Apple Revamps iPod, CEO Jobs Shows Humor

SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple (AAPL Quote) refreshed its iPod offerings in time for the holiday season, with a thin-but-healthy CEO Steve Jobs appearing on stage for the new product unveilings.

As widely expected, the company introduced a redesigned iPod nano, which featured a new elongated shape and an enhanced user interface. Apple said it has taken the accelerometer from its popular iPhone and brought it to the new iPod nano, which will be available in eight different colors. An 8-gigabyte version will retail for $149 and a 16-gigabyte iPod nano will sell for $199.

"It is the thinnest iPod we've ever made," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "It combines the best of both worlds. Video is fantastic on this high-res display." Jobs also said that the iPod has a 73.4% market share in the U.S., compared to 8.6% for SanDisk (SNDK Quote) and 2.6% for Microsoft (MSFT Quote).

Apple Event Fails to Rock Investors

Jobs appeared healthy during the "Let's Rock" event, even offering a joke about the unfinished obituary Bloomberg accidentally published last month. A banner appeared behind Jobs on stage that read "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Jobs' frail appearance during the launch of the iPhone 3G in early June ignited speculation over the Apple CEO's health, as Jobs has battled pancreatic cancer in the past.

The iPod touch also received some cosmetic changes Tuesday. The device is now thinner with a contoured steel design and features a new volume adjuster and a speaker. The iPod touch also has Nike's (NKE Quote) Nike+ hardware built into the device. The 8-GB model is priced at $229, a 16-GB version will sell for $299, and a 32-gigabyte iPod touch is available for $399.