Apple event: New iPods, as expected, but no big surprises either

The new Nano is taller and thinner, the new Touch is sleeker and cheaper, and Steve Jobs (yes, he was there) looked peppy, if still a bit thin. In other words, Apple's "Let's Rock" event went down pretty much as expected—and frankly, it was a bit of a letdown.

Tech observers and analysts had warned that today's iPod-focused Apple event might be something of dud, short of a breathtaking "One More Thing!"-type announcement. Well, this time, there was no big surprise at the end—unless you call a pair of acoustic songs by special guest Jack Johnson a big surprise.

Instead, we pretty much got what the rumor mongers said we would: A new, tall-and-thin Nano (similar to the first two Nano models), a cheaper and slightly-tweaked version of the Touch, and a new 120GB Classic. iTunes got updated—yes, with a new song recommendation feature, dubbed Genius—and a new iPhone firmware update (with a slew of fixes) is set to arrive.

But if you were hoping for, say, a new Apple TV, new MacBooks or MacBook Pros, a new touchscreen MacBook, or an iTunes music subscription service—well, sorry Charlie. Didn't happen.

What was notable, however, was that Steve Jobs looked (by all accounts, at least) relatively healthy. A big title card reading "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated" appeared before Jobs bounded on the stage, and Gizmodo reports that the Apple CEO looked "skinny, but energetic." That should calm any investors spooked by Jobs' gaunt appearance during June's iPhone launch, not to mention the obit that accidentally hit the wires a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway, on with the details …

iPod Nano
Now tall and thin rather than short and squat, the fourth-gen Nano is "the thinnest iPod we've ever made," according to Jobs. Boasting an aluminum oval-shaped case and a curved glass screen, the new Nano now boasts an "enhanced UI" (for example, you can push and hold the Menu button to get a pop-up menu), along with an accelerometer that'll let you flip through albums via Cover Flow when you turn the player sideways. Want to shuffle your tunes? Just shake your Nano—nice. Available later this week in five colors (including blue, purple, orange, green, and pink); $149 for the 8GB version (a $50 price drop from last year), $199 for the 16GB model.

iPod Touch
Predictions on the new Touch were pretty modest, and … well, they've been met. The second-gen Touch (or maybe 1.5G is more like is) now has a chrome rim and a thinner, tapered shell, similar to the iPhone 3G. Also new: volume controls along the left side, as predicted, along with a built-in speaker. The new Touches are available now, and as expected, we got price drops: 32GB for $399 (a $100 price drop), 16GB for $299 (ditto), and 8GB for $229 (was $299).

iPod Classic
As expected, not a lot to report here. The big news is that the thicker of the two iPod Classics—the 160GB model—has been discontinued—and the thinner, 80GB model has been "upgraded" to 120GB (for $249). Other than that, no new features, and the form factor looks exactly the same.

iTunes 8
As predicted, Jobs unveiled the latest version of iTunes (available for download now), and it's pretty much what everyone expected. First up is Genius, which analyzes your tracks, play counts, and ratings, and then automatically makes playlists of songs that (as Jobs put it) "go great together"); it'll also recommend songs from the iTunes music store. Genius sends information about your music library (as well as those of other iTunes users) to the "cloud", all the better to fine-tune recommendations (and newly-honed picks should arrive each week). Jobs assured the assembled crowd that any and all info is sent anonymously. Don't like the idea of Apple scanning your music library? You can always opt out—although if you do, bye-bye Genius. Plus: Better music and video browsing, courtesy of a new "grid" view.

Also coming to iTunes—or coming back to iTunes, that is: NBC, at last, including shows such as "The Office," "Monk," "Battlestar Galactica," and "30 Rock." Even better, those shows and more will—finally—be available in HD, with high-def episodes going for $2.99 (and yes, you'll be able to watch HD TV shows on your PC or Mac, not just on Apple TV as with movies).

iPhone Firmware 2.1
Expected to arrive Friday, the new firmware includes a bevy of bug fixes. Jobs promises fewer dropped calls, "big" battery life improvements, fewer crashes while using App Store programs, and a faster backup process (phew!). No mention of push notification for applications, though, nor of enhanced GPS functionality.

So, what do you think? Ready for a new iPod? Bummed that there wasn't a "One More Thing"? Fire away.