Apple debuts new iPod nanos, Touch with Genius

Out in San Francisco, Steve Jobs has unveiled a new iPod classic, packing 120GB - that's 30,000 songs according to the Apple boss - for £179. But all eyes are on the new iPod nano unveiled last night, the thinnest iPod yet, boasting an oval profile. It has a curved aluminium design with curved glass in the screen, which is the same high resolution screen as the current wider model.

Features include voice recording when it detects a mic and the ability to use the newly announced Genius feature - which takes information from your listening habits and makes you a playlist at the press of a button - in the nano itself. If you push and hold the centre button, a menu pops up that lets you start Genius playlists, add songs, and browse artists or albums.

One clever addition is the accelerometer, which allows for assorted cool business such as Cover Flow appearing when you turn the nano on its side. Photos also rotate and shaking it shuffles your tracks.

The new devices come in nine colours, with the 8GB model costing £109 and 16GB costing £149. New accessories include $79 headphones with an inline remote control.

Next up is the new iPod touch. It boasts the same 91mm display as the current model but is thinner and made of contoured stainless steel. It adds integrated volume controls on the side and a built-in speaker, which is pretty impressive on something this svelte.

Other built-in functions include Genius playlist creation, access to the App store and Nike+ iPod software, and wi-fi is present, as before.

The user interface has been tweaked with better artwork.

And for anyone who says Apple doesn't do games, Spore is coming to the touch, with a cut-down version called Spore: Origins. Other titles include Real Soccer 2009 and Need For Speed. They're all controlled by tilting the touch and by making gestures on the screen.

The touch, described as "the funnest iPod ever", comes in 8GB flavour for £169, 16GB for £219 or 32GB for £279, from the Apple Store today.

Jobs also announced an update to iTunes 8.

According to Jobs, iTunes is the number one music distributor in any format in the US. Some 65 million account holders have 8.5 million songs, 125,000 podcasts, 30,000 TV episodes and 2,600 movies to choose from, not forgetting 3,000 apps for the iPod touch. And now they'll be able to download high-definition TV shows.

Browsing also gets a tune-up as part of the software update: albums, artists and so on can be browsed graphically, for example by album cover. There's a new voice-over feature to improve accessibility.

iTunes 8 will also introduce Genius, which uses your preferences to make ad hoc playlists. When you turn it on, information about your listening is sent anonymously to Apple, while a bar links to the relevant part of the iTunes store.

iTunes 8 will be available from today.

Rich Trenholm writes for CNET.co.uk. Find the original articles here:
New Apple iPod touch: Talks to your shoes
New Apple iPod nano: Shake it to wake it
Apple iTunes 8: Just add Genius