iLounge

Seagate has announced the first 8GB, 1-inch hard drive, which could find its way into the next version of Apple’s iPod mini. “The 8GB Seagate ST1 Series can hold up to 200 hours—or 4,000 songs—of high-quality music files (128 kbps), a breakthrough for pocket-size music players and entertainment devices,” says the company. This 4,000-song number, however, uses Windows Media Audio (WMA) as its benchmarking format; iPod owners would expect 2,000 songs, instead.

National Public Radio has ended its relationship with Audible.com and is in talks with several companies about distributing its shows. “We have spoken to a number of companies, including Apple, about our next move in offering NPR programming in podcast form,” NPR told The Mac Observer.

An iPod shuffle Bus was recently spotted in Toronto, Canada. It appears to have been completely repainted in Apple’s lime green with black shuffle icons as a large scale mobile advertisement. [via iPoditude]

BusinessWeek’s Peter Burrows says Apple will need to beef up its iPod offerings if it hopes to keep momentum going while consumers wait for Intel-based Macs. “One possibility is a higher-capacity iPod shuffle, or one with a screen. And most analysts expect that the company will unveil an iPod capable of playing video in the coming months.”