With the new iPod hardware out of the way, Apple turns to iTunes, and after a brief bit about the statistics we already know are impressive… Apple unveils iTunes 10, complete with a new and simplified logo.

First the stats. “People have downloaded over 11.7 billion songs from iTunes, and we’re just about to cross 12b. Over 450 million TV episodes, 100 million movies, 35 million books, and over 160 million accounts with credit cards and 1-click shopping in 23 countries,” says Jobs.

Those stats are relevant to the logo change. “Since iTunes is about to bypass CDs in sales, we thought it was appropriate to ditch the CD,” quips Jobs.

[Image via GDGT]

And here’s what many of us have been waiting for: Apple officially unveils the new iPod Touch. And as suspect, it takes more than a bit of a queue from the iPhone 4, with dual cameras, an A4 CPU and a Retina Display. But orget about 3G. It is a smidge thinner, though, if that’s a comfort.

“The iPod touch has been a remarkable product for us,” says Jobs. ” It has become the most popular product for us — it used to be the nano. A lot of people call it the iPhone without a phone. But it’s also an iPhone without the contract!”

So what’s new?

• A beautiful new Retina Display.

• Apple’s 1GHZ A4 CPU

• A 3-Axis Gyroscope

• iOS 4.1 With Game Center

• FaceTime with both front and back camera. Unlike the iPhone 4, there’s no flash.

• HD video recording capabilities.

And what about the price? $229 buys you 8GB, $299 buys you 32GB and $399 buys you 64GB.

[Image via GDGT]

Wondering what that little 1.13 touchscreen Apple commissioned was for? Wonder no longer: it’s going into the Nano… and it seems to be losing movie capabilities and camera, in exchange for very limited iOS.

“The first iPod nano was a stunner when it first came out. Then we took it to extruded aluminum… we gave it a taller screen, and an even taller screen. So how can we make this better? We want to make it smaller,” Jobs explained.

“The only way to make it smaller, and that’s to eliminate the click wheel, and the only way to do that is to add multi-touch. And that’s what we’ve done: the new iPod nano has multi-touch. It’s very tiny. It’s amazing and super easy to use.”

So what are we looking at for the new Nano?

• A multitouch interface.

• 46% smaller footprint

• A clip, which means no more armbands for users

• Volume buttons and VoiceOver

• An FM Radio, Nike+ Pedometer

• Playlist navigation similar to an iPhone or iPod Touch.

• Screen orientation through a built-in accelerometer.

Don’t expect apps besides what are baked in though. It doesn’t appear the new Nano uses it.

The new Nano will be out today in the same colors as the new Shuffle, and will sell for $149 for an 8GB model, $179 for the 16GB.

Here comes the iPod Touch.

[Image via Gizmodo]

Steve Jobs just preceded his announcement of a new Shuffle by acknowledging Apple’s failures with the last model. It is not a touchscreen. It’s a return to the previous generation, but even cheaper!

“Let’s start off with the shuffle… it was based on the idea that shuffling was a really good way to listen to music,” said Jobs. (No, it isn’t.)

He continued: “We removed the buttons and added VoiceOver and Playlists. People clearly miss the buttons.” (Well, yeah, because now they are part of the easily broken earbuds.

“So what are we going to do? The new iPod shuffle. It’s got buttons and VoiceOver and playlists. Of course it’s got the clip, and it’s got some great features. It’s small and wearable, it’s got those easy to use buttons, it’s got playlists, we’re adding Genius mixes, and, of course, VoiceOver.”

$49 for 2GB in four colors. Looks like the touchscreen is destined for the Nano!

[Image via GDGT]

The iPhone’s strong nod to photography just got more emphatic with the introduction of HDR in today’s iOS 4.1 update.

HDR, or High Dynamic Range, combines the best parts of an underexposed image with the best parts of an overexposed image — so it’s really three images in one.

The results can be stunning, and up till now the effect was only available on the iPhone through third-party apps. It’s another sign that the iPhone is more than just a photographic toy, and it’s a big deal that Apple saw fit to include it in iOS 4.1.

