Apple Summer 2010 Gadget

source: appleinsider.com
Apple adds buttons to new fourth-generation iPod shuffle
Apple's new fourth-generation iPod shuffle is a marriage of the last two generations, bringing back physical buttons to the company's smallest media player.


The new iPod shuffle will sell for just $49 and comes in five different colors. Like the previous generations, it has a clip so it can be worn.

It looks like the second-generation device, but retains the voiceover capabilities of the third-generation.

"People clearly missed the buttons," Jobs said.

The new wearable iPod shuffle has an all-aluminum enclosure with a built-in clip and comes in five colors: silver, blue, green, orange and pink. With nearly 50 percent more battery life, the new iPod shuffle features over 15 hours of music playback on a single battery charge and offers 2GB of storage for just $49.

"We’re making the iPod shuffle even better by combining clickable buttons and VoiceOver technology, so users can find and enjoy their music without ever looking at their iPod shuffle," Jobs said in a press release. "With its all-aluminum enclosure and built-in clip the new iPod shuffle is a great workout companion, and at just $49 it's a great entry-level iPod that almost everyone can afford."

The new VoiceOver button on top of iPod shuffle allows users to hear the name of the currently playing song and to switch between songs, playlists or Genius Mixes. VoiceOver speaks 25 different languages and even alerts users when their battery needs charging.

The new iPod shuffle now supports Genius Mixes, the iTunes feature that automatically creates mixes from songs in a user’s music library that go great together. Genius Mixes allow users to to rediscover music they already have, but may not have listened to recently.

Features:

• Beautiful and Wearable: It’s small, it’s colorful, and it lets you take hundreds of songs with you everywhere.
  
  
• Buttons: The big, clickable control pad gives you an easy way to play your music.
  
  
• It Talks to You: Press the new VoiceOver button to hear the song title, playlist name, or battery status.
  
  
• Multiple Playlists: Sync different playlists and Genius Mixes and have the perfect music for every mood.

Technical Specifications

Size and weight:

• Height: 1.14 inches (29.0 mm)
  
• Width: 1.24 inch (31.6 mm)
  
• Depth: 0.34 inch (8.7 mm) including clip
  
• True volume: 0.35 cu. inch (5668 cu. mm) including clip
  
• Weight: 0.44 ounce (12.5 grams)

External controls:

• 3-way switch (Shuffle, Play in Order, Off )
  
• VoiceOver button
  
• Control pad

Input and output: 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack for audio and for USB charging

Environmental requirements:

• Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
  
• Non-operating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
  
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% non-condensing
  
• Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Capacity:

• 2GB flash drive
  
• Stores data via USB flash drive

Battery and power:

• Up to 15 hours of audio playback
  
• 80% charged in 2 hours; fully charged in about 3 hours
  
• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
  
• Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter (sold separately)

Headphones:

• Earphones
  
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
  
• Impedance: 32 ohms

Audio:

• Skip-free playback
  
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
  
• AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

Environmental Status Report:

• iPod shuffle embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:
  
• Brominated flame retardant-free
  
• PVC-free
  
• Highly recyclable aluminum enclosure
  
• Smaller, more compact packaging (60% smaller, 53% lighter)

new iPod nano with multi-touch display

Apple's new iPod nano will have a tiny multi-touch display that allows users to scroll through their music and use features such as FM radio and Nike+. The new iPod nano, which had been rumored for weeks, was confirmed Wednesday by Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs. He boasted that the new device is almost half as small and half as light as its predecessor.

"It's so small, we're able to put a clip on it too, so it's instantly wearable," he said.

Users can swipe through to choose icons including music playlists, artists and Genius mixes. It also has FM radio, podcasts, and the ability to view photos.

Like on other iOS devices, users can move icons and drag them to different pages. The device also allows users to scroll as they do on the iPhone or iPod touch.

The device includes hard volume buttons, voiceover, Nike+ and a pedometer. It works in 29 languages. Multi-touch input can also be used to rotate the screen.

It will be available in six colors, $149 for the 8GB model, and $169 for the 16GB model. The internal battery provides users with up to 24 hours of music playback on a single charge.

"This is the biggest reinvention of the iPod nano since its debut in 2005, and we think users are going to love it," Jobs said in a press release. "Replacing the click wheel with our Multi-Touch interface has enabled us to shrink the iPod nano into an amazingly small design that is instantly wearable with its built-in clip."

iPod nano also features "Shake to Shuffle," giving music lovers the ability to shake their iPod nano to shuffle to a new song in their music library. With its built-in FM radio, iPod nano lets you listen to your favorite radio stations, and live pause lets you pause and resume playing your favorite FM radio shows without missing a beat.

