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Message: Will DM establish link to iPod & iPhone?

Will DM establish link to iPod & iPhone?

posted on Sep 06, 2007 07:03AM

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895...

Apple Announces iPod touch with Wi-Fi
09.05.07

Steve Jobs took the stage on Wednesday to show off a touchscreen and Wi-Fi-enabled iPod, along with a 160GB "iPod Classic," new iPod nanos and shuffles, and a price drop for the 8GB iPhone.

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By Natali T. Del Conte
SAN FRANCISCO — "Today we get to talk about music," began Steve Jobs as the Apple chief executive took the stage during a press conference Wednesday morning. Jobs announced updated versions of every iPod in Apple's iPod lineup, including a new iPhone-like iPod called the iPod touch, and cheaper pricing for the iPhone.
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The new iPod touch looks like a stripped-down version of the iPhone, with Wi-Fi and a built-in YouTube application but no voice calling."When we announced the iPhone in January, we said it was the best iPod on the planet," Jobs said. "So people were asking when we would bring this technology to the iPod."And here it is on an 8-millimeter-wide device. It is pretty much indistinguishable from the iPhone in that it plays all media including video, music, and photos. The Wi-Fi is a significant advantage. It uses a built-in antenna that provides 801.11 b/g, and logs into remote Wi-Fi networks with the Safari Web browser.ADVERTISEMENT "Wi-Fi can be challenging anywhere in between your home and your office," Jobs said. "You go to a hotel and you have to pay and login. You go to an airport, you have to pay and login. If you can't do that, you can't get on most networks, so you can build in the hardware but you can't get the network. So we're going to add the Safari Web browser so you can view all those login Web pages and login into any network."International customers who have had to wait for the iPhone can get their hands on the iPod touch immediately, according to Jobs."This is the first touch product that Apple will ship outside the U.S.," he said.The iPod touch will come in two models: an 8GB version that costs $299, and a 16GB version that costs $399. Both models will ship this month, in time for the holiday shopping season.· Inside Apple: One Week to a New iPod? · Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (LED) · Top 10 iPhone Apps · Apple's Mac Set to Soar The iPod touch also has a new application called the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store that lets customers search and buy songs directly from iTunes. You can preview songs for free and download the song straight to your library, which will be synced into your home computer's iTunes once the device is synced."You can search for anything in the entire iTunes store," Jobs said. "Same prices. Same selection."The iTunes music store will also come to the iPhone in late September as a free software update. Jobs also announced a price drop for the iPhone. Apple will no longer carry the 4GB model but will now sell the 8GB model for $399 instead of its original $599 retail price, which will inevitably annoy anyone who spent the extra $200 to be early adopters. Next: More iPod and iTunes Changes

Apple Announces iPod touch with Wi-Fi

Another new feature in iTunes is the ability to purchase and customize ringtones for the iPhone. Once you purchase a song over the iTunes store for 99 cents, you have the option to pay an additional 99 cents in order to choose a portion of the song for your iPhone ringtone. There are over 500,000 participating songs and they will be categorized in a new iTunes category called, of course, "Ringtones." This is a considerable deal considering carriers charge as much as $2.49 per ringtone.
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ADVERTISEMENT Jobs demonstrated various songs that he turned into ringtones including "Give Peace A Chance," which he joked would be assigned to play "when NBC calls," in reference to the who-broke-up-with-who altercation that Apple and NBC have been involved in over the passed week.Ringtone syncing starts "sometime next week," said Jobs.Beside the iPod touch and iTunes, there are changes across the entire iPod line. The iPod shuffle has the most subtle changes. It will still have 1GB of storage for $79, but now comes in all the sexy colors, including (Product)Red, which donates proceeds to fighting disease in Africa.The new iPod nano is quite different: much smaller, thinner, in new colors, and it now plays videos and games. It has a two-inch screen that plays video at the same quality as the current video iPod, 320-by-240 with 204 pixels per inch. Contrary to popular rumors, it does not operate by touch screen, and still uses the scroll wheel.The nano also has an updated user interface that gives a preview of album art or video art on the right side of the menu."When we went about replacing the most popular media player on the planet, we took it seriously," Jobs said.· Inside Apple: One Week to a New iPod? · Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (LED) · Top 10 iPhone Apps · Apple's Mac Set to Soar The nano's battery offers a claimed 24 hours of audio playback and five hours of video playback. It comes in two versions: a 4GB version that comes only in silver and costs $149; and an 8GB version that comes in all the new colors and costs $199. The new nanos will be in stores this weekend, according to Jobs. The regular iPod, commonly referred to as the video iPod, gets a new name, the iPod Classic, and a lot more power. The Classic still comes in an 80GB model, but it has the enhanced user interface that the new nano has, along with longer battery life: 35 hours of audio playback and five hours of video playback. The 80GB version will cost $249. There is also a new, thicker 160GB version with 40 hours of audio playback and 7 hours of video playback, which costs $349. Next: Apple

Apple Announces iPod touch with Wi-Fi

Starbucks buffs will be pleased to know that Apple now has a partnership with the coffee chain to let users see, listen to, and download any music that has been playing in the store they are in.
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ADVERTISEMENT "We love Starbucks. Its an incredible phenomenon in our culture," Jobs said. "We want to be able to combine our great iPods and our love of music with their great coffee and their love of music."Once you get near a Starbucks, a Starbucks logo will appear in the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store via the company's T-Mobile Wi-Fi network. Clicking that logo will pull up featured Starbucks CDs and playlists. Free iTunes access to Starbucks music will be available not only on the iPhone but also the iPod touch, the Mac, and the PC. This does not mean, however, that you can browse the Internet on that same Wi-Fi connection for free."Over the last three to five years, we've gotten serious about the music business as well," said Howard Schultz, founder and chairman of Starbucks. "Our customer base gives us licensing to extend the brand beyond coffee."The iTunes access roll-out will begin October 2 in New York and Seattle. It will continue in November in San Francisco with 150 additional stores, continuing in Los Angeles in early 2008, and Chicago in March.· Inside Apple: One Week to a New iPod? · Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (LED) · Top 10 iPhone Apps · Apple's Mac Set to Soar "Approximately 25 percent of our stores will be done by then and we'll spend the rest of 2008 to cover the major metropolitan areas and continue in small cities through 2009," Schultz said.Jobs concluded the press conference by showcasing his bright and shiny new line of consumer media devices."This is what we're going into the holiday season with," Jobs said. "We are ready!"

The event concluded with a performance by special musical guest KT Tunstall

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895...

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