Apple Displays Its Newest Harvest

Earlier today Apple held its “Let’s Rock” event in San Francisco to unveil the latest incarnations of its iPods for the enjoyment of Apple fanboys and girls throughout the world. As Apple CEO Steve Jobs first took the stage, a slide on the huge screen behind him read, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” a reference to recent rumors about his health. He seemed healthy and energetic, though, despite looking as thin as the new iPods.

The new iPod nanos

Here’s some of the new Apple product info in handy bite-size bullet-point form (all existing inventory iPods are on sale at Abt):

• The iPod nano has gone on a diet and now looks more like its original, taller self, with curved edges like the iPhone and several new colors, including orange, yellow, and purple.
• The iPod Touch now features a chrome rim, with a tapered back like the iPhone. It’s also $100 cheaper than before ($229 for the 8GB, $299 for the 16GB, and $399 for the 32GB).
• The iPod Classic has grown from 80GB to 120GB for the same price ($249).
• The iPod Shuffle remains basically the same (1GB and 2GB models) but is available in four new hues.
• New premium in-ear headphones will soon be available, featuring dual drivers (a woofer and a tweeter) and a built-in remote and mic for only $79.
• iTunes 8 was unleashed today and features “Genius technology,” which lets you automatically create playlists from songs in your music library with a single click. The iTunes store also is now selling TV shows in high-definition, including shows from NBC, which had a recent falling-out with Apple.

Want some more detailed details? Steve Jobs referred to the iPod Touch as “the funnest iPod ever,” and it now comes with an integrated volume control on the side, a speaker, and Nike+ iPod built in. The iPod nanos are priced at $149 for the 8GB and $199 for the 16GB, with both models now sporting a voice recorder and a “shake to shuffle” feature that shuffles your music when you gently shake your iPod.

For those of you with environmental concerns, the new nanos and touches are arsenic-free, BFR-free, mercury-free, PVC-free, and are highly recyclable. According to Jobs, these are the “cleanest, most toxic free” iPods Apple has ever made, so now you can enjoy your music and videos without worrying about destroying planet Earth.

—by Graham W.