iLounge

For readers who mightn’t have seen the numerous changes taking place live last week, over the weekend, and today, iLounge has posted full reviews of the “late 2009” iPod lineup. Our review of the fifth-generation iPod nano, the text of which was published on Friday, has been updated with a large collection of new photos, as has our third-generation iPod touch review, which was published over the weekend and is now available in two versions—one solely discussing the new model, and one discussing it in the context of the second-generation model. Finally, both our iPod classic and third-generation iPod shuffle reviews have been updated with new pages and photographs focusing on the new models.

In brief summary, our top pick in the late 2009 iPod family is the $199 iPod touch (iLounge Rating: A-), followed by the fifth-generation iPod nano (iLounge Rating: B+) and late 2009 iPod touch (iLounge Rating: B+), then the late 2009 iPod classic (iLounge Rating: B), with the third-generation iPod shuffle (iLounge Rating: C) bringing up the rear. In case you missed them, here are links to reviews, news and articles related to the new lineup and iTunes 9:

Reviews:

• iPod nano 5G
• iPod touch 3G
• iPod classic
• iPod shuffle 3G

News:

• iTunes 9 causing AirTunes connection problems?
• iPod touch 3G teardown reveals 802.11n chip
• iPod touch 3G speed comparison videos online
• iPod touch 3G unboxing photos posted
• iPod nano 5G ships with 1.0 or 1.0.1 software, update available
• iPod nano 5G color comparison photos, video posted
• Apple posts new TV ads for iPod nano 5G, touch 3G
• Teardown of iPod nano 5G posted online
• iPod classic 160GB changes: new firmware, engraving
• iPod nano 5G unboxing photos posted
• Apple quietly switches iPod nano 5G screens to TFT
• More pictures, videos of iPod nano 5G, iPod touch 3G, new iPod shuffles
• Hands-on with the 2009 iPod Lineup: The Summary
• iPod shuffle 3G gets new colors, 2GB model
• New iPod touches offer increased speed, storage
• iPod nano 5G gains larger screen, video camera, FM radio
• New iPod touches offer increased speed, storage
• Apple boosts iPod classic storage to 160GB
• iPod shuffle 3G gets new colors, 2GB model
• Apple intros iTunes 9 with iTunes LP, app organization, more

Articles:

• Fifteen Things You Didn’t Know About The 2009 iPod shuffle, nano, classic, and touch
• Instant Expert: Secrets & Features of iTunes 9
• Instant Expert: Secrets & Features of iPhone OS 3.1 for iPhone + iPod touch
• Apple’s 2009 iPods + iTunes 9: The Big Picture Wrapup Editorial
• The Colors of the 2009 Third-Generation iPod shuffle, Compared in Photos

If you haven’t yet entered our B&W Zeppelin + Music Giveaway, there’s still time to do so. In our Giveaway of the Month for September, Bowers & Wilkins and iLounge are giving away two Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin iPod speaker systems, and ten full-year memberships to Society of Sound Music. In addition, all entrants will automatically receive a free 3-month trial including an exclusive best-of Society of Sound Music sampler and a single a month for three months. To enter, simply fill out and submit the form on the giveaway page—the giveaway will end on September 30, 2009 at 11:59PM Pacific Time. Good luck!

iPodweek, iLounge’s weekly email newsletter recapping the week in reviews, news, articles, and more, will be sent out to subscribers later today. If you haven’t yet signed up, there’s still time to do so before this week’s edition is sent out. Simply use the form below to submit your email address, and you’ll be added to our mailing list, in addition to making yourself eligible for future newsletter-specific giveaways and deals.

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With over 3,200 votes from iLounge readers, our latest poll—“Would you buy a oversized iPod touch with a larger screen if it lacked full computer functionality?” has ended. Readers could say they would be interested in either a 10-inch or a 6- or 7-inch version of such a device, that they wouldn’t be interested in such a gadget unless it ran a full-fledged desktop operating system, or that they wouldn’t be interested due its lack of keyboard or some other hardware limitation.

According to the results, nearly half of iLounge readers (47%) are awaiting a tablet running a full-fledged desktop operating system, as they said they would not be interested in such a device running iPhone-like software. Another 19% said they wouldn’t be interested in such a device at all, due to its lack of keyboard or other hardware limitation. Of readers who said they would be interested, opinion was nearly split—17% to 18% overall—amongst those who would be interested in a 10-inch device for media playback and light apps and games, and those who would prefer a 6- or 7-inch device with the same functionality. Thanks for all your votes!

