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Apple unveils new iPod Touch and Nano

10/09/2008

Written by Vera Alves

Apple announced today the launch of two new iPods, the second generation iPod touch and the fourth generation iPod nano.

Touted as the “funnest” iPod Apple has created to date, CEO Steve Jobs said the new products have increased capabilities and new features.

The second generation of the iPod touch is smaller and lighter than its predecessor and has a new design, with contoured metal enclosure, integrated volume control buttons and a 2.5-inch widescreen glass display.

Users can now choose from hundreds of game titles such as ‘Spore Origins’ and ‘Scrabble’ from Electronic Arts, as well as ‘Real Football 2009’ from Gameloft, which are available on iTunes or through the App Store application on the iPod touch.

The 32GB model holds up to 7,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 40 hours of video; the 16GB holds up to 3,500 songs, 20,000 photos and 20 hours of video, and the 8GB model holds up to 1,750 songs, 10,000 photos and 10 hours of video.

For sports enthusiasts the product features built-in Nike + iPod support that allows users to place the optional Nike + iPod sensor in their Nike + shoe. This feature connects with the iPod touch, tracking kilometres run or sync with the latest generation gym equipment.

The second generation iPod touch is available immediately for a suggested price of $389 RRP for the 8GB model, $498 RRP for the 16GB and $659 RRP for the 32GB model.

Steve Jobs also announced the fourth generation iPod nano, featuring a new design in nine colours (silver, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, red and black).

“The iPod nano is the world’s most popular music player and we’ve made it even better for this holiday season,” Jobs announced.

Both new iPods include the new Genius technology, which automatically creates playlists from songs in the user’s music library. Users can preview the playlist that Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs and save the playlist to enjoy later.

The new iPod nano also features a new user interface with a high-resolution portrait display and a built-in accelerometer that automatically switches to Cover Flow when rotated and automatically goes into Shuffle mode when lightly shaken.

The 8GB model of the new iPod nano is available for $249 RRP and the 16GB has a RRP of $329.

Apple’s new line up also includes the iPod shuffle in four vivid colours starting at $75 RRP and the iPod classic with 50% more capacity for the same price – 120GB for $399 RRP.

The new iPods are available through the Apple Store and Apple Authorised Resellers.