iTunes 9 & the iPod nano Has Video
ByThis week (September, 2009), was the long-awaited Apple Event with Steve Jobs back and bringing us the newest from Apple. No, nothing about a tablet – yet – I think they’re waiting until closer to Christmas, but we’ll see.
The big announcement was the inclusion of a video camera in the nano The 8GB nano ($149) can contain up to 8 hours of video – amazing. Then when you get to your computer, you can choose to upload to YouTube, Facebook etc. You can watch the keynote here in Quicktime. The nano also has fm radio, a voice recorder and a pedometer.
If you were hoping for a camera in the 3rd Generation iPod Touch, maybe next time. There was quite a bit of negative backlash about not having this feature. They have lowered the prices and improved performance in the third generation.
8GB – $199
32GB – $299
64 GB – $399
There was no mention of the 16GB, perhaps that will be phased out.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the differences between the ZuneHD and the iPod Touch. The ZunedHD is being released September 15th at a price of $220. I still believe the Zune is a better product for the money.
Improved iTunes 9 Software
I’ve actually been hearing more favorable comments about the new Home Sharing feature in iTunes 9. Finally, there’s a way to share the music in our house. Up to 5 authorized computers (all on the same network and must share the same iTunes account), can share music collections and purchases. We can upload the music and podcasts we want from other’s computers (important when you don’t share the same musical tastes). If purchases are made with iTunes, those can be shared as well. From the introductory video, even if you don’t have the same iTunes account, it looks like you can still listen to someone else’s music on your network, but you can’t move it into your iTunes. Previously, it was very inconvenient to share music and not worth the effort for most of us. So, you’re out of luck if you have iTunes at work and at home.
Other enhancements to the software include better syncing options, better genius suggestions, additional album artwork and information along with a better iTunes store.
If you have an iPhone, they’ve made some improvements for you as well.
The consensus from the big name reviewers was they were a bit let down. I’m sure Apple will rebound quickly. I’ve no qualms over their ability to innovate.
[...] icon and see that my HomeGroup is still in my network. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the new sharing feature in iTunes, but it’s not worked very reliably for our network, so I’m glad we can share our music the [...]