Apple announced new iPod Touch, software and iTunes features at their Rock and Roll show in San Francisco today. Engadget, Gizmodo, C/Net, CrunchGear and others are covering it live.
There have been 220 million iPods sold to date, said CEO Steve Jobs, who took the stage. He says they have 73.8 percent of the market, “with Microsoft pulling up the rear with 1.1 percent.”
Among the announcements:
- The iPod Shuffle will come in more colors. Pink, green, and blue in addition to the silver and black. It’s also now $59 for 2Gb and $79 for 4GB. There’s also a special edition in stainless steel for $99.
- The iPod Classic. The hard drive iPod will come with 160GB for $249, which is up from 120GB.
- The iPod Touch is $199 for 8GB, 32GB for $299 and 64GB for $399, all new price cuts. OpenGL ES 2.0 is also on the iPod Touch now, so games are faster–except for the $199 version
- iPhone 3.1 is free for all iPhone and iPod touch owners. It will be available on Wednesday via iTunes. Apple’s extended its Genius media-recommendation algorithm that looks at the apps you already own and makes recommendations based on that information. In addition iPhone 3.1 beefs up the iPhone’s ringtone capability.
- The iTunes Store gets a new look, along with improved artists, movies, and TV pages and a “cleaner” layout, Jobs says.
One more thing…
Two models of the iPod Nano come with a built in camera. It records H.264 VGA video, 640 by 480 pixels, up to 30 frames per second with AAC audio. The camera-equipped Nano features a 2.2-inch display and comes in bright, super glossy colors. The 8GB unit costs $149, 16GB for $179. They’re available today.
The iPod touch comes in 16, 32, and 64 GB — for $199, $299, and $399. The new 32 and 64GB version has a faster processor, 50% faster, and has WiFi — but NO camera.
Bummer.
Apple says they have sold 30 million iPhones and more than 20 million iPod Touches since the devices were first announced. Users have downloaded 1.8 billion apps from a catalog of more than 75,000.
