Apple Refreshes Their iPod Line-Up, Shuffle, Nano, and Touch All Revamped

Apple kicked things off by announcing iOS 4.1 and 4.2 (for the iPad) but that's not what we'll talk about here - you'll have to wait until November for iOS 4.2 on your iPad by the way. We're focusing on the iPod refresh that took place today, and Steve Jobs said that this is the biggest iPod update ever. The first thing he announced was the new iPod Shuffle. After the third-generation failed, they've brought the buttons back in its small factor. It has the clip on the back and comes with 2GB of internal storage. This will cost you $49 and will be available in 5 colours (gray, blue, pink, green, and yellow) each with 15 hours of audio playback. Keep scrolling down for the new iPod Nano.

Next up is the new iPod Nano, which is being touted as a small iPod Touch. As expected, it's a plain (and small) touchscreen with no buttons on the front. On the side there's the volume button and on the back there's a clip which is great if you like to clip it. I put mine in my pocket so that doesn't really matter to me. It has a multitouch display along with 24 hours of audio playback. This reminds me of the third-gen (fat) iPod Nano so let's see how successful this turns out to be. This will come in a bunch of (they say six, I see seven) colours and they're all above for you. The 8GB model will be available for $149 while the 16GB model will only cost $30 more, at $179. iPod Touch next.

Update: The iPod Nano does not have video playback, I repeat does not. You won't be able to watch of your movies or podcasts on this device. Yup, no video playback.

Of course, this event wouldn't be complete without the most important iPod of all, the Touch. This model is even thinner and comes with a flat back. This iPod Touch sports the same retina display you'll find on the iPhone 4 and it also sports the Apple A4 CPU along with iOS 4.1 (with Game Center), 40 hours of audio playback, a front-facing camera, and a rear-facing camera with 720p HD video recording for FaceTime. You can pre-order them right now and they'll be going for $229 for 8GB, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB. Yes, there's no more 16GB model. They'll be available starting next week in the US (I don't know about the Canadian release dates).

[Engadget]