Apple Unveils iPod Upgrades

By EDGARD HILARIO

September 2, 2010, 5:17pm

Apple CEO Steve Jobs walks onstage as he reveals onscreen exciting upgrades in the (from left) iPod Shuffle, Nano, and Touch gadgets on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 (Thursday in Manila), in San Francisco, USA. (AP)

Following the successful release of the iPad and iPhone 4, Apple is forging on with a trailblazing 2010 by announcing upgrades of its iPod Touch, Nano, and Shuffle gadgets for millions of tech-crazy consumers globally.

First up is the new iPod Touch, said to be packed with incredible new features including Apple’s stunning Retina display, FaceTime video calling, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 chip, 3-axis gyro, iOS 4.1, and Game Center – all combined in the thinnest and lightest iPod Touch ever.

The new iPod Touch features up to 40 hours of music playback and seven hours of video playback on a single battery charge. Filed under: iPod+iTunes. Read more: apple.com/ipodtouch Next is the iPod Nano, which has been completely redesigned with Multi-Touch, allowing you navigate your music collection by simply tapping or swiping a finger on the display.

Nearly half the size and weight of the previous generation, the new iPod nano features a polished aluminum and glass enclosure with a built-in clip, making it instantly wearable.

Apple also announced the redesigned iPod Shuffle that features both clickable buttons and Apple’s innovative VoiceOver technology, enabling you to easily navigate your music and playlists without ever looking at your iPod shuffle.

The wearable iPod shuffle has an all-aluminum enclosure with a built-in clip and comes in five brilliant colors – silver, blue, green, orange, and pink.

From apple.com came these “major” upgrades to some of its “minor” products that are expected to sustain the excitement generated by the iPhone 4 and iPad releases early this year.

Also new but already available for download is iTunes 10 that features Ping, a new social network for music that lets you follow your favorite artists and friends to discover what music they’re talking about, listening to, and downloading.

With Ping you can post your thoughts and opinions, your favorite albums and songs, and the music you’ve downloaded from iTunes – plus view concert listings and tell your friends which concerts you plan to attend.

From mobile gadgets to home entertainment, Apple also introduces the new Apple TV. It offers the simplest way to watch your favorite HD movies and TV shows on your HD TV for the breakthrough price of just $99.

With Apple TV, you can choose from the largest online selection of HD movies to rent, including first-run movies for just $4.99, and the largest online selection of HD TV show episodes to rent – from ABC, ABC Family, Fox, Disney Channel, and BBC America – for just 99 cents. With its cash register still playing happy tunes with the relentless orders for the iPhone 4 and the iPad globally, Apple is expected to report a banner year in revenues.