Apple's Buzz Quickly Fizzled

The anticipation leading up to this week's Apple event was probably a lot more exciting than the actual announcement. Apple revealed its super secret plans of introducing several new product updates this week, and I can't say I was completely disappointed. Now that the excitement is gone and the dust has settled, I want to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly in regards to each new offering.

1. Movie downloads: Downloading movies is better than going to the store anytime. Apple gets an A from me for convenience, but a C when it comes down to the movie selection, not to mention the 30-minute download time. Let's hope the library offers better titles than Bambi or Cinderella. Don't get me wrong, I love them both, but who doesn't own them already? Noteworthy titles: Sixth Sense, Pirates of the Caribbean and Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy.

2. iTunes 7: Looks great, but not even 24 hours after the announcement, some users were already reporting glitches. I personally didn't experience these problems, but I feel for those who lost content, and had to revert back to an old iTunes version. Installation turned into a total nightmare for them. Lets see how long it takes Apple to address those issues, and earn the users' trust back. On the other hand, I dig the "Cover Flow" browsing.

3. 80GB iPod: Did anyone care? Brighter screen, gapless playback, search feature, and they still come in black or white. I don't understand why a company offering movie downloads would discontinue its 60GB iPod, and not the 30GB one. Don't you agree? It still amazes me how they fit 80GB in that tiny package.

4. Metal iPod Nanos in colors: Do we need it? Probably not, but it was a smart move on Apple's part. The iPod mini put iPods on the map, now imagine a thinner version with a higher capacity, brighter screen, and longer battery life. The metal casings also mean less potential lawsuits from customers who have trouble keeping the Nano scratch-free. Shortcomings: no iPod Gaming capability, and only the black model is available in 8GB. What's up with that? 

5. Redesigned iPod Shuffle: The iPod Shuffle has always been the iPod's ugly step sister, and still is. But Apple gets an A for portability and practicality from me. It may be the "smallest player" available today, but it still holds 240 songs which makes it perfect for the gym. I'm loving the clip and go action, and if you  add a microphone attachment, it makes it a perfect voice recorder.

6. iTV set-top box: What a tease! Probably the best announcement, and we can't even get one until next year. iTV looks like a thinner Apple Mac Mini that connects to your computer to wirelessly stream all your media to your TV. It will cost $299, and will work for both PCs and Macs. Engadget has some pictures of it on this post.

That's all folks! So what was your favorite piece of gear? Were you disappointed, or didn't really care about the Apple announcement?