Redesigned iPod Nano and iPod Touch unveiled

Apple showed off a new design for its iPod Nano and iPod Touch at the September 12 event in San Francisco.

After revealing the long-awaited iPhone 5 (confirming all the rumors) and its new version of iTunes, Apple brought a new line of iPods into the limelight. Presented to a packed room by Greg Joswiak, the crowd was treated to a newly designed iPod nano and iPod touch.

The 7th-generation iPod Nano is 50 percent thinner than its predecessor. It has a multi-touch, 2.5-inch display capable of widescreen video and will come in seven colors: silver, black, purple, green, blue, yellow, and pink. There’s a built-in FM tuner with a live pause feature. Fitness seems to be a big part of the Nano with a built-in pedometer and native support for Nike+. The new Lightning connector has been extended to the iPod line up as well, guaranteeing a few more sales of the new adaptor. Bluetooth support is included, handy for wireless headphones or speakers. And even with all that, Apple still promises 30 hours of music playback on battery.

The new iPod Touch has slimmed down as well. It’s thinner than ever, measuring just 6.1mm and weighing in at 88 grams. It’s loaded with the same widescreen, updated 4-inch Retina display of the iPhone 5. The older A5 processor is packed in, offering performance up to seven times better than past generations. As for battery, we’re looking at 8 hours of video or 40 hours of music. The camera’s been upgraded to a 5-megapixel iSight, able to shoot 1080p video and take advantage of the new Panorama feature. AirPlay mirroring was shown off as well, definitely a welcome addition.

The new Touch also underwent a few aesthetic changes. It can now be purchased in five different colors: silver, black, blue, yellow, and pink. There’s also a hidden button on the rear of the phone that allows for a matching wrist loop to be attached. It looks a lot like the wrist straps on a Wii remote, only plastic instead of nylon.  

Both the new Nano and Touch have an additional Project RED version with a portion of the profits going to fight AIDS in Africa. The 16GB iPod nano is $150 and the new Touch will be $300 for 32GB and $400 for 64GB. Availability is set for sometime in October.

Apple also debuted a set of redesigned headphones, calling them “EarPods.” We covered them previously and the new design is exactly what was shown in these leaked photos. The EarPods have been reshaped to funnel music into the ear, rather than splash it all over like the current headphones on offer by Apple. They’re available as a standalone accessory starting today, but will thankfully be bundled with the new iPod Touch, iPod Nano, and iPhone 5.