Audio Video News

In case you haven't been dilligently refreshing one of the live blogs about Apple's press event today, there are some new iPods to be had.

We'll start with the Nano, which got the most notable upgrade in the form of a video camera that shoots at 640x480. It comes in a variety of snazzy colors and brings with it an FM tuner and a pedometer. There are two models: 8 GB for $150 and 16 GB for $180, both of which have a bigger 2.2-inch color display and improved video codec support.

The iPod Touch line is expanding a little to include a swank, new 64 GB model ($399) in addition to the old 32 GB ($299) and 8 GB ($199) models. The two more expensive models are getting hardware upgrades to make them perform at the same pace as the iPhone 3Gs. Surprisingly, there were no cameras to be found.

Adjustments to the Classic and Shuffle lines were much more granular. The Shuffle now comes in two flavors: 2 GB for $59 and 4 GB for $79, both of which utilize the somewhat annoying voice control system. The Classic gets 40 extra GB for the same price, bringing it to 160 GB for $250.

Maybe it was all the pre-event hype, but the new products seem a litle underwhelming. There was no grand revelation of the Beatles on iTunes and the iPod Touch didn't get the camera all the pundits were so sure we would see. That's not to say the revamped players don't look good, but with Zune HD looming on the horizon and throngs of Apple haters ready to pounce on the company's every shortcoming, it seems safe to say that everyone was hoping for something with a little more, um, impact.

-Stan Horaczek