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Daily Update for November 4, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
The iPod turns 10, celebrates a decade of destroying physical media
It's hard to believe, but it's been exactly ten years since the iPod was first unveiled, ultimately changing the music industry forever. The iPod wasn't the first, it wasn't the smallest, it didn't have the largest hard drive, but it did have an iconic style and simple to use interface that led march away from CDs. When the history of Apple is written the iPod (perhaps more than the iMac, OS X or the iPhone) will be credited with helping spearhead the company's second coming. Over the years the music player has seen countless iterations and redesigns, and an expansion of the product line to include smaller devices and touch screens -- but for most it's the scroll wheel and white earbuds that define the iPod. Sure, what is now called the iPod classic hasn't seen a serious update since about 2007, but it still holds a special place in our hearts, especially for those of us who don't measure their music collection in a few dozen iTunes downloads.
10 years ago today, the original iPod changed music
Happy 10th anniversary to the iPod! It was introduced at a low-key Steve Jobs presentation on October 23, 2001, when the country and the consumer electronics market were still reeling from the events of six weeks earlier. The 5 GB device designed to put "1,000 songs in your pocket" wound up not only being a smashing hit, but paving the way to a revolution in how music and movies are purchased today, not to mention preparing the ground for the iPhone and the iPad. The iPod was a game-changer on a number of levels, and we at TUAW decided to share with you our memories of our first iPods. We'll also be talking iPod history live tonight on the Talkcast. Megan Lavey-Heaton I was living in Bristol, Tenn., in 2004, working for the Bristol Herald Courier just over the state line in Virginia for a meager wage. That June, I began dating another journalist who worked for the Knoxville newspaper. After my laptop literally fell apart, my boyfriend offered to help me purchase a new computer. After getting the computer and a new modem, we hauled the stuff out to the parking lot at Best Buy, and I asked my boyfriend to open the trunk so I could put our gear inside. He hesitated, saying I had a lot of junk in the trunk. Because I was holding some expensive items, I urged him to open it again. He opened the trunk, and sitting before me was a 15 GB 3rd generation iPod I'd been wanting for months. He'd been planning to surprise me with it at his house. My relationship with that first iPod lasted much, much longer than the relationship with the boyfriend. We broke up after nearly seven months of dating. I kept the iPod until December 2006, when I got a 5th generation iPod so I could watch video. That first iPod saw me through two cross-country moves (Tennessee to Maine, then Maine to Arizona) and more. I passed the 3rd generation iPod down to my eldest niece, who used it another year before the battery and hard drive gave up the ghost. Now, in addition to an iPhone, I have a 5th-generation iPod nano that I keep in the car and a 1st-generation iPod shuffle that I won at work that I use as an emergency USB stick. I've also sort of had my eye on the 6th-generation iPod nano. "I was thinking I could use it as a watch," I told my husband. My husband, who wouldn't be caught dead buying an iPod, but I still love him anyhow, just groaned. Mike Rose I had owned a RIO piece-o-junk MP3 player and had been studiously converting my CDs using SoundJam MP, so I was already familiar with the concept when the iPod came along, but it still seemed so remarkable -- five gigabytes of music on a hard drive? Who could even listen to that many songs? I had to buy one, and I did, telling myself I would use it as an external FireWire drive for troubleshooting and data transfer if the whole music thing didn't work out. I used that 5G original iPod for quite a while, but then in a strange series of coincidences, I found myself in an upgrade cycle I didn't have to pay for. Between raffle drawings and tradeshow giveaways (an iPod mini, a nano, and eventually a first-gen iPod touch) and right-time/right-place happenstance (a boss who must have been feeling kindly toward me when he upgraded his iPod video, since he let me keep the old one) I don't believe I put my credit card down to buy a new iPod more than once or twice in the ten years after that first purchase. My original iPod has long since been hand-me-up'ed to my mother; she was subsequently the recipient of the mini and now has her own iPhone 4. The nano and the touch have made their way to my two daughters. One clickwheel iPod is tucked away in my wife's kit bag, where she used it extensively with an external mic to record grad school lectures; the other one is embedded in a V55 5" video playback system that's been quite thoroughly obsoleted by recent developments. I don't think any of us seeing the original iPod announcement back in October 2001 could have imagined what was to come... truthfully, we were all a little bit distracted at the time. What's remarkable now is the utter dominance that the iPod held over the portable player market, and eventually over the entire music ecosystem. To take