Another new feature coming to the iPad with iOS 4.2 is AirPlay. But what is it? It’s an update to Airtunes that supports more than just music. It does all your media

“Now, what is AirPlay? You know what AirTunes is… listen to music from all over your house from your mobile device,” said Jobs. We’re changing the name of AirTunes to AirPlay, and it’s not just music anymore. You can stream all kinds of media anywhere in your house.”

It’ll come to the iPad and hopefully other iOS devices in November.

[Image via GDGT]

If you noticed anything about 4.1, it’s that the iPad wasn’t supported.

Well, don’t fret. Steve Jobs just assured us that the iPad’s getting an iOS 4 update… but it’s coming with 4.2.

“It’s bringing everything to iPad. Multitasking, Game Center, HDR photos, everything you saw is coming to iPad. We’re adding wireless printing…” says Jobs. “It also adds a little thing called AirPlay which we’ll talk about in a sec.”

Is this the future of iOS releases? One staggered to the iPhone and iPod Touch, the next for iPad?

[Image via GDGT]

As we’ve long suspected from the beta iOS SDKs, Apple has just announced that they will be releasing iOS 4.1 today.

What’s new? The proximity sensors have been fixed, against earlier reports. Bluetooth is fixed, as well as the iPhone 3G slowness issues.

There’s also now baked-in support for HDR photos.

“Let’s start off with HDR photos, what are they? A lot of times when you take a photo, it’s blown out with bright light. Now, when you turn on HDR, it takes 3 photos in rapid succession: one normal, one under exposed, and one under exposed. It combines the three with some pretty sophisticated algorithms…” says Jobs.

Even better, you now get HD video upload over WiFi, obviating recent apps that got around the iOS’ compression issues.

Game Center is also finally coming to iOS, after being teased since the iPhone 4’s debut. Your iPhone just got its Xbox Live.

[Image via GDGT]

In today’s deal highlights, we focus on the iPad and iPhone. First up is a free business and finance app for your iPad, including “Pocket MBA – 101 Financial Solutions Course.” Next is the latest round of free iPhone applications, such as “Palm Heroes.” Finally, there is a two-year SquareTrade warranty for your iPhone. The $93.75 warranty goes beyond AppleCare to provide protection for spills and drops.

Along the way, we’ll check out other iPhone software, cases and a deal on an 8GB iPod touch. As always, details on these and many other items are available at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

Now Steve Jobs is giving us an update on states. These usually come before the actual product and software announcements.

What’s the update?

• Over 120 million iOS devices shipped

• Over 230,000 new iOS activations per day.

• 200 Apps Downloaded Per Second.

• Over 250,000 Apps in The App Store, with 25,000 being iPad Apps.

• 120 million iOS devices shipped.

• 6.5 Billion downloads from the App Store.

And now… here comes the details about iOS 4.1.

[Image via GDGT]

Most Apple events kick off with some bluster, and Steve’s holding suit with some bragging about Apple’s new retail stores located in further-off climes.

First off, their new Shanghai Store, which took 18 months to restore with a 40-foot high glass cylinder made in single pieces of glass. “That’s a landmark in glass engineering,” says Apple.

Next, the new London Covent Garden Store, which was Apple’s 300th. And soon: Spain.

All in all, Apple Stores are drawing in over 1 Million Visitors a day. The Apple Store is a phenomenon with a bigger populace than some nations.

[Image via GDGT]

Looking robust, Steve Jobs has just taken the stage at the Yuerba Buena Center — exactly on time — to announce this year’s new iPod models.

What to expect? A new iPod Touch boasting a Retina Display and A4 CPU, most likely. A new touchscreen Shuffle. The possibility of a new, rebranded AppleTV called the iTV. And maybe — just maybe — iTunes in the cloud.

What do you think the next hour will reveal?

[Image via GDGT]

Apple is live-streaming today’s big announcement, so you’ll be able to see the new iPod firsthand. The link isn’t live yet, but should be soon — Apple takes the stage at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

Here’s the link: https://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/1009qpeijrfn/event

Update: It’s now live!