Features:

• Multi-touch display: The best things in life have a soundtrack, and that’s where iPod nano shines. The Multi-Touch display lets you experience your music in a new way. Tap to play anything you want to hear. Swipe the Home screen to browse your music by songs, albums, artists, playlists, genres, or composers. You can even rearrange the icons on your Home screen so your music is organized just how you like.
  
  
• Clip-on design: With the new built-in clip, you can walk, run, ride, or dance with your favorite songs on your sleeve (or pocket, jacket, or bag). The album art of the song you’re listening to fits perfectly on the display.
  
  
• 24-hour battery life: The built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery gives you up to 24 hours of nonstop music. So when you clip on an 8GB or 16GB iPod nano, you’ll have plenty of tunes to make it through your commute, your workout, and beyond.
  
  
• Shake to Shuffle: Now for something completely random. Give iPod nano a shake and it shuffles to a different song in your music library. Shake to Shuffle is perfect for when you’re not in any particular music mood. You never know what you’re going to hear, and you’ll always be pleasantly surprised.
  
  
• Genius Mixes: Say you’re listening to a song you love and you want to stay in the groove. Just tap Genius. It finds other songs on your iPod nano that go great together and makes a Genius playlist for you. For more song combinations you wouldn’t have thought of yourself, create Genius Mixes in iTunes and sync the ones you like to your iPod nano. Then tap the Genius Mixes icon and rediscover songs you haven’t heard in a while — or find music you forgot you even had.
  
  
• FM Radio with Live Pause: Ride the airwaves on iPod nano. The FM tuner shows the artist, song, or program you’re listening to. Just tap to see the radio controls, flick the radio dial to change stations, and tap to set your favorites.
  
  
• Fitness: The new iPod nano design actually helps keep you fit. It’s portable and wearable, which makes it runnable, walkable, and workout-able. Clip it on and control your music with just a tap or swipe of a finger, so you can stay focused without fumbling around. For your run, walk, or trip to the gym, a little iPod nano goes a long way.

Technical Specifications

Size and weight:

• Height: 1.48 inches (37.5 mm)
  
• Width: 1.61 inches (40.9 mm)
  
• Depth: 0.35 inch (8.78 mm) including clip
  
• Weight:0.74 ounces (21.1 grams)
  
• Volume: 0.614 cu. inch (10,056 cu. mm) including clip

Capacity: 8GB or 16GB flash drive2

Sensor: Accelerometer

Environmental requirements:

• Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
  
• Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
  
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
  
• Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Environmental Status Report:

• Arsenic-free display glass
  
• BFR-free
  
• Mercury-free
  
• PVC-free
  
• Recyclable aluminum enclosure
  
• Smaller, more compact packaging (45% smaller, 46% lighter)

Display:

• 1.54-inch (diagonal) color TFT display
  
• 240-by-240-pixel resolution
  
• 220 pixels per inch

Audio playback:

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
  
• Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
  
• User-configurable maximum volume limit

FM radio:

• Regional settings for Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe, and Japan
  
• Live Pause feature for pausing a radio broadcast and rewinding (within a 15-minute buffer)

Headphones:

• Earphones
  
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
  
• Impedance: 32 ohms

Battery and power:

• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
  
• Up to 24 hours of music playback when fully charged
  
• Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter (sold separately)
  
• Fast-charge time: about 1.5 hours (charges up to 80% of battery capacity)
  
• Full-charge time: about 3 hours

new iPod touch with Retina Display, forward-facing camera

Apple's new iPod touch has the same Retina Display, front facing camera, rear HD camera, and A4 processor as the iPhone 4, all in a size slimmer than last year's media player.

The new iPod touch, along with the rest of the new iPod lineup, will be available next week. All three models of the new iPod touch have the new features, starting at $229 for the 8GB model, $299 for the 32GB version, and $399 for 64GB of capacity.

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said the new iPod touch can run the same iMovie application that was previously only available for the iPhone 4. Using the rear-facing HD camera, users can shoot video and edit it right on the device.

The new iPod touch also has a forward-facing camera and a microphone, which allow users to do FaceTime with other iPod touch users, as well as iPhone 4 owners.

The fourth-generation iPod touch will also ship with iOS 4.1, which includes Game Center, Apple's social networking application for game players. It also has the three-axis gyroscope, which allows for more precise controls in games.

"We’ve put our most advanced technology inside the new iPod touch," Jobs said in a press release. “Whether you’re listening to music, playing games, making FaceTime video calls, browsing the web, capturing HD video or watching TV shows and movies, the new iPod touch with its Retina display, A4 chip and 3-axis gyro is more fun than ever."

Jobs said he believes that the new lineup of iPods is the strongest that Apple has ever had.