Our new poll concerns Apple’s latest lineup of iPods—we’d like to know what your reaction was to the new iPod nano, classic, touch, and shuffle. Were you pleased enough to plan on purchasing a new model, pleased enough to consider a purchase, or pleased, but not enough to make you buy? Or did you think Apple needed to do more to make the upgrades worthwhile, were downright disappointed by the announcements, or don’t have an opinion either way? Our new poll, “What’s your reaction to the new 2009 iPods?” lets you answer that question. You can find the iLounge Poll in the left-hand column of the main iLounge.com homepage. Vote today!

iLounge editors are now on-site outside the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in preparation for Apple’s Rock and Roll media event. Currently, there is a light crowd of journalists outside the venue, and two tables set up with white MacBooks for media and guest registration, which begins at 9:00. We will be updating this story—and our Flickr photostream—continually until we switch over to our Live Event page several minutes before the event starts at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

Update 9:01: iLounge editors have received their media badges for entry into the event, and continue to wait outside as the crowd builds. While waiting, they also spotted Greg Grunberg from the NBC series Heroes; continue reading to see more pictures from outside the event.

Update 9:23: Representatives from both Nike and Pandora have been spotted outside the event.

This week’s featured photo is from our iPods Around the World gallery, and shows an iPod touch in front of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria. To share your photos and to be considered for our Photo of the Week, you simply need to submit your own photo to one of our galleries. So get out there, take some pictures with your iPod or iPhone, and maybe your submission will be our next Photo of the Week!

iLounge editors are currently en route to San Francisco to bring you live coverage of Apple’s Rock and Roll media event, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow, September 9, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. As with past iLounge live events, the frontpage of iLounge.com will switch over to our leaner Live Event page several minutes before the event starts. Apple is widely expected to announce its fall 2009 iPod lineup during the event, with a new version of iTunes and the launch of The Beatles’ catalog on the iTunes Store also possibilities. We look forward to having you join us for our live coverage.

Updated: iLounge editors are now arriving in San Francisco; continue reading for a larger look at the outside of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, which has been decorated in preparation for tomorrow’s event.

iPodweek, iLounge’s weekly newsletter recapping the last seven days in iPod, iPhone, iTunes and Apple TV news, articles, reviews, and more, will be sent out later today. In addition to rounding up the week’s top stories, iPodweek also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies. If you haven’t yet signed up to receive iPodweek, there’s still time to register and receive this week’s edition — just use the simple form below to submit your email address.

IMPORTANT: Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Earthlink and others, make sure we don’t end up in your spam box. Please accept emails from iLounge.com. Thank you.

This week’s featured photo is from our iPhones Around the World gallery, and shows an iPhone 3GS in front of the Montauk Point Lighthouse in Montauk, NY. To share your photos and to be considered for our Photo of the Week, you simply need to submit your own photo to one of our galleries. So get out there, take some pictures with your iPod or iPhone, and maybe your submission will be our next Photo of the Week!

The winners of our Livespeakr Giveaway have just been announced. In the giveaway, 10 iLounge readers won a Black Livespeakr for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPod classic. Congratulations to all the winners! Don’t forget to enter our B&W Zeppelin + Music Giveaway, our Giveaway of the Month for September.

iLounge is pleased to announce the B&W Zeppelin + Music Giveaway. In our Giveaway of the Month for September, Bowers & Wilkins and iLounge are giving away two Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin iPod speaker systems, and ten full-year memberships to Society of Sound Music. In addition, all entrants will automatically receive a free 3-month trial including an exclusive best-of Society of Sound Music sampler and a single a month for three months. To enter, simply fill out and submit the form on the giveaway page—the giveaway will end on September 30, 2009 at 11:59PM Pacific Time. Good luck!

