The new Apple iPod Nano is smaller and more squarish than its predecessor.
Photo: Apple
Apple today announced sweeping changes to its lineup of iPod digital media players and unveiled a redesigned version of its Apple TV media server. It also updated its iTunes service and the iOS 4 software that powers iPods, iPads, and iPhones. Here are the details:
iPod Touch. As expected, the new Touch model is basically an iPhone 4, minus the phone, boasting the same ultra-sharp Retina display, fast A4 processor, and two cameras, including a front-facing one to facilitate FaceTime video chats with other Touches and iPhone 4s. As with the iPhone 4, the front rear-facing 5 megapixel camera can shoot pictures (960 x 720) and capture video in HD (720 P), has advanced on-board editing tools (a $5 download), and can beam that content wirelessly to the new Apple TV (see below). Measuring 4.4 x 2.3 x 0.28 inches, the Touch is smaller than its predecessor. One surprise: Prices and capacities remain unchanged: a 8GB player is $230; a 32GB player is $300; and a 64GB player is $400. The fate of the hard-drive-based iPod classic, however, remains uncertain.
Apple's revamped iPods: the Shuffle, the Nano
and the Touch (from left to right).
Photo: Apple
iPod Nano. The Nano gets the most radical redesign, shedding 46 percent of its bulk and 42 percent of its weight. It now measures 1.48 x 1.61 x 0.35 inches and weighs 0.74 oz. Gone is the iconic click-wheel, whose navigation duties will be taken over by the Nano's multi-touch display. There's no accelerometer, but you can rotate the screen display with a twist of your fingers. Measuring a mere 1.54 inches, the squares display will undoubtedly be a less appealing medium for viewing photos and videos. Also gone is the camera and the ability to tag songs you hear on the player's on-board FM radio. But a new clip allows you to attach the Nano to your clothing or favorite body part. The 8GB version is $150, while the 16GB model is $180.
iPod shuffle. Still cute as a button and not much bigger, measuring 1.14 x 1.24 x 0.34 inches (including clip.) Back by popular demand is the circular five-way control pad. The new model retains the VoiceOver feature that announces songs, playlists, etc. and adds the ability to run Genius mixes, a popular feature that automatically finds songs that sound great together. Only one model: 2GB for $50.
IOS4. Version 4.1, a free update for the Touch, iPhones, and iPads, brings a Gaming Center to iPhones and iPods. The new games, such as the upcoming medieval-battle game code-named "Project Sword," allow you invite others in its network to play against you. Once they become your "friend," you can see what games they've been playing as well as check out pending friend requests you receive and add as you see fit. The Game Center's leader boards allows you to see how your score ranks against your opponents as well as other people in you network. For older iPod Touches, the iOS 4.1 also brings multitasking. The multitasking capability for the iPad won't be available until November with the next update to iOS4: version 4.2. The 4.2 OS will also finally bring wireless printing capability to Apple's tablet.)
iTunes. Version 10 introduces a new social-networking feature called Ping. Borrowing heavily from Facebook and Twitter, Ping is a free service for sharing your thoughts and activities with "friends" in your network. You can also follow the activities of participating musicians and other celebrities, as well as receive notifications of upcoming concerts and other events that Ping thinks may interest you. But its main purpose is to help participants "discover" new music by publishing the music purchases of what you and your friends bought on iTunes. We'll have to explore this new feature further, but it seems Ping only posts short snippets of songs, of a minute at most, before giving you the option to buy. The other noteworthy iTunes tweak is a feature that consolidates lists of five or more songs from the same album under one album cover.
Air Tunes, a wireless technology that allows users to stream iTunes music throughout the house over their Wi-Fi network will now be called Air Play. In November, Air Play will allow users to beam video content as well.
Apple TV. This was transformed from a $229 set-top box with a built-in hard drive to a $99 device, a quarter the size, that (via Wi-Fi or Ethernet) streams content (including video, music, and photos) from iTunes on any networked device to your home entertainment system, including your TV set. The slimmed-down Apple TV goes on sale in four weeks.
As rumored, content for the device—and any other that uses iTunes, presumably—will now include 99-cent rentals of streamed TV shows from ABC and Fox. Indeed, streams are all that Apple TV can do; it is no longer a storage device. The streaming options will expand, though, to include some of the same services found on the Internet tiers on TV sets and Blu-ray players, including videos from Netflix and YouTube, and photo streamed from online Flickr albums. iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads will also be able to stream content to the Apple TV, as well as act as as remote controls for managing content for that device.
—Mike Gikas and Paul Reynolds