Apple Releases New Touch Screen iPod

JSM writes to tell us that Apple released a new version of their popular iPod music player today that boasts, among other things, an iPhone-like touch screen and Wi-Fi capabilities. "The iPod Touch will feature the Safari Internet browser and, like the iPhone, play YouTube videos. Apple also announced a new version of its iTunes music store that will allow users to buy songs wirelessly. iTunes will also sell customizable 99-cent ringtones for the iPhone."

Take That

[psychicsword (1036852)]

Take that Zune!

Re:Take That

[AKAImBatman (238306)]

The Zune just squirted itself.

(Sorry, sorry)

Re:Take That

[caramelcarrot (778148)]

Yeah, it's notable that they've kept the "iPod Classic", as well as this new model, which seems to be aiming for a market between the iPod and WiFi tablets like the Nokia 770. Also the new iPod Nano looks a bit... retarded.

Skype that!

[EccentricAnomaly (451326)]

I bet Apple plans on keeping VOIP on the IPodtouch as a threat to keep ATT in line on the iPhone.

Here's an idea!

[Rob T Firefly (844560)]

While they're at it, they should build mobile phone capabilities into the thing as well. Then they'd have something!

Re:Here's an idea!

[UbuntuDupe (970646)]

Yeah ... then that would be an iPod, a phone,

AND A PORTABLE INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE! OMG!!!!!!!1111 lim(x->0,sin(x)/x)

(Someone link the Maddox piece)

4GB iPhone on sale for $299

[elysian1 (533581)]

For those that are interested, the 4GB iPhone is on sale for $299 while supplies last: http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/A ppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=BC784DCD&nplm=MA501LL/A [apple.com] The price of the 8GB iPhone dropped as well to $399.

so close.. needs more GB

[acomj (20611)]

For a device that seems to play video well (and made for it) 8/16 GB doesn't seem like enough. Especially since the "ipod classic" comes in 80/160GB flavors at the same price point( with a small not so good for video screen).

Otherwise it looks nice.

The bigger story of the day..

[jcr (53032)]

iPhone 8GB price drop from $599 to $399.

At that pricing, they could sell 5M units by the end of the year. That's a very aggressive move for market share.

-jcr

Have they started with the subsidizing?

[hypermanng (155858)]

That truly is a steep drop in price. Have their supply and production costs dropped that much, or are they sacrificing margin in the expectation of recovering it in subscription fees? I tend to suspect the latter, which amounts to subsidized pricing.

Of course, it's also possible that they inflated the initial sale price a little to allow for the steep drop. This would seem like a good way to make a little extra money and reinforce the exclusivity of iPhone ownership, but dropping the price now has to piss off existing customers, who must feel like they've been had.

Will it be able to run the same 3rd party apps....

[Joe The Dragon (967727)]

Will it be able to run the same 3rd party apps as the iphone?

meh.

[TMonks (866428)]

So its got wireless, but still less space than a nomad. lame.

Boned and cool

[SilentChris (452960)]

Phatpod iPod Nano - Like your sleek device for workouts? Too bad, go get a Shuffle - BONED
$.99 ringtone on top of $.99 to buy the song (certain songs only) - BONED
Starbucks "integration" - now my iPhone will spend a few extra seconds every time I hook up to a Wifi access point looking for coffee music - BONED
We managed to fit really nice HDs in iPods, but not the new Touch iPod - but you get a few millimeters back - BONED
$599 to $399 price drop in 2 months - EXTREMELY BONED

iTunes Store wireless - kind of cool. Wish they'd do the same thing with TV shows in music (that's what I'd be inclined to buy in an airport somewhere)

All in all, a particularly boneworthy afternoon.

current round-up

[chriss (26574)]

iPod shuttle
just new colors
1GB, $US79

iPod nano
all new with 320*240 2" screen, can play video, coverflow, brighter display
4GB $149, 8GB $US 199
slighly wider, but much shorter, 20% heavier than previous model

iPod classic
like the old iPod, now with 80GB/160GB instead of 30GB/80GB, coverflow
80GB $249, 160GB $US 349

iPod touch
like the iPhone without the phone
slightly smaller and slimmer: iPhone is 45% thicker
8mm thin
WiFi, Safari
8GB $US 299, 16GB $US 399

iPhone
killed the 4GB version
reduced 8GB version from $US599 to $US 399
11.6mm thin

Re:current round-up

[sootman (158191)]

Yes, that's right--a 33% price drop after just two and a half months. Existing iPhone customers can bring their phone to their local Apple retail store and get a white-on-black shirt that says 'Chump' or 'Sucker', your choice.

(I bought a 4 GB refurb model last week for $399. However, that does not qualify me for a shirt.)

Not impressed with the new Fat Nano

[bogie (31020)]

Way to ruin the Nano Apple. It was in no way a good idea to bloat the Nano so we could have video on it. Honestly, most of us simply don't want to watch video on a 2" screen. We wanted a cheaper Nano with more memory.

