Two things struck me today with Apple’s iPod announcements. To be perfectly frank, and to sound egotistic, I saw most of this coming. The iPod touch turned out just as I expected, the Apple TV did too. However Apple pulled some strange moves with their Shuffle and nano iPod models.
First off, the new Shuffle was a admittance by Apple, that the buttonless iPod Shuffle was a dud. It must have bombed. The previous buttonless shuffle was introduced in March of 2009. It saw a refresh this time last year, and now it’s gone. The shuffle usually received a major overhaul about once ever 2-2.5 years. The buttonless one made it only 18 months.
I also know why it tanked, I own one, I feel your pain. The very second Apple’s cheap headphones burnt out, specifically the controller on the cord, the whole device was shot. Replacement headphones from any company, not just Apple, ran you about $40. That almost as much as a new shuffle at $59. Make of it what you will, but if it was a success, Apple wouldn’t have had to have backtracked an re-introduce the buttons to the shuffle.
The second announcement, the iPod nano, also told me where Apple is driving the iPod line. That is to day, they are making a push to get everyone on the iOS bandwagon. The shuffle is perfect for athletes and the like, I suspect it will be around for awhile if only in moderation. But the nano has been stripped. Granted the new iPod nano is nifty, but it has removed the camera, and it can’t play video, two features Apple touted heavily with the iPod nano they introduced last year.
They’ve taken the camera away from the nano, and given it to the touch. Only the withering iPod Classic, and the very popular iPod touch can play video now, and only the touch can record video. Couple all of this with the lower and lower prices seen each year, Apple is edging it iPod touch into an area where nearly everyone that wants one can get one. This is a push for iOS, and iOS is clearly the future of Apple.
My point in all of this is one thing: Apple, in very subtle ways, is trying to get it’s iPod customers interested in the iPod touch, which will help expand iOS to become Apple’s primary, if not sole OS into the future. How far into the future? Who knows, but it’s coming.
Sorry everyone for the late post. I was playing catch up with the day’s news. So, let’s dig in. Apple has announced a multitude of new goodies today. Starting with…
Apple TV:
Apple has introduced a new Apple TV. The device is one-forth the size of the previous Apple TV all while still offering HDMI and digital audio outputs, Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi. The new Apple TV will only offer movie rentals from the iTunes store. There is limited on-board storage, and movies can now only be rented with the device. First-run HD movies for $4.99 and HD TV shows from ABC and Fox will cost $.99.
Apple today announced the new Apple TV which offers the simplest way to watch your favorite HD movies and TV shows on your HD TV for the breakthrough price of just $99. Apple TV users can choose from the largest online selection of HD movies to rent, including first run movies for just $4.99, and the largest online selection of HD TV show episodes to rent from ABC, ABC Family, Fox, Disney Channel and BBC America for just 99 cents. The device also utilizes the same A4 chip found in iPhone 4 and iPad.
Apple TV also streams content from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe, as well as music, photos and videos from PCs and Macs to your HD TV. Enjoy gorgeous slideshows of your photos on your HD TV using Apple TV’s selection of built-in slideshows. Apple TV has built-in HDMI, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and an internal power supply for easy set-up, and features silent, cool, very low power operation in an enclosure that’s less than four inches square – 80 percent smaller than the previous generation.
The new Apple TV also offers Netflix integration, allowing Netflix subscribers to stream content from the service directly to their TV at no extra charge. You can also stream content from YouTube, Flickr, MobileMe, and iOS devices you have lying around.
You can pre-order the new Apple TV starting today for $99, with the device shipping in about four weeks.
iTunes 10:
Apple also released iTunes 10 today. The new version features a redesigned icon and interface, while introducing a new social feature called “Ping.” The Ping network will aims to help users discover new music, follow their favorite artists and friends. You can opt to allow users to follow you either automatically or by approval. Users can also upload things like videos and photos, while also tagging concerts they have attended. Ping will also be added to the iTunes app on iPhone, iPod touch, and presumably iPad. You can sign up immediately.
Apple today introduced iTunes 10 with Ping, a new music-oriented social network for following your favorite artists and friends to discover what music they’re talking about, listening to and downloading. iTunes Ping lets you post your thoughts and opinions, your favorite albums and songs, the music you’ve downloaded from iTunes, plus view concert listings and tell your friends which concerts you plan to attend. iTunes 10 also features HD TV show rentals for just 99 cents an episode and AirPlay wireless music playback.
