Apple music event

Apple's special event at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco this morning debuted several new products, some of which are available now at the , a smaller, thinner, flash-based version of the popular MP3 player line that replaces the iPod mini.

Steve Jobs kicked off the special event by introducing Yo Yo Ma, his "good friend" and 16-time grammy award winning musician who was in the audience. Jobs then spoke about the iTunes Music Store, which he said had sold more than half a billion songs worldwide so far-- a rate of 1.8 million songs per day. Apple also highlighted iTunes' 82 percent marketshare in the US and 80 percent marketshare in the UK, which was announced earlier today. He said that iTunes reached 20 countries, which was 85 percent of the global music market.

Jobs talked about new additions to iTunes' audiobook section, including the complete Harry Potter set as well as a special edition collectible iPod engraved with a Hogwarts crest from Harry Potter series. Jobs also introduced Madonna via iChat AV. The pop star, connected in a transcontinental live chat from London, said that while was not a believer in digital music and "tried to hold out as long as possible," she finally gave because she couldn't download her own music and said that all fifteen of her albums will be available via iTunes.

Jobs also launched iTunes 5, an update to its free jukebox software for both Mac and Windows. The new version offers a "refined interface" and will available today from Apple's website. Other new features include nested playlists (within folders), automatic sync of calendar and contact info with Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express, a new "Smart Shuffle" feature that offers more control over music playback during "shuffle", and parental schools to help restrict purchase of songs marked as "explicit."

Steve Jobs along with representatives from Motorola and Cingular also launched the long-awaited iTunes phone, the Motorola ROKR which offers software that can hold about 100 songs. Calling it an "iPod shuffle" on your phone, he said it would "autofill" from any iTunes library (via a standard USB cable) and would automatically pause for incoming phone calls. The phone will be initially offered by Cingular in the US. Motorola showed off its forthcoming TV spot which will be airing within 48 hours and will feature Madonna and other musicians. Cingular said it would also lauch a worldwide campaign to tout the iTunes phone, which he said had an "airplane mode" (to listen to music while the cell phone functions were turned off) and had great battery life.

Jobs also announced the iPod nano, which will replace the iPod mini line. The "entirely new design" features the standard iPod-white color (or black) with a color display and gray click-wheel: the iPod nano weighs only 1.5 ounces ( 42 grams). It is 80 percent smaller than the original iPod, narrower than the iPod mini, and thinner than a No. 2 pencil. Compared to the iPod mini, it is half the thickness and 62 smaller by volume. The Nano features a graphical clock, games, stopwatch and lap timer, and a screen lock that uses the click wheel like a combination lock Two models are available today: a 4GB model for $250 or a 2GB model for $200. Apple also launched a series of accessories, including an armband ($30), dock ($30), lanyard with built-in headphones ($40), nanotubes (silicon cases in five colors, $30) and more.

by MacNN Staff