The iPod risked falling under the shadow of the iPhone - Apple's combination cell phone/iPod that has captured the industry buzz for most of the year. When the iPhone was released, Apple Chief Executive
Jobs answered it with the iPod Touch, which shares the same touchscreen technology that was the trademark of the iPhone. The device also features the ability to connect to Wi-Fi Internet hotspots and a full Internet browser.
The device will sell for
To complement the new device, Apple unveiled an iTunes Wi-Fi music store. Customers can preview and purchase the song over the Web using a Wi-Fi connection to their iPod Touch.
Jobs also unveiled a new version of the Nano, which Jobs said was the most popular music player in history. The new Nano is wider to accommodate a 2-inch video screen and metal design. A four-gigabit Nano is
The video iPod has been renamed iPod Classic and will come with double the memory. The low-end Shuffle product, meanwhile, will come with additional colors.
The latest batch of iPods met the usual fanfare and buzz surrounding an Apple product, and to the expected "oohs" and "ahhs" from the Apple faithful.
Apple also unveiled tweaks to its popular iTunes digital music store. Customers pay
Apple's iTunes features 6 million songs. The service is the nation's No. 3 music retailer behind
The iPod update is the first in about two years and comes about two months after Apple introduced a newer lineup of iMacs, the desktop computers that occupy another important part of Apple's product lineup.
