Like Bigfoot in recent weeks, the Apple iPod is the subject of a wave of new reports and at least one photo. According to the postings, Apple’s iPod line will undergo a restructuring by the end of next month. But given the credibility of those making the reports, the chances for accuracy behind the iPod reports seem better than Bigfoot’s.
Kevin Rose, founder of the popular social-bookmarking site Digg, wrote on his blog Friday that there would to be a revamp of the entire iPod line, including both “small cosmetic changes” for the iPod touch and a “significant redesign” for the iPod nano.
‘Skinnier, Longer’ Nano
His blog showed a purported photo of a rounded nano. “The kind of smaller, fatter, chunkier nano is going away for something a lot skinnier and longer,” he said in a video posted on his blog. He also said it would have “a kind of widescreen across the nano” and that it’s going to be “rounded, kind of oval, so the actual glass on the outside will be curved.”
He also said the iPod touch will get some small updates, and the touch will be the first device to have the new 2.1 software, with the “iPhone to get updates very soon after.”
Rose also mentioned a new iTunes 8.0, which he quoted an unnamed source as calling “a big update with new features.” Rose added that, according to his sources, the new iTunes “really is a true point upgrade,” with a lot of new features and functionalities, not just bug fixes.
Managing Cannibalization
A big part of the refresh for the iPods, he said, are the relative price points. “They’re really trying to get away from the iPhone” at $199, he said, adding that we’ll see a lot of price cuts in iPods so that the “iPhone sales…