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Apple revamps iPod
The new iPod Touch
Apple has unveiled a slick touch-screen version of the iconic iPod as part of a product line overhaul. "I think it is a deep and complete line-up," Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg told AFP after watching Apple chief executive Steve Jobs on Wednesday introduce revamped iPod models and the new iPod Touch. "A lot of consumers said they don't want a new mobile phone but they want all the other stuff the iPhone has." Apple's tinkering with its money-making iPod line was done shrewdly, with the company adding video, memory or other coveted features while not pushing up prices, according to analysts. "Apple has models with a range of appeal -- fashion, function, price," Gartenberg said. "Apple has set the bar high for competitors." IPod Touch models feature Apple's Safari web browser and a built-in wireless antenna, meaning users can connect directly to the Internet at Wi-Fi "hot spots" the same way they might with a laptop computer. Apple built custom Google and Yahoo search functions into iPod Touch models, along with YouTube video viewing and an iTune Wi-Fi Music Store that permits shopping at the online store without going through a computer. The iPod Touch models have been localized to an array of languages and will be the first part of the new product line to ship worldwide, according to Jobs. IPod Touch will be available by month's end. The devices are essentially iPhones without the mobile phone capabilities. "We think it's one of the seven wonders of the world," Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs quipped as he pulled a new iPod Touch from a pocket of his trademark blue jeans during the San Francisco press conference. "If you've used an iPhone you will feel very much at home."
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