The Ping concert feature is apparently powered by Live Nation, and offers links to purchase concert tickets through Live Nation.
iTunes is a free download, and you can get it here.
iPod Shuffle:
Apple released an all new iPod Shuffle today. The buttons have returned! In addition to the standard control buttons, the device also has a VoiceOver button, and can utilize the same Genius Playlists as the previous iPod Shuffle model. The new shuffle comes in a 2GB model in green, pink, gold, blue, silver, and is priced at $49.
iPod nano:
The new iPod nano ditches the traditional clickwheel in exchange for a touchscreen. The new nano is 46% smaller than it’s predecessor while having a 24-hour battery life. The UI can be manipulated in much the same way as iOS devices. The nano has a home screen, with icons for each of the features such as Playlists, and control playback, and artists. The new nano comes in Pink, blue, silver, gold, green, graphite, and a Product Red version. It also appears that the new iPod nano can’t play video, and also loses the camera that was introduced in the previous generation iPod nano.
The nano comes in two varieties: a 8GB model for $149, and a 16GB model for $179.
iPod touch:
Lastly, and certainly not least. Apple has introduced a new iPod touch that is equipped with the same retina display seen on the iPhone 4, is powered with the same A4 chip found in the iPad, iPhone 4, and Apple TV, a 3-axis gyroscope for gaming, a rear-facing camera that can shoot HD video and take still pictures at 960X720, and of course, a front facing camera to make FaceTime calls with. When the device ships it will have iOS 4.1 installed complete with Game Center. It will also offer 40 hours of music playback on a single charge. The new iPod touch costs $229 for the 8GB model, $299 for the 32GB model, and $399 for the 64GB model.
iPod Classic:
This poor old work horse wasn’t even touched today at the event, but is still on sale.
All of the new iPod models are available for pre-order now, and will ship in about a week.
Other tidbits:
iOS 4.1 is said to be coming soon on many of Apple’s websites, however their Spanish site claims a release date of September 8th. iOS 4.1 was just seeded to developers today after the event. This will be a free update to all customers, not just iPhone 4 owners.
iOS 4.2 will be released in November, finally bringing iOS 4 to the iPad.
Apple has released two commercials for today’s iPod announcements. The first is for the iPod touch, and the other is for the nano. You can view them both on Apple’s respective iPod pages, or on their YouTube page.
Apple has announced that they will offer a live stream of tomorrow’s media event. This is the first time Apple has offered a live stream of one of their media events in a long time.
Here is Apple’s announcement:
Apple will broadcast its September 1 event online using Apples industry-leading HTTP Live Streaming, which is based on open standards. Viewing requires either a Mac running Safari on Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard, an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 3.0 or higher, or an iPad. The live broadcast will begin at 10:00 a.m. PDT on September 1, 2010 at www.apple.com.
So, watch the media event tomorrow, and check back here later in the day for updates and overview’s of tomorrow’s announcements.
Some of the likely announcements are a new iOS-based Apple TV that may run apps, a new, smaller, touchscreen iPod nano, and high-resolution, camera equipped iPod touch capable of making FaceTime calls.
Bloomberg is reporting that Apple will introduce a new Apple TV offering Netflix streaming at tomorrow’s media event. Of course, Netflix is a subscription service that allows customers to rent movies by mail, while offering some content via online streaming. Netflix has applications on all iOS devices, TiVos, and game consoles like the Nintendo Wii.
Apple Inc., preparing to announce a new set-top box that delivers TV to consumers, will include movies from Netflix Inc., according to three people with knowledge of the plans.
The streaming service would be available on the revamped version of Apple TV, due to be introduced tomorrow in San Francisco, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans havent been made public. Users would pay a subscription fee to Netflix for the service, the people said.
The report goes on to say the new Apple TV will be priced at $99, new functionality will be added to iTunes, and a higher-resolution iPod touch will be introduced at tomorrow’s media event.
AppleInsider is reporting that they Apple’s next-gen iPod nano, which will purportedly be smaller than the current model, and equipped with a touchscreen, all while maintaining the prices seen with current iPod nano models. That is to say, $149 for the low-end model, and $179 for the high-end.
Sixth-generation iPod nanos on deck for an introduction by Apple on Wednesday will reportedly be priced in-line with existing models and will not replace the company’s other diminutive media player, the iPod shuffle.
Although the new nano, built around a 1.7-inch display, is expected to sport similar dimensions to the second-generation clip-on iPod shuffle, people familiar with Apple’s plans say the company will continue to market its button-less iPod shuffle as an entry-level player.
The report goes on to say that the new nano will be introduced at tomorrow’s media event, but will ship at a latter date. No specifics are given on how much later that might be.
CNET is reporting that Apple may be planning on extending iTunes song previews from 30 seconds, up to a full minute.