Apple boasted that the iPod touch is the world’s most popular portable game player. The addition of Game Center will allow players to challenge and play friends or be matched automatically with new opponents.

Game Center lets iPod touch users showcase their scores and achievements and discover new games their friends are playing. With the App Store on iPod touch, users have access to the world's largest catalog of apps with over 250,000 apps, including over 65,000 game and entertainment titles to choose from.

Features

• Facetime: FaceTime on iPod touch lets you hang out, catch up, and goof off with friends in an entirely new way. With just a tap, you can see what your friends are up to — literally. Witness a prank in action. Or watch your friend on the other side of the country crack up at your stories from last night — new iPod touch to new iPod touch or iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi. And all you need to get started is an Apple ID and an email account.
  
  
• Retina Display: The Retina display on iPod touch brings out the awesome in anything on it. That’s because it’s the highest-resolution iPod screen ever, with four times the pixel count of previous iPod models. In fact, there are so many pixels, the human eye can’t distinguish individual ones. Which makes graphics and images stunningly sharp, and text amazingly crisp. Just like the printed page.
  
  
• HD Video Recording and Editing: “You should have seen it!” is a thing of the past. Because with iPod touch, you’ll always have a great HD video camera with you. Say you’re at a party and you see someone popping and locking. You’re ready to capture the moment in all its glory. In high-definition 720p video. You can record video in low-light settings, thanks to the advanced backside illumination sensor. You can even edit and create your own mini blockbuster right on iPod touch using the new iMovie app — with Apple-designed themes, titles, and transitions. It’s available on the App Store for $4.99.
  
  
• Game Center: It’s time to make a game plan. The new Game Center app on iPod touch lets you add more players to your gaming network. Invite friends to join. Then totally dominate them. Take a look at how your score ranks against your friends and other players of each game. Compare game achievements with your friends. Put together a select group of friends to play with. Or choose to automatically go up against people you don’t know in a multiplayer game. So get in the game. And get your friends in it, too.
  
  
• Music: With iPod touch, you don't just play your music. You hear it, and see it, in entirely different ways. Let Genius search your library and automatically create a mix just for you. Or give Genius playlist a go, and Genius will use a song you really love to find other tracks from your library that go great with it. You can also view album art in Cover Flow. Or shake to shuffle for a fresh take on your music library.
  
  
• Movies and TV Shows: Your favorite movies and TV shows are now playing on a subway train or plane near you. Because you can buy movies and TV shows, or just rent them, right on iPod touch. Shop the iTunes Store and choose from thousands of must-see titles to fill your iPod touch. Then watch them on the amazing 3.5-inch color widescreen Retina display.

Technical specifications

Size and weight:

• Height: 4.4 inches (111.0 mm)
  
• Width: 2.3 inches (58.9 mm)
  
• Depth: 0.28 inch (7.2 mm)
  
• Weight: 3.56 ounces (101 grams)

Capacity:

• 8GB, 32GB or 64GB flash drive

Wireless:

• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
  
• Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR
  
• Maps-location based service4
  
• Nike + iPod support built in

In the box

• iPod touch
  
• Earphones
  
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
  
• Quick Start guide

Environmental Status Report

• Arsenic-free display glass
  
• Brominated flame retardant-free
  
• Mercury-free LCD display
  
• PVC-free
  
• Recyclable stainless steel enclosure
  
• Smaller, more compact packaging (17% smaller, 16% lighter)

Display

• 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen
  
• Multi-Touch display
  
• 960-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 pixels per inch

Audio

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
  
• Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
  
• User-configurable maximum volume limit

Headphones

• Earphones
  
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
  
• Impedance: 32 ohms

TV and video

• H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
  
• MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
  
• Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
  
• Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cables sold separately)

Cameras, photos, and video

• Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio; still photos (960 x 720) with back camera
  
• VGA-quality photos and video up to 30 frames per second with the front camera
  
• Tap to control exposure for video or stills
  
• Photo and video geo tagging over Wi-Fi

Input and output

• 30-pin dock connector
  
• 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack
  
• Built-in speaker
  
• Microphone

External buttons and controls

• Sleep/wake
  
• Volume up/down
  
• Home

Sensors

• Three-axis gyro
  
• Accelerometer
  
• Ambient light sensor

Battery and power

• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Playback time

• Music playback time: Up to 40 hours when fully charged
  
• Video playback time: Up to 7 hours when fully charged
  
• Charging times: Fast charge in about 2 hours (80% capacity), full charge in about 4 hours.

iTunes 10 with Ping social music network

The next version of iTunes, available today, includes Ping, a social music discovery tool that allows users to follow friends and artists, helping customers to discover and share new music.

