Fate of new iPod nano still unknown

[Updated with news of Nano shipments] Apple is beginning to ship the first online orders of the fifth-generation iPod touch, reports say. In general, shipments appear set to be delivered on or around October 15, in the US and some other countries as well, including Australia. The player may in fact already be available in some Apple retail outlets.

Preorders for the new Touch opened almost a month ago. Apple appears to have deprioritized the product, though, in favor of the iPhone 5, which launched in late September. Both the Touch and the iPhone 5 now use the same display, and Apple likely wanted conserve limited screen supplies to maximize sales of the more popular and profitable device.

Preorders for the Nano started at the same time as the Touch, but there have been few indications about when they might ship other than Apple's official "October" timeframe. One recent rumor had them coming as soon as today.

Update: Just-published reports indicate that the new Nano is indeed shipping, and should already be in stores. This includes Japanese outlets, where both the Touch and Nano are noted to be in stock.

by MacNN Staff