DigiTimes mongers-up new iPods with touchscreen and WiFi for Wednesday

As if you need another source "confirming" the launch of new iPods at Apple's September 5th event, along comes DigiTimes riding their wave of Taiwanese component manufacturing insiders. According to the folks who brought us the Powerbook G5, Apple is due to drop a new Inventec Appliances manufactured, flash-based widescreen "iPod video" with touch-interface (widely rumored to carry the iPod Touch brand) sporting WiFi and an iPhone-like UI when it ships "at the end of this month or early October." Also in the cards is a Foxconn manufactured iPod nano with more storage and iPhone-like UI at the same prices as existing models and higher capacity iPod shuffles from Asustek. So yeah, it falls in line with all the other rumors but that doesn't mean we're buying it.

[Gerald Tan @ Sep 3rd 2007 3:34AM]

Cool, 2 more days to a hopeful iPod release!

[Brian @ Sep 3rd 2007 3:38AM]

FYI: I know for a fact apple will have whatever they have planned to release on Tuesday, shipped out to stores by Wednesday. At least 35,000 units to major retailers.

[Gerald Tan @ Sep 3rd 2007 3:40AM]

Dang lucky you.
Being located in Singapore, it will take at least a week for the new pods to arrive our shores if we are lucky. But will this be an ANNOUNCEMENT or a RELEASE?

[soul7963 @ Sep 3rd 2007 3:43AM]

@ Brian

Your information sounds excellent. Especially as they are announcing them on wednesday.

[Darrien Woomer @ Sep 3rd 2007 9:11AM]

Ok chances are Jobs is gonna get on stage, release the new iPods and then say. "And one more thing *If its not the beatles* the new iPods are in shipment now and will be at stores tomorrow." Didn't he do that with the Nano?

[Rex @ Sep 3rd 2007 3:42AM]

Time to buy some stocks

[nih @ Sep 3rd 2007 4:02AM]

It's too bad they fired all the people at Apple who could distinguish "looking good" from "looking crap". I really hope that's not what the new iPods look like.

[Ant @ Sep 3rd 2007 9:36AM]

I have to agree with Apple not doing the 'cool' thing as well as they did. The iPhone is a triumph, design wize but I bet it was put together a long time back. This aluminium stuff they surround the Nano with at the moment (same as the iPod mini used to be), I hate the stuff, it's just not classy. I love the gloss and stainless steel thing, it's like a bit of luxury in your pocket. Ow god don’t let them mess up with the iPod. Nano they can do what they like with but not the iPod.

[nih @ Sep 4th 2007 6:29AM]

I like the metal shell, I just hate those curved corners we've seen in the shots so far.

[skhera @ Sep 3rd 2007 5:12AM]

why would apple release touch screen wifi ipods knowing fully well that it would eat into the sales of the iphone ! Frankly, I'd love to have an ipod touch but I don't think apple as a business should be thinking about it.

[cmc07 @ Sep 3rd 2007 5:59AM]

The iPod isn't a phone. People who want an iPod and a phone are surely going to consider the iPhone therefore the two wouldnt overlap?

[narco @ Sep 3rd 2007 6:30AM]

Making the new iPod with a multi-touch screen is the obvious choice for a next generation iPod. I'm sure Apple doesn't want to, but if they don't then somebody else will. So it's better to be ahead of the game. If I wasn't totally wasted, I could probably form better sentences.

Fishes,
narco.

[Eric @ Sep 3rd 2007 6:08AM]

what do they mean at the end of this month/beginning of october?! "when it ships "at the end of this month or early October."" please tell me i misunderstand!

[LordFarkward @ Sep 3rd 2007 6:31AM]

i think they meant
1) end of this month or early october; OR
2) end of september or early next month

i can't say for sure though...

[Sneakz @ Sep 3rd 2007 9:06AM]

What the mean is this (or this wht I think).

1. Apple isn't ready. Manufacturing time is still needed.

2. Too many resources were used for the iPhone and exhausted therefore the iPod will to wait to ship them. Stuff like NAND, touchscreens etc. are probably at low levels right now.

