Touchy-feely

Last Wednesday, Apple unveiled their new iPod product lineup for the coming Christmas season in the usual wave of hype and hyperbole :D

The iPod Shuffle received only a cosmetic makeover; now its available updated colours! (big whoop :P ) Other than that, the storage and price remain the same (1gig at €79). The battery life is rated at 12 hours.

The iPod Nano has been totally redesigned. Its now smaller in height, has a wider screen and plays video! The casing is now entirely metal too, so no more plastic-y bits at the top and bottom. It comes in two versions: a 4gig for €149 and an 8gig for €199. The battery life is rated at 5 hours for video and 24 hours for audio.

The regular iPod video has been renamed the iPod Classic and will come in two sizes: an 80gig for €249 and a whopping 160gig for €349. The 80gig has a battery life of 5 hours for video and 30 hours for music. The 160gig has a life of 7 hours for video and 40 hours for music.

The big release was of course the iPod Touch, which is basically an iPhone without the phone (something I said was needed when the iPhone launched!). Included are the same array of features found on the iPhone such as a touchscreen interface, a gorgeous 3.5inch widescreen display and full internet access over wi-fi. Another addition is the inclusion of a mobile version of iTunes which allows you to browse and download songs from the iTunes catalogue from anywhere theres wi-fi access!

The device is available in two sizes: 8gigs at €299 and 16gigs at €399. The rated battery life for video is 4.5 hours and up to 20 hours for audio.

Finally, in a move that enraged recent buyers of the iPhone, Apple choose to cut the cost of the iPhone by $200, in an aggressive effort to shift more units over the busy Christmas period.

All in all, Apple have done a great job of refining their current stock and debuting some serious new kit. However, Apples stubborn refusal to build in something as basic as a radio into their pods still keeps me from even thinking about purchasing one!