Natasha Sushenko
Copy Editor

On Wednesday, September 9, 2009, in Cupertino, CA, Apple held its annual Keynote to announce new iPods for the holidays, after numerous rumors and photographs of supposed new devices hit the Internet.

Since the original iPod was released in 2001, the iPod line, consisting of the iPod Nano, Classic, Shuffle, and Touch, has been a massive success for Apple. According to the company, they have sold over 220 million devices, with the fastest growing device being the iPod Touch, selling 20 million devices since being introduced in 2007.

Apple has gone in a new direction with the iPod Touch, recognizing not only its function as a portable music player but as a handheld gaming device as well. The iPod Touch offers a unique gaming experience due to its multi-touch display and accelerometer.

However, the biggest selling point for the iPod Touch as a handheld gaming device is the App Store. According to 148Apps.biz, there are 13,323 applications with an average price of $1.38 within the game category of Apple’s App Store. This is over 3.5 times as many games as the Nintendo DS, and nearly 22 times the amount of games for the Sony PSP, which usually retail for around $30 per game.

However, the iPod Touch did not get the new feature it was rumored to get: a high quality camera like the one in the iPhone. Apple explained that this was to keep the entry-level price at $199. Sophomore Ryan Fox has a deeper explanation. “It’s better in terms of market strategy,” explains Fox. “Apple can’t let the iPod Touch and iPhone get too similar, or their cellular phone revenue will evaporate.”

The iPod Nano got a large update with many new features at the Keynote. Of the updates, the most exciting was a video camera with a built-in microphone. The camera can’t take still pictures, however, because Apple wanted the Nano to retain its thin enclosure.

On the outside, the iPod Nano is now polished aluminum that comes nine colors. The screen size is now 2.2 inches, increased from the previous two inches. An external speaker, like the one in the iPhone and iPod Touch, is included for music and audio playback without earphones. Also added was a built-in FM radio, a first for any iPod. Despite all these new features, the new 16-gigabyte Nano is now $179.

The iPod Shuffle, introduced in March with a 4-gigabyte model available in black or silver for $79, now has three new colors: blue, pink, and green. Also introduced was a special edition of the 4-gigabyte Shuffle, with a polished stainless steel exterior for $99. They also introduced a new 2-gigabyte model, priced at $59.

Apple dropped prices of the iPod Touch to a new $199 entry-level price for the 8-gigabyte model. They also discontinued the 16-gigabyte model, moving the 32-gigabyte model to its $299 price point. They also created a new model, with 64-gigabyte of storage for $399.

The iPod Classic formerly included 120-gigabyte of space for just $249. The new model adds 40-gigabytes of space for the same price, moving up to 160-gigabyte.

Despite what some might call disappointments, sophomore Jordan Bauzon is still happy with the news from the Keynote. “The new iPod Nanos are awesome,” says Bauzon, “I really like the colors. They’re so bright and vibrant.”