Apple just announced the largest refresh to the iPod line-up in history with brand-new iPods in every model. All of these models will be available starting next week! Below are some pictures of the new iPods:
iPod Shuffle – $49
iPod Nano – $149 8GB, $179 16GB
iPod Touch – $229 8GB, $299 32GB, $399 64GB
The new iPod touch is even thinner than the previous model and includes Apple’s Retina display. It also includes the Apple A4 chip, a 3-axis gyro to improve gaming, and a front camera with FaceTime. A rear camera has also been added to allow iPod touch users to finally record video without having to switch to an iPhone.
Of course we’ve all been waiting for a refresh to the Apple TV. The new Apple TV addresses a ton of problems that people had with the first version of the Apple TV. The first major change is that videos are no longer for sale, instead everything is available to rent for a significantly lower price than before.
It’s now only $0.99 to rent an HD TV show!
This fixes storage complaints as well since you no longer have to worry about syncing the Apple TV with your computer. The new form factor is also significantly smaller – just take a look at the photo below:
Another major update is the addition of Netflix so you can now access their entire content library as well. Apple also announced new partners to increase their library size so you can now see more first-run movies on the Apple TV than ever before.
Probably the most exciting thing about the new Apple TV is the price, $99 and it’s available in about four weeks!
iTunes 10 has been completely refreshed making it easier to navigate, find music, and interact with all of your iOS devices. A social network for music called Ping is built-into iTunes now making it easier than every to share music recommendations with friends. Ping works in a similar manner to Twitter where you can follow friends and easily keep track of their updates.
iOS 4.1 along with a brand new Apple TV along with a slick refresh of the iPod Nano. Both are welcoming new addition to their lineup and of course a crowd-pleaser amongst Apple enthusiasts.
The new version of iOS fixes many of the bugs people have complained about. This should make the OS run much smoother and it’s going to be available next week! Steve also gave us a peek at iOS 4.2 which brings everything to the iPad, features like wireless printing, Air Play. The release is scheduled for November of this year and will be free for all devices.
Air Play will let you not only stream music, but also photos and video over Wi-Fi.
HDR Photos will be standard in iOS 4.1. HDR Photos actually takes three photos, a normal photo, an over-exposed, and a under-exposed, and the result is a significantly more crisp, clear, and detailed photos.
Game Center is all about multi-player games, it’s an app and an architecture that game developers can interface with. This will now make it easy to play iPhone/iPad games online and easily connecting-up with other players online.
The Apple TV has started-off with less-than-impressive numbers and this refresh definitely shows the dedication Steve Jobs has to the space – and we all know the opportunity is tremendous. Apple is now taking one step closer to Time Warner, Comcast, and DirecTV as a real contender for the king TV, however there is still a long road ahead.
Apple is winning battles on all fronts right now as the iPhone has unseated every rival in the category and the Macbook and iPad have revolutionized the portable market. Now as Apple takes a step closer to becoming a centerpiece in the living room.
Steve Jobs also highlighted new stores in Paris, China and London – all very large-format stores in prime locations within each city. Apple now has 300 retail stores and is located in ten countries with Spain coming soon! Some stores get over 1,000,000 visitors/day several days a month, definitely a record for the retail market.
Over 50% of people buying Apple computers are brand-new users so it’s clear Apple is really making some incredible headway in a market that non so long ago they controlled less than 10% of. 120 million iOS devices have been sold so far and the app store now has 200 apps every second being downloaded!
The keynote ended with a surprise performance by Coldplay. All I can say is, “wow” – Apple has once again stepped-up their game and I can’t figure-0ut how they have the time and people to do so much! As a die-hard Apple enthusiast I can say, today was a good day!
