THE FIRE WIRE

During today’s Apple event, Steve Jobs announced that the next version of the iPad’s operating system, iOS, 4.2, will be available as a free update in November 2010. The iOS 4.2 version will support the iPhone and iPod touch (4.0 friendly versions of those devices) in addition to the iPad.

Among the new features in 4.2 will be folder organization for apps on the iPad, bringing parity with the 4.x smaller devices.

Innovations include AirPlay, which will allow you to stream video and audio from iTunes to your iPad or from your iPad to the newly-announced Apple TV. Also added: printing! The iPad will be able to print to networked printers or printers connected to your computer.

Apple today announced the new Apple TV which offers the simplest way to watch your favorite HD movies and TV shows on your HD TV for the breakthrough price of just $99. Apple TV users can choose from the largest online selection of HD movies to rent, including first run movies for just $4.99, and the largest online selection of HD TV show episodes to rent from ABC, ABC Family, Fox, Disney Channel and BBC America for just 99 cents.

Apple TV also streams content from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe, as well as music, photos and videos from PCs and Macs to your HD TV. Enjoy gorgeous slideshows of your photos on your HD TV using Apple TV’s selection of built-in slideshows. Apple TV has built-in HDMI, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and an internal power supply for easy set-up, and features silent, cool, very low power operation in an enclosure that’s less than four inches square—80 percent smaller than the previous generation.

Apple TV set-up is quick and easy with a single HDMI cable connection (HDMI cable sold separately). Just connect Apple TV to your HD TV, join a Wi-Fi network and with a few clicks on the seven-button aluminum Apple Remote, you have access to amazing content. Users can also control Apple TV with their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch using the Remote app, available as a free download on the App Store.

Pricing & Availability

Apple TV will be available late this month for a suggested retail price of $99 (US) and can be pre-ordered beginning today on Apple’s online store (www.apple.com). Apple TV, which comes standard with an aluminum Apple Remote, will be available through the Apple’s online store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

Apple today introduced iTunes 10 with Ping, a new music-oriented social network for following your favorite artists and friends to discover what music they’re talking about, listening to and downloading. iTunes Ping lets you post your thoughts and opinions, your favorite albums and songs, the music you’ve downloaded from iTunes, plus view concert listings and tell your friends which concerts you plan to attend. iTunes 10 also features HD TV show rentals for just 99 cents an episode and AirPlay wireless music playback.

Ping lets you follow your favorite artists to see what they’re up to, check out photos and videos they’ve posted, see their tour dates and read comments about other artists and albums they’re listening to. You can also create a profile on iTunes to let your friends know who you’re following, what you’re listening to and which concerts you’re going to. There’s no better way to discover new music than to find out what your friends are listening to, and Ping’s Recent Activity feed shows you their posts about artists, albums, songs and concerts, plus a consolidated Top 10 list of the songs and albums your friends and the artists you follow are downloading from iTunes. In addition to using Ping on your desktop computer, you can take it with you on your iPhone or iPod touch so you’re always plugged into your personal music scene.

iTunes 10 also features AirPlay wireless music playback to listen to your music on remote speakers using Apple’s AirPort Express base station. In addition, AirPlay now works without AirPort Express, using speakers, receivers and stereo systems from companies including Bowers & Wilkins, JBL, Denon and iHome, so you can enjoy your entire iTunes music library wirelessly from any room in the house with no extra gear required. iTunes 10 is available immediately as a free download at www.itunes.com.

Apple today announced the new redesigned iPod shuffle which features both clickable “ring” buttons and Apple’s innovative VoiceOver technology, enabling users to easily navigate their music and playlists without ever looking at their iPod shuffle. The new wearable iPod shuffle has an all-aluminum enclosure with a built-in clip and comes in five brilliant 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.

iPod shuffle is based on Apple’s incredibly popular shuffle feature, which randomly selects songs from a user’s music library. The clickable buttons make the new iPod shuffle even easier to use. Press the center button to play and pause, press the outer buttons to skip forward and back or adjust the volume up and down.

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 popular iTunes feature that automatically creates mixes from songs in a user’s music library that go great together. Genius Mixes provide the perfect way to rediscover music users already have, but may not have listened to recently.

Pricing & Availability

The fourth generation iPod shuffle will be available next week for a suggested price of $49 (US) for a 2GB model in silver, blue, green, orange and pink through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

Apple today unveiled a completely redesigned iPod nano featuring Apple’s Multi-Touch interface that lets users navigate their music collection by simply tapping or swiping a finger on the display. Nearly half the size and weight of the previous generation, the new iPod nano features a polished aluminum and glass enclosure with a built-in clip, making it instantly wearable. The new iPod nano features Genius Mixes, the ability to create and edit playlists, a built-in FM radio with live pause and up to 24 hours of

The new iPod nano with Apple’s Multi-Touch interface allows users to access their songs, artists, albums and playlists with a tap or swipe of their finger on the display. Holding down a finger returns the user to the Home screen, and users can easily use two fingers to rotate the screen if it is clipped onto their clothing upside down. Users can also customize their Home screen by simply dragging icons from other screens onto the Home screen.

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.

With an amazing new design that is nearly half the size and weight of its predecessor, the new ultra-portable iPod nano is a natural workout companion. Clip iPod nano onto your workout clothing, touch your music and start your workout. iPod nano features a built-in pedometer that makes it easy to track your steps and also supports Nike + iPod, giving users the ability to track runs and workouts.

Pricing & Availability

The new iPod nano will be available next week for a suggested price of $149 (US) for the 8GB model and $179 (US) for the 16GB model. Both models are available in silver, graphite, blue, green, orange and pink through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

Apple today announced the new iPod touch, packed with incredible new features including Apple’s stunning Retina display, FaceTime video calling, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 chip, 3-axis gyro, iOS 4.1 and Game Center—all combined in the thinnest and lightest iPod touch ever. The new iPod touch features up to 40 hours of music playback and seven hours of video playback on a single battery charge.

With the new front-facing camera and mic, iPod touch users can make FaceTime video calls over Wi-Fi. With just one tap of the new FaceTime app, iPod touch users can call other new iPod touch or iPhone 4 users to easily see what their friends are up to, share important moments like the first day of school and even show others what they are seeing by easily switching to the rear-facing camera.

The rear-facing camera on iPod touch is perfect for HD video recording. Users can easily capture HD video wherever they are and share it via email, MobileMe and YouTube. With the iMovie app, users can combine movie clips, add dynamic transitions and themes and include photos and music right on their iPod touch. Users can buy and download the app for just $4.99 through the App Store right on their iPod touch.

iPod touch is the world’s most popular portable game player. Now with Game Center, iPod touch users can 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.

Music and entertainment lovers can now easily access iTunes Ping directly from their new iPod touch. iTunes Ping lets you follow your favorite artists and friends to discover the music they’re talking about, listening to and downloading. iPod touch users also have the entire iTunes Store at their fingertips, giving them instant access to the world’s largest catalog of music, TV shows and movies.

The new iPod touch comes with iOS 4.1, the newest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system. iOS 4.1 enables new features like FaceTime video calling, multitasking, folders and Game Center.

Pricing & Availability

The new iPod touch will be available next week for a suggested price of $229 (US) for the 8GB model, $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the 64GB model through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.