ABC Disney and Fox have given Apple a ‘go’ signal on a plan to sell 99-cent episodes via iTunes. However, the agreement is limited and is being labeled as “experimental.” The limited agreement is expected to be announced Wednesday, alongside a redesigned $99 Apple TV as part of a media event called by the Cupertino, Calif. company.

The Wall Street Journal, citing “people familiar with the matter,” reports Fox has agreed to offer Apple shows it “both produces and airs,” including series such as “Bones” and “Glee.” The limitation is in light of concern some networks have expressed that the 99-cent pact could hurt lucrative re-run agreements.

Startled by the rumors that Apple intends to launch its own streaming television today the rest of the industry is already reacting: Sony intends on launching its own music and video subscription service tonight.

According to a report by the Financial Times, Sony’s new service will launch on its PlayStation 3 video game console at first, and then gradually creep out to other Sony-brand, internet-connected devices like Sony Walkman players, Vaio computers, Bravia TVs and even Sony Ericsson mobile phones.

Sony’s not the only one setting up shop with a streaming media subscription service: Amazon is also apparently inking some deals right now to allow it to stream television shows and movies, speaking with NBC Universal, Time Warner, News Corp and Viacom.

It certainly seems like other companies think Apple’s got a big announcement up their sleeves for later today, and are scrambling to catch up.

[via 9to5Mac]

What with the contentious relationship between Intel and Apple, you’d think Apple CEO Steve Jobs wouldn’t be pleased about the chip giant acquiring Infineon’s wireless business, the firm that supplies baseband chips for the iPhone. However, Intel’s CEO says Jobs was overjoyed at the news.

“Steve was very happy,” Intel CEO Paul Otellini said in a Fox Business TV interview. There were a number of companies competing for [Infineon’s wireless unit]. I think they [Apple] are very happy Intel won the bid.” Tuesday we reported Intel acquired Infineon for $1.4 billion.

Here’s a rumor that has my heart leaping in my chest: later today, Apple intends to offer the option of 3G with their fourth-gen iPod Touches.

According to the rumor, the new iPod Touches would have the option of 3G, similar to the iPad. For users willing to pay a hundred dollars more for their Touch, it would come with a built-in tray for a 3G micro-SIM.

I can’t tell you how onboard with this rumor I am. While I’ve debated whether or not a retina display and FaceTime would be enough to get me to upgrade my third-gen iPod Touch, the addition of 3G to the fourth-gen would be enough for me to dump my iPhone for good. Who needs it when you’ve got 3G, a multitasking operating system like iOS 4 and a SkypeOut account?

We’re only four hours away from knowing the truth. Right now, I’d say that I think 3G is on the iPod Touch roadmap eventually, but perhaps not today. I think a lot will rest on whether or not the next iPod Touch gains any thickness. It looks like Apple already intends on cramming two cameras into the iPod Touch, which is already a miraculous spatial trick: getting a 3G radio in there without increasing the device footprint would be a design miracle.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8dJSquyUl0&feature=player_embedded

Got an old lamp-style iMac sitting dusty and unused since you first swooned over it back in 2003? Gut it, install a Larson Scanner Kit into the base and plop it on your head and you’re ready to attend your next Halloween party as… well.. take your pick? iMaCylon? Cyclops from the OS X-Men?

[via Technabob]

According to Apple, there’s no problem with the iPhone 4’s antenna… or, at the very least, no problem it doesn’t share with all of its competitors. But are they being disingenuous? According to a new rumor, Apple is very much hard at work on an updated iPhone 4 that alleviates the signal attenuation problems once and for all.

The rumor comes via the admittedly questionable source of a spokesperson for Mexican wireless carrier Telcel, who says that Apple will release an updated iPhone 4 by the end of October… a date which will closely follow the end of Apple’s own iPhone 4 Bumper program, which is Cupertino’s current PR band-aid slapped over the problem.

It’s an interesting rumor, but I think it’s a bit spurious. Apple’s said over and over again there’s no problem: they can’t reverse course on that without reopening the debate, and possibly making themselves even more liable in class-action lawsuits. If Apple significantly redesigns the iPhone 4’s antenna, there’ll be a name for it: the iPhone 4.

