Oct 12, 2005 04:35 PM
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Just One More Thing? I've learned from a trusted source that there is going to be another, even bigger announcement from Apple next month. No Joke—the other shoe will drop. Let the rumors begin!
The presentation has begun, and Jobs says it will be in three acts—just like any great story.
Act 1
An all new iMac. Even thinner around the edges. A new iSight videocam is built in. Even higher quality than old iSight. Photobooth application. There is a flash built into the iMac! Also front row—a new way to experience media on the mac from your sofa.
An apple remote control! Six buttons on the remote, with ipod style setup. Remote just controls what's on the iMac screen from afar. There is a video tab for video podcasts on the screen. You can also stream movie trailers.
$1,299 for 1.5GHz/17-inch and $1,699 for the 2.1 GHz/20-inch model. Starts shipping today.
Act 2
Opens with U2 concert on screen. Over a million nanos shipped in first 17 days.
The new iPod is has 4x3 screen, 320x240 pixels and 260,000 colors and does realtime decoding of MPEG4 and H.264 at 30fps. It has video out. The 30GB for $299 and 60GB for $399 will be out next week. The 60GB model is thinner than the current 20GB. The 30GB holds 75 hours of video. They come in white and black. They go on sale late next week—the new tagline is "watch your music." The new ad has Eminem in silhouette campaign.
Act 3
iTunes 6. Hey, didn't they just do 5 like, last month? Video podcasting is here, now. The iTunes store will have 2,000 music video. $1.99 each. Six Pixar short films will be available as well, for $1.99. Each video is the size of six songs.
No burning allowed, but you can play the flicks on up to five computers and as many iPods as you want. The videos are protected by Fairplay.
The new iTunes also has a "gifting" function that lets you give someone a sone. Customer reviews will go live. And there is "Just for you." Personalized recommendations on the main page based on what you buy. If you want it to be accurate, buy more says Jobs.
Final announcement You can buy TV shows through the iTunes store. Desperate housewives and Lost from ABC—which is owned by Disney. "I know those guys," says Jobs. Going to offer 5 shows on itunes—Lost, Desperate Housewives, Night Stalker and two Disney Channel shows. You can buy current episodes the day after they are broadcast on the air. Shows are downloaded commercial free, no ads! About a 10-to 20-minute download for one episode. $1.99 per episode of for current and previous season tv shows. Watch them on your computer or iPod.
Full press release after the jump.
[Thanks Jose for the photo!]
[Humongous thanks to Geoff for the liveblog]
The Apple Store is live.
Apple Unveils the New iPod;
Fifth Generation iPod Now Plays Music, Photos & Video
SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple today introduced the new iPod(R), featuring a gorgeous 2.5-inch color screen which can display album artwork and photos, and play stunning video including music videos, video Podcasts, home movies and television shows. The new iPod holds up to 15,000 songs, 25,000 photos or over 150 hours of video and is available in a 30GB model for $299 and a 60GB model for $399, with both models available in stunning white or black designs.
"The new iPod is the best music player ever — it's 30 percent thinner and has 50 percent more storage than its predecessor — yet it sells for the same price and plays stunning video on its 2.5-inch color screen," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Because millions of people around the world will buy this new iPod to play music, it will quickly become the most popular portable video player in history."
The new iPod plays music, audiobooks, audio Podcasts, video Podcasts, home movies, music videos and popular television shows like "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives." The unrivaled combination of iPod and iTunes(R) 6 now provides customers with a seamless experience for buying, managing and playing video as well as audio content, including over 2,000 music videos, six short films from the Academy-Award winning Pixar Animation Studios, and five television shows from ABC and Disney Channel, including the immensely popular "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives."
The new iPod combines all of the ground breaking features that have made the iPod the best music player in the world with revolutionary new features such as the ability to view video content on a larger stunning color display.
The new iPod features Apple's innovative Click Wheel for precise, one-handed navigation and the portable design is ideal for putting music, Podcasts, photos, audiobooks, home movies, music videos and popular television shows in a pocket for on-the-go viewing. iPod users can also watch their video content and slideshows of their photos on a television via optional Apple accessories.
Featuring seamless integration with the iTunes Music Store and the iTunes digital music jukebox, iPod features Apple's patent pending Auto-Sync technology that automatically downloads digital music, Podcasts, photos, audiobooks, home movies, music videos and popular television shows onto the iPod and keeps them up-to-date whenever the iPod is plugged into a Mac(R) or Windows computer using USB 2.0. The 30GB model features up to 14 hours of battery life for music playback and the 60GB model features up to 20 hours of battery life for music playback.*
Pricing & Availability
The new iPods will begin shipping next week for a suggested retail price of $299 (US) for the 30GB model and $399 (US) for the 60GB model through the Apple Store(R) (www.apple.com ), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. All iPod models include earbud headphones, USB 2.0 cable, case, dock insert and a CD with iTunes for Mac and Windows computers.
Optional accessories designed for the new iPod include: Universal Dock for $39 (US), giving users easy access to a USB port for syncing, IR support to work with the Apple Remote and a variable line out and S-video connections for integration within the living room; Apple Remote for $29 (US), providing wireless integration to the Universal Dock and quick and easy access to controls from across the room; Apple iPod AV cable for $19 (US), enabling television viewing of video content in full-screen; the iPod Camera Connector for $29 (US); and Apple Socks for $29 (US) providing six vibrant color socks to dress up and protect your iPod.
iPod requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 and Mac OS(R) X version 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 6; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000, XP Home or Professional (SP2) and iTunes 6.
* Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; video capacity is based on H.264 750-Kbps combined with 128-Kbps audio; and photo capacity is based on iPod-viewable photos transferred from iTunes.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store.
Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Power Mac, iPod, iTunes and Apple Store are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Apple
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