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At Apple's media event Wednesday the company rolled out a new iPod with a larger screen and video playback, introduced a new iMac line with media center-like features, and iTunes 6.
5G iPod
The new iPod, the subject of rampant speculation in recent weeks, is available in 30GB and 60GB capacities for $299 and $399 in black and white, as Think Secret previously reported. The iPod features a larger 2.5-inch display with a 320x240 resolution and can store "15,000 songs, 25,000 photos or over 150 hours of video." While wider, the new iPod is 30 percent thinner than previous versions, in line with what sources had said. The 30GB model has up to 14 hours of battery life, while the 60GB model has 20 hours.
A $39 universal dock will connect the iPod to a television, while a $29 remote can control it from a distance. A $19 iPod AV cable is also available.
iTunes 6
In line with the new iPods, Apple rolled out iTunes 6, which includes a revamped iTunes store with the option of purchasing more than 2,000 music videos, as well as five television programs from ABC and Disney, and six Pixar short films -- all for $1.99 a piece.
"We're doing for video what we've done for music—we're making it easy and affordable to purchase and download, play on your computer, and take with you on your iPod," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a statement. "Right out of the gate we're offering 2,000 music videos, Pixar's short films and hit primetime TV shows like 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Lost'."
iTunes 6 also includes expanded online gift options that allow customers to give specific songs, albums, music videos or their own iTunes playlists to anyone with an email address, a public beta of new "Just for You" personalized music recommendations and the debut of online customer reviews.
New iMac G5
In an announcement that caught many off guard, Apple rolled out an upgraded iMac G5. The new iMacs include a built-in iSight video camera and Front Row, a new "media experience that "gives users a simple, intuitive and powerful way to play their music, enjoy their photo slideshows, and watch their DVDs and iMovies, as well as popular movie trailers from apple.com and music videos and television shows purchased from the iTunes Music Store, on their iMac from up to 30 feet away using the new bundled Apple Remote." A new application called Photo Booth allows users to play with images captured from the iSight camera.
The new iMacs are about 1/2-inch thinner than previous models and are available in two stock configurations: 1.9GHz/17-inch for $1,299 and 2.1GHz/20-inch for $1,699. They include 533MHz DDR2 memory, which Think Secret recently noted Apple was moving to, as well as a 128MB ATI Radeon X600 PCI Express video card. The new iMac also includes Apple's Mighty Mouse, but is still missing FireWire 800 connectivity
PowerBook, Power Mac Updates To Come
With the iMac G5 now sporting DDR2 memory and PCI Express functionality, rumored updates to the PowerBook and Power Mac lines will likely roll out in the very near future, probably within a week. Stay tuned...