Let’s Rock Event 2008 (Live Blog)

    newest is at the top

    1. iPod Shuffle unchanged
    2. “This is a big update, it fixes lots of bugs. Fewer dropped calls, big battery life improvements. No crashes with Apps. Backing up is faster.”
    3. iPod Touch free upgrade from 2.0 software, 1.x software will be $9.95. (available today) iPhone Also has the 2.1 firmware available Friday.
    4. iPod Touch: New iPod touch has new iPod touch 2.1 software.
    5. iPod Touch: 8GB – $229. 16GB model – $299. 32GB Model – $399 Available today (I would’ve expected a bigger price drop for the 8GB, like sub $199)
    6. iPod Touch: 36 hours of music, 6 hours of video. Environmentally like the nano.
    7. Schiller is now demoing an EA game coming out later this year, Need for Speed (coming out for all platforms including iPod touch and iPhone at the same time)
    8. Real Soccer 2009 ships today, brand new game
    9. Showed apps are Spore Origins (EA), RSoccer09 (Gameloft). And Need For Speed (EA).
    10. Apple is now showing off 3 new games (Phil Shiller)
    11. App store: 700 games on the App Store today. Games have something for everybody. App Store now in 62 countries. Pretty amazing.
    12. iPod Touch: When you’re panning/shuffling in a song, a genius icon will appear, just tap it and it’ll save it into your Genius playlist
    13. iPod Touch: now has Nike+ built in, only need the shoe transmitter
    14. iPod Touch: app store built in as well
    15. iPod Touch: Built in speaker for casual listening. Genius playlist creation also on the touch
    16. iPod Touch: same display, even thinner, stainless steel design
    17. New Headphones: They ship with 3 earbuds, and they’ve got 2 drivers each, a woofer and tweeter — they’re going to sell for $79
    18. new style iPod headphones will be $29. Available next month
    19. iPod has new headphones, double-click for next track, triple-click for previous song. Volume control and microphone just like the iPhone
    20. iPod Nano: Shipping today, 8GB should be in stock next few days, 16GB available next weekend, “early next week at the latest
    21. iPod Nano has chromatic Colors. They include Silver, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink. There are 8 colors. $149 price for 8GB model. 16GB version for $199.
    22. iPod Nano is now environmentally friendly, arsenic free,BFR-free, mercury-free, PVC-free, highly recyclable
    23. iPod Nano: Battery life: 24 hours for music, 4 hours for video. Huh? We want to be really environmentally sensitive with these products.
    24. iPod Nano: Curved aluminum design, curved glass. Very durable. Enhanced UI with new features. Accelerometer from iPhone/touch now into the nano. Genius playlist creation right from the nano, even when not created in iTunes. See picture being sent to our flickr page. Rotate on the side and it looks like Cover Flow mode from nano 3G. Photos, etc rotate for the display. Now playing – hold down center button for a new menu to browse the album, artist, crete genius list. Voice recording program built in as before.
    25. Nano has gone through 1st, 2nd, 3rd generation. Now 4th generation. There is a more conspicuous hold switch at the top. Thinnest iPod ever made. Top has a swirled hold switch. New interface has cover art icons at the bottom of the screen. Interface looks unlike the faked shots shown online earlier.
    26. iPod Classic: 120GB for $249 only (slowly removing the classic?)
    27. iPod classic. Two models have been offered previously no more thick one.
    28. iPod: Latest data shows iPod at 73.4% marketshare in US. #2 is “other” at 15.4%. #3 is Sandisk. #4 is Microsoft with 2.6%. Over 5,000 iPod accessories.
    29. iTunes 8 available today
    30. more genius demoing
    31. Genius Results are tailored to your music library. It’s all opt-in. Updated once a week automatically. The new icon looks atomic, somewhat like the logo for the Genius Bar at Apple Stores.
    32. You’ve got your music library, you turn on Genius — it sends information about your library to iTunes. We can learn about your musical tastes… but completely anonymously… but we’re going to combine your info with other users, and as that happens Genius gets smarter and smarter.”
    33. Genius: Auto makes playlists from songs in your library that go great together, with just one click. Helps you rediscover music in your library. And it works well. Select a song, new Genius button in bottom right corner gets pressed and creates new genius list
    34. : iTunes 8. A ton of new stuff. Few main pieces: HD TV shows. Accessibility – requests for voiceover and other tech fulfilled. New browsing and Genius.
    35. HD TV shows. You can buy them for $1.99 in SD, HD will be $2.99… and you can watch them on your computer.”
    36. NBC is coming back to iTunes.” Big cheers “The Office” and others are coming back as well as in HD.”
    I'm into everything technology related, particularly anything Apple related. I enjoy programming and tend to lean towards server-based technologies over client-based. You can contact me on twitter, via e-mail, or follow me on friendfeed.