Let's Rock (event)

Let's Rock was a keynote presentation hosted by Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs. This event was held at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, California, USA on September 9, 2008 at 10am. [http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/09/02/apple-confirms-september-9-special-event-lets-rock]

Announcements

iTunes 8

The latest version of Apple's popular iTunes music management software was announced, adding a new feature called Genius that automatically generates a playlists of similar songs [http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2008-09-18-genuis-feature-itunes_N.htm] . The Ministore was also rebranded to the Genius Sidebar, which recommends selections from the iTunes Store based on the selected library track. Also added was a Grid View, allowing users to browse music and video by cover art. The program was also updated to be fully compatible with screen reading technologies VoiceOver and Window-Eyes. A new visualizer was also added to iTunes 8. [http://www.apple.com/itunes/whatsnew/]

iPod Nano 4th Generation

A new model of the popular iPod nano was revealed, showing a return to the narrow form factor of the 2G model, with the larger screen of the third generation model. It is thinner than the last model, and now has a curved aluminium case and glass screen. It is available in silver, gunmetal, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and pink. Also notable is the addition of an accelerometer, a redesigned user interface (showing a move towards a more iPod Touch-like interface), and the new Genius song-matching system. It is claimed to be the most environmentally friendly iPod ever, containing arsenic-free glass and a BFR-, mercury-, and PVC-free design, also claimed to be easily recyclable.

iPod Classic Update

The previous 80GB and 160GB iPod Classic models were replaced by a single 120GB model. The new model has the same thickness and price as the older 80GB iPod Classic.

iPod Touch 2nd Generation

Apple's iPod Touch was revised to feature a more iPhone-like casing, with tapered edges and a chrome rim. External volume controls and a speaker were also added, along with an improvement in battery life. The iPod Touch now contains a built-in receiver for integration with Nike+iPod trainers without an additional dongle. The price was dropped to be more in line with its sister products, particularly the now carrier-subsidised iPhone. Steve Jobs has called this iPod "The funnest iPod ever". [http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/whatsnew.html]

iPhone software 2.1

The release of version 2.1 of Apple's iPhone software was announced, featuring better battery life, fewer bugs, fewer application crashes and fewer dropped calls. For iPhone and iPod Touch customers with version 2.0 of the OS, the upgrade would be free. For iPod Touch users who have not yet upgraded to version 2.0, this upgrade would cost $9.95. The software was released on 9 September 2008 for iPod Touch, and 12 September 2008 for iPhone.

Accessories

Apple also released details of their new iPod accessories; an updated range of headphones, in-ear headphones and armbands. These new headphones now feature an inline remote and mic. [http://gizmodo.com/5047355/new-apple-premium-in+ear-headphones-with-dual-drivers-only-79]

Leaks

Most of the announcements were correctly rumored before the event, despite Apple's reputation for secrecy and surprise. This was largely due to leaks by Digg's Kevin Rose, who posted a photo of the new iPod nano and a mockup of iTunes 8 [http://kevinrose.com/blogg/category/apple on his blog] . [http://gizmodo.com/5047535/kevin-rose-nails-todays-apple-news-all-known-associates-permanently-buried-by-apple]

Jobs's health

Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple Inc.) opened the event with a response to the ongoing worries over his health. On August 28, 2008, Bloomberg mistakenly published an obituary to Jobs [http://gawker.com/5042795/bloomberg-runs-steve-jobs-obituary] , containing blank spaces for his age and cause of death. Whilst the mistake was very quickly rectified, the error was picked up by many news carriers and blogs. The timeliness of the mistake was considered unfortunate amidst intensifying rumours concerning Jobs' health. [cite web |url=http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=9825 |publisher=Zdnet Blogs |accessdate=2008-08-29 |title=Bloomberg publishes Jobs obit but why? |date=2008-08-28 ] Jobs responded quoting Mark Twain and announcing, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." [cite web|url=http://www.macworld.com/article/135466/2008/09/september.html |publisher=MacWorld |accessdate=2008-09-11 |title=Apple posts 'Lets Rock' event video |date=2008-09-10]

References

External Links

* [http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/letsrock/ Official Apple Video of Keynote]