Apple's media event at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco has offered up a new iPhone 5, release date information for iOS 6 and a preview of a new version of iTunes launching in October -- as well as new iPods.
Apple senior VP Greg Joswiak followed a demonstration of the new iTunes to announce 350 million iPods sold to date, calling it "the most popular music player of all time." However, some changes are in store for the aging iPod lineup, starting with the seventh-generation iPod nano.
"Let's start with the nano," Joswiak says. "We've had six generations of it. But we wanted to reinvent the nano -- we thought, what elements do we want to add?"
In addition to a large display, better controls and the new Lightning connector, the new iPod nano is 38 percent thinner than before at only 5.4mm, bringing multitouch to the device with a 2.5-inch display complete with an iPhone-style home button.
Available in seven different colors, the new iPod nano features an integrated FM tuner and brings video playback to the device again, and this time it's widescreen. Bluetooth is also integrated into the latest nano, which Joswiak calls "one of the biggest requests" the company has had for the diminutive player.
Next up is a new fifth-generation iPod touch, which is an impossibly 6.1mm thin and weighs only 88 grams. The larger display from the iPhone 5 carries right over to the newest model which includes an A5 dual-core processor with dual-core graphics as well.
Following a quick demo of a new game called Clumsy Ninja, Joswiak returned to the stage to note the new iPod touch has longer battery life with 40 hours of music playback, as well as an improved five-megapixel iSight camera which carries over most of the new features added to the iPhone 5 -- and for the first time ever, autofocus and an LED flash as well.
Panorama mode also comes to the iPod touch, which is now capable of running the iOS version of iPhoto. The new iPod touch also adds the same wireless and front-facing FaceTime HD camera improvements as the iPhone 5, carrying AirPlay mirroring to the media player for the first time.
Apple is also introducing the iPod touch loop, an included bracelet to keep your device safely attached to your wrist while playing games. Last but not least, the iPod touch finally comes in your choice of five colors: White, black, blue, yellow and red, all with a color-coordinated loop; a (RED) model will also be available.
Of course, new iPod touches require new earbuds, which is why Apple has introduced EarPods, a new design the company claims is three years in the making. "Doing a great headphone is hard," Joswiak noted. "Ears are challenging. Everyone's are different, but you have to make one size."
The new EarPods match those recently leaked from Apple's supply chain, and will be included with the new iPod touch, iPod nano and iPhone 5 models as well as a standalone accessory for users of older hardware to purchase.
The fifth-gen iPod touch is priced at $299 for 32GB or $399 for 64GB and will be available in October; the new 16GB iPod nano will also be available next month for $149. The current fourth-gen iPod touch will remain in the lineup at $199 for 16GB or $249 for 32GB, while the 2GB iPod shuffle is now priced at $49.
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