Call me spoiled, but these days it takes more than a digital camera to get me excited when it comes to the latest in cool gadgets. So, on that score at least, today’s product announcements from Apple had me looking elsewhere for thrills…anywhere. Solitaire. Old Kinks records. Staring at the sun. It was just so boring. Bah, Humbug!
The only interesting part was the return of Steve Jobs. But even that is getting a little stale. See for yourself in video below.
First, here’s the “news”:
- iPod Nano (5G): cheaper ($149, $179), bigger screen, now with video camera (going after Flip?) , more colors, and other new features
- iPhone: updated OS (3.1) with minor fixes and some new features (save video into camera roll, voice control with bluetooth headsets)
- iPod Touch: cheaper ($199, $299, $399), up to 50% faster performance (but no camera!)
- iPod Shuffle: more colors, cheaper ($59, $79)
- iTunes: update to iTunes 9, “LP experience”, Genius mixes, improved navigation and interface
Don’t get me wrong, this is all decent stuff. Just not ground breaking, like the old days when Jobs would shock the industry with an announcement like the iPod.
There was no tablet or netbook, although both were not expected anyways. But you have to wonder how much longer Apple will wait. The market for inexpensive portable computing has exploded big-time, and Jobs does not yet have an answer.
Speaking of Jobs, here he in action from today. Welcome back!