iPod nano, touch and shuffle get updates and price cuts, coming Oct. 12
As you mull over the fact there will be no iPhone 5 this year (just an iPhone 4S), perhaps the just announced iPod nano, touch and shuffle price cuts and new features will cheer you up somewhat.
First up is the iPod nano, which will be running iOS 5 with the option to display large icons where you can swipe from one icon to the other, so you won't have to squint quite so much at the little screen. Its built-in pedometer means you will be able to track your walk and run right out of box, saving you from buying the Nike+ accessory for your shoes. With the nano being the size of a wrist watch and many accessory makers supplying a plethora of strap designs, Apple is incorporating 16 new watch interfaces into the nano, including a Mickey Mouse face, which got applause from the crowd on the Cupertino campus. The versatile device is also seeing a price cut that is effective immediately according to MacRumors: the 8 GB nano will retail for $129 (originally $149) and $149 for double the capacity at 16 GB (previously $179). You will have a choice of the following colors: silver, graphite, blue, green, orange, pink, and red. Check out ZDNet's video of Apple's senior vice president of marketing, Philip Schiller, show off the updated nano.
The best thing about the new iPod touch is that it will be available in white for those who are sick of looking at the black bezel, and that it will be running iOS 5, which means you will have access to all your content on the iCloud. Contrary to earlier rumors that this iteration of the touch will have 3G access, the multimedia player will only have Wi-Fi connectivity which is just fine with its target users. After all, isn't the lack of cellular access and need for a data plan the whole point of opting for the touch instead of the iPhone? Starting October 12, the 8 GB touch will set you back $199 (rather than $229), $299 will net you 32 GB and $399 for 64 GB.
Last but not least, the most utilitarian of the iPod offerings, the Shuffle, will be dropping to $49 for the 2 GB model on October 12, which puts it within price range of other MP3 players on the market. That said, it offers less storage space and less features than the similarly priced 4 GB SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip so may not be the most frugal choice for a MP3 player, but it will certainly be the lowest priced i-device.
Still not impressed by these iPod announcements and can't get over the lack of a brand new iPhone 5? We don't blame you...
[Source: Engadget live blog, ZDNet video, MacRumors]
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