Apple unveils larger nanos
Dabbles in paradox
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This morning, at a San Francisco press event The Reg wasn't invited to, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled several new iPods, including a nano that handles videos and games from an expanded display. He also trumpeted the arrival of iPhone ringtones, and sadly, we have no idea whether he kept a straight face.
While this El Reg hack was sitting at his desk across town, Steve showed off two chunkier versions of the iPod: a 4GB model that sells for $149, and an 8GB model priced at $199. Each offers a 2-inch, 320-by-240-pixel display, letting you watch videos, play games, and browse your music library via that nifty CoverFlow app. Previously, you could only do such things with the so-called "iPod classic."
The new nanos will be in stores this weekend, loaded with a trio of free games that handle everything from trivia to "brick-bashing." Other games will turn up "later this month" on iTunes.
In addition to the new nanos, Jobs unveiled slightly-thinner, all-metal versions of the iPod classic (80GB for $249 model, 160GB for $349) and an iPhone that doesn't include a phone. That's right, you get Apple's breathtaking all-fingers, no-stylus interface without having to endure the hell that is AT&T's EDGE network. This new device is called the iPod touch, and it's also available in two flavors: 8GB for $299, and 16GB for $399.
Thanks to Apple's new "iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store," also announced today, both the iPod touch and the iPhone can now purchase tunes via local area wireless connections - without help from a PC.
Meanwhile, Starbucks has agreed to offer access to the new WiFi store free of charge. This means that if you walk into a Starbucks for one of the worst drip coffees you've ever tasted, you can download songs onto your iPod touch, iPhone, or laptop PC without paying for access to coffee shop's WiFi hotspot.
Where the iPhone is concerned, iTunes is also offering ringtones. After forking over 99 cents for any one of a million-odd songs, you can now pay an extra 99 cents to convert that song into 30-second snipper that kicks in when someone calls you. We couldn't even type that with a straight face. ®
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COMMENTS
Awww
Is duh lickle hack upset cos he didn't get to go to duh party? diddums.
@Andrew
Nice idea on the impulse buy, but not really different to what Starbucks already do, display a "now playing" with a CD on a stand.
HMV etc already have listening posts, and most of the time it's an instore radio that tells you the name of the track playing. If, at the very worst, you are truly stuck without knowing the song being played, there's a number you can call on your mobile to identify it. Expensive number, but my SE W880 has it built in now, it just sends about 20K to a server after sampling the music - hit rate = very high. Cost = barely noticable.
@Mark regarding the OT starbucks aside
> There's a reason why Starbucks has no (or hardly any) foothold in any of the major coffee loving countries of europe
...yes there is. Those countries had good coffee shops to start with. Places where espresso isn't spelt with an 'X', and there's the right time of day to drink the right coffee. Where the coffee shop has been in the family for generations and locals would spit at starbucks as they passed by. If there were any places like that here, that's where I'd be (moaning about the lack of wi-fi no doubt), but there aren't - and never were. Right now, here in Ireland (and the UK and from what I've experienced of northern Europe and the USA) Starbucks sells the nicest coffee on the high street. They do. Take the pepsi challange. I'm not lying!
- Actually, I am lying! there is a newish outfit here called Coffee Angel selling from mobile units. Seriously good coffee - better than starbucks. The guy who runs them has quite successfully represented Ireland in Barrista competions. If there's one around that's where I tend to get my drug of choice.
But aside from that: Starbuck = not bad coffee
(Starbucks also throws buckets of extra caffeen in their drinks to make you hoplessly adicted ~ *shakes* ~ havent made up my mind if I aapprove of this practice yet)
>Every El Reg Hack is duty bound to take the piss
Very true - absolutely agree. I'd stop coming here if el reg stopped "biting the hand that feeds IT".
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