On Wednesday, when Apple CEO Steve Jobs takes the stage at the company’s annual September media event, he is expected to announce that iTunes users will be allowed at least twice the amount of time to sample a song, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the move.
This of course would be another improvement Apple has been adding to the iTunes music store over the past year or so. All of this starting with Apple’s introduction of the web-based “iTunes Preview.”
This doesn’t sound too far-fetched to me. Apple now has enough power in the music industry to muscle this deal out of the record labels.
It’s finally happened. Apple is now quoting a “within 24hrs” shipping timeframe for iPad orders in all of Apple’s country-specific online stores. This indicates that Apple has finally ramped up production to meet demand. Remarkably, Apple seems to have done this is a relatively short amount of time. Just two weeks ago the shipping timeframe was they delayed 7-10 business days, which was later dropped to 3-5 days.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Paul Allen’s patent licensing company, Interval Licensing, has sued ten companies over patent infringement in the areas of e-commerce and web search technologies. One of the ten companies is Apple. What makes this story really noteworthy? After all, Apple comes under fire with patent lawsuits all of the time. Well, as many of you may know, Paul Allen was a co-founder of Microsoft.
Mr. Allen, 57, Friday through his firm Interval Licensing LLC filed suit in federal court in Seattle asserting the companies are using technology from his laboratory. Named in the suit, along with Apple and Google, are AOL Inc., eBay Inc., Facebook Inc., Netflix Inc., Office Depot Inc., OfficeMax Inc., Staples Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Google’s YouTube subsidiary.
The suit doesn’t name Microsoft, Amazon.com Inc. or other technology firms in Seattle where Mr. Allen is based. The suit doesn’t estimate a damage amount.
Interval Licensing has publicly released the list of patents they feel are being violated. If you are so inclined, you can read the list here.
Notice how Allen did not sue Amazon or Microsoft, both of which are Seattle based, and both of which I’d wager are also violating the patents Interval Licensing holds. Perhaps not, but I’ll eat my hat if they aren’t.
Allen isn’t the only high profile person from Microsoft to sue over patents for the sake of suing. Nathan Myhrvold has been just that for a lot longer than Allen.
In the long run, most of these companies on the list, including Apple, will shake this suit off like a bee sting. All of this boils down to be a extortion scheme. But it’s legal!
AppleInsider is reporting that they too have heard the new iPod nano will be square, with a 3cm by 3cm screen.
People familiar with the matter indicated that the size and shape of the device, revealed this week through photos of third-party cases, will be more akin to the iPod shuffle than the current-generation iPod nano. Even with this small size, however, it is expected to have a traditional iPod dock connector, allowing compatibility with the existing iPod accessory ecosystem.
The new iPod nano is said to utilize a tiny 3cm-by-3cm display that was revealed in its bare form as unknown Apple-branded component earlier this summer. For comparison, the second-generation iPod nano had a screen that was about 3cm by 2.5cm.
They also claim that Apple has been considering the release of a 3G-capable iPod touch. They are considering this move due to the popularity of the 3G-equipped iPad that was released earlier this year. Prototypes of this 3G capable iPod touch are said to be in existence (shock me).
Lastly, the report claims that Apple is set to release a new version of iLife at the media event next week. The current version of iLife was released in January ’09, and Apple seems to be on an 18-month release cycle for making next week a reasonable timeframe for release. Earlier reports claimed that we would have seen this update for sale by now, but that didn’t fall through. However, that same report claims that this will be a significant overhaul to the suite.
I still don’t know what to think of this new “square” iPod nano, and to be perfectly honest I’m of two minds regarding a 3G equipped iPod touch. A “iPod touch 3G” sounds a lot like an iPhone if you ask me. On the other hand, it would be perfect for someone like me who wants the iPhone internet experience, but minus the monthly cellular bill.
Do you have any thoughts or predictions for regarding what Apple might introduce at next week’s media event? Leave a comment, we’d love to hear what you think!
Image courtesy of AppleInsider.
iLounge is reporting more details regarding the next-gen iPod touch and nano models expected to be released by Apple at their scheduled media event next week. First off, the new iPod touch will have a rear-facing camera, and new shaped backing.
Think of the top of a MacBook Pro, only smaller, which is to say flat rather than curved at the centercloser to the look of the first-generation iPod touchs back, only with modifications.
Additionally, iLounge reports that the small touchscreen device that has been brought to everyone’s attention in the last few days, will indeed be a new iPod nano, and not a redesigned iPod shuffle. iLounge does caveat their report by saying, “it doesn’t make much sense” for Apple to be doing this.
I still don’t know what to make of these reports.
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