None of the Above
... or "None of the Below" if you were following the earlier post about speculation on the "Let's Rock" Apple event, since new posts appear at the top of the page.
There was no "One more thing..." from Steve Jobs today. The most surprising announcements came at the top of the event, in fact, instead of at the end. Apple is introducing HD TV shows as well as movies, which can be downloaded directly to iTunes on your computer (not just seen via Apple TV). $2.99 for HD shows is a little high, IMHO, but for some shows it would be well worth it. NBC is, thank goodness, returning to the Apple fold with HD and standard definition shows as well.
Apple's new iTunes 8 was indeed announced and should be available later today. The Kevin Rose-heralded Genius feature builds "goes great together" playlists automatically from your songs at the touch of a button and also recommends additional selections from the iTunes Store library. The Genius feature apparently will even recommend TV shows and movies. The visual interface has been enhanced with another browsing mode as well.
The iPod Classic continues to fade from importance with only a passing mention. The big 160 GB unit is going away and the 80 GB unit is being expanded to 120 GB.
Steve was noticeably put out that last-minute leaks stole his thunder on the brand-new iPod Nano. The new Nano is pretty sweet, with a larger vertical screen and an accelerometer like the iPhone/iPod Touch that changes the display orientation when the unit is tilted. (You can shake the Nano to shuffle your playlist — a clever idea.) Tall, thin (the thinnest iPod yet!) and oval in cross-section, it has an aluminum exterior and built-in voice recording and calendar capability. 24 hour battery life for music (4 hours when used for video) at $149 for the 8 GB model (available today) and $199 for the 16 GB unit (available this weekend or early next week) — in a wild set of eight different colors. New $29 headphones with on-cable controls and microphone also coming, as well as $79 in-ear headphones for the real audiophile. One of the nicest features is the ability to create Genius-style playlists without connecting to iTunes, right on the Nano itself.
The new iPod Touch is changed a lot less than many had expected. It is thinner, with the same display as the first-gen model. On-board Genius playlists are also available on the iPod Touch as well, and it now has the Nike + iPod software and receiver built in for all of you runners and joggers out there. There is a built-in set of speakers and exterior volume controls like those on the iPhone, but no GPS or camera. 8 GB model for $229, with 16 GB at $299 and 32 GB at $399. Sorry, no 64 GB models yet...
The new iPod Touch 2.1 firmware will also be available later today, giving the Nike + and Genius playlist functionality to first-gen iPod Touch owners as well. The upgrade is free if you already made the move to software version 2.0, or $9.95 if you are upgrading straight from 1.x. iPhone 2.1 firmware with these functions plus (it is hoped) the long-awaited stability fixes will be avaialble by Friday.
But those waiting for a killer surprise announcement... well, they're still waiting. Gee, I hope the guys who flew out from the east coast for this one weren't too upset.
There was no "One more thing..." from Steve Jobs today. The most surprising announcements came at the top of the event, in fact, instead of at the end. Apple is introducing HD TV shows as well as movies, which can be downloaded directly to iTunes on your computer (not just seen via Apple TV). $2.99 for HD shows is a little high, IMHO, but for some shows it would be well worth it. NBC is, thank goodness, returning to the Apple fold with HD and standard definition shows as well.
Apple's new iTunes 8 was indeed announced and should be available later today. The Kevin Rose-heralded Genius feature builds "goes great together" playlists automatically from your songs at the touch of a button and also recommends additional selections from the iTunes Store library. The Genius feature apparently will even recommend TV shows and movies. The visual interface has been enhanced with another browsing mode as well.
The iPod Classic continues to fade from importance with only a passing mention. The big 160 GB unit is going away and the 80 GB unit is being expanded to 120 GB.
Steve was noticeably put out that last-minute leaks stole his thunder on the brand-new iPod Nano. The new Nano is pretty sweet, with a larger vertical screen and an accelerometer like the iPhone/iPod Touch that changes the display orientation when the unit is tilted. (You can shake the Nano to shuffle your playlist — a clever idea.) Tall, thin (the thinnest iPod yet!) and oval in cross-section, it has an aluminum exterior and built-in voice recording and calendar capability. 24 hour battery life for music (4 hours when used for video) at $149 for the 8 GB model (available today) and $199 for the 16 GB unit (available this weekend or early next week) — in a wild set of eight different colors. New $29 headphones with on-cable controls and microphone also coming, as well as $79 in-ear headphones for the real audiophile. One of the nicest features is the ability to create Genius-style playlists without connecting to iTunes, right on the Nano itself.
The new iPod Touch is changed a lot less than many had expected. It is thinner, with the same display as the first-gen model. On-board Genius playlists are also available on the iPod Touch as well, and it now has the Nike + iPod software and receiver built in for all of you runners and joggers out there. There is a built-in set of speakers and exterior volume controls like those on the iPhone, but no GPS or camera. 8 GB model for $229, with 16 GB at $299 and 32 GB at $399. Sorry, no 64 GB models yet...
The new iPod Touch 2.1 firmware will also be available later today, giving the Nike + and Genius playlist functionality to first-gen iPod Touch owners as well. The upgrade is free if you already made the move to software version 2.0, or $9.95 if you are upgrading straight from 1.x. iPhone 2.1 firmware with these functions plus (it is hoped) the long-awaited stability fixes will be avaialble by Friday.
But those waiting for a killer surprise announcement... well, they're still waiting. Gee, I hope the guys who flew out from the east coast for this one weren't too upset.
Comments