September 9th, 2009
Live blog from Apple's "It's only Rock n Roll" event
I’m here in downtown San Francisco at Apple’s news announcement, where I’ll be liveblogging the company’s news. You’ll find the updates for this post appearing in reverse chronological order - that way the freshest news is at the top of the post. (Techmeme)
11:15 am: Steve Jobs comes back on stage and thanks us for coming. People start to stream out of the theater.
11:08 am: The event closes with a performance by 9-time Grammy winner Norah Jones, who has sold more than 36 million copies of her three albums on iTunes.
11:05 am: Here comes the recap of the changes. Steve announces it as the lineup for the holidays. He also takes a moment to talk about how environmentally friendly they are. There’s no word about cameras - as the rumor mill has suggested.
11:02 am: Steve still talking about iPod Nano and extra features. Genius Mixes are in it and so is FM radio, a voice recorder app and a pedometer. There’s a slight pause and the audience seems to be unsure whether to applause. Steve recaps and then announces the device in new colors. The 8GB is $149; the 16 GB model is $179. And they’re all available today.
10:58 am: One more thing: A new video camera - and the FlipCam shows up on the screen. That device is 4GB fr $149. “That market has exploded and we want to get in on it.” Steve teases us by annoucning an 8GB for free. Free? Yes, it’s built into the new iPod Nano. It includes speakers. And the Nano keeps its thin form factor. It allows synchronization back to the computer and one-click uploads to YouTube.
10:54 am: Now we’re talking iPod Classic. The classic jumps to 160 GB. As for the Shuffle, new range of third-party headphones with controllers on the headphones themselves are on the way. Also adds voiceover to tell users what the song is. And, with the voiceover, it also offers multiple playlists now, too. But what’s new? Five colors and a 2 GB model for $59, joining the 4GB for $79. Also adding a $99 Special Edition shuffle made of stainless steel. It’s nice looking - but no oohs and aaahs from this audience.
10:51 am: Schiller is back and talking about the $199 magic price point. The $229 price point is down to $199 for the 8-gigabyte model. The 16 GB for $299 becomes a 32 GB and the $399 model jumps to 64 GB. Other enhancements for the bigger devices is that they’re faster with improved graphics.
Steve Jobs comes back to the stage.
10:46 am: Electronic Arts giving a demo and sneak peek at what they’re working on for the holidays: Madden 2010 for the iPhone. I’m not a big gamer - but I do like to play some Madden from time to time. The game demos have showcased some cool features that incorporate music from the iPod into the game experience, too… But, as I watch the clock ticking near the 50-minute mark for this media event, I’m still anxious for some actual news - the infamous “One Last Thing” from Steve Jobs.
10:32 am: Schiller takes the stage to give an update on iPod. Has just shy of 74 percent market share. The No. 2 player is “other.” And no surprise here, iPod Touch is the fastest growing iPod in the line. After all, it has access to iTunes store and great apps (plugs again for Twitter and Facebook.) But Schiller notes that, with WiFi, the iPod Touch is also a pocket computer - email, contacts, and the whole bit. Funny moment: It can actually fit in your pocket - and up on the screen is an image of someone trying to put a Dell netbook computer in his back pocket.
Schiller also talking about games on the iPod Touch and compares it to other handheld gaming devices. The games for those devices are expensive - and it doesn’t even come with a music player. Schiller also plays up how much easier it is to buy a game - via app store - compared to traditional retail. And what about games? Sony PSP has 607, Nintendo DS offers 3,680 and iPhone OS offers 21,178. Here comes a demo of a game - but still no news announcements around the iPod.
Game developers coming on stage to showcase the games they’re creating for the iPhone/iPod Touch.
10:27 am: Steve Jobs is back. iTunes 9 is available today. Moving on to iPod. Here comes Marketing VP Phil Schiller, who took the stage at keynotes and media events during Jobs’ medical leave.
10:23 am: iTunes store now includes “Share to…” links for Facebook and Twitter. Also incorporates wishlists - a long-time request. iTunes LP is kind of cool - especially the built-in lyrics.
10:16 am: Jobs leaves the stage as we get a demo of the new iTunes. Yes, the app synchronization is pretty sick, allowing you to click and rearrange from iTunes and have them reflected on the device.
10:14 am: Let’s talk music and start with iTunes. Big applause as Jobs announces that iTunes is No. 1 music retailer in the world. Now has 100 million iTunes accounts. Today, the company introduces iTunes 9. The interface is cleaned up a bit and looks simpler. But more on that later. Let’s talk about Genius. More than 54 billion sings have been submitted and analyzed, beefing up the database. Now, applying technology and database to “Genius mixes.” It’s like a Genius DJ - playing songs that go well together from your library.
There’s also some tweaks to how iTunes synchronizes and gives you more flexibility to customize what appears on your device - a playlist but also songs by a certain artist, for example. Same goes for photos and movies. It also includes new ways to sync iPhone/iPod Touch apps on the device.
Also introducing Home Sharing to enable copying of songs, TV shows and so on among 5 authorized computers in the household. You can still stream the contents - but now you can select the song and copy it to your library. Cool feature: Search for songs in your network but not in your library.
Also new, cleaner layout for iTunes store. Jobs also announces iTunes LP. Remember albums with photos, liner notes, etc. (Steve remembers albumsm he said.) Now, iTunes will include all of that again - lyrics, liner notes, band history and more.
10:07 am: An OS upgrade for iPhone and iPod Touch - version 3.1 - and includes Genius-like features for the app store, where it makes recommendations based n apps you already have. Also announces ringtones for $1.29. The OS upgrade is free for customers with 3.0 OS. Available today.
10:04 am: Jobs says we’re here to talk about music. But first, wants to report that within two years. 30 million iPhones sold. Jobs gives a lot of the credit to the App Store.
10:02 am: Jobs talking about getting a liver transplant earlier this year. Says he has the liver of a mid-20s person who died in a car crash and donated his organs. “I wouldn’t be here without his generosity.” He asks that people consider being organ donors. And then thanks Apple community and COO Steve Cook for running the company during a tough time.
10:01 am: Hey. It’s Steve Jobs. He’s wearing the signature jeans and black T-shirt. He looks thin but he also looks healthy and seems to have some good energy. There’s a standing ovation for him.
Sam Diaz is a senior editor at ZDNet. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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| 09/09/09
