Apple announces new iPod lineup

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs stands in front of (from left) the new iPod Shuffle, Nano and Touch.

Apple's touchscreen iPod Nano.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs talks about pricing of the new Apple iPod Shuffle at a news conference in San Francisco.

Steve Jobs displays the new Apple TV.

Steve Jobs talks about pricing for the new iPod Touch.

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Apple chief executive Steve Jobs announced a new line of iPods today, including a Nano model that has a touchscreen and lacks buttons.

Like previous versions, the Nano has a built-in FM tuner and can display photos. But instead of buttons, controls for playing, pausing and selecting music are right on the screen. It will cost NZ$249 for the 8 gigabyte version and NZ$299 for 16 gigabytes. Click here for more info.

Jobs also introduced a new iPod Shuffle (NZ$89), the lowest-end music player in Apple's line. Like the past generation, it can speak the names of playlists and songs. But unlike the most recent of the tiny music players, it brings back the square shape and buttons of Apple's second-generation Shuffle. Click here for more info.

In a refresh to the iPod Touch, Apple is adding video chat features similar to the newest iPhone. It has a front-facing camera for conducting video chats with other iPod Touch and iPhone users over Wi-Fi using Apple's FaceTime program. A camera on the back can be used for taking snapshots and recording video. Prices range from $379 to $649. Click here for more info.

Jobs also said iPhone users will be getting a software update that offers the ability to upload high-definition video over Wi-Fi. And when people take photos, the new software will save three slightly different copies that, when combined, make for a sharper image.

The new software is version 4.1 of the iOS system. It will be available next week for free, initially for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch.

The iPad currently runs an older version, though Jobs says an update coming in November will add such features as wireless printing to Apple's tablet computer. Apple had been criticised for making a powerful device but hobbling it by not including any ports for USB devices such as printers or thumb drives.

APPLE TV

Apple says it will also sell a new, smaller version of its Apple TV device for streaming movies and television shows over the internet and into the living room.

The new Apple TV will only let people rent, not buy, content. For first-run high-definition movies the day they come out on DVD, people will have to pay US$4.99 (NZ$7.00). High-definition TV show rentals will be US$0.99 (NZ$1.39).

Apple TV has been around since 2007, but it hasn't caught on with the mainstream. It doesn't record shows the way TiVo and other digital video recorders do.

At an event in San Francisco, Jobs said the current Apple TV setup is too complicated for average consumers.

Jobs appeared at the media event in a crew neck rather than his trademark mock turtleneck.

- AP