such control of the category, only finding a shrinking sway when the entire product concept is being replaced by touchable devices -- it's been a wild ride. TJ Luoma I bought my first iPod in 2003, a 30GB model which only recently stopped working. It was my gateway to the Mac. My PC laptop didn't have FireWire so I bought a PC card adapter. That let me sync but didn't charge the iPod while it was syncing, which was a drag. I had tried at least a dozen other MP3 players and always ended returning them. The iPod "just worked" and was so much better than everything else I'd tried. Sure, it cost more, but it actually made me want to use it, and it lasted about 6 years before the battery wouldn't hold a charge. It lived out its last years in my car, always plugged into a power adapter and working fine until one day it simply would not spin up. A small memorial was held for family and friends. Chris Rawson I didn't get my first iPod until 2005. I'd wanted something like it since before the iPod even existed -- carrying CDs around in the car or in a portable player was always more trouble than it was worth -- but I felt the first several generations of iPod were simply far too expensive for what they offered. The low capacities, monochromatic screens, and high prices were all huge turn-offs. The 60 GB iPod Photo finally offered the right mix of functionality and price, so I bought one ... exactly two weeks before Apple unveiled the much more capable fifth-generation iPod with video. Fortunately my local Apple Store was kind enough to let me exchange for the new one (after paying a restocking fee, naturally), and the iPod with video became my primary means of listening to music for nearly four years. I must have spent tens of thousands of hours listening to that thing, whether it was on cross-country car trips, commutes to university, riding the train to work, working out, or the 13-hour plane ride to New Zealand. I bought some games for it (Tetris was absolutely awesome on the iPod), kept notes and a handful of funny videos on it, and even used it for dictation a couple times with an external mic attachment. Through all of that, it kept trucking on like a champ. One day at Target I saw a returned second-gen iPod shuffle sitting in the electronics department, marked down significantly from its normal price -- I think it was $39. I snagged it, but I've hardly used it at all since then, except in situations where I was afraid of damaging one of my more capable devices. Though my wife loved her first-gen nano and her newer sixth-gen model, I've never found anything particularly enticing about the nano lineup, which once again fell into a features/price situation that never convinced me I needed one. Immediately after buying my first iPod, I wished for something that combined a device with the functionality of an iPod with basic phone functions. I would've been happy if Apple had just put out something that held a few gigabytes of songs, made phone calls, and let me sync my contacts, photos, and ringtones via iTunes -- even something like the ROKR would've been good enough if it had been able to hold 1000 songs instead of only 100. The iPhone turned out to do all that and much more, and it pretty much killed any enthusiasm I had for the entire iPod line. My iPhone 3G had far lower capacity than my iPod, but in every other way it was a far more capable device, so I sold my trusty old iPod and haven't looked back. It's not a big stretch to say that the iPod is the product that saved Apple from the brink. It was also the first brand-new Apple product I ever bought, and though it's unlikely I'll ever buy another iPod, I've been hooked on Apple's other, more powerful mobile devices ever since. Steve Sande My first experience with the iPod was in 2002. I was fascinated by the idea of the iPod, but thought they were way too expensive so I went and bought a Creative NOMAD Jukebox MP3 player. I hated it. The user interface made no sense to me at all, and it took just a few days for me to pack it back in the box and send it back to Amazon. The next week, I headed over to a nearby CompUSA store (remember them?) to look at the pricey, but oh-so-cool iPod. I ended up buying the 10 GB model, although at the time I had barely begun to rip my CD collection. I remember being totally enchanted by the 1st-Generation iPod, complete with that mechanical click wheel. It was so easy to use compared to that crappy NOMAD that it wasn't too long before I had ripped my CDs and created a pretty huge music library. My experiences with the iPod resulted in me writing a book that was later published by Take Control Books as Take Control of Your iPod: Beyond the Music. In that book, I talked about using the iPod as a PDA, running Linux on an iPod, and a number of other fascinating things that really went beyond just listening to music. I've owned several iPods since then, although I haven't used one for listening to music since getting my first iPhone in 2007. I still have a 4th-generation iPod classic that I use as a troubleshooting tool, and I'm not sure that I'll ever get rid of it. It reminds me of that 1st-generation device that hooked me on the design, and it will make a good "museum piece" along with my QuickTake 100 camera and Newton MessagePad 2100. What was your first iPod experience? Please share it with us in the comments!
