Apple’s “Let’s Rock” Event Recap


Apple just completed their “Let’s Rock” event and my inbox is full of press releases. The serious leaks this time out really left us with nothing to be surprised by or about.

Apple introduced iTunes 8 which features some new browsing options, and other features. The feature most focused on was the “Genius” playlist creator that is also happy to recommend other songs for your to purchase in iTunes. NBC is also returning to the store, along with the debut of HD TV show downloads. (I really wish they’d let me upgrade my existing episodes of the “The Office” to HD for the additional $1 that HD is costing.) The biggest news there is that there will be a tiered pricing system. SD shows will be $1.99, HD shows will be $2.99 – but there will also be select shows available for only $.99. Good stuff.

Shows like “Knight Rider”, “My Own Worst Enemy”, and “Kath and Kim” will debut in iTunes one week before they air on NBC.

Apple also introduced the new iPod Nano – which was supposed to be the star of the show before Kevin Rose ruined it. Jobs made it a point to comment that he didn’t find the links funny at all. The new Nano features a very iPhone-like display and includes an accelerometer as well. It’s very cool looking, and sure to be a hot seller this holiday season. It also happens to come in nine different colors.

The iPod Touch saw a slight revision as well, with price drops that didn’t quite meet everyone’s expectations. The 8 GB version is is $229, 16GB $299, and 32GB is $399.

The iPod Classic line was consolidated to one unit that is $249 for 120GB of storage. I wouldn’t be surprised if this design isn’t retired by this time next year.

iPod Shuffles appear to have a color update as well.

Probably the biggest “announcement” of the show was Steve Jobs calling the iPhone/iPod Touch the BEST portable device for playing games. This was said after Phil Schiller showed off two new games on the iPod Touch. It is a direct comment to rivals Sony and Nintendo that the iPod Touch is ready to play hardball.


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

5 Comments

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  1. The Genius is listed under iPod Classic features as well, so far no software update. Will it support only the 120GB models?

  2. Regarding the Classic iPod, don’t you mean that you wouldn’t be surprised if this is retired next year? “I wouldn’t be surprised if this design isn’t retired by this time next year.”