New Apple Toys -- Including A Nano With FM Radio

Back On Stage

STEVE JOBS walked onstage to be the surprise emcee of APPLE's annual iPOD Event in SAN FRANCISCO. But the biggest and best surprise for radio, outside of JOBS' return to health, was the fact that the new NANO will have a built-in FM tuner

After noting that five months ago, JOBS received a liver transplant from a 20-something person who died in a car crash and recommending that everyone become an organ donor, he began his presentation. Among the other highlights, courtesy of ARSTECHNICA's live blog:

* 30 million iPHONES sold in a little over two years

* 75,000 apps, generating 1.8 billion downloads

* Introduces the new iPHONE OS 3.1, with New Genius technology automatically makes playlists from songs in your library and recommends new apps based on the apps you already have. Version 3.1 is free to 3.0 iPHONE and iTOUCH customers.

* 30,000 ringtones from all four major labels will now be sold for $1.39 each, with free previews.

* iTUNES, which has sold 8.5 billion songs to 100 million accounts, will now be offered as iTUNES 9, with Genius that can play endless mixes of songs from your iTUNES library that go great together, almost like radio stations. iTUNES will make up to 12 of them based on your library.

* Synching will be improved for iTUNES music and movies. It will now be easier to arrange apps on iTUNES.

* A new home sharing feature now lets you copy songs, movies, TV shows, etc. from up to 5 other computers in your house (not just stream).

* As predicted, JOBS touts the new iTUNES LP feature, with better liner notes, photography, essays, etc.

* Other few quirks: You can buy music right from the top 10 chart, or share directly to FACEBOOK and TWITTER.

* iPODS: Over 220 million sold so far (73% market share), with half of purchasers are new to the iPOD. The TOUCH is the fastest growing model with 20 million sold.

* A heavy emphasis is placed on the wealth of video game apps, including MADDEN NFL 10, which you can play while listening to music.

* New prices: $199 for 8GB TOUCH, $299 for 16 GB TOUCH and a brand new 64GB model for $399.

* Looks like the rumors about the discontinuation of the iPOD CLASSIC are unfounded. They upped the capacity to 160GB (40,000 songs) while holding the price at $249.

* Changes in iPOD shuffle: there's now an integrated controller, an adapter to plug in any headphones, ability to support multiple playlists, and is priced at $59, $79 and a new stainless steel special edition 4GB model for $99.

* They've built a video camera in the new iPOD NANO, now with a speaker, which can sync back to your computer, iPhoto on MAC or videos folder on PC --and has built in an FM Radio. Costs: 8GB for $149, 16GB for $179, all available TODAY.

NAB Celebrates

Naturally, the NAB is elated about the FM tuner in the NANO. "Today's announcement validates a longstanding desire by NAB and broadcasters across AMERICA to ensure that our free and local content is available on every conceivable mobile device and technology," NAB EVP DENNIS WHARTON said in a statement. "On behalf of radio broadcasters across the country, NAB applauds APPLE for recognizing the value of free, local radio. It gives AMERICA's 235 million weekly radio listeners yet another platform to enjoy our free service and brings a valuable feature to one of the world's preeminent entertainment products."

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