Apple announces new iPod touch and iPod nano

Apple's latest raft of product announcements includes a new, lighter and smaller iPod touch and the thinnest ever iPod nano, now in its fourth generation. The fresh models both boast sleek new designs but the nano gets the biggest boost in terms of functionality via a refined user interface and a built-in accelerometer which lets you performs tricks like automatically switching to Shuffle™ mode when the unit is lightly shaken.

Along with its 3.5-inch widescreen glass display, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi wireless networking, built-in speaker, accelerometer and Multi-Touch™ user interface, the new iPod touch also features built-in Nike + iPod which enables workouts to be monitored and tailored to the individual when used with the Nike + iPod shoe sensor.

While the new iPod Touch is still only available up to 32GB, there is some other good news - it's cheaper. The range now starts at USD$229 for the 8GB model, the 16GB version costs USD$299 and the 32 GB model costs USD$399.

The new iPod nano is available in 8GB (USD$149) and a 16GB (USD$199) models and offers up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback. The available colors are silver, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, red and black.

The third product update to be announced is a new version of iTunes (iTunes 8), which features a "Genius" function designed to enhance the creation of playlists and adds hi-def television programs to the iTunes Store.

Via Apple.