iPod Upate: Apple Upgrades the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano

Steve Jobs proudly stood before a crowd of bloggers and geeks and stated that there are 275 million iPod users, part of which is a testament to their market share.  As part of their commitment to the iPod as a general line they have released updates to all of them today in a sweeping shift that may have even surprised some.

The first of these upgraded iPods was the iPod Shuffle, which some people rumored to be a dead man walking.  This new iPod Shuffle will "shuffle" off the more recent design move that removed its buttons and will now bring them back to the blocky square design, adding a little more control to this bargain device.  IT will be a little bit smaller than the second generation, but overall it is going to look pretty familiar.  The new iPod Shuffle will still retail at a cheap $49, keeping it in line with the popularity that this low cost has afforded it.  This deal is made even better by the fact that it can hold fifteen hours of music, and it is expected to ship next week with pre-orders starting today.

The iPod Nano is also seeing a much needed facelift and is now essentially half the size and weight of the previous(actually 46% smaller and 42% ligher).  The design is what many people have suggested and even mocked up in test.  As most insiders expected, the new iPod Nano does not utilize the wheel of the iPod Classic and instead dons a multitouch screen that mimics that of the iPod Touch and iPhone.  Here you will be able to slide through your iPod Nano's selections, and you will not just be relegated to the traditional features associated with the iPod Nano.  Now you will be able to get FM radio capabilities and even the Nike+ feature, though most users were not dying for this.  The orientation feature will play here, mainly because the square shape of the iPod Nano almost requires it.  You will also be excited to note that the new iPod Nano boasts a 24 hour battery life, which is something no one would have expected.