New iPod a 'world wonder'
2007-09-05 21:29
San Francisco - Apple on Wednesday cut the price of its hot-selling iPhones and unveiled a revamped iPod line starring a new model that mirrors the design of its innovative touch-screen mobile telephones.
"We think it's one of the seven wonders of the world," Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs quipped as he pulled a new iPod Touch from a pocket of his trademark blue jeans during a press conference in San Francisco.
"If you've used an iPhone you will feel very much at home."
Apple cut the price of the popular eight-gigabyte iPhones by $200 to $399.
"We want to put iPhones in a lot of stockings this holiday season," Jobs said, drawing cheers from the sympathetic invitation-only audience.
IPod Touch models feature Apple's Safari web browser and a built-in wireless antenna, meaning users can connect directly to the internet at Wi-Fi "hot spots" the same way they might with a laptop computer.
Apple built Google and Yahoo search capabilities into iPod Touch models, along with YouTube compatibility and an iTune Wi-Fi Music Store that permits shopping at the online store without going through a computer.
Eight gigabyte iPod Touch models will be priced at $299 and 16 gigabyte models at $399 when they reach stores later this month, Jobs said.
The iPod Touch models have been localised to an array of languages and will be the first part of the new product line to ship worldwide, according to Jobs.
Apple's overhaul includes matchbook-size iPod Shuffles in new colours and iPod Nanos built with video and game capabilities. Jobs officially christened the original iPod model the "Classic" and said it would be available in 80 and 160 gigabyte models.
"We are going to refresh or replace every single product in this line-up for this holiday season," Jobs said.