Very little changed for this year's iPod lineup
Apple's announcement for its recent event said "Let's talk iPhone," and that's what the main focus of its event turned out to be. The iPod lineup did receive some (very) modest updates at the same time, but they were "blink and you'll miss it" moments. So what's new for the iPod line in 2011? iPod touch: Now available in white. Otherwise, it's 100 percent identical to the 2010 model. Seriously, after comparing the tech specs page from this year versus 2010, not one thing has changed. The 8 GB model got a US$30 price drop, but that's the only other change from last year. The iPod touch has not been updated with an A5 processor, and that's the first time the lineup hasn't been updated with a CPU on par with that in the iPhone. The camera hasn't been changed either; it's still the same incredibly poor camera from last year. Multiple rumors that the iPod touch would receive a 3G antenna upgrade also turned out to be untrue; no one was less surprised about that one than us. Ars Technica has questioned why the iPod touch hasn't been updated with the A5 processor when Apple went out of its way to laud iOS devices' potential as handheld gaming units during the latest event. Their analysis suggests that trends both in the overall handheld gaming market and among Apple's own sales figures are falling behind the iPhone and iPad, but I suspect there's a simpler motivator. The A5 is reportedly very complex to build, and it's my suspicion that Apple withheld the A5 processor from the iPod touch simply because its production channels couldn't crank the chip out fast enough to support sales for the iPad 2, iPhone 4S, and an upgraded iPod touch simultaneously. A5 production has been keeping pace with demand for the iPad 2, but throwing the iPhone 4S into the mix will likely strain chip production to its limits. Trying to satisfy demand for an A5-powered iPod touch may well have proven impossible, and it might have simultaneously dragged down production numbers for the more profitable iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. Production of the A6 processor for 2012's iPads and iPhones has reportedly already begun at TSMC, and the foundry's ability to produce that processor in bulk will likely determine the iPod touch's fate. If TSMC can produce the A6 fast enough to satisfy demand for all iOS devices, the iPod touch may see a substantial upgrade next year. Otherwise, it may only move to the A5 processor once the iPad 3 comes out featuring an A6 chip, thereby alleviating strain on A5 production. Either way, unless suppliers can step up their game production-wise, it seems clear the iPod touch will lag behind its more profitable brethren for some time to come. iPod nano: Only one change -- the "new" iPod nano has a Nike+ sensor built-in, so you no longer need to plug in a dongle receiver to sync it with a shoe sensor. Other than that small change and a price drop, the iPod nano is identical to the 2010 model, spec for spec. The other new features Apple described at its event, like a slightly revamped UI and additional clock faces, are not exclusive to this year's iPod nano, and they can be added to 2010 models via a software update. Apple has lowered the price of the iPod nano into the range where it's almost disposable, and with no compelling updates to the nano's hardware this year it appears the company's main focus has switched to full-powered iOS devices. iPod shuffle: No changes. It's the same shuffle from 2010; even the price is the same. Other than the price and relative indestructibility of its construction, there's really nothing the shuffle offers that the nano doesn't do better. Our source suggested the shuffle would be discontinued (he was quite wrong, so he's "fired" as our source for future info), and we suspect Apple will only keep it in the lineup until it's no longer profitable or until it can drive prices on the nano downward enough to replace it. iPod classic: No changes. Just as in 2010, the iPod classic wasn't even mentioned at the recent event, and quite frankly we're surprised this model is still being sold. The iPod classic has seen no significant external changes since 2007, and no internal changes at all since 2009. The $249 price also remains unchanged from the debut of the 160 GB model over two years ago. Other than the ability to haul around absurd amounts of music and other media, the iPod classic brings very little to the table, and the fact that it still sells for the same price it did two years ago makes it hard to recommend buying one today. Apple's iPod events used to be the company's yearly "wow" moment. The iPod nano was awe-inspiring in 2005, but the current touchscreen model seems somewhat bland, even disposable, only six years later. The iPod touch has always been an also-ran to the iPhone; it shows now more than ever, with internal components that are now more than a year behind what the iPhone 4S will offer. The iPod shuffle and iPod classic remain outliers in the iPod line, apparently profitable enough for Apple to keep them around, but nowhere near to being on Apple's list of high-priority products. Although it was the product that all but defined Apple during the early- to mid-2000s, the iPod is obviously no longer a priority for the company. iPod sales have been in decline for years, and it's almost certain that decline will continue. Apple's focus has shifted to the iPhone and iPad, and we can expect that to be the case for the next few years at least. The iPod will likely stick around for years to come, but its days of driving yearly innovation in the portable music player market are pretty much over. That mantle has fallen to its more capable and more expensive brethren.
