Does Apple really have a plan for the iPod?

As I watched yesterday's Apple event unfold, I can honestly say that the new iPod lineup failed to inspire me.

Check out the image gallery detailing all the new hardware unveiled today!

First off, there was no capacity boost for the Classic hard drive-based line of players. $249 continues to buy you 160GB. Nothing new there.

The iPod nano gets smaller, loses the clickwheel and gets what seems like a pointless multitouch screen. In the deal it loses a camera and the ability to play back video. It also gets a clip.

The iPod shuffle takes a step back. The buttonless design that Apple introduced last year has been abandoned in favor of a design reminiscent of the older design featuring physical buttons. Apple is one of the few companies I know that can take a step backward and brand it a major leap forward.

I'm not sure the buying public care much about product line revamps (it just means having to buy new cases and so on), and it seems that the Apple idea well has run dry. I think that minor tweaks are all we can hope for the iPod line from here on. There's no real "Wow!" factor to this lineup for the holiday season, and I think Apple knows this.