New iPods news scarce

The back to school season and constant flow of rumors have industry watchers and consumers alike waiting for Apple to launch the next revision to its iPod line. One BusinessWeek columnist notes that Apple's recent settlement with Creative is the only current iPod news; the most recent iPod release was in June, and that release was just a new U2 edition. The lack of true news has only fueled other rumors of new Apple device--most prominently an Apple 'iPhone'. This rumor hit a fever pitch when Steve Jobs stating, "We don't think the phones that are available today make the best music players. We think the iPod is. But over time that's likely to change, and we aren't sitting around doing nothing." The report also notes increasing competition from players such as SanDisk, the lack of real updates to the iPod, and the possibilities of the next Nano. iSuppli analyst Chris Crotty expects Apple to release a hard-drive-based player with a landscape-oriented full-screen display, following the much-anticipated (but still rumored) iPod nano update.

by MacNN Staff