Well, looks like we weren't the only ones wondering about the two big questions of the day -- the New York Times sat down briefly with Steve Jobs post-event this morning and found out the whys and wherefores on the following:

• Why doesn't the iPod nano take still pictures? Jobs says that the tiny teensy CMOS sensor in the nano isn't up to the quality standards needed for stills; it's too thin. "The sensors for doing a still camera... they are just way too thick to ever fit inside the Nano."
• What about a camera for the iPod touch? The product path for the touch, apparently, is that it's a great gaming device and it's the lowest investment option for getting access to the App Store; given that, the push was to get it down to a price point everyone could afford instead of adding new features like a camera. "So what we were focused on is just reducing the price to $199. We don't need to add new stuff - we need to get the price down where everyone can afford it." Not to say it won't ever happen.

So much for my idea of a firmware update to the nano enabling still images down the road.

If the promise of a new, faster and video-editing enabled iPhone isn't enough to make you block out time for Monday's WWDC keynote on your calendar, check out the Financial Times report that revitalizes rumors of a new lower-priced iPhone model (iPhone mini? iPhone nano?) said to be ready for announcement on Monday. The new device would also come subsidized with a carrier contract, but would cost buyers just $149US or $99US up front.

While rumors of a cheaper iPhone have been circulating since the original iPhone introduction, the option to split the product line may make more sense now that consumer spending is in recession-tightened mode. Still, PCworld points out that FT's choice of analysts to quote is a little bit problematic; Morgan Stanley's Kathryn Huberty got cited by Seeking Alpha as the worst predictor of Apple's numbers in September 2008.

If you had a choice between a full-featured iPhone capable of video calls and clip capture/editing, or saving $100+ on a 4GB model with capabilities similar to today's iPhone 3G, which would you choose?

[via Engadget]

Rumor sites are abuzz this morning with news from the Far East noting that two Taiwanese chip manufacturers will likely receive orders for a new "iPhone nano."

Taiwan's Economic Daily News ran a story suggesting that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and United Microelectronics Corporation will win contracts for iPhone nano components.

MacRumors suggests that the device might not be headed for the United States, either: this device could be released first in China. American Technology Research analyst Brian Marshall says that the device is not being tested by AT&T. In September, rumors suggested that China Mobile asked Apple for a limited version of the iPhone, omitting Wi-Fi and 3G networking.

This comes on the heels of a screenshot sent in by tipster John, which shows a device labeled "iPhone nano" appearing in the iTunes Connect service used by App Store developers. Earlier, drawings of protective cases surfaced inside China's manufacturing community.

Shaking the magic eight-ball, all signs point to yes. While clearly not ready for Macworld last week, the same Economic Daily News report notes that a new iPhone device might be slated for a June release at the earliest.

Our favorite-named analyst, Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, predicts that Apple will announce new Mac models at Macworld Expo, and a smaller iPhone for the March quarter.

Piper Jaffray expects that Apple will sell 45 million iPhones during 2009, though that estimate is predicated on the fact that Apple will release a lower-cost iPhone model early in the year, priced between $99 and $149.

As for Macworld Expo, the expectation is that there won't be any groundbreaking announcements, since Phil Schiller will be giving the presentation. They do expect new iMac or Mac mini models, however.

Piper Jaffray is maintaining its "buy" rating, and $235 price target, on shares of AAPL. The stock was up slightly during morning trading.

[Via StreetInsider.]

Budgets are tight, we get that. So this holiday season, if all you could afford for yourself or a loved one was a 3rd-gen nano, we've got a trio of cases for you: one for running, one for general protection and one with little built-in speakers, for sing-alongs.

Again, courtesy Dr. Bott: ifrogz Audiowrapz ($24.99), Griffin Streamline ($20.99), ifrogz Treadz ($14.95)

• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• To enter leave a comment telling us what your favorite color is, if you have one.
• The comment must be left before December 31, 11:59PM Eastern Time.
• You may enter only once.
• One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: ifrogz Audiowrapz ($24.99), Griffin Streamline ($20.99), ifrogz Treadz ($14.95)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

All day on December 25, TUAW presents "Now What?" We've got first steps and recommendations for all the Apple gifts you (hopefully!) found under the tree today. Happy holidays! If you're a iPod veteran, send a link to this post to the switcher on your holiday list.

Congrats on your new iPod nano! We hope the color matches your wardrobe.

