September 9th, 2008
LIVE from the Apple event
Updated: This post is in reverse order.
11:04 a.m.: Jobs (right) thanks everyone for coming and invites 
us to “go get your hands on some of these new products. I think you’re going to love them.” Eric Clapton’s “Layla” plays as people start walking out.
10:52 a.m.: Jobs talks about how much Apple loves music and music events. So it’s only fitting that he invite a top-selling artist to the stage: singer-songwriter Jack Johnson.
10:50 a.m.: New software for the iPod Touch and iPhone. iPhone update - free starting Friday - is a “Big update,” Jobs said. “It will fix a lot of bugs.” Updates for 
iPod Touch owners is free from version 2.0 software or $9.95 for those with version 1.x
10:46 a.m.: There are three models of the new iPod Touch. An 8 GB model for $229, a 16 GB model for $299 and a 32 GB model for $399. There’s also a new commercial that showcases games. The new models are available today.
10:44 a.m.: There are actually some cool games being demonstrated. Spore is a new game. Right now, we’re watching Need For Speed: Undercover - basically an 
outrun-the-cops games with very nice graphics. Seems like something my son might toss his PlayStation Portable aside for. Hmmm.
10:40 a.m.: We’ve heard some statistics about the App Store, which is celebrating its 60-day anniversary today. Jobs says more than 100 million applications have been downloaded in that time. “This is mind blowing,” he said. We’re still getting some demos of apps and some new games. (I also took a minute to shift these updates around so they’re easier to follow.)
Also see: Gallery: Let’s rock at Apple event
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: New iPods! - Highlights from Apple’s “Let’s Rock” event
Jason O’Grady: Apple’s Let’s Rock event wrap-up
Jason Hiner: If Apple really wanted to revolutionize the iPod, it would embed wireless broadband
10:32 a.m. - New iPod Touch. Same 3.5-inch display but it’s even thinner now. Volume controls have been integrated into the side. Now comes with a built-in speaker for “casual listening,” not high quality. The user interface has some minor tweaks. And now, the Nike+ feature is built-in to it. The receiver that Nike+iPod usually needs is no longer. It’s built into the device. Still waiting on pricing and availability.
10:28 a.m. - There’s a new commercial for the iPod Nano. Some music and the colorful iPods fly onto the screen. Jerry Seinfeld is no where to be found.
10:26 a.m. New cool feature is called “Shake to Shuffle,” which allows you to shuffle to a new song simply by shaking the iPod - literally. It’s actually a very cool feature and something I didn’t see coming at all. Jobs also talks about improved battery life - 24 hours for music, 4 hours for video. And, of course, there’s new colors. Very vibrant colors - 8 total, including the standard grey. The 8 GB entry iPod nano is $149; the 16 GB model is priced at $199. The 8 GB models should be in stores any day; the 16 GB models could be stores by this weekend or early next week.
10:20 a.m. iPod Classic this holiday season - the thicker version - is discontinued. The thinner iPod is upgraded from 80 GB to 120 GB. Price stays the same: $249. There’s anew iPod Nano for the holidays. It has the larger hi-res screen as has been rumored. It has a new curved aluminum design with curved glass. It has a new enhanced user interface and includes the Genius playlist creation - without connection to iTunes. It also includes the iPhone’s accelerometer, which allows the screen to shift from portrait to landscape mode by turning the device on its side.
10:14 a.m. The demo continues. Jobs picks a single song - Elvis’ Heartbreak Hotel - and clicks once to create a genius playlist. Some Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Little Richard, Chuck Berry. And you can instantly refresh the list and make it bigger - 25 songs, 50 songs, 100 songs. “We really think you’re going to like the genius playlist feature,” he said. I already do. It’s available today as a free download. Here comes iPod news…
10:09 a.m. Jobs is talking about and demonstrating new features to iTunes 8, including a new way to browse albums and TV shows that makes better use of the screen space. In addition, there’s a feature called Genius, which allows users to create playlists from songs in their library that go great together. An opt-in connection to iTunes allows the company to learn about your musical tastes, as well as the tastes of other iTunes users. Genius also includes a sidebar that makes recommendations of songs on iTunes that you might like.
10:03 a.m. HD TV shows will be added to iTunes. Priced at $2.99 (with SD shows for $1.99). Also, NBC is coming back to iTunes. Also, news of iTunes 8.
10 a.m. Steve Jobs takes the stage in his signature outfit. He looks good and jokes as the screen comes up with the message: “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Big applause.
9:55 a.m.: We’re here at the Apple event, seated and waiting. Laptops everywhere. Some great tunes from the 1960s - today, we call it Classic Rock - are playing while we wait. The event, after all, is titled “Let’s Rock. The music seems appropriate.
Updates will be coming regularly.
Sam Diaz is a senior editor at ZDNet. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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| 09/09/08
