Apple takes on mini camcorders with new iPod nano

John Chan | Sep 10, 2009

The only major cosmetic makeover appears to be on the iPod nano. (Credit: Apple)

Apple CEO Steve Jobs took to the stage at the company's "It's only rock and roll" event, his first appearance at a major event since returning to work from a liver transplant earlier this year. The company's charismatic leader announced updates to the entire line of iPod devices.

Most significantly, a camera has been added to the iPod nano. This records video at VGA (640 x 480) resolution in H.264 format. Though Jobs positioned it as a competitor to mini camcorders such as the Flip Mino, newer versions of those devices are approaching HD-quality capture.

Camera aside, the nano is still a music player and now comes with FM radio built-in as well as a feature called Live Pause. This is similar to time-shifting found in digital video recorders and is achieved by recording live radio once you hit pause, so you can go right back to where you left off. The new iPod nano will cost S$228 and S$288 for the 8GB and 16GB versions, respectively.

Rumors in the past months seemed to suggest cameras for both the new iPod nano and touch, but it was revealed to be not the case for the latter. However, the new 32GB (S$468) and 64GB (S$628) variants will come with faster performance, probably putting the touch on par with the iPhone 3GS. The 8GB version remains unchanged with a reduced price tag of S$308.

Minor changes for the iPod classic and shuffle include higher capacities for the former and a new lower price for the latter. Refer to our product pages for detailed specs.

The new iPods are all available for order on Apple's online store. Check out your local site for prices in your currency and shipping dates.

Filed under: Music & Play
Leave a comment | Bookmark | Share