Hex introduces new Icon watch bands for the iPod nano
With the addition of sixteen new clock faces, Apple pretty much put its official stamp on the idea of an iPod nano watch. Hex is ready to take advantage of the hype. The company has released a watch band for the nano called the Icon watch band (US$40), which gives you a polycarbonate way to strap the little iPod right on your wrist. It's a little goofy looking (not quite the classiest thing to wear to a dinner party), but for working out or just using your nano it seems like it would work great. We've seen some DIY versions of this before, but the Hex Icon seems like a relatively cheap and durable way to turn one of the littlest iPods into a working watch. You can order the band now, and of course the nano is available now (at a new lower price) from the usual places.
Daily Update for October 4, 2011: Special "Let's Talk iPhone" edition
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. Today, we bring you a special edition dedicated to news of the Apple "Let's Talk iPhone" event. You'll get all the highlights of today's announcements in just seven minutes. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Software update brings new features to 2010 iPod nano
Although it's not on Apple's support site yet, Macstories reports that a software update is available for the 6th generation (2010) iPod nano, updating the software to version 1.2 with the following features: Easier navigation with two icon sizes Fitness feature with built-in accelerometer that's easier to set for running or walking. This works out of the box or with the Nike + iPod sport kit. Additional clock faces These were all features announced for the refreshed iPod nano line at today's event. The update is available via Software Update if you own a 6th-generation nano and is expected to be available through the support site soon.
Refreshed iPod touch and iPod nano now available at Apple Store
The store is back up. US customers can now place orders for the updated iPod nano and iPod touch and the reduced-priced iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. Starting at $129 for the iPod nano and $199 for the iPod touch, Apple is reporting that all models of the black iPod touch and the iPod nano are in stock as of today. The white iPod touch will ship by October 12. Those interested in the iPhone 4S can pre-order those October 7 with an expected release of October 14. The Apple Store is getting hit pretty hard with traffic right now, and if you're encountering site errors, you'll want to try back later.
Apple refreshes iPod nano, lowers price
Apple announced a new iPod Nano today. The compact mp3 player wil have a multi-touch interface with larger icons to make it easier to navigate. It'll keep its boxy good looks and have built-in support for all your fitness needs. To let you wear it as a watch, the Nano will also ship with 16 new clock faces. Pair it with a watch band and you'll be able to keep track of time in style. The new iPod Nano be available in 7 colors and two capacities, 8 GB and 16 GB. It's available today for $129 and $149, respectively.
Apple's iPod nano now $149 for 16GB and $129 for 8GB (update: 2010 nanos get the goodies too)
Apple keeps coming with the news from its "Let's talk iPhone" event, and the latest is a price drop for its diminutive PMP, the nano. From now on, you'll be forking over $129 for an 8GB version and $149 for twice the tunage space. Additionally, Cupertino's tossing in big icons -- as opposed to the grid of 4 that was the only option previously -- 16 new clocks (Mickey Mouse included!) to go with all those fabulous watch accessories, and workout tracking abilities right out of the box so you no longer need a Nike+ shoe dongle to see how many calories you've burned. Not bad for a little guy, eh? Full PR after the break. Update: Thanks to the folks over at 9to5 Mac, we now know that owners of 2010 nanos will get the software update with the new features too. %Gallery-135721%
Apple axes iPod click wheel games in iTunes, is the 'classic' model next?
We're all well aware that a new iPhone will see daylight next week. What's still a bit unclear is whether or not Apple plans on discontinuing the ol' faithful iPod classic. However, we may be getting a clue as to what fate the PMP may soon meet. The folks over at AppleInsider discovered that the link to iPod Click Wheel Games no longer appears on the App Store drop-down menu in iTunes. Since 2006, the folks in in Cupertino have been offering added entertainment for the popular mobile jukebox for $7.49 each, but only about 50 titles were available for purchase -- it's kind of hard to develop software when a third-party kit wasn't publicly released. So if you're planning on hanging onto your iPod classic for a little while, we hope you're content to keep playing Vortex, Klondike or whatever else you've already downloaded.
