Today’s Rock and Roll Media event has ended. So what was announced?
iPods:
- iPod Touch now sells at $199/299/399 for 8GB/32GB/64GB. 32 and 64GB models have same faster processors the iPhone 3GS has.
- iPod Classic capacity increase from 120GB to 160GB for the same $249.
- iPod Shuffle now in five new colors. $59 for 2GB and $79 for 4GB models.
- iPod nano now has camera, speakers, FM radio, and a larger display. Built in pedometer for Nike+. 8GB for $149, 16GB for $179.
- Improved layout of iTunes Store.
- 30,000 ringtones $1.29 each.
- Genius database expanded to include “Genius Mixes”. More syncing options such as artists, genres, etc.
- Manage iPhone apps and arrange home screens right from iTunes.
- iTunes LP. Album packages that include bonus material such as lyrics, photos, videos.
- iTunes Extras. Movie bonus material, Similar to DVD bonus features, also comes with interactive material.
- Home sharing. Browse the iTunes libraries of up to five authorized computers in your house, import what you like, and automatically add new purchases made on any of the computers to your own library.
iPhone:
- iPhone 3.1 released. Brings “Genius” to apps.
Comparing this to my predictions I posted earlier, I scored fairly poorly. No mention of the Apple TV, no cameras in the iPod touch, and Steve Jobs got on stage.
I am going to shamelessly copy John Gruber’s format, and tell you how much you should wager on certain rumors regarding tomorrow’s media event.
Wager heavily upon:
- At bare minimum, the announcement of camera equipped iPods. I can almost guarantee the nano and touch will have cameras, I can only assume the iPod classic will too. The evidence for the former is overwhelming, while evidence for the latter is scarce. I also expect the iPod touch to receive the same processor and RAM upgrades the iPhone 3GS received in June. Lastly, I suspect the camera on the iPod touch will be able to capture video.
- Price drops – I’ve heard both major and/or minor price drops are a possibility. This is to maintain Apple’s sales volumes while the iPhone continues to eat away at the iPod market.
Wager minimally upon:
- iTunes with social media integration, such as Facebook and Twitter.
- Apple TV updates. Modest updates such as new software or larger hard drives.
- Pre-cut ringtones.
- iTunes “Cocktails” – Albums packaged with interactive media such as iPhone apps.
Would wager agianst:
- Tablet announcement.
- Steve Jobs giving the keynote.
- Major Apple TV overhaul, such as built-in DVR or subscription services as recent rumors have suggested.
- Beatles announcement.
- Blu-Ray support in iTunes.
As a whole, I suspect tomorrow’s announcements will be pretty standard. Nothing ground breaking, just the next logical step in Apple’s media strategies.
Photos have sprung up around the web showing the banners Apple has hung outside of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where Wednesday’s “Rock and Roll” media event will be held.
In addition to these photos there have been recent rumors suggesting that the rumored iPods with cameras won’t be unveiled at this media event as previously suggested. HardMac claims the delay stems from production problems with the cameras.
According to one of our reliable source (however, it remains a rumor), Apple is facing problems with the production of the new iPod Touch. The issue would be linked to the new camera module. We did not get any further details, but the problem has been spotted in the first dozen of thousands units produced. Those units have been put aside.
I suspect Apple will announce these iPods as planned, but production will be delayed by a few weeks. That is, if any of this is credible.
Image courtesy of Brad Immanuel
Financial Times is reporting that Apple is working with the four major music labels to bundle new interactive booklets, sleeve notes and other interactive features to spur whole album downloads in the iTunes Music store.
Digital downloads are a popular means of acquiring music. That said, most downloads are individual tracks and not entire albums. If this rumor would come to fruition, it would be used as an incentive for customers to download entire albums, instead of single tracks. All of this is rumored to have a September launch alongside the iPod refresh and possible tablet release.
Here’s an excerpt:
It’s all about re-creating the heyday of the album when you would sit around with your friends looking at the artwork, while you listened to the music,” said one executive familiar with the plans.
Consumers would be able to play songs directly from the interactive book without clicking back into Apple’s iTunes software, executives said. “It’s not just a bunch of PDFs,” said one executive. “There’s real engagement with the ancillary stuff.”
Apple has seeded developers with another build (10A402) of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Here are some of the changes:
- Exposé now behaves correctly when using multiple monitors, with windows remaining on their own monitors in Exposé instead of all being collected on the primary monitor.
- Third-party System Preferences panes are now functional.
- Reports of battery life lasting significantly longer than under previous Snow Leopard builds. This has not been confirmed with tests.
- Reports of greater system responsiveness and significant increases in speed system wide. Both Startup and shutdown times have improved greatly.
- The Finder window slider button used to adjust icon sizes, is now a grey color instead of the aqua blue button as before.
- The theme of contextual menus for the Dock when using list view, have been drastically changed. The menus now have a theme of white text on a black/charcoal background.
The bulk of the information in this article comes from MacRumors’ original report from a few days ago. I’m excited to see what else lurks in Snow Leopard, which is due for release in September.
Images courtesy of MacRumors.
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