Apple slaps 'chrome' on the back of iPod Touch, remakes nano
At a press event in San Francisco Tuesday morning, CEO Steve Jobs took the gift wrap off Apple's holiday line of iPods, calling them the "strongest holiday lineup yet" -- stronger in part because of a backing that's not shiny plastic.
The rumors of Steve Jobs' death, the CEO himself proclaimed this morning, were greatly exaggerated; but the rumors of the new iPod nano form factor appear to have been spot on.
The redesigned iPod nano takes on a form factor reminiscent of the first and second generation models. The specs look almost exactly like the data leaked by Digg founder Kevin Rose late last month.
With a newly added accelerometer, the device will now allow for functionality that was first unveiled with the iPhone. For example, laying the device on its side will bring up the Cover Flow view, and shaking the device would shuffle the songs in the playlist automatically. (Hopefully Apple tested this feature on joggers prior to release.)
The new nano will also include the newly unveiled Genius feature, which selects additional songs in the listener's library based on the currently playing song.
The device will be available in eight colors: silver, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, (PRODUCT) RED, and black; and will retail for $149 for the 8 GB model, $199 for the 16 GB model. Both are available immediately online, with retail availability following in the next several days.
Apple's iPod touch also got a design adjustment, which seems to follow along the same lines as the iPhone 3G, although the Touch's back is made of stainless steel (the iPhone's is plastic). Most of the rest of the device has stayed the same, except for the addition of an accelerometer here as well.
Like the nano, the new Touch will feature the shake-to-shuffle function, as well as the Genius functionality, and the company has added new integrated volume controls. A speaker has also been added, although Jobs cautioned that the audio quality would only be suited for "casual listeners."
Three capacities are being offered: the 8 GB at $229, the 16 GB at $299, and the 32 GB at $399.