Daily Update for Sept. 7, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes, which is perfect for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
On this day in 2005 you could buy the first iPod nano
Has it really been six years? The iPod nano was first made available for purchase on September 7, 2005. At the time it debuted, the iPod mini was (according to Steve Jobs) the most popular MP3 player in the world. Carrying on the tradition of "1,000 songs in your pocket" the nano was an iPod with a clickwheel shrunk down into a case that was thinner than a number 2 pencil. More importantly to the future of Apple, the nano used flash memory instead of a tiny hard drive -- a move that would eventually work its way through almost all of Apple's product line (and will likely continue). Available in black and white, the nano was available in 2 GB and 4 GB models but Apple added a 1 GB version later. Unfortunately, the first generation nanos were prone to scratches, and Apple had to reach a settlement in a class action lawsuit involving the scratches and a slip case for the device. Later models proved to be more robust, however, made of aluminum. Personally I think the nano taught Apple quite a bit about durability in their products, and it's possible the short time it took for the nano to come to market may have been a part of the problem. Nevertheless, the nano has evolved greatly over the years. I know people who still use their first-generation nanos to work out (using the case I designed in the image above). Do you still have one or use one? Check out the video of Steve Jobs introducing the iPod nano below.
Jelly Belly cases make your iPhone smell edible, come in BlackBerry flavor
There are 53 "official" Jelly Belly flavors available at present, few (if any) of which are MP3 compatible -- strange, really, in an era where pretty much everything else is capable of music playback. The company's new gadget cases are perhaps the next best thing, though despite the fact that they'll add a candy-like scent to your iPhone, iPod touch, nano, or BlackBerry (sadly not this guy), biting into them will almost certainly void your warranty -- and raise your dental co-pay. The cases are currently available and will run you $15 apiece, the same price as the new Jelly Belly-branded headphones, which are similarly recommended for external use only.
Hex watch bands for iPod nano on pre-order now
Now that's a good looking nano watch. We've covered a few iPod nano watch bands before, but to me, they've always seemed kind of cheap and hinky, more hacks than things that you'd actually wear out and about. But I really like this new band from Hex Vision -- it's a stainless steel band with a solid clasp that hooks right up to your iPod nano with what the company calls a "Clip-in, clip-out system." It's a little pricey at US$69.95, but considering what you'd pay for a watch that looked like this and did everything the iPod nano does, that's not too bad. The one thing that keeps me from pre-ordering one, though, is that we're set to see another revision of the nano pretty soon, and the rumors all say that it might lose the clip or gain a camera, depending on what you believe. That rumor aside, however, this seems like an excellent watch band that could be just what you're waiting for. If we do see a new nano soon, hopefully Hex will make the appropriate changes, and then I'll finally be able to Dick Tracy it up!
Apple patent application suggest iPod nano could become even more of a 'fashion accessory'
There's no guarantee that it will show up in the next iPod nano -- or any iPod nano at all, for that matter -- but a newly published patent application has now offered a few more hints about how Apple might make such a device even more wearable. Titled simply, "Environment Sensitive Display Tags," the patent application details how a small, wearable device could use a variety of sensors and inputs (including a camera, microphone, accelerometer -- even a thermometer) to obtain information about its surroundings and translate that into a visual element that's displayed on the screen. So, for instance, the camera could be used to create a background that matches your shirt or jacket, or the accelerometer could be used to make a screen saver react to your movements (like the rain drops illustrated above). All of which, the application suggests, could serve to make the device even more "aesthetically pleasing" as a "fashion accessory." Incidentally, the patent application also noticeably features "Games" as a menu option in some of the illustrations -- which would be new to the current variety of iPod nano -- but there's no mention of it in the actual claims. And, given that it was filed back in November of 2009, the application's authors could well have simply been working on the assumption that games would simply carry over from the previous generation.
