Apple had a big ol’ event today, because …. it’s 9/9/09. No Apple tablet, but a new iPod nano and iPod Touch are coming along with a new iPhone firmware and an update to iTunes.
First and foremost is the new iPod nano. Two sizes, 8 gigs for 149 and 16 for 179. The thing that makes this nano new? FM radio, Video Camera, Pedometer, Built-in mic and Speaker. The camera, unfortunately, does not take stills due to the quality being too low.
The iPod Touch is more an upgrade than a new one like the nano. Faster, bigger battery life, and in two new sizes. Eight gig iPod Touch is 199 now, with the new 32 gig being 299 and the 64 gig being 399. There is no support for a camera or anything special beyond better internals and a new price.
The reason for a lack of a camera is that it would make the iPod touch too expensive. Apple is trying to make the touch their gaming platform, and adding a camera would bring the price of this more affordable alternative to the iPhone would up too much. Fair enough.
A new version of iTunes was released today. The primary focus here seems to be on redesign. The iTunes store got a make over, and CDs are getting more album extras. Buying a movie off the store also gets you DVD extras now with some movies. Genius is getting some more love and the iPod syncing is getting a makeover as well.
In an effort to get this article out quicker, here’s what is in store for the new iPhone/iPod touch firmware:
* Improved syncing for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and photos
* iTunes U content organization
* Redeem iTunes Gift Cards, codes, and certificates in the App Store
* Display available iTunes account credits in the App Store and iTunes Store
* Save video from Mail and MMS into Camera Roll
* Option to Save as new clip when trimming a video on iPhone 3GS
* Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on
* Remotely lock iPhone with passcode via MobileMe
* Use Voice COntrol on iPhone 3GS with Bluetooth headsets
* Paste phone numbers into the keypad
* Option to use Home button to turn on accessibility features on iPhone 3GS
* Warn when visiting fraudulent websites in Safari (anti-phishing)
* Improved Exchange calendar syncing and invitation handling
* Fixes issue that cause some app icons to display incorrectly
Details on all of this new stuff can be found on the apple website.