Jobs Returns To The Stage At Apple

“I’m vertical, I’m back at Apple and I’m loving every day of it,” said Steve Jobs after a standing ovation by the crowd gathered at the Apple news conference held yesterday. “I feel great. I probably need to gain about 30 pounds, but I feel really good,” said Jobs in a post event interview “I’m eating like crazy. A lot of ice cream.”

During the conference Apple announced a new version of iTunes and a line of iPod Nanos that have a video camera, microphone, speaker, FM radio tuner and pedometer built in and will have a starting price of $149 US. The new features are meant to rejuvenate the slumping sales of iPods and take a bite out of the market for small video devices such as the Flip Video. The new Nano is compared in size to a package of gum while the Flip is roughly the size of a deck of playing cards.

Source: New York Times

Slim Is In At Apple

Preparing for the holiday season, Apple has introduced new thin iPods including a new Nano that features a "shake to shuffle" mode allowing you to give the device a shake in order to shuffle the play list. According to the BBC "...Mr Jobs unveiled Apple's new Genius function which allows users to create automatic playlists from the iPod's library with the click of a button." the genius function is available on both the Nano and on a new improved iPod Touch that also includes volume buttons on the outside of the case and an external speaker for casual listening. "These are evolutionary products with some revolutionary new features," Michael Gartenburg, vice president of Jupiter Media told the BBC. "Apple has done it again. They have reinvented the line in a way to capture mainstream consumers' hearts and minds and doing at a price point that is extremely affordable."

That's one hot iPod you've got there!

PCWorld is reporting that an Atlanta, Georgia man had his 2 year old iPod Nano burst into flames in his pants! The man works at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to his mother, is quoted as saying "If TSA had come by and seen me smoking, they could have honestly thought I was a terrorist,". The flames are said to have lasted about 15 seconds and reached chest height. PCWorld says "The iPod contains a lithium-ion battery, which has a history of catching fire in laptops." Apple sent him a packet to return his iPod in... I think he should use a Scottevest next time!