iPod nano patent references camera, games
A patent filed by Apple and discovered by AppleInsider seems to lead credence to the rumors that the next iPod nano may sport a rear-facing camera. The first rumors of an iPod nano with a camera emerged in April when Apple.pro posted images purporting to be the back casing of a next generation iPod nano with a hole that would be where a camera sits. Just a few days ago, Apple.pro posted more images of the housing. The patent discovered by AppleInsider today, entitled "Environment Sensitive Display Tags," describes adding new sensors to the iPod nano -- one of which being a camera. Perhaps more surprising, the patent also references "screen saver" features that would allow content to be dynamically displayed on the nano and change based on sensor inputs. New sensors listed include a motion sensor, temperature gauge and a microphone, in addition to the camera. Finally, the patent suggest that the next iPod nano may be capable of playing games -- something the current iPod nano can't yet do. We'll see -- the original photos of a clipless nano made it seem unlikely that Apple would release such an easily-lost device, but this patent certainly lends credence to the idea.
Rumored 7th generation iPod nano with camera doesn't seem likely
It's always wise to maintain a degree of skepticism with purported photos of next generation Apple products. First of all, they could be fake; secondly, they could be production samples for form factors that might never see the light of day. We're pretty skeptical about this one. In early April we reported on rumors that the seventh-generation nano might sport a rear-facing camera. At the time, Asian Apple site Apple.pro posted an image that it claimed was the rear casing for the next generation iPod nano. The purported casing showed a hole that would house a rear-facing camera. That image was of the inside of the rear casing. Today Apple.pro has posted another image it says is the backside of the rear casing of the next iPod nano. In the image above, you can see what Apple.pro purports to be the rear of the next iPod nano compared to the rear of the current iPod nano. Besides the obvious camera, which Apple.pro says is of the 1.3 megapixel variety, the big change on the next iPod nano, if these images are correct, appears to be the lack of a clip. As you can see, the Apple logo is painted right onto the body of the nano, and it doesn't seem likely that Apple would add a clip covering the logo. When the rumors of a camera-equipped next gen nano surfaced, many thought Apple would just slim the clip down to give the camera a view. However, if these new images are correct, the next gen nano will be clip-less. Now, this is pure conjecture on my part, but I could see Apple eliminating the clip on the nano to bring costs down and then selling a magnetic "Smart Clip" as an add-on to those that want the clip. Currently, Apple sells the "Smart Cover" iPad accessory, which attaches to the iPad magnetically. I do want to point out that Apple.pro has been correct in the past, as they were the first to post an image of a small touchscreen that later made its way into the sixth-generation iPod nano, which debuted last fall. [via MacRumors]
Purported seventh-gen iPod nano spotted, complete with 1.3 megapixel camera
Is this Apple's next iPod nano? It is if you believe the folks from Taiwan's Apple.pro website who, as you may recall, also recently got their hands on a purported next-gen iPod nano chassis that seems to match the complete device pictured above. As you can see, the big change here is the addition of a built-in camera that's said to be 1.3 megapixels, which appears to have also shoved the clip out of the way, although there does seem to be a faint outline where one could be. Of course, the key word here is purported -- to its credit, some of the site's leaks have indeed panned out in the past, but we'd still recommend taking this one with a grain of salt for the time being.
Spotify launches music download service with iPod sync, puts iTunes on notice
Look out iTunes, Spotify has just launched its new music download service in Europe. What's more, the company that had been synonymous with music streaming will let you sync your downloaded MP3 playlist bundles to your USB-connected iPod classic, nano, or shuffle via a new "Devices" section of the Spotify app running on your computer. And listen up freeloaders, Spotify Mobile iOS and Android app users can now sync playlists wirelessly without a premium subscription (after purchasing the tracks, naturally). Here's a quote from Daniel Ek, Spotify CEO, sure to create some angst in Cupertino: "From today, Spotify really is the only music player you'll ever need. Our users don't want to have to switch between music players, but they do want to take their playlists with them wherever they go, on a wider range of devices, more simply and at a price they can afford. Now we've made that possible on one of the world's most popular consumer devices." Here's the dealio on Spotify's download prices for its nine million users of the free service (not premium subscribers): 10 tracks for €9.99 or €1.00 per track (£7.99 or just under 80p per track) 15 tracks for €12.99 or €0.87 per track (£9.99 / 67p) 40 tracks for €30.00 or €0.75 per track (£25 / 63p) 100 tracks for €60.00 or €0.60 per track (£50 / 50p) All the new features will begin rolling out today as part of an automatic update. See the full press release after the break as well as a quick introduction video to get you started.
