Next Generation iPods Arrive

Apple unveiled their next generation iPods in India. Though the iPod Shuffle and Classic look pretty much the same, the Nano has undergone some noticeable changes.

Apple unveiled their next generation iPods in India. Though the iPod Shuffle and Classic look pretty much the same, the Nano has undergone some noticeable changes starting with its form factor. To put it in their words:
The fourth generation iPod Nano is the thinnest iPod ever featuring a sleek new design with a curved aluminum and glass enclosure, in nine vibrant colors. The new iPod Nano incorporates Apple's breakthrough Genius technology which automatically creates playlists from songs in your music library that go great together, with just one click. The new iPod nano also features a refined user interface, a high resolution portrait display and a built-in accelerometer which automatically switches to Cover Flow when rotated and automatically goes into Shuffle mode when lightly shaken. The new iPod nano gives users up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback and is available in an 8GB model for Rs.9,700 and a 16GB model for just Rs.12,500. Both models come in silver, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, and black. Though I did manage to fiddle around with it for a couple of minutes, I will reserve my judgment till we put it through the grind. But it does look neat. The broad (fat) design has paved way for an elongated form factor. But the 2-inch screen remains and and is now placed vertically. Thanks to accelerometer, screen-alignment is not an issue at all. Though the new design is slimmer (by half a millimeter) and curvy, it does have a few sharp edges at the top and bottom.
The iPod touch also received a minor face-lift (actually the back has been made curvy; the face remains the same). This is what they have to say about it: Apple introduced the second generation iPod touch featuring an amazingly thin contoured metal design, a gorgeous 3.5-inch widescreen glass display, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi wireless networking, integrated volume control buttons, a built-in speaker for casual listening, a built-in accelerometer and other advanced sensors, and Apple's revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface. iPod touch, now available for just Rs.15,100 for the 8GB model, is perfect for playing music, movies and games. Once again, watch out for our review to know what we think about Apple's "Funnest iPod ever" (the first time I came across that word in their presentation, I misread it as Funniest and wondered why).