/me is still annoyed that iPod support is better on Linux/Unix than Nomads

Summary:

* 12 hour battery life
* 1mm thinner than previous gen.
* Click wheel like that of mini
* More efficient menus
* Create multiple playlists on the go, delete individual songs
* Available only in white
* Lower price: $399US for 40GB & $299US for 20GB ($100 less previous prices)

The New iPod
Generation next: The new iPod

July 26 issue - Veteran Podsters understand that at least once a year Apple performs a feat that at once infuses them with dread and delight: an iPod upgrade. The delight comes from a new look and new capabilities. The dread comes from the realization that you're a step behind the cutting edge and must consider whether to buy your way back on it.

The click wheel. The iPod keeps getting slimmer and more streamlined. While the initial version had a relatively boxy feel, subsequent versions have been curvier and smaller. This one is about a millimeter thinner and, more significantly, eliminates the control buttons that sat under the display screen. Instead, it uses a "click wheel," where the controls are placed on the compass points of the circular touchpad that lets you scroll through menus. This is an innovation carried over from the diminutive iPod Mini. "It was developed out of necessity for the Mini, because there wasn't enough room [for the buttons]," says Steve Jobs. "But the minute we experienced it we just thought, 'My God, why didn't we think of this sooner?' "

More efficient menus. There's less thumbing required to get to your favorite stuff. "Music" is a first-level entry, and now a single click initiates the popular technique of shuffling your library for playback.

Longer play. Coast-to-coasters rejoice: the new iPods are rated for 12 hours of rockin' between charges—a 50 percent boost in battery life. This is accomplished, Apple says, not by a heavier battery but diligent conservation of power.

Lower price. The top-of-the-line iPod, holding 10,000 songs (40 gigs, as geeks will tell you), now costs $399. The lower-capacity model, with room for 5,000 songs (20 gigs), costs $299. That's a $100 price reduction for each. (There's no more 15-gig model.)

Color. Fuggedaboutit. Despite rumors to the contrary, the wide-bodies are still as pure as the driven snow.

Bottom line: If you have yet to jump on the iPod bandwagon, it's cheaper and more attractive to do so. If you're already plugged in, the question is whether you should engage in the "iPod Bump," where you snap up the spiffy new version and pass Old Reliable to a grateful friend or family member (or the highest eBay bidder). If your music collection has exceeded your iPod's storage space, or your listening binges exceed your current iPod's battery life—or if you want to hear Bill Clinton's abridged book in 4-1/2 hours rather than six—consider the Bump this time around. Of course, if your heart went aflutter at the very sight of this year's model, you're probably in line at the Apple Store already.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5457434/site/newsweek/

what i am curious about is how they will be announcing it tommorow. They say they are going to do something out of the ordinary, i wonder what.

Found this:


(img)

Weee! I got my price cuts!

You're complaining at a $100 price cut? :confused:

They'll just make a press release and update the site, I doubt anything spectacular will happen, big announcements are usually made at large conferences such as WWDC.


That's a photoshopped image

No major surprises given all of the leaks over the weekend, but the brand new iPod has turned up on the Apple website. The official specs are more or less as expected: it’s slightly thinner than the last one (though the 40GB is still thicker and weighs more than the 20GB model), and has the same click wheel as the iPod mini (which doesn’t appear to be made of brushed metal as we had originally speculated), a longer battery life of 12 hours, and the ability to adjust playback speeds for audiobooks. Retail price for the 40GB is $399, the 20GB is $299, and they’ve canned the 15GB model entirely.