Today Apple held its annual fall media event and CEO Steve Jobs unveiled new line of iPods which include a new shuffle, a multitouch-enabled Nano and an A4 processor powered iPod Touch! And that just the start with updates for iOS 4.1 release for iPhone and iPod touch and iOS 4.2 for the iPad. Apple also unveiled Apple TV which puts more focus on streaming media rather than storing it.
Jobs announced that the iOS4.1 will update a number of issues with the proximity sensor of the iPhone4 and also will resolve some Bluetooth issues. Jobs also said that the new iOS4 update will speed up the iPhone 3G phones which were reportedly slow after the iOS upgrade. We had reported earlier about the slow iPhone 3G and how it was hurting Apple.
iOS 4 compatible devices will have some new features such as a high dynamic range option to the camera app which will help address inherent tonal range limitations in the image sensors. iOS 4.1 also led to official launch of the Apple’s Game Center which is a built-in system wide social network for games. iOS 4.1 will be available to all users next week.
While this was all good, the iOS 4.2 is making its way to the iPad in November. This first iPad update will bring wireless printing capabilities and AirPlay – a wireless audio, video and photo streaming capability.
The new generation iPod shuffle was also introduced which looked like a smaller second-generation shuffle. This new iPod Shuffle comes in five colors with a 2GB capacity and sells for $49. The iPod nano has had some major changes. The iPod nano now sports a multitouch enabled screen. The device is enclosed in an aluminum case with a clip along with hardware buttons for volume and a hold button. iPod nano comes in seven different colors with the 8GB model at $149 and the 16GB at $179.
iPod touch got its own set of upgrades. Not just that its more “thinner” than its predecessors but also has two cameras and also a Retina Display. It also runs the A4 processor and has the gyroscope motion control and supports FaceTime chatting.
Following the iOS and the iPods, Apple had another announcement to make and that was the Apple TV. The smaller, black Apple TV costs $99 and has no built-in storage and actually works off the cloud streaming in media. Apple TV fully integrates with Netflix for streaming movies and shows.
When compared to the old Apple TV, the new design with no built in storage significantly reduced the size of the device. The device has HDMI, power, optical audio and ethernet ports along with a diagnostic USB port. It also has built-in 802.11n wireless networking. However the video output will only be 720p.
With “AirPlay” technology from the iOS 4.2 update which will be out in November, users will be able to stream video from any iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad or even from a Mac running iTunes 10. It also gives you an option to pick up where you left off regardless of the device you were watching it on.
Older Apple TV’s will be a dying breed. Apple is not providing any software update for them for upgrading to the latests version.
You can find out more here.