Cool Mac Gear

Apple today announced new 20GB and 40GB models of its best-selling iPod digital music player. The new 40GB iPod holds up to 10,000 CD-quality songs (playing each song back-to-back takes a month) in a new enclosure that is lighter and thinner than two CDs. iPods are available in three models: a 10GB model for just $299 (US), the new 20GB model for $399 (US) and the new 40GB model for $499 (US); and offer the perfect combination of ease of use, storage capacity, audio performance and ultra-portable design.

“iPod is the best-selling digital music player and the ‘gold standard’ to which all portable music players are compared,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “The iPod and the iTunes Music Store offer music lovers an unbeatable combination that our competitors can’t even come close to.”

iPod is the only portable music player with Apple’s patent pending Auto-Sync, an innovative feature that automatically downloads your entire digital music library onto iPod and keeps it up-to-date whenever the iPod is plugged into your Mac® or Windows PC using FireWire® or USB 2.0. The ultra-portable iPods are designed with a solid-state “no moving parts” navigation wheel and backlit buttons for precise, effortless navigation through thousands of songs; an elegant dock for easy syncing and charging with an audio line out for quick connection to a home stereo or powered speakers; an “On-The-Go” playlist so users can build a playlist right on their iPod; a customizable main menu so users can promote the features they use most often to their top level menu; and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for more than eight hours of continuous music.

Apple also announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded over ten million songs from the iTunes Music Store since its launch just over four months ago, averaging over 500,000 songs per week. The ten millionth song, “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne, was purchased and downloaded at 11:34 p.m. (PDT) on September 3.

The combination of the iTunes digital music jukebox, the pioneering iTunes Music Store and the market-leading iPod™ digital music player provide users with a complete solution for buying, managing and listening to their digital music collections anywhere. The iTunes Music Store will be available to Windows users by the end of this year.

“Legally selling ten million songs online in just four months is a historic milestone for the music industry, musicians and music lovers everywhere,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Apple offers the only complete solution for digital music with iTunes and the amazing iPod, which now holds 10,000 songs in your pocket.”

“We are honored and grateful to be one of the top selling artists in the iTunes Music Store,” said Chris Martin, singer/songwriter of the Grammy-award winning band Coldplay. “It’s clear Apple has delivered a working and successful platform for music fans to discover artists and purchase both albums and single songs instantly with ease. We embrace these efforts enthusiastically and see them as the future of our business.”

The revolutionary online music store offers songs from major and independent music labels, groundbreaking personal use rights, and one-click download directly into Apple’s integrated digital jukebox software, iTunes—all for just 99 cents per song. Users can listen to free 30-second previews of any song in the store, then purchase and download their favorite songs or complete albums in pristine digital quality. Songs can be burned at no extra cost onto an unlimited number of CDs for personal use, played on up to three computers, and listened to on an unlimited number of iPods.

Pricing & Availability
New iPods for Mac and Windows PCs are available today for a suggested retail price of $299 (US) for the 10GB iPod, $399 (US) for the 20GB iPod and $499 (US) for the 40GB iPod through the Apple Store (http://www.apple.com ), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Laser engraving is available for $19 (US) and can include two lines of text with up to 27 characters per line. The new iPods support high-speed syncing via USB 2.0 with Windows; a separate USB 2.0 cable, available at http://www.apple.com/ipod/accessories.html for $19 (US) is required.

All iPod models include earbud headphones, an Apple iPod power adapter, a FireWire cable and a 4-pin-to-6-pin iPod FireWire adapter. 20GB and 40GB iPod models also include the iPod Dock, carrying case and wired remote; these optional accessories can be ordered for 10GB iPod models through the Apple Store. iPod requires a Mac with FireWire port, Mac® OS X version 10.1.5 or later (Mac OS X v10.2 or later recommended) or a Windows PC with FireWire or USB 2.0 port, or Windows-certified FireWire or USB 2.0 card, Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows XP Home or Professional. A CD containing iTunes* for Mac OS X and MUSICMATCH Jukebox Plus 7.5 software is included with all iPod purchases.

(*)Some iPod features require a Mac and iTunes.

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Charles W. Moore

Cool Mac Gear