Setting Up
If you do not already have iTunes (available for Mac and Windows) installed, then you will need to get that taken care of. The latest version is available for free from the Apple website. Depending on your Internet connection, this download could take a few minutes, but remember that you shouldn't connect your iPod until you know that iTunes is installed. If you have a Mac, then iTunes probably came installed on your machine, so check your "Applications" directory for iTunes.app.

Once you have iTunes installed, plug your iPod nano into a USB port on your computer using the included USB Dock connector. By default, iTunes will launch and ask you to set up your iPod nano for the first time. You will start by entering a descriptive name for your iPod -- you can choose anything you wish.

You will then be able to sync your music from your iTunes library. If you don't have much in your library, you can download some tunes from the iTunes Store (perhaps you received an iTunes Gift Card), or you can rip music from CDs directly to your library. Of course, you aren't limited to the iTunes store for your music shopping: any online music store that delivers MP3 files (eMusic and Amazon, for example) will work just fine with your iPod.

iTunes also lets you subscribe to and download your favorites from thousands of free audio and video podcasts (we can suggest a few winners) and listen to online radio stations. You can't copy those streaming programs to your iPod, though, without a separate tool like RadioLover or RadioShift; if you really crave radio and your local stations don't broadcast online, you can check out Griffin's RadioShark peripheral for off-the-air recording.

Continue reading for more tips, tricks, accessories, and more!

Rumors of a smaller "iPhone nano" have been flying around the blogosphere since mid-summer. Earlier this month, a TUAW post detailed how a Chinese manufacturer was allegedly starting production of a case for a diminutive iPhone.

Now a source that has accurately leaked information about the iPhone 3G and 4G iPod nano has jumped into the fray. XSKN began selling iPhone 3G cases in mid-May of 2008, almost 2 months prior to the release of the 3G. In early September, XSKN was showing off new 4th Generation iPod nano cases.

The XSKN site is currently showing a heading for the iPhone nano (see screenshot at right), although there are no actual cases displayed. Given the track record of this manufacturer for inadvertently or deliberately spilling the beans, this might be pointing towards an announcement of the iPhone nano during the Philnote at Macworld Expo 2009.

Since TUAW readers are the smartest and best-looking Apple fans on the planet, I thought I'd ask your opinion on whether or not the iPhone nano is going to become reality soon. Take our iPhone nano poll and give us your thoughts on the mini-me of the iPhone world.

Update: Sharp-eyed reader William went to http://www.iphonenano.com, and lo and behold the URL resolves to the Apple iPhone web page!

[via MacRumours]

Our sister site Engadget notes that iDealsChina found this rendering of a silicone case for a new iPhone-like device with a smaller form factor.

iDealsChina says the case is "in production," and has many 3D images of a variety of angles. The device may be unveiled during Macworld Expo next month. The site also claims the "iPhone nano" will have three "sensors," a camera, a "mirror screen" and no 3G. The device will allegedly start production on December 20th at a rate of 60,000 to 80,000 units a day.

This falls in line with unsourced rumors of a wireless product slated for announcement at Macworld. It could wind up being the magic $99 Walmart iPhone that we've heard so much about.

The look of the new iPod nanos was leaked (famously by Kevin Rose) earlier this year as a result of a supplier showing off renderings of new cases for the device. According to iDealsChina, "...once one company starts making a mold their information is passed onto other mold companies or accessory companies through a China underground network."

If you have a current generation iPod nano or classic, then you have the ability to access spoken menu items throughout the iPod. This is an accessibility feature that Apple built into the current iPod line, but I found that feature is handy while walking around, or driving, if you don't want to look at the iPod's screen.

To enable this feature, dock your iPod with your computer and open iTunes. Click your iPod under the Devices list, and select the General tab. If your iPod supports this feature, you should see an "Enable spoken menus for accessibility" checkbox under the "Options" section. Click this checkbox and sync your iPod. Depending on how much music you're syncing, generating the spoken menus could take a few minutes.

Once your iPod is finished syncing, you need to turn on spoken menus on the iPod. From the iPod menu, select Settings > General > Spoken Menus On/Off. When you roll over a song, menu item, or go into cover flow mode, the iPod will alert you with a spoken voice.

Additional Notes:

• You can change the voice that is used for the spoken menus by going into System Preferences > Speech > Text to Speech > and selecting a new system voice on your Mac. You will need to resync your iPod after you change the voice.
  
