Rumor has it that Apple are planning a refresh of their iPod Nano and iPod Touch models - one of the main additions to the product lines is predicted to be a camera for taking pictures on the go.
The up and coming event is taking place this coming Wednesday in San Francisco. According to The Business Insider's website, there are some fairly sound expectations surrounding the event.
In addition to announcing some new features with their music management software iTunes, Apple are expected to announce "almost certainly" an updated version of the ipod Touch along with the possibility of the same with the iPod Nano. This comes as little surprise considering the rumors regarding the addition of camera functionality to the portable range of media players have been around for some time now. According to Marco Arment, an analyst and blogger - his expectations of the event do not simply stop at the addition of the camera.
In his blog post regarding possible announcements at the event, he expects that Apple will firstly bring an end to the iPod Classic. His justification for this assumption is explained in the following excerpt from his blog:
"Most people buying iPod Classics are those high-needs people who insist on carrying their entire massive libraries with them all the time. They're a very small segment of the market: nearly every iPod buyer can fit their entire library on an iPod Touch at today's capacities (8/16/32 GB) with plenty of free space."
This seems like fairly sound judgment considering the needs of the end user with regards to portable media players. Arment's predictions do not stop there however, he also predicts that the iPod Shuffle will see a drop in RRP to $59, and the storage capacities within the iPod Nano will be reduced to a single model with 8GB of storage. When it comes to the iPod touch, is predictions are also quite concise. Apple will put a camera into the iPod touch along with doubling the storage capacities, and adjust the pricing across the range: 8 GB for $149, 16 GB for $199, 32 GB for $249, 64 GB for $349.
Apple is already known to be gearing its customers toward the iPod Touch and the iPod Touch only. These predictions regarding a change in the legacy iPod product line is hardly surprising considering this fact.
"Why? It's a more exciting, sophisticated experience, for one."
Announcements are also expected to be made with regards to the App. Store. Apple is on the brink of a mobile platform war. Managing to get more people interested in the App. Store will greatly help Apple's business. It has the potential to boost iPhone sales, and should this happen, subsequently ratify the App. Store's status, making its platform look like a good choice for developers. As its user base increases, so will the possibility of platform loyalty. According to TBI, it is also plausible that as a result of the aforementioned becoming a reality, users who enjoy the iPod Touch and iPhone will also become interested in the rumored Apple Tablet.
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