World of Apple

Engadget has posted of a purported photo of the fourth generation iPod nano which is expected to be released at next Tuesday’s special event.

Purported photo of 4G iPod nano

The photo is consistent with rumours that the new iPod nano would return to the long thin form factor and feature a longer display. The new iPod nano also reportedly has a curved design.

It is being speculated that the new visualisation which is meant to be making its way to iTunes 8 could be based on Flight404’s Magnetosphere.

Kevin Rose described the new visualiser in iTunes 8 as “trippy” and Magnetosphere certainly fits the bill.

Magnetosphere was a free plugin for iTunes until a few months back when the download was pulled, the creator has since stated that the software has been “sold to a third party”.

Another example of Magnetosphere is available in higher resolution here.

[Update] Kevin Rose has confirmed on Twitter that Magnetosphere is the visualisation he saw in a version of iTunes 8.

Alibaba the world’s largest B2B marketplace has posted a photo of what appears to be a 4th generation iPod nano.

The image corresponds with rumours and other imagery that has been making the rounds over the last week.

On September 9th, Apple will be holding a special event where the new iPod nano is expected to be released.

iLounge has published what it claims are the dimensions of the new iPod nano and iPod touch which are expected to be released next week at the September 9th Special event.

The diagrams suggest that the iPod nano will return to the longer design of the second-generation model. The diagrams also suggest somewhat of a curved design.

The iPod touch appears to be receiving a similar look to the iPhone 3G, gaining a more tapered design. The diagrams show a slightly thicker iPod touch compared to the current model and external volume controls also appear present.

Separately, iPod case manufacturer XSKN has begun promoting 4th generation iPod nano protection cases.

Last week Kevin Rose pinpointed September 9 as the date on which Apple would unveil new iPods as well a “big update” to iTunes. Apple has now officially confirmed next weeks Special Event and with that news Kevin Rose has spoke further on iTunes 8.

In a short blog post on his own website Rose wrote:

iTunes 8 includes Genius, which makes playlists from songs in your library that go great together. Genius also includes Genius sidebar, which recommends music from the iTunes Store that you don’t already have.

With iTunes 8, browse your artists and albums visually with the new Grid view; download your favorite TV shows in HD quality from the iTunes Store; sync your media with iPod nano (4th generation), iPod classic (2nd generation), and iPod touch (2nd generation); and enjoy a stunning new music visualizer.

Rose clearly states that the information comes from a new source but is consistent with details he has heard before.

In addition to these details Kevin Rose sent out a post on Twitter talking of “trippy” visualisations in iTunes 8 describing it as:

the new iTunes 8.0 visualizations are really trippy - there is one with planet like objects wrapping around each other w/stars/light streams

Apple usually tries to keep the down low on releases, but when they’ve got something they think is really special, they want to make sure everybody who isn’t living under a rock with their ears filled with concrete hears about it. According to Cult of Mac, next week’s event is one of those “shout it from the mountaintops” events.

According to Cult of Mac, one journalist reported that “Apple just told me it’s a big deal and I should try to be there.”

Let’s hope the buzz is justified.
[via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Engadget is reporting that its sister site Engadget Spanish has gained some hands on time with an iPod nano case designed for a currently unreleased model.

The case is by Hama and is a Sport Case specifically labelled “for iPod nano 4G” and closely resembles rumours that circulated last month about a taller iPod nano that is expected to be released this month..

Gizmodo has posted an email purportedly from Steve Jobs in response to a complaint about AT&T not offering tethering on the iPhone even though many other smartphones offer it as a $30/month add-on plan.

The email from Jobs read:

We agree, and are discussing it with ATT.

Sent from my iPhone

Kevin Rose is predicting that September 9th will be the day that Apple will reveal new goodies to the faithful. Mark your calendars. Fortunately for Kevin, false Apple prophets are not stoned.

We hesitated to post this Engadget article about Kevin Rose’s predictions of new iPods and other iStuff mostly because it seemed too… detailed. That, and as Engadget points out themselves, Kevin hasn’t been a –to put it kindly– very reliable source.

Recycleosphere has a fairly well thought out summary of the rumor mill’s latest predictions, including a thorough picking through Mr. Rose’s comments. They take into consideration some key points about iPod touch price decreases, Microsoft’s position in the PMP game, and an iTunes subscription service that, while considered as any rumor, are well worth reading.

I personally am worried about the suggestion that an “iTunes Unlimited” subscription service could be on the horizon, considering the amount of bungling Apple’s been doing with MobileMe and the AppStore and previously with .Mac. It seems to me that Apple needs a helping hand in designing and maintaining their interactive web stores and web infrastructure.