Apples press conference has just finished up and there’s a couple of new things that have been announced. Now we already had a fair idea as to what was going to be announced through various leaks and rumors, but now we know for certain what’s going on.
First off we have a new iPod Nano, it’s been redesigned and is smaller, lighter and better than ever. It will be available for $149 (€159) for the 8GB model, or $179 (€189) for the 16GB one. This is the 6th generation iPod Nano and has got rid of the traditional Apple clickwheel, and has implemented a touchscreen.
Apple also announced a new redesigned iPod Shuffle, which as usual is smaller again and comes in 5 different colors, silver, blue, pink, orange and green and you can pick up a 2GB one for $50. They’ve brought back the buttons again to make it easier to use thankfully.
And we also have a new iPod Touch in the line up, and to be honest it’s basically the iPhone 4 without the phone bit.
It now has the ultra clear retina display, a front facing camera as well as a rear one with support for Facetime video calls, with other iPhones and iPod Touches over WiFi. It has a new A4 processor for improved gaming and performance and now supports High Dynamic Range Photos , which allows you to take three photos and combine their color ranges into one rich image.
It’s available in 8GB, 32GB or 64GB, US prices are $230, $300 and $400 respectively.
Apple also announced the much rumored Apple TV, it’s a small tiny little thing, it’s just 1/4 the size of the old one and has a built in power supply, HDMI, ethernet and 802.11n and is priced at a much more reasonable $99
All of these new devices will be on sale from next week.
The Apple TV now makes it possible to stream rental movies directly from iTunes, and also stream them directly from your computer. Content-wise, Apple is now offering $0.99 rentals from ABC and Fox, as well as full Netflix streaming support. Movies will also be available for $4.99 to stream in HD the same day there released on DVD. There’s also integration with Rotten Tomatoes which is handy.
iTunes 10 was also announced, complete with a new icon and Ping social network integration. It means you will be able to follow people, establish a circle of friends and post comments as well as check out custom song and album charts.
Finally we got word on iOS 4.1, which will be available as a free download from next week. It’s set to fix problems such as Bluetooth along with Proximity Sensor issues and will hopefully speed up performance on the iPhone 3G as well, the new features it will add, the Game Center and HDR Photos.
We even got a little sneak preview of iOS 4.2, which is due in November and will add printing support and a new wireless music streaming future called AirPlay, which will replace AirTunes.