3. If this whole iPod Touch w/ Wi-Fi thing is true, that would require Apple to get it passed by the FCC. The iPod wouldn't be able to ship on its release date.

[Michael @ Sep 3rd 2007 10:45AM]

No way Apple is going to let their #1 selling product be out of stock for a whole month only 3 months before Christmas. The will be in stores by Friday at the latest I bet.

[Rich @ Sep 3rd 2007 7:27AM]

I'm on my third iPod and I'll buy another one in the future - but only if it's got a hard-drive. 16 or even 32GB isn't enough for me.

I might even consider the Zune if Apple go completely flash-based.

[Ant @ Sep 3rd 2007 9:43AM]

I don't think you have to worry about all Flash, I recon they know part of selling point is storage and flash don't cut it with the main iPod. The Nano might go all flash, it makes sense. I recon the iPod will have an 8-16Gig flash ram and 100-120Gig drive, so it will play your chosen media from the buffered flash ram.

[Argot @ Sep 3rd 2007 7:49AM]

I really hope it won't look like that! That thing is Uuuuugly!

[Bad Cyborg @ Sep 3rd 2007 8:10AM]

What, you mean the question mark thing the silloutte figure is holding? Yeah that thing is crazy hideous. Those crazy designers huh. Or do you mean the ridiculous Cartman-sized iPod? I agree, it looks ugly, and stupid.

[Jonathan Keim @ Sep 3rd 2007 8:28AM]

I'm actually starting to get used to it :-/

[esnetsc @ Sep 3rd 2007 8:23AM]

All I want:
Wifi
80 GB+
Touchscreen

[JoN @ Sep 3rd 2007 9:48AM]

i work retail - all our ipod shipments have ceased and all the SKUs are deleted from our system. there is no doubt that there are all new ipods coming on Wednesday... and shipments should be immediate... stores cant go weeks without ipods, that just isnt right.

[Ant @ Sep 3rd 2007 10:02AM]

I hope to god they don't do away completely with a real click wheel, just a tiny little wheel bottom centre would do me, something I can feel. Leave the touch screen until it's out of my pocket, that would be nice. My mate's go a touch sensitive Samsung phone, it's a total no go in your pocket. Apart from the usability side everyone is starting to do the touch screen thing, I think the wheel is iconic, it set's it apart for me.

My ideal iPod would be (not that anyone is interested)

....Wide screen, with that motion thing so it knows when you go to landscape, Scratch less shinny screen with thin black boarder.

....Very small click wheel bottom centre, may be a different material to the body.

....All the interface stuff from the iPhone iPod.

.....Wireless of some description, ideally WiFi.

....Some kind of Flash Ram

....120Gig hard drive

Some stuff i'd love but maybe no one else.

.....A document reading option so you can look at PDF's.

.....same sort of back to the device as the iPhone but with a small 5mp camera hidden inside the black shinny apple logo, a camera that can create clear smooth MP4 videos unlike phone camera's. By hidden I mean hidden in the logo, I hate the 'look it's got a camera thing' with the iPhone.

Well that's it I think.

[SteveJ @ Sep 3rd 2007 11:13AM]

What do you mean that it is a no-go in your pocket? The iPhone's touch screen only reacts to skin, so being in your pocket will not result in inadvertent "touches". It isn't your mother's touchscreen.

[eric f. @ Sep 3rd 2007 10:16AM]

is that photo part of this rumor? Why the hell would they have a touch-screen iPod with the standard scroll wheel still included?

[Dave @ Sep 4th 2007 12:19PM]

No,that is the rumored ipod nano which does not include the touch screen

[Josh @ Sep 3rd 2007 12:12PM]

So that i dont have to look at the screen to change songs.

[PEZ @ Sep 3rd 2007 10:29AM]

At this point, if there are more than 1 more generation of ipods with a click wheel, apple as jumped the pig.

AHAHAHAH! AHAHAHAH! AHAHAHAH!

