September 6th, 2010 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Platforms: iOS, Smartphones & Tablets | No Comments »
During our absence last week, Apple launched a host of new iPods as well as a new version of Apple TV. Apple also announced iOS updates for the iPhone, iPod and iPad.
But let’s kick off with Apple TV. Everybody (including us) expected this new product to launch under the new iTV name and fully support iOS and the App Store. While the new Apple TV is built on the same A4 processor that’s in the new iPod, iPhone and iPad, Apple didn’t announce anything on iOS support. It is however fully compatible with iOS devices that have the remote app installed. Apple TV doesn’t hold a HDD anymore, so it is a streaming only device priced at $99.
Apple also introduced the new iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano’s. The shuffles still have only 2GB memory but do have buttons once again. The Nano’s have no buttons anymore, but do hold a tiny multi-touch screen. The graphics on the screens look a lot like those of iOS, but it is unclear if they run on iOS as well. The Nano’s used to be able to download games, but there is no news on them as well. The Nano ships with 8GB or 16GB memory and FM receiver.
The big news of course was the fourth generation iPod Touch. The iPod Touch is pretty much the iPhone 4 without GSM/3G connectivity. It also has no problems with the antenna as the casing is in line with the old iPod Touch/iPhone design and that also means no problems with shattering gorilla glass. Unlike the last introduction, the hardware is the same over all memory sizes. With the iPod Touch introduction in 2009, the smaller 16GB model didn’t have the same hardware which left a lot of consumers confused.
Finally, Apple also announced two IOS updates for this year. The first will ship in two days, which is iOS 4.1. 4.1 will introduce the Game Center to iPhone and iPod Touch owners as well as fix a lot of issues with the iPhone 3G. In 4.2, that will ship in November, Apple will not only apply a lot of bugfixes, but also bring the iPad up to speed as it will finally be able to do multitasking.
