iLounge

Tunewear has announced the Icewear nano 2G, the company’s first case for Apple’s new second-generation iPod nano. The case is made of high density silicone and features Tunewear’s Rib-Technology and access to all controls and ports. The Icewear for the new nano has openings for the screen and click wheel, but the case comes with Tunefilm clear protective films to cover both. The Icewear nano 2G will be available in October for $13.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed this week that the iTunes Store is now the fifth-largest seller of music in the U.S. During his presentation at Apple’s “Showtime” event on Tuesday, Jobs cited data from NPD that showed Apple has moved into the No. 5 spot among music resellers, behind Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, and Amazon. Jobs said it was a milestone because iTunes is the first digital music store to make it into the top five, which is dominated by store’s that only sell physical CDs. What’s more, Jobs said the iTunes Store is on target to pass Amazon to become No. 4 in the first half of next year.

In addition to our other coverage of the second-generation iPod nano, iLounge has just posted a complete disassembly / autopsy photo gallery with more than 25 pictures of the new nano’s innards. Visit the iPod nano (second-generation) disassembly gallery here and let us know what you think!

Mophie today announced the first case for Apple’s new second-generation iPod nano. Made from clear, hard plastic, the Relo Radura case is priced at $30 and will ship on or before October 12. “Moments after the newly designed iPod lines were announced, mophie Illuminators lit up the night designing, tweaking, prototyping, and rendering a brand new case for the new Apple iPod,” says the company. “Less than 24 hours later, mophie unveils the Relo Radura to the award-winning line of iPod accessories.”

With yesterday’s introduction of new iPods models, it appears that Apple has halted iPod educational discounts on its online store (and presumably at its retail locations). Several iLoungers note that the online Apple Store for universities and schools, which previously offered discounts of approximately 10% on iPods, now lists the new fifth-generation iPod, second-generation iPod nano and second-generation iPod shuffle at full retail prices. In addition, the new iPod models do not qualify for Apple’s Back To School promotion, which allows educational customers to buy a Mac and an iPod and get up to $179 back via mail-in rebate. The promo ends on September 16, 2006.

Eleksen and Bagir announced today that they have teamed up to produce a new men’s suit with iPod connectivity. The Bagir iPod Suit integrates Eleksen’s ElekTex smart fabric touchpad technology, which transforms a lapel into a 5-button electronic control panel for controlling an iPod’s music functions. “The suit is machine-washable and wrinkle-resistant, making it the ideal choice for today’s music-savvy and style conscious business professionals,” according to the companies. The Bagir iPod Suit will be available in five styles, and has a suggested retail price of $280. The suits are expected to be available in November.

Japan’s Softbank, which was once rumored to be working with Apple on an “iPhone,” has begun offering a 2GB second-generation iPod nano packaged with one of its own mobile phones. “The new promotion is designed to keep customers for at least two years as Softbank would require them to refund the cost for the handsets if they cancel their subscription within the period.”

Following yesterday’s special event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs told The Wall Street Journal that the transition from DVDs to online distribution “wouldn’t happen overnight.” “It takes years of investment,” he said.

At Apple Expo in Paris today, Griffin Technology announced the iKaraoke, a new device that aims to turn your iPod into a portable karaoke machine. “A high-quality compact microphone plugs into your iPod and at the flick of a switch, existing vocals fade into the background, leaving instruments and backing vocals intact, allowing you to step up and be the star,” explains Griffin. “iKaraoke sends the music—along with your performance—to your stereo system for the world to enjoy.” The iKaraoke features three levels of reverb to blend vocals and can be connected via a stereo line-in cable or wirelessly through an FM receiver. Pricing and availability was not announced.

Also at Apple Expo, Griffin is showing its TuneCenter iPod AV dock (iLounge rating: B), which was announced at this year’s Macworld Expo, and its iTalkPro recording acessory for fifth-generation iPods, which was shown to iLounge in March.

Newer Technology has introduced the NuPower 1350mAh Lithium-Polymer replacement battery for the 40GB fourth-generation iPod and all iPod Photo models. The NuPower 1350mAh is the highest capacity replacement battery ever for the fourth-generation iPod, and delivers up to 150% more run time than the original stock battery. It is priced at $30 and comes with non-abrasive nylon installation tools and free, online step-by-step installation videos.

During his feature presentation at Apple’s special “Showtime” event yesterday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs provided various sales figures, market share data, and other numerical information:

- 450,000 Nike+iPod Sport Kits sold in less than 90 days
- 70% of 2007 model year automobiles to offer iPod connectivity
- 10 million iPod shuffles sold since its introduction in Jan. 2005
- iTunes Store now accounts for 88% of all legal US downloads
- Over 1.5 billion songs have been sold from the iTunes Store
- iTunes Store No. 1 in all 21 countries with iTunes Store
- 45 million TV shows purchased from iTunes Store in less than a year
- Over 220 TV Shows from over 40 networks now available

For those independent companies and individuals looking to make cases for Apple’s latest iPods, the company has now posted dimensional drawings for the newly announced second-generation iPod nano and second-generation iPod shuffle. Apple says that the dimensional drawings “will provide you with all of the measurements you need to get started.” Technical information for hardware developers is available only from Apple via its “Made for iPod” program.

The NFL and Apple announced today that 2006 NFL regular season action will soon be available from the iTunes Store. Beginning September 18th, football fans will be able to download highlights of each NFL regular season game for $1.99 per game the day after they are played. iTunes customers can also purchase a “Follow Your Team” Season Pass for $24.99 and have game clips from you favorite teams delivered automatically as they become available. In addition, the iTunes Store will be offering NFL Network’s NFL GameDay, hosted by Rich Eisen with Steve Mariucci and Deion Sanders. The Sunday night NFL wrap-up show will be available for $1.99 per show or $19.99 for a full season.