• You should note that not all menu items will be spoken, and some titles of songs won't be spoken properly. This is inherit of the Mac OS X Text to Speech engine.
  
• This feature is not currently available on iPod touch or iPhone.

Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 and TUAW Tips sections.

This week, Apple added a new game for the iPod nano and iPod classic. Tamagotchi: 'Round the World allows you to take care of a small pet, which you raise from birth. There are four pets to choose from, interactive environmental items, 6 mini games, and three activities to play with your pets.

Tamagotchi was created by Namco, which has other iPod games on the iTunes Store. This game is compatible with iPod nano (3rd & 4th Generations), iPod classic, and iPod 5th Generation (with video). It is available from the iTunes store for $4.99; a demo video is available.


Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Cult of Mac turned me on to an awesome iPod nano case manufactured by Contexture Design in Vancouver, BC: it's made from a recycled cassette tape. Radical.

But move fast -- there are only about a dozen left of these one-of-a-kind cases, which fit first- and second-generation iPod nano models. Each case is C$45 (≈US$38) with C$4 shipping. What better accessory for your feathered hair, fringed leather jacket and roller skates when you go all Xanadu for Halloween?

[Via Cult of Mac.]

It's a mystery: as Engadget reports, there are new iPod nanos showing up at some Dutch retailers... in a 4 gigabyte capacity. Huh? This wasn't part of the announcement last week, and it's not clear why you'd want to pick up a nano in a smaller capacity than the original iPod for actual use, as opposed to for its investment value.

UK gadget site Pocket-lint has word from Apple that 4GB, 4th Gen nanos were produced "in a limited number" for some international markets, but they were never on the overall product roadmap. Were they intended to hit Dutch retail, or only for online sales? Could be a shipping mixup, could be clearing out inventory, could be on purpose -- but perhaps a collector's item for US customers.

Now we have word from Dutch blog One More Thing that indeed the 4GB units are being sold, in all nine colors, for €119. Amazon's German site is also selling the units.

Engadget has a lovely gallery of the low-cap iPods up for your viewing pleasure.

One of the interesting minor details on the iPod nanos released today is the inclusion of some new accessibility features. There's even an Accessibility section on the spec page, which notes the addition of spoken menus and an alternative larger font. The spoken menus "allow listeners to hear many of the names of menus, song titles, and artists without viewing the screen."

While this is clearly a boon to those with some visual disabilities I suspect it could also be handy to other folks as well, since it will presumably allow changing song, playlists, etc. without looking at the screen, which would be really nice while driving. According to Infinite Loop a nano with this feature turned on will even inherit your Mac's VoiceOver voice. Unfortunately, it's not clear if other iPods or the iPhone will also gain this feature at some point.

I recently got a new bicycle, so I was interested to run across iBikeConsole, a new iPod nano-focused accessory designed for cyclists. It combines two wireless remote controls with a central weather-resistant iPod nano case. The remote controls mount inside the hand grips and can be used while wearing gloves, while the central case also includes a cycle computer with distance and speed functions displayed on the nano's screen. The whole thing is powered by the nano's battery, the it will store data even after the nano is removed.

It's designed to work with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation nanos. I contacted the manufacturer to check on compatibility with the just announced 4th gen nano, and they say that they have yet to get one and so cannot confirm compatibility. We'll update this post when more information is available.

iBikeConsole is available for $76.00.

[via Gizmodo]

With just over thirty minutes before today's press event, we're all aflutter here at TUAW headquarters. Since we can't contain ourselves, here's a last minute pre-event post.

Likely rumors

New iPods is a given. Aside from the iPod-themed invitation, all signs are pointing to a revamped nano line, with greater storage, a new design and UI. AppleInsider is suggesting that the longer nano will be the first non-touch iPod with a motion sensor.

I think we'll also see a price drop for the iPod touch. Finally, iTunes 8 will be demonstrated and released. If the rumors are to be believed, this will be a major update to iTunes, possibly with HD content. We can't wait.

What we won't see

No Macs. Believe me, I want to see the neglected MacBook Pro overhauled as much as you do, but it's not going to happen this afternoon.

Despite the coincidental calendar in the MobileMe logo above, the service won't see any changes today, either. This event is about music and iPods.

Of course, all will be revealed in short order, and you can watch the fun unfold with our liveblog of the event. See you then.