SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple Inc. announced a
smaller, cheaper version of its Apple TV device for streaming movies and television
shows over the internet and into the living room. It also unveiled a new line
of iPods, including a touch-screen Nano model.
The new Apple TV will only let
people rent, not buy, content. For first-run high-definition movies the day
they come out on DVD, people will have to pay $4.99. High-definition TV show
rentals will be 99 cents.
The price of the box is also being
cut to $99, from $229.
Apple TV has been around since
2007, but it hasn't caught on with the mainstream. It doesn't record shows the
way TiVo and other digital video recorders do.
Another big expected hit is the
button-free iPod Nano.
Controls for playing, pausing and
selecting music are right on the screen. It will cost $149 for the 8 gigabyte
version and $179 for 16 gigabytes. Like previous versions, the Nano has a
built-in FM tuner and can display photos.
In a refresh to the iPod Touch,
Apple is adding video-chat features similar to the newest iPhone.
It has a front-facing camera for
conducting video chats with other iPod Touch and iPhone users over Wi-Fi using
Apple's FaceTime program. A camera on the back can be used for taking snapshots
and recording video. Prices range from $229 to $399.
There’s also a new iPod Shuffle,
the lowest-end music player in Apple's line. Like the past generation, it can
speak the names of playlists and songs. But unlike the most recent of the tiny
music players, the new $49 device brings back the square shape and buttons of Apple's
second-generation Shuffle.
Apple, meanwhile, is adding social
features to its iTunes software. Jobs said iTunes 10 brings new ways for people
to learn what their friends are listening to. The feature, called Ping, is
likely based on the technology Apple acquired with the purchase of Lala.com
last year.
iPhone users will also be getting a software update
that offers the ability to upload high-definition video over Wi-Fi. And when
people take photos, the new software will save three slightly different copies
that, when combined, make for a sharper image.
The new software is version 4.1 of
the iOS system. It will be available next week for free, initially for Apple
Inc.'s iPhone and iPod Touch.
The iPad currently runs an older
version, though Jobs said an update coming in November will add such features
as wireless printing to Apple's tablet computer.