If you haven’t yet entered our Livespeakr Giveaway, today is your last chance. In our Giveaway of the Month for August, 10 lucky iLounge readers will receive a black Livespeakr for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPod classic. To enter, simply fill out and submit the form on the giveaway page—the giveaway will end tonight at 11:59PM Pacific Time. Good luck!

iPodweek, iLounge’s weekly newsletter recapping the last seven days in iPod, iPhone, iTunes and Apple TV news, articles, reviews, and more, will be sent out later today. In addition to rounding up the week’s top stories, iPodweek also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies. If you haven’t yet signed up to receive iPodweek, there’s still time to register and receive this week’s edition — just use the simple form below to submit your email address.

IMPORTANT: Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Earthlink and others, make sure we don’t end up in your spam box. Please accept emails from iLounge.com. Thank you.

This week’s featured photo is from our iPhones Around the World gallery, and shows part of a small village on Hydra, one of the Saronic Islands of Greece. To share your photos and to be considered for our Photo of the Week, you simply need to submit your own photo to one of our galleries. So get out there, take some pictures with your iPod or iPhone, and maybe your submission will be our next Photo of the Week!

If you haven’t yet entered our Livespeakr Giveaway, there’s still time to do so. In our Giveaway of the Month for August, 10 lucky iLounge readers will receive a black Livespeakr for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPod classic. To enter, simply fill out and submit the form on the giveaway page—the giveaway will end on August 31, 2009 at 11:59PM Pacific Time. Good luck!

The latest edition of iPodweek, iLounge’s weekly newsletter summary of the last seven days in news, reviews, editorials, and more, will be arriving in subscribers’ inboxes later today. In addition to rounding up the week’s top stories, iPodweek also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies. If you haven’t yet signed up to receive iPodweek, there’s still time to register and receive this week’s edition — just use the simple form below to submit your email address.

IMPORTANT: Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Earthlink and others, make sure we don’t end up in your spam box. Please accept emails from iLounge.com. Thank you.

With nearly 2,600 votes from iLounge readers, our latest poll—“Has Apple’s handling of App Store rejections impacted your respect for the company?”—has ended. Choices including losing or gaining either a little or a lot of respect for the company, having the same amount of respect, or simply not having an opinion.

From our results, it seems Apple hasn’t done itself any favors with its App Store approval process, as more than half of responding readers said they have lost respect for the company over its rejection policies. A total of 51% indicated as much, with 27% saying that they have less respect for Apple now, while 24% said they have way less respect for the company. By comparison, 22% said they have the same amount of respect, while only 4% said they have more respect for Apple now, and a smaller group—3%—said they have way more respect for the company. Finally, 18% said they either didn’t have an opinion about the company or otherwise didn’t care. Thanks for all your votes!

Our new poll focuses on the prospect of a second version of the iPod touch—one that was bigger, and not otherwise equipped with computing power. We’d like to know if you’d buy one if it was similar to an oversized iPod touch and lacked full computing functionality. Would you buy it with a 10-inch screen, or perhaps a 6 or 7-inch model? Or would you skip it, due to its lack of full computing power, or perhaps because it doesn’t have a physical keyboard, or due to some other hardware limitation? Our new poll, “Would you buy a oversized iPod touch with a larger screen if it lacked full computer functionality?” lets you answer that question. As always you can find the iLounge Poll in the left-hand column of the main iLounge.com homepage. Cast your vote today!

This week’s featured photo is from our iPhones Around the World gallery, and shows an iPhone looking out on some windsurfers at Alaçati Beach in Turkey. To share your photos and to be considered for our Photo of the Week, you simply need to submit your own photo to one of our galleries. So get out there, take some pictures with your iPod or iPhone, and maybe your submission will be our next Photo of the Week!

iPodweek, iLounge’s weekly newsletter recapping the last seven days in iPod, iPhone, iTunes and Apple TV news, articles, reviews, and more, will be sent out later today. In addition to rounding up the week’s top stories, iPodweek also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies. If you haven’t yet signed up to receive iPodweek, there’s still time to register and receive this week’s edition — just use the simple form below to submit your email address.

IMPORTANT: Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Earthlink and others, make sure we don’t end up in your spam box. Please accept emails from iLounge.com. Thank you.

This week’s featured photo is from our iPods Around the World gallery, and shows a first-generation iPod nano looking up at the Alps outside the village of Kandersteg, Switzerland. To share your photos and to be considered for our Photo of the Week, you simply need to submit your own photo to one of our galleries. So get out there, take some pictures with your iPod or iPhone, and maybe your submission will be our next Photo of the Week!