Ending weeks of speculation and rumors concerning Apple's popular portable player, Steve Jobs today unleashed a slew of new iPods at San Francisco's Moscone West expo center, including the all-new iPod touch which is essentially a thinner iPhone stripped of its phone capabilities. The iPod touch retains the same multi-touch user interface as the iPhone as well as the built in Wi-Fi capabilities and preinstalled applications. An 8GB version will sell for $299, while the 16GB version will set you back $399.
Besides introducing a new model, Apple revamped its entire current iPod lineup. The screen-less, ultra compact iPod Shuffle is being updated with new colors, while the new iPod nano now accommodates a 2-inch video screen, features video playback capabilities and an enhanced user interface. The redesigned iPod nano comes in two versions: a 4GB version in silver, for $149, and 8GB version in a variety of colors, for $199. Finally, the standard hard disk based iPod has been renamed iPod classic and features a slimmer, completely metal design and the same enhanced interface used by the new nano. Apple also bumped the hard drive capacity with the new classic. The new 160GB model will sell for $349, while the base 80GB model will cost you $249.
A couple of announcements also worth noting: First, iTunes is getting a new feature where users can pay an additional $0.99 per song to customize it into an up to 30-seconds ringtone. That's $1.98 for the song and the ringtone. And last but not least, Apple finally launched its iTunes WiFi Music Store, where iPhone and iPod touch owners can find, buy, and play tracks on their device without using a PC - no video downloads, though.