Flickr user Marc Krenn has posted this amazing mock-up of what we might possibly expect the new, updated iPod Shuffle / Nano with the 1.13-inch touchscreen to look like when Steve Jobs finally unveils it this afternoon. I think he’s probably nailed it except for the colors: Apple’s chromatic preferences of any given season are always unpredictable.

While I’m thinking about it — and this is as good a place as any to muse — there’s been a lot of debate as to whether this new touchscreen iPod is going to be an update to the Nano or the Shuffle. We’ll know in about five hours, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if Apple doesn’t intend to converge both models into a single device.

After all, both the Nano and the Shuffle are aimed to the same kinds of consumers: the budget conscious, the footprint conscious and the athletically minded. If Apple can add a touchscreen display to the Shuffle, what’s the point of the Nano, and if the Nano gets as small as the last-generation Shuffle… well, what’s the point of the Shuffle at all?

There’s some holes in this theory, I know: the Nano has a widescreen display for watching movies, which this new Nano/Shuffle/whatever would be hopeless for. It also comes with a camera, which is obviously going to be left out of this new design. But if Apple intends on trying to push iPod customers who want a camera and video capabilities up the ladder to the entry-level iPod Touch, and if they can bring a Shuffle/Nano hybrid down to below, say, $100… I wonder if what we’re seeing here is Cupertino’s attempt to simplify the iPod line-up by merging two distinct devices into one.

Thoughts? Hit us up in the comments.

[via 9to5Mac]

Apple is live streaming Wednesday’s iPod event as a test of its massive new data center, we’ve been informed by a source.

Apple’s first live video broadcast in years is a test of the server farm’s ability to stream a future version of iTunes for iOS devices, our tipster says.

“The goal is to monitor traffic load and quality,” says our tipster, who asked to remain anonymous to preserve their connections at Apple.

With the rumor-mill at a fever-pitch for tomorrow’s guitar-shaped event, Apple announced today that it will provide a live video stream as Steve Jobs introduces various new pieces of hardware and software and holds them next to his head. The stream will go live at Apple.com at 10 a.m. PDT tomorrow, and the excitement will build for the next hour.

But there’s a catch — you need to watch on an iOS device or a Mac with Snow Leopard. So you Windows, Linux, Android, and even older Mac users will need to stay tuned to Cult of Mac for live updates. See you tomorrow!

Forget battery packs or antenna boosters. In my book, this built-in bottle opener is a truly useful addition to an iPhone case.

The iBottleoppener is a $19.99 case for the iPhone 3G or 3GS with a bottle opener on the back. It’s available for pre-order, but avoid the promo video, which is bad infomercial cheesy.

Danish illustrator Mads Peitersen has been painting a series or really imaginative pictures showing the anatomy of technology. His guts of an iPhone pic is particularly cool.

“Smartphones today are soo advanced and good they almost behave alive. And becomes an extension of your body,” he writes.

Via LaughingSquid.

There’ll be a new $99 AppleTV tomorrow with Netflix movie streaming, Bloomberg reports.

Apple Inc., preparing to announce a new set-top box that delivers TV to consumers, will include movies from Netflix Inc., according to three people with knowledge of the plans.

The streaming service would be available on the revamped version of Apple TV, due to be introduced tomorrow in San Francisco, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public. Users would pay a subscription fee to Netflix for the service, the people said.

The new AppleTV will cost $99 — $130 less than the current model, Bloomberg says. Apple will also update iTunes and offer a new iPod touch with a higher-resolution screen (likely a Retina display to match the iPhone 4’s).

The new Apple TV is rumored to be renamed iTV and run a version of iOS, possibly making is capable of running apps and games from the App Store. There’s no word on whether Netflix’s service will be an app or integrated into the device, as it is with some DVD players.

Netflix already offers a subscription movie streaming service through a wide variety of devices, from Blu-Ray players to  TiVo and game consoles. There are also Netflix apps for the iPhone and iPad that stream movies and TV shows to subscribers.