No other consumer electronics company (I can't very well say "computer company" anymore, now can I?) get my pulse rising and adrenaline flowing like Apple. A few times per year, bloggers, journalists and geeks alike light up like Christmas trees when the notoriously tight-lipped tech giant releases "the next new thing".
If you've owned an Apple product within the last decade, you'll know what I mean. From the iMac to the Macbook Pro, these systems are engineered and assembled by a fanatical Industrial design team and showcased by a very talented and passionate marketing force. This same attention to detail and "my goodness, this thing is beautiful" factor isn't spared from the portable iPod and iPhone juggernauts. Apple products simply exude quality and class and ignite gadget lust in millions of loyal customers. (Remember not to allow your precious iPad to take residence as an idol in your life...)
Today, Apple released a whole iPod line refresh, with some pretty cool technologies. The iPod touch is now equipped with forward and rear facing cameras, as well as the legendary iPhone retina display. The result? FaceTime! The iPod touch is about as cool a device you can get, without a data plan.
The iPod nano now features a touch screen as well. Gone are the click-wheel controls- every function is commanded by the multi-touch interface. Screen size is comparable to the older nano, however the lack of analog controls allows the overall size of this little wonder to shrink to roughly half it's previous size. It's very small, but really cute (yeah, I said cute- you got a problem with that?) and a perfect step up from the iPod shuffle (although video support and an accelerometer from the previous generation were conspicuously missing).
Speaking of the shuffle, the smallest member of the iPod family looks surprisingly like the same namesake from 2 generations ago. VoiceOver is still a key feature of the new shuffle, however analog buttons have returned to the front fascia. (Between you and me, the previous non-button shuffle was never appealing.) At $49, I cannot imagine a smaller, more sophisticated music player.
My heart was stolen by the Apple TV. This black (finally!) pint-sized box provides noise free (no cooling fans) streaming of content from your Macintosh and the Internet. I gravitated toward the inclusion of NetFlix as a supported service, in addition to the iTunes store. Although I'm currently a Blockbuster member, I'm seriously rethinking what I'm willing to pay each month for entertainment. At $99, I could put one in each room of the house and rent a load of content for what we're paying for a year's worth of DirecTV.
At any rate, it's an exciting time for Apple. This Christmas season should prove interesting. No other consumer electronics manufacturer that I know of, is releasing a new game console, music player, or "got-to-have-it" widget. Aside from the big-ticket 3D capable Blu-Ray players and HDTV's, Apple's gadgets are likely to adorn the lists of many.
Good Night
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