As predicted last week, Apple’s “iPhone” was announced today, and alas, it really is just a cell phone with iTunes on it. Make than an ugly cell phone.
More sexily, Apple rolled out the pencil-thin, color-screened iPod nano which probably embittered all the suckers that snapped up a screenless iPod shuffle. Next up, the iPod flea.
Apple also introed a new version of iTunes, which makes a big step to v5.0, yet manages to contain no fantastic features, like the synch feature I was hoping for. Take note, Steve: the Yahoo! Music Engine can synch—it mirrors tracks from one music library to another, so that, say, you can listen to all of your music on your work computer and your home computer, ripping tracks or making library edits on either, with changes/additions mirrored on both machines.
Finally, the iTunes Music Store made available for sale every Madonna album ever. (Add the non-album tracks from all her singles and I’ll be happy; probably Jimi, too.) I was amused to note that shortly after the addition of her catalog to the Store, her most-downloaded solo track was still “Who’s That Girl,” one of my favorites, but not Madonna’s, as it appears on none of her many greatest hits and compilation albums.