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TyronneIt's Showtime: New iPods and iTunes Movies
September 13th 2006 02:12
Apple's Invitation
For those that have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, Apple had one of its much-anticipated much-hyped press conferences today. Speculation about the announcement has been around the net a million times in the last week, but among the alleged agenda was a proper video iPod (complete with widescreen and greater capacity), an update to the iPod nano, and the addition of movies to the iTunes Store. So, the result?
First: iPod
Rather, Steve Jobs attempted to wow the audience by boasting a slight increase in the battery life of the iPod (especially in video mode) and an upgrade from a 60gb to an 80gb, allegedly a Toshiba drive which was coincidentally only announced today. With prices at $249 (AUD$380) for the 30gb version and $349 (AUD$499) for an 80gb, they're definitely cheaper and better value now, but still I think everyone is a little disappointed.
Second: iPod Nano
The new iPod Nano
Definitely one of the best announcements from the press conference. If you were one of the many who jumped at the chance to buy an iPod nano in the last year, you were no doubt surprised to see that even minimal usage quickly led to a damaged and rather scratched up iPod. Of course, Apple did their usual thing of quelling customer dissatisfaction as quickly and quietly as possible, but they have finally come up with a longer term solution. The 2nd generation iPod nano boasts an impressive aluminium shell, better battery life, and best of all for all high schoolers out there - colours.
Having had to suffer with my sister's iPod mini for the past week thanks to leaving my own 60gb iPod at a friend's place, I have to say that I am quite fond of the aluminium shell. She had one of those ugly silicone cases for it, but i went without, and found that that the iPod mini is one tough little bugger. As such, this return to the aluminium shell for the iPod nano is definitely a plus point. Downside? While generally cheap, I have a few qualms with the Apple prices -
2gb
$149 (AUD$219)
4gb
$199 (AUD$299)
8gb
$249 (AUD$380)
Can someone please explaint to me, why the new 8gb iPod nano is the same price as a 30gb iPod? I was actually considering getting an iPod nano to save space in my over-filled pockets, but this announcement has simply put me off. How can i justify spending that money on an 8gb when a 30gb costs the same?
Oh well, at least the new ad is cool:
Third: iPod Shuffle
Of course, mobiBLU's device is now 2gb, but for the market at which the iPod shuffle is targeted, it is unlikely to affect consumers that much. Because of course, the new iPod shuffle simply looks so damn cool.
Four: iTunes Movies
Everyone knew this was coming, but the details were sketchy: Disney was a definite, since Jobs sits on the board, but was Lions Gate in on it too? No. Jobs announced the addition of movies to the iTunes store, retailing at US$12.99 for preorder and during the first week of release, and then US$14.99 from then on. Older "library" titles retail for US$9.99.
New movies will be available on the same day as release of the DVD, and the store is open now, with a selection of 75 movies from Disney, Pixar, Miramax and Touchstone Pictures, all under the Walt Disney corporation. Not a bad start, but we'll see how sales go.
Five: iTV
The product is essentially a wireless router for video, music and photos, a device that drags stuff off your home computer via a wireless connection, then plays it on your TV. Jobs kept boasting that the user interface was simply "the best graphics ever on a TV," and i guess there's no argument there - Media Center, while suave, still doesn't really cut it quite yet.
And that wrapped up the special presentation. While there was no sign of a proper video iPod or even the greatly rumoured iPhone, the press conference has definitely satiated masses everywhere until the WWDC in January. For the hardcore Apple fans, you can watch the full webcast of the announcement here.
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