Apple announces new iPods; iTunes 7; iTV

Today was all about the iPod, baby.
Apple announced upgrades to all three iPod lines (iPod, nano and shuffle), iTunes 7 with movies and gave a sneak peak at an Apple set-top box slated to ship in January 2007 at a media event at the Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco.

iPod 6g
Same screen size and form factor as the previous iPod 5g.
60% brighter with brightness control.
New re-designed headphones.
Music is now searchable via a virtual keyboard.
Gapless playback.
Games - Bejeweled, Cubis 2, Mahjong, Mini golf, pac man, tetris, texas holdem, vortex, and zuma available from iTunes store for US$4.99 each.
Games also work on 5g iPods.
75% better battery life (6.5 hours of video).
Lower prices -  60GB (US$249) and 80GB (US$349).
iPod nano 2g
New software just like standard iPod.
40 percent brighter screen.
Aluminum case comes in colors: green, silver, black, blue, pink.
2GB is $149 in aluminum only.
4GB is $199 in all colors.
8GB is $249 in black only.
New charger, armband and lanyard.
iPod shuffle 2g
Now the size of iPod FM radio accessory.
Metal body.
12 hour battery.
1 configuration (1GB).
Ships in October for US$79.
World's smallest MP3 player.
iTunes 7
88% market share of legal downloads.
Source list now includes separate libraries for all forms of media.
Store has its own section, devices have their own sections, playlists too.
Cover art now free for your whole library (with an iTunes account).
Three new views of iTunes, list view, album view and cover flow view.
(Did Apple acquire Steel Skies?)
Gapless Playback.
Available now from Apple's iTunes page.

Movies
Near DVD image quality.
Dolby Surround audio.
Same day as DVD release.
Pre-order with one click.
DRM is the same as TV shows.
Parental Controls - MPAA.
International in 2007.

iTV
New Apple set-top box announced, due for release in January 2007.

• 802.11
• USB2
• Ehternet
• HDMI connector for all new big-screen flat panel TVs
• Component video (RGB)
• analog audio RCA jacks
• Optical audio
• Controled with the familiar white remote
• US$299
  

Hooks directly to your television or to your set-top box as another input, or to your receiver. "it's called iTV. That's a codeword. we need to come up with a better name." - Jobs

Press Releases

• Apple Announces iTunes 7 with Amazing New Features
• Apple Introduces the New iPod nano
• Apple Unveils the New iPod shuffle
• Apple Introduces the New iPod
• NFL & Apple Offer 2006 NFL Highlights on the iTunes Store

 (Thanks to iLounge, Engadget and MacRumors for providing live coverage.)