Apple launch event – LIVE

Apple is today announcing a refresh of its product line-up – and we’ll have all the updates live from Apple HQ.

This press conference has now finished – read a full report on the new iPods and Apple TV here

The company is widely expected to announce a refresh of its iPod family, but there are also rumours that it could unveil a new version of Apple TV or even an iPad mini.

Live updates from the event will appear below. You don’t need to refresh your browser – the page will automatically refresh. Latest updates will appear at the top of the page:

• And that’s a wrap folks. We’ll have a full story up shortly.
• Coldplay’s Chris Martin now on to his third song and a weak strand of stand-up comedy. We’re not sure which we hate most at the moment.
• Now Coldplay are coming out to sing… Is there any coffee at this press conference???
• New Apple TV will cost only $99 – down from $299. Will be available at end of September, although no word on international release.
• Can choose to stream movies playing on iPad/iPhone on Apple TV at the press of a button. Nice feature for people who’ve bought the Apple farm.
• Apple TV now so dependent on deals with US networks and services such as Netflix… will be surprised if this makes it to the UK anytime soon.
• Does the Sky+ generation actually want to rent TV shows? Why not just stack them up on your PVR?
• Jobs admits not all TV studios backed the rental idea – hopes others will “see the light”. Can also get stream content from Netflix, YouTube and Flickr.
• Apple moves entirely to rental model – no purchases on iTV, you just rent them. Hence no storage on the device itself. All content is streamed over the net or from computers on the home network. “It’s silent, cool and tiny,” claims Jobs. Can rent newly-released HD movies from $4.99, and they get cheaper as time goes on. HD TV shows $0.99 per episode.
• New Apple TV a quarter of the size of first-generation model. It’s literally palm-sized. Power supply built in. HDMI connector. Ethernet port and 802.11n Wi-Fi.
• There’s one more thing… Apple TV. “We sold a lot of them, but it’s never been a huge hit,” admits Jobs. “But we talk to people who use Apple TVs and they absolutely love ’em.”
• iTunes 10 available today. Free download, obviously.
• Ping also available on iPhone and iPod touch. “It’s amazing,” says Steve. We’ll agree to differ on that one.
• This really is desperate stuff… Lady Gaga launches her own page on iTunes Ping. But where’s Spandau Ballet, Steve?
• New Ping feature – social networking for iTunes. “Can follow favourite artists and friends, and discover what music they’re talking about and downloading,” says Jobs. Apple attempting to kickstart its own music social network instead of integrating likes of Facebook and MySpace. “Privacy is super simple,” states Jobs, with no-one in particular in mind, obviously.
• NEW VERSION OF iTUNES. Jobs announces iTunes 10. “We thought it was time to ditch the CD in the logo,” says Jobs. Minor tweaks to the iTunes interface, including album art in list view.
• All new iPods going on sale next week.
• New iPod touch. Touch “has become the number one portable game player in the world,” claims Jobs, outselling Sony PSP and Nintendo DS combined. New device thinner than previous models. Borrows iPhone’s retina display. Same A4 chip as iPhone. Facetime calling. HD video recording. 8GB $229, 32GB $299, 64GB $399.
• New iPod nano. Eliminates click wheel and now supports multitouch, yet it’s much smaller than the previous nano. 46% smaller and 42% lighter, says Jobs, and the device now has a clip to make it wearable. Hard volume buttons. FM radio. 24-hour battery life. First impression: it’s going to require a hell of a lot of scrolling through album/track lists… Seven different colours. $149 for 8GB, $179 for 16GB.
• NEW iPODS. “Biggest change in the iPod line-up ever,” claims Jobs. New iPod Shuffle – brings back buttons on the player, but still supports voice control. Supports playlists/Genius lists. Can store “15 hours of music”. Five different colours. Price: only $49. Wow.
• iOS 4.2 coming out in November. Again, a free update for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch customers.
• iOS 4.2 to add wireless printing to iPad. Can select from different printers, cancel jobs etc. New AirPlay service will allow you to stream video, music and photos to iPad. Folders coming to iPad.
• iOS 4.1 coming next week. Free download via iTunes. Now Jobs is going to show off iOS 4.2. “It’s all about iPad.”
• Apple demoing a very impressive 3D fighting game, which uses the new Game Center API for multiplayer gaming.
• Game Center – new multiplayer game service. Allows you to play with friends “or if you don’t have any friends, it will automatically match you with people,” quips Jobs. Matches gamers with “roughly equal ability” in Xbox Live style.
• FIRST PROPER ANNOUNCEMENT: Apple launching iOS 4.1. Includes bug fixes, HDR photos, HD video upload over Wi-Fi, TV show rentals, game center.
• Apple activating 230,000 iOS devices per day, claims Jobs. And that doesn’t include upgrades. 6.5 billion apps downloads from the App Store, 200 every second.
• Apple now has 300 retail stores in 10 countries, boasts Jobs. Over a million people enter those stores on busy days. Half of visitors buying their first Mac. That’s quite impressive.
• Jobs is talking about the new Apple stores in Paris, Shanghai and London’s Covent Garden. Pass me the Pro Plus.
• And we’re off… Steve Jobs on stage.
• We’re now seeing a live feed from San Francisco – good. And listening to Jack Johnson – bad.
• The number of Apple staff at this event is absolutely extraordinary. We were shown to our seat by no fewer than 13 people. If Apple’s share price dips tomorrow, you’ll know why.
• If this feed suddenly goes quiet you’ll know that our wireless connection has snuffed it. We’ve already snubbed the Apple Wi-Fi for a Vodafone 3G dongle…
• So we’re in the hall, here at a London satellite beamback of the Apple press conference in San Francisco, and there are hundreds of people here. Beginning to suspect this is not just an iPod refresh…

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