MacMost Now 290: iTunes 9, iPod Nano with Video Camera, Other Announcements

Apple's Steve Jobs announces a new version of iTunes with more advanced syncing options, a new iPod Nano with a video camera, iPhone OS 3.1, pre-made ringtones in the iTunes Store, and a new iPod Touch at a lower price point.

Video Transcript: Hi This is Gary with MacMost Now. Just a quick episode to bring you up to date on all the announcements from Apple today. 
So Apple has a special event this morning in San Francisco. The biggest surprise of all was when Steve Jobs himself came out to make the announcements. He announced a lot of big things all around itunes and the ipod. For instance, there is the new ipod touch, there's a really cool new ipod nano, and there's also version 9 of the itunes application. 
It all started off with the announcement of the iphone os 3.1 which of course is also for the ipod touch. It's available today and it's free. Looks like the biggest new feature is an app, Genius. In other words, a feature that will suggest applications that you may like based on the ones you've previously purchased. 
There's also the addition of premade ringtones. Perviously, you could make your own ringtone if you purchase a special ringtone version of a song. Now apparently, there is going to be 30,000 premade ringtones from 4 major music labels. And you'll be able to buy them right from your iphone and they'll install in your iphone in the itunes application.
A lot of time today was taken up talking about itunes 9, which is available today. And one of the new features of it is extending Genius to mixes and creating these radio stations like things that keep playing songs that you like based on songs that you have. We're going to have to go and wait and see exactly what it is and how it varies from the current DJ mixes and also the current Genius feature.
It looks like synching is going to be greatly improved. Looks like you will be able to create special lists of what to sync onto your ipod or your iphone. Previously you could do that with playlists, but it looks like this new feature will make it easier. Also looks like we will finally have synching control between macs in the same household. So you'll be able to have up to 5 computers that share this same media on each of them. Music and videos. And you'll be able to set it to automatically so if you purchase something on one machine, or rip it from a cd, you'll instantly get it placed on all the other machines if that's what you want. 
In addition to a redesign of the itunes store, it looks like apple is going to try to bring back the record album. They've created something called itunes LP, which you basically buy the album and you get all sorts of additional materials and graphics, even some interactivity built in when you purchase that album from itunes. 
Also it looks like we'll finally be able to take control of our iphone and ipod touch apps by arranging them using a special feature in itunes. 
Now on to the new products. There's going to be all new ipod touches with a model that's going to be all the way up at 64 gigs. And they've got lower prices than before. In addition to that they're going to run it 50% faster and run a new version of open GL which powers a lot of the graphics behind some of the games on the ipod touch. There's also going to be new ipod shuffles with some new colors and a lower price point. 
So I think what really stole the show was the announcement of a new ipod nano. The Nanos are now a little bit cheaper, but they actually have more in them. They've got a video camera. Video camera and microphone. So now you can actually take consumer quality video with the little ipod nano. And if that's not enough throw in a pedometer and an FM radio. And now you've got probably the most popular Christmas gift for the 2009 season at only $149.00. 
So that's a quick look at the news for today. Everything announced apparently is available today or at least by the end of the day. And we're going to have more videos, especially ones showing the new features of itunes 9 soon. Till next time this is Gary Rosenzweig with MacMost Now.

MacMost Now 290: iTunes 9, iPod Nano with Video Camera, Other Announcements

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