Apple’s September Music Event
Apple unveiled a host of new products and services at their annual music event in San Francisco today.
The first news was the announcement of the iOS 4.1, the latest version of their mobile operating system. This update includes fixes for bugs in the proximity sensor and for slowness on the iPhone 3G and a new HDR camera feature.
The focus of this update is Game Center, which features matchmaking, achievements, leader boards, friend lists and more. Apple has already provided developers with APIs to work into their games. Users will be able to track their games and friends next week with the release of iOS 4.1

The iPad is also getting a new operating system. The first version of iOS 4 for the iPad is iOS 4.2 and will be available in November. This update includes all the improvements over iOS 3 (folders, multitasking, etc.) but also includes wireless printing and a feature called “AirPlay” that will allow you to stream music and video from your computer to your iPad at home. iOS 4.2 should be available in November.
Next, Steve Jobs introduced a new iPod Shuffle, Nano and Touch. The new Shuffle is about the size of a US Quarter. This version brings back buttons and is closest in form-factor to the second-generation iPod Shuffles. This 2GB iPod will set you back $49.


The iPod Nano had a drastic change in form-factor. Looking more like a miniature iPod Touch, the Nano is about double the size of the new Shuffle and uses a scaled-down version of the iOS on a small square multi-touch screen. The Nano is $149 for 8GB and $179 for 16GB.
The new iPod Touch has the new retina display, A4 chip, Gyroscope, and front and rear facing cameras from the iPhone 4. FaceTime will work with iPod Touches and iPhone 4s over WiFi. The iPod Touch will be available next week and will be $229 for 8GB, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB.

Steve Jobs then introduced iTunes 10. He first introduced the new logo, a music note on a blue circle. Steve expressed that the CDs on the old logo were no longer relevant because so few people use them anymore.

The biggest feature of the new iTunes is Ping, a new social network. After setting up a profile users can see and share what music they like, are playing and are buying from iTunes. Available on the iPods as well, Ping also gives users a Top 10 of what your friends like the most.

The last news of the day was about one of Apple’s least-known products: the Apple TV. Shedding the internal hard drive and dropping to a $99 price tag, the Apple TV now focuses exclusively on streaming content. With Netflix support and new content deals that make HD movie rentals $4.99 and HD TV episodes 99¢.
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