[Steve @ Sep 3rd 2007 10:45AM]

I think that wednesday is basically be huge... I think that the wheel will be gone for good and we're going to get an iPod that looks like an iPhone but without the phone part.
Remember that a while ago Steve leaked the info himself that some future iPod are going to run OS X : I doubt that Apple is going to have another version of OS X for a different user interface, that will make it difficult to maintain, but if the user-interface is like an iPhone then it's only one platform to maintain...

So I am expecting an iPhone like iPod ... I am just wondering how thin that new iPod will be : I am not sure how much all the phone part is taking on an iPhone, but I am hoping the new iPod to be thinner, that will be so cool!!

Steve

[Nathan @ Sep 3rd 2007 10:45AM]

No one's mentioned the possibility of video being offered in other iTMS. I bet Steve announces this. He promised "sometime 2007." Now would be nice.

[nano2nd @ Sep 3rd 2007 11:04AM]

If there really is going to be a wi-fi-touch-screen-video-osx iPod, they better make sure to leave off the mic or else you'll have the best skype handset on the block!

Handmade Mac

[Tim @ Sep 3rd 2007 11:22AM]

This rumor is more in line with what I've been predicting in some forums. Basically, because I want to say I got it right before they actually announce:

Nano = Capacity bumps

5G iPod will become the rumored "phatty" one = It will sport a new interface, possibly OSX based (cover flow, etc.).It will be HARD DRIVE based, and aluminum like the nano. Colors. Probably 60 and 100 or 120GB.

iPod Touch = iPhone without the phone. Wifi. either 4Gb and 8GB, or 8Gb and 16Gb.

Somthing (unfortunately) tells me that out large capacity iPod option is not going to be what most of us want on Wednesday...

You heard it here!

[bankai123 @ Sep 3rd 2007 11:25AM]

I hope it's true because im tired of the current ipods. Mine got messed up and i have not bought a new one because im waiting for them to announce the new ones......and even then when i do buy a new one it will probably malfunction like every first shipment of a new product. C'mon people let's not lie to ourselves!!!!

[Vwartenbenschnuggen @ Sep 3rd 2007 11:27AM]

How unrealistic is it to hope for wireless g?

[Mike Cohen @ Sep 3rd 2007 11:27AM]

If it has a touch screen, why is there a scroll wheel taking up half of the front?

[chocolate rain @ Sep 3rd 2007 11:59AM]

If this was MS doing it, iFans would have screamed, "you're copying our Wi-Fi &*^%!!"

[maximum14000 @ Sep 3rd 2007 12:31PM]

they has to a RELEASE because production is at a stand-still. it would be stupid to sell these at the end of the month because their retailers have been out of stock [of ipods] for weeks now and Apple would only be losing stocks and money!

[Sim and Sim @ Sep 3rd 2007 3:23PM]

Why not get rid of an actual click wheel... and have the whole thing as a screen.. like the iPhone with a click wheel as an on screen gui... would make more sense that this...

[Hank @ Sep 3rd 2007 4:16PM]

If the nano gets revised that means the prices on the old ones will drop significantly.. can't wait for that. Not really liking this 'fatty' stuff.

[PRESofUNIVERSE @ Sep 3rd 2007 6:17PM]

im sorry, but that ipod is "fugly"

[daniel fredriksen @ Sep 3rd 2007 7:27PM]

naaah. You iHerds, you iMonkeys. i am just "I" and world never turn money into crap.

my mobile (n95) puts all iPhones and iPods back to the stoneage. Cool considering this one is not released yet. "iLoveStoneage". Well...i love mi Nokia more!

[daniel fredriksen @ Sep 3rd 2007 7:31PM]

naah..you want more. more More:) get a tablet, forget the touchscreen on small screens and wait for the 8 gb n95 :)

[Mark @ Sep 4th 2007 8:54AM]

Well, why oh why do you guy's on engadget and you guy's posting here call the picture above ugly? You've NEVER seen the new iPod Nanao yet all of a sudden everybody is a design expert who knows that WILL be the new Nano. The only evidence you have is Applue supposedly making the websites take the flower picture down, that could be one of 50 different Nano designs if it's official at all.
Before people start calling it 'iPod Phatty'! and ugly and rubbush, instead engage the grey matter and WAIT until it's been launched eh?