At its special event today in San Francisco, Apple unveiled a completely revamped iPod lineup, including an updated fifth-generation iPod, new second-generation iPod nano, and an all-new iPod shuffle. The company also rolled out iTunes version 7 with movie downloads and several new features, and gave a preview of a forthcoming living room device tentatively called the iTV.

Reviews:
- Second-generation iPod nano

First Looks:
- Enhanced Fifth-generation iPod
- Second-generation iPod nano
- Second-generation iPod shuffle
- iTV (project code name)
- iTunes 7 and iTunes Store

News:
- Apple debuts new iPod with games
- Apple unveils all-new iPod nano with aluminum design
- Apple announces new ultra-tiny iPod shuffle
- iTunes 7 announced with movie downloads, new features
- Apple offers ‘sneak peek’ at iTV media router
- Apple’s special event by the numbers
- iLounge special event photo gallery
- iLounge live updates from special event

Apple has now posted a streaming QuickTime video of today’s “It’s Showtime” event, where Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced updated iPods, the second-generation iPod nano, and an all-new iPod shuffle. Jobs also debuted iTunes 7, showed an iTV device, and offered various updates on sales and other company information. See all of our current coverage from the event here.

Apple has posted a QuickTime video version of its new iPod nano commercial, which was first shown at today’s special event in San Francisco. The ad, similar to Apple’s well-known silhouette style spots, features dancers with iPod nanos streaming light. The ad features the song “The Audience Is Listening Theme Song” by Cut Chemist and ends with the words “The new iPod nano. Completely Remastered.”

Apple’s new Cover Flow feature was added to iTunes 7 after the company purchased the similarly named CoverFlow iTunes add-on from independent Mac software developer Steel Skies. “We are pleased to announce that all CoverFlow technology and intellectual property was recently sold to Apple,” says a posting on the developer’s website. “It has been incorporated into the latest version of iTunes.” Cover Flow allows you to flip between your music or video collection with an interface that mimics a real-life CD or DVD collection.

Apple today introduced its second-generation iPod nano. The all-new nano sports an iPod mini-like aluminum body, 24 hours of battery life, and increased storage capacity. The new nano, which is thinner and lighter than the original model, is available in silver, pink, green, blue and black in sizes from 2GB to 8GB. The new nano also has a brighter display and comes with redesigned earbuds. New software features include gapless playback and a new Search and Quick Scroll.

The new 2GB nano model is available only in silver for $149, the new 4GB model comes in in silver, pink, green and blue for $199, and the new 8GB model in available in black only for $249. Apple also announced new accessories designed for the second-generation nano, including lanyard headphones ($39), an armband ($29), a dock ($29), and an ultra-compact USB power adapter ($29).

Along with the new nano, Apple has also created new packaging. The second-generation nano will come in an all-new transparent plastic box, allowing customers to see which color nano is inside.

Apple today released iTunes 7, which, as widely expected, brings full-length movie downloads to the iTunes Store. (As noted earlier today, Apple has apparently dropped the word “Music” from the store’s name.) Apple is currently offering over 75 movies from Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films.

Movies will become available on the iTunes Store the same day they are released on DVD, with new releases priced at $12.99 when pre-ordered and during their first week of availability, and $14.99 thereafter, and library titles available for $9.99 every day. After purchased, movies can be watched on an iPod or computer, or on a TV with the company’s forthcoming “iTV” device. With iTunes 7, all videos purchased from the iTunes Store now come in “near-DVD quality” resolution of 640x480 (up from 320x240).

iTunes 7 also includes gapless music playback, expanded parental controls, an iTunes video playback window with on-screen controls, and new sorting features, including new album and Cover Flow views of music, TV shows and movies, “enabling users to quickly find titles in their library as well as casually browse through and re-discover titles they already own.”

Movies currently offered include “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Shakespeare in Love,” “The Princess Diaries,” “The Incredibles,” “National Treasure,” “Toy Story,” “The Rock” and “The Rookie.” As previously noted, iTunes 7 also add video game downloads for fifth-generation iPods, including “Tetris,” “Mahjong” and “Mini Golf” from Electronic Arts; “Pac-Man” from Namco; “Cubis 2” from FreshGames; “Bejeweled” and “Zuma” from PopCap Games; and “Texas Hold’em” and “Vortex” developed by Apple, all available for $4.99 each.

Apple today introduced the new iPod shuffle, which the company now calls the world’s smallest digital music player. The new shuffle, which is nearly half the size of the original, weighs half an ounce and features a new aluminum design with built-in clip. The new shuffle offers 1GB of music storage, features up to 12 hours of battery life, and includes earbud headphones and an iPod shuffle Dock. The new iPod shuffle is expected to be available worldwide in October for $79. “It’s hard to believe the new iPod is a real music player when you first see it,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “But it is real, and holds up to 240 songs in an incredibly compact and wearable design that weighs just half an ounce.”

Apple today introduced an upgraded version of its fifth-generation iPod, bumping storage capacity and battery life while adding support video games. The new 30GB model features up to 14 hours of battery life for music playback and up to three and a half hours of video playback, and the 80GB model provides up to 20 hours of battery life for music playback and five and a half hours of video playback. The new iPod also offers a 60% brighter display, gapless playback, and a new Search and Quick Scroll feature.

The new video games designed specifically for the fifth-generation iPod include: Bejeweled, Cubis 2, Mahjong, Mini Golf, Pac-Man, Tetris, Texas Hold’em, Vortex and Zuma, and are available for purchase on the iTunes Store for $4.99 each. The new 30GB iPod model is priced at $249, while the new 80GB model costs $349. Both models are available in white or black and include redesigned earbud headphones.