Sep 13 2006, 03:35 AM, updated 20y ago
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San Francisco (CA) - Steve Jobs' "Showtime" event today revealed a range of new Apple products. And even the real surprise, a tradition for the company at such events, was not announced, the executive presented a solid lineup of services an devices. A new 80 GB video Ipod, new Ipod Nanos with up to 8 GB capacity, a new Ipod Shuffle, a TV connector and movies for Itunes.
First up and widely expected, a new version of Itunes has been released. Itunes 7.0 focuses on changing the playing interface. There are now multiple different ways to view music collections stored on Itunes, including the "Cover Flow" view that gives users the impression of flipping through a virtual CD rack. This also speaks to another new feature included in the service, which will automatically search and find CD cover art for any album in the library.
Apple is also updating its video store library by adding an NFL channel, which will allow customers to purchase one football game to view for $1.99, or a season pass for $24.99.
More interesting on a widespread scale is that movies will finally be added to the Itunes video store. New movies, which will appear on iTunes the same day the DVD is released, will be available for $14.99 in the first week. They can also be pre-ordered for $12.99. All other movies will sell for $9.99, which will be the price for any new movie after the first week. The resolution will be limited to a 640 x 480 resolution. Over 70 movies are already set for the Itunes movie store.
Many expected a new iPod Nano to be introduced at the event, and Jobs delivered by announcing the second generation of Nanos, which are commercially available as of today. Thinner than the already sleek models, the new Ipod Nano line will be made out of aluminum and will be available in five colors: sliver, black, blue, green, and pink.
Colors are dependant on the capacity of the player. Silver Nanos hold 2 GB and will sell for $150. The silver, pink, green, and blue players, retail for $200, hold 4 GB. Black color will be reserved for the 8 GB and ring up at $250.
The second generation iPod Shuffle was also revealed. Equipped with a belt clip and a dock plug to link to a Mac or PC, the new Shuffle is quoted by Jobs as being the world's smallest MP3 player. It has a capacity of 1 GB and will sell for $80 when it hits stores this October.
Another announcement that will please consumers is that the 30 GB video Ipod model has dropped in price from $300 to $250. A new 80 GB model will sell for $350.
Steve Jobs also made a surprise announcement by debuting a device that will connect to a TV, and can then receive wireless communication from a computer, allowing video playback from Itunes directly to the user's television set. It will be available in the first quarter of 2007.
Any of you going to get it, or are we all going to stick with our China design Ipod Namo or someother that looks like the Nano but costs 1/10th the price?
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