So it’s finally, officially official: Steve Jobs just introduced Apple’s new iPod lineup for 2010, including a completely redesigned iPod shuffle, iPod nano, and iPod touch. No updates for the iPod classic, but since it’s still up on the store page, it’s safe to assume that our hard drive-based music player of choice hasn’t gone extinct yet.
Nothing much by way of big surprises (thanks to a load of early photo and info leaks), but a lot of stuff—stuff that we all just naturally assumed—was definitely confirmed. In fact, we’ll just go go ahead and say that all the iPod touch leaks totally ruined the surprise, because apparently, all the rumors were true: it’s kind of like the iPhone 4, but with less bulk (it’s around 2mms slimmer), no phone (of course), and since it doesn’t come with a wrap-around antenna, no antennagate issues (we’re almost certain of it. Kind of).
Since there’s nothing really surprising, let’s go ahead and cover the new iPod touch’s highlights:
It packs the same tech that’s headlined on the iPhone 4, including the HD 720p-capable dual cams and the awesome high-res (960 x 640 resolution) Retina Display that should make it great for entertainment in general and gaming specifically. We just had to cover the gaming part, since Steve Jobs did mention that the iPod touch has already outsold Nintendo and Sony’s handhelds combined.
Of course, you could say that people don’t just buy the touch for gaming (we certainly didn’t), but when he mentioned “over 1.5 billion games and entertainment downloads for the iPod touch alone,” it’s really hard to argue how much it affected the portable gaming market.
Anyway, it’ll run on iOS 4.1 and Apple’s A4 processor, so you get multitasking along with whatever software goodies you expected from the iPhone 4. The dual cams support FaceTime as predicted, and the iPod touch can FaceTime with iPhones and other iPods as well. The battery could be another highlight: it’s listed to last for about 40 hours of music and up to 7 hours of video playback.
Available in a just one color option (nope, no white iPod touch), the new iPod touch will come in three capacities: 8GBs for $229, 32GBs for $299, and 64GBs for $399.
If you’ve been following the leaks that showed the tiny Apple-branded touchscreen, then here’s the confirmation: it’s on the new iPod nano. Completely redesigned, the new nano drops the clickwheel and vertical screen and compressed everything into a tiny player that’s close to half the previous nano’s size. 
And the screen? It’s a 1.54-inch (240 x 240 res) multitouch screen that features an iOS-like interface, complete with multitouch gesture support, hold-to-move home screen customization, and an overall look that’s very iOS 4. Tiny iPod touch? You could say that. Although there’s not much you can do with a tiny touchscreen, and there’s no Wi-fi here. It’ll still connect, charge and sync via the standard 30-pin connector though, so it’ll still connect to accessories and old speaker docks via the usual interface.
The touchscreen offers faster song searches compared to the good old clickwheel, although we still think the clickwheel’s better for skipping through songs while it’s in your pocket. It seems to be designed to be seen though: the screen does provide for good-looking album art, and they added a clip at the back so you don’t have to stuff it in a pocket or slip it in an armband anymore. As for “blind” skipping (or changing songs without having to look at the screen), you can always pick up Apple’s optional earphones with an inline remote and mic. It also supports VoiceOver that reads whatever’s currently under your finger, like a track name, artist, or setting, so you can feel around the menus without having to look.
As for new features, the new nano still supports the Nike + iPod fitness app, Genius playlist creation, and an FM Radio with a Live Pause feature. Live Pause acts like TiVo for FM, letting you pause live radio and continue or rewind up to 15 minutes back from where you left off then fast forward to return to the live broadcast.
Available in 6 colors plus the special Product Red option, the new nano comes in two sizes: 8GBs for $149 and 16GBs for $179.
The new shuffle is smaller. And that’s pretty much it. A recognizable 5-way pad for controls are on one side, and a clip’s on the other side so you don’t lose it. Genius and VoiceOver features, multiple playlist support, and basic music playback if that’s all you really want. Again, it’s pretty tiny, at 1.14 x 1.24 inches across, and 0.34 in/ 8.7mms thick. Battery’s listed to give you up to 15 hours worth of music playback. The new shuffle is available in five colors and a single 2GB size for $49.
All three new iPods are due out next week.
Tags: Apple, iPod Nano, iPod shuffle, Ipod Touch, iPods, Portable Audio, Portable Media Players
Related Entries
-
craig
