Apple has sold 275 million iPods. Even though iPod sales have always done well, Jobs says they’ve never sat back on their laurels. Every year they keep pushing for a better product. To that end, they have completely redesigned each iPod model.
At the heart of many of these changes is iOS. Not only has it brought some amazing features to the iPhone 4, but it has also been used to enhance the iPod lineup. iOS 4.1 brings many bugfixes to the iPhone 4, fixing the proximity sensor, bluetooth, and iPhone 3G. Other features include:
- HDR Photos – Switching on HDR causes your phone to take three separate photos: One regular exposure, one under exposed shot, and one over exposed shot. They keep both the normal photo and the HDR photo, which is combined from all 3 exposures. This results in being able to pick out detail you would otherwise miss out on.
- Game Center – the ultimate in multi-player gaming from the palm of your hand, including a new title codename “Project Sword” developed by Epic and running the Unreal engine (think “Gears of War”).
- TV Show rentals and purchases.
- Upload full HD to YouTube directly from your phone.
It will be available as a free download next week.
iPod Shuffle
The iPod Shuffle initially had buttons, but did away with them in favor of the Voice Over feature. This let you control and interact with your iPod Shuffle by talking. Even though many loved the feature, others still missed their buttons. The newest incarnation of the iPod Shuffle brings the best of both worlds, bringing back the buttons and keeping the Voice Over feature. This is the smallest iPod ever. They’ve also integrated Genius mixes as well as your standard playlists. You can get the Shuffle in 5 different colors for $49. It holds 15 hours of music.
iPod Nano
There are two major changes in the iPod Nano. It is 46% smaller than before and you can clip it to your clothes like an iPod Shuffle as it’s about the same size. To compensate for the lack of buttons, you can now control the Nano via a touch screen. It also includes the Voice Over technology from the Shuffle, Multi-tasking, ping+twist to change screen orientation, FM Radio, and holds 24hrs of music. You can get an 8GB for $149 or a 16GB for $179.
iPod Touch
The iPod Touch has become the #1 portable gaming device. Jobs says, “The iPod touch outsells Nintendo and Sony’s portable game players combined. It’s been amazing.” How can they make it better? By giving it all the features of the iPhone 4 without the actual phone. The new device is thinner than before and includes a Retina display. It has a 3-axis gyroscope to improve gaming and is integrated with Game Center to make multi-player gaming easier. It comes with iOS 4.1 and has dual cameras so you can now FaceTime from your iPod Touch. The rear camera records in HD and you can edit video right on the device. It holds 40hrs of music and comes in at $229 for an 8GB, $299 for a 32GB and $399 for a 64GB.