Nice job on the other ipods though. Hacked Ipodtouch + Skype = Goodness? Boy would that put a stick in Apple's craw.

Best comment heard so far regarding the Nano: "Does it do the truffle shuffle?"

Re:Not impressed with the new Fat Nano

[blantonl (784786)]

You give it to your wife.

Overall, not a bad event

[Clockwurk (577966)]

Apple released some nice products today, but had some disappointing moments as well. First, the new ipod classic looks nice and the bump to 160gb is nice. The other announcements were not as exciting. The new nano looks ugly and didn't get a storage bump. The ipod touch looks very nice, but they should have used the 160gb hdd from the classic instead of flash.

The iPhone news was the biggest let down. For all the talk of Apple "redefining" the cellphone industry, the event today showed that they have no intentions of being anything other than just another gouger. The write-up was wrong. Ringtones aren't $0.99, they are $0.99 for songs that you purchased already from itunes, so they are $1.98 and you can't use music that you got from other sources.

The other nice move was dropping the price on the iphone. I personally think this is a great move, even if it is a slap in the face to all the early adopters (henceforth referred to as "suckers"). It was also a nice fuck-in-the-ass to all the ebayers who are sitting on $200 losses now.

There you go

[Spy Hunter (317220)]

All those people (you know who you are) who kept saying "I'd buy an iPhone without the phone", you better step up.

Direct competitor to the nokia N800

[dgerman (78602)]

Now we have a direct competitor to the N800, and the "Touch" is actually cheaper (at least in Canada) than the N800.

I am not suggesting a "Touch" will have an open platform, ready for hacking. But for the regular folk, who just
want Wifi, and an agenda/calendar, the Touch will be enough. Wifi, in my opinion, is the killer app for those who
don't want a cell phone (yes, we exist) but want an agenda. Others will prefer to continue to use a phone as a phone
and get an ipod for its wifi. The greymarket of iphones being shipped overseas (even before the hacks) are evidence
that there is a market for this.

Also, I own a N800 and an Ipod video, and in my opinion the sound quality of the N800 is lower than the ipod. But that is just my opinion.

--dmg

Transition

[Belgand (14099)]

Apple really seems to be in a state of flux right now with their iPod/iPhone lines.

The release of the iPhone went well, but it's really pricey and historically first gen Apple products do little more than set the paradigm and show future promise. By the time we get second and third gen iPhones they'll probably be pretty amazing and a lot cheaper. Just comparing my second gen iPod to the advances made in say, the fourth generation (third introduced major changes, but fourth is where it stabilized design, went color, and started to move more heavily into video) are pretty staggering.

At the same time they're trying to reconcile the popularity of the iPhone with their ongoing iPod line and their iPod Nano line, but without dropping the core functionality of the iPod to such a degree that they lose business (i.e. by cutting the space to make room for the new features). As a result we have a mish-mash of product lines going on right now each of them with flaws.

If anyone out there is interested in purchasing a device now is probably the worst time. Give Apple a year or so and we'll start seeing further consolidation into a more stable product line that better integrates the features of each of their currently available products. Eventually I expect we'll be getting an 80 Gig iPhone with wi-fi and third-party apps, probably in only a year or two based on the way things have been moving so far.

When they stop making changes and start introducing only gradual improvements (like when the video iPod simply came out in a model with more storage) that's the time to go grab it. Based on their past performance though, I'd suggest waiting until then.

This is exactly what I've been waiting for.

[jbarr (2233)]

Having been a VERY long-time PalmOS PDA user (since the USR Pilot 1000), the prospect of a decent Apple PDA-like device very much anticipated. Palm PDA's were revolutionary, but their technological drive forward has long been stalled. This "phoneless iPhone" could prove to be a HUGE seller. My main desire for this type of device is simply because it is NOT a phone. Historically, my company has provided a phone to their specifications, and I never had a choice in the matter, so I've had to take a pass on all of the latest and greatest "convergence" devices because of the integrated phones. Now that the phone has been removed, this looks like an EXCELLENT opportunity for a new, more modern replacement to my old PalmOS PDA's. My only question is will there be third-party apps to enhance it?

Re:AAPL down 3.5%

[Mononoke (88668)]

Due to pre-anouncement speculation, Apple stock always rises, then fall immediately after the event. Jobs could announce a cure for cancer, and the stock would still fall.

Re:AAPL down 3.5%

[Mattintosh (758112)]

Just some (attempted) profit-taking. Everybody buys AAPL right before an announcement, then sells shortly afterward to get some fast cash. Only the ones that buy several days in advance make anything, but the effect is tried-and-true. It's been happening around every Apple product announcement for the last couple of decades, with varying share prices of course.

Re:Why not update the official ipod site?

[clem (5683)]

That's nothing. Look what they did to the regular iPod [cnn.net]. It's as big as Steve Jobs! How am I supposed to take that on the bus?