Apple on Wednesday revamped its entire iPod lineup – an upgrade chief executive Steve Jobs called the "biggest change in the iPod lineup ever."
Most notably, Apple added a front-facing camera and FaceTime to the iPod touch. It also added a rear-facing camera with HD video recording, the retina display currently available on the iPhone 4, the Apple A4 chip, and 3-axis gyro for better gaming.
The iPod touch also includes iOS 4.1 with Game Center, and 40 hours of music playback. Gaming has become a major draw for the iPod touch, Jobs said, making the device "the most popular portable game player in the world."
The new iPod touch will be available in three models: an 8GB version for $229; a 32GB version for $299; and a 64GB version for $399.
Apple added multi-touch to the new iPod nano, which Jobs said is 46 percent smaller and 42 percent lighter. It now includes a clip for easy portability, a hard volume button, voice over, FM radio, and support for 29 languages.
The new iPod nano will have 24-hour battery life. The touch-based device includes home-screen buttons like those found on the iPhone and iPod touch. It also includes a feature that will let you pinch and rotate the screen, and includes support for photos.
The new iPod nano comes in six colors, including a Product (RED) version. An 8GB version will sell for $149 and a 16GB version will retail for $179.
Jobs also introduced a $49 2GB iPod shuffle that includes buttons, voice over, playlists, and genius mixes. It will hold up to 15 hours of music.
All of the new iPods will be available next week, and are available for pre-order today, Jobs said.
Also today, Apple introduced a smaller, streaming-only version of Apple TV, and unveiled iTunes 10, which includes a social component called Ping. For more details, see PCMag's live blog of the event on Gearlog.com, and read our hands on with Apple's new iPods, Apple TV, and iTunes 10.