It's sort of like Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes," Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said of the entirely new Ping service. He described it as a social network all about music, built in to the new iTunes, now available for download.

The product is based on discovery, allowing users to see what their friends are listening to and what concerts they're going to.

Users can choose to "follow" artists, as well as their friends, and iTunes will populate a customized top 10 list that represents what their friends are downloading. Users can also see concerts that are coming near them, and inform their friends that they will be attending.

Ping will be open to over 160 million customers, who can sign up immediately. It will also be available to iPhone and iPod touch users through the existing iTunes Store.

iTunes 10 will also ship with a new logo, which Jobs joked reflects the fact that by next Spring, Apple is expected to surpass all CD sales in the U.S. The new iTunes logo dispenses of the CD that was previously featured, and only includes a musical note.

Jobs also demonstrated a new "hybrid" view within iTunes 10, which automatically displays album art when there are five or more tracks from the same record.

"iTunes is the number one music community in the world, with over 160 million iTunes users in 23 countries, and now we’re adding social networking with Ping," Jobs said in a press release. "With Ping you can follow your favorite artists and friends and join a worldwide conversation with music’s most passionate fans."

new cloud-centric Apple TV for $99

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs showed off "one more hobby" Wednesday, with a newly redesigned Apple TV that costs less than half of the price of its predecessor -- $99.

The new Apple TV has a built-in power supply, HDMI, optical audio, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi, all packed into a device that is a quarter of the size of the previous generation hardware.

"It's a fourth the size," Jobs said. "You can hold it in the palm of your hand."

Features

The CEO said that the new Apple TV does away with concerns of storage, as it is based on a rental model rather than purchasing. Users can rent first-run HDTV movies for $4.99, while single episodes of TV shows in HD will be available for 99 cents from Fox and ABC.

"We think the rest of the studios will see the light and get on board pretty fast," Jobs said.

Users can also stream content from an iOS device running version 4.2 or later. Jobs demonstrated streaming the movie "Up," instantly from an iPad over Wi-Fi.

The new Apple TV also offers access to Netflix streaming, YouTube videos, and photos from Flickr. Content can also be streamed from a Mac or PC, and from a MobileMe account. The new Apple TV will ship later this month.

Other features, according to Apple, include:

• Silent, cool, and small: The new Apple TV is quiet, energy efficient, and so small it fits just about anywhere.
  
  
• Less clutter with HDMI: Play audio and video though a single HDMI connection.
  
  
• Apple Remote included: Control Apple TV with the sleek, aluminum Apple Remote.
  
  
• Integration: Includes access to Netflix, Flickr, Rotten Tomatoes, and MobileMe.
  
  
• Photos, music and videos: View your own content on the new Apple TV. And stream content wirelessly via an iOS 4.2 or later device using the new AirPlay technology.
  
  
• Remote app for iPhone or iPod touch . Remote uses the same easy-to-use interface you already use to browse music and video on your Multi-Touch device. So right away, you know how to navigate. If you want to find something specific, use your device’s QWERTY keyboard to quickly tap out the title instead of clicking letters on the Apple TV screen.

"The new Apple TV, paired with the largest selection of online HD movie and TV show rentals, lets users watch Hollywood content on their HD TV whenever they want," Jobs said in a press release. "This tiny, silent box costing just $99 lets users watch thousands of HD movies and TV shows, and makes all of their music, photos and videos effortlessly available on their home entertainment system."

Technical Specifications

Size and weight:

• Height: 0.9 inches (23 mm)
  
• Width: 3.9 inches (98 mm)
  
• Depth: 3.9 inches (98 mm)
  
• Weight: 0.6 pounds

In the box:

• Apple TV
  
• Aluminum Apple Remote
  
• Power cord
  
• Documentation

Environmental Status Report:

• BFR-free
  
• PVC-free (internal cables and components)
  
• Meets ENERGY STAR Version 2.0 requirements for set-top boxes

Processor: Apple A4 chip

System requirements:

• AirPort Extreme, Wi-Fi 802.11b, g, or n wireless network (wireless video streaming requires 802.11g or 802.11n) or 10/100BASE-T Ethernet network
  
• iTunes Store account for renting movies and TV shows
  
• Netflix account for streaming Netflix content
  
• For streaming media from a Mac or PC: iTunes 10 or later; iTunes Store account for Home Sharing

Ports and interfaces:

• HDMI2
  
• Optical audio
  
• 10/100BASE-T Ethernet
  
• Built-in IR receiver
  
• Micro-USB (for service and support)

Environmental requirements:

• Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
  
• Storage temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
  
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
  
• Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Power: Built-in 6-watt universal power supply

Wireless: 802.11n Wi-Fi (a/b/g compatible), 2.4GHz and 5GHz