will be dropping their sales of the iPod.

Read about it: HP Says It Will Stop Selling iPods.

Although this particular situation was not forecasted, it is not surprising. Apple never has been very generous when it stretches itself out to share its product lines with other companies. In other words, in the end, they either pull out of the deal, or they give the cooperating company the short end of the stick.

Unfortunately, this may be spawned by a “we don’t need them” kind of attitude; ironically enough, in this instance, that is probably true.