MUMBAI: Apple, which officially launched its next generation Apple products - iPod Shuffle, iPod nano, iPod Classic and iPod touch in the US on 5 September, has now brought the line to India.Apple`s Senior Product Marketing Manager - Portables, Asia Pacific region, Yeo Eng Yiong declared the launch of this new line of Apple products in Mumbai on Thursday.

Beginning with the iPod Shuffle, which has a capacity of just 1 GB and which can store upto 240 songs; the new generation of Shuffle is enhanced to be more convenient for use.Along with being the most wearable product from the iPod family, the Shuffle also has been introduced with three new colours (the purple coloured iPod Shuffle being the first in the new series). The Shuffle with a 12 hour battery life is priced at Rs 4,500 for the Indian market.

The new iPod nano has Playback video and is designed so that it fits into the pocket easily but has a bigger screen and is 65 per cent brighter than the previous generation nano. This product has a larger, sharper and a brighter display and carries a 320 x 240 resolution video screen. It is 6.5mm thin and has an all metal enclosure. Along with these added features, it also has two new colours, an enhanced interface, previews of the photos, three preloaded games and an option where one can actually rate songs. The four and eight GB nanos which have 24 hours audio playback and five hours of video playback and a capacity of holding 1000 and 2000 songs each along with 3500 and 7000 photos in each of them respectively, are priced at Rs 8,800 and Rs 11,400. The new iPod nano also consists of accessories which can connect it to a big screen tv for better view and an option to choose between composite and component (RGV based) video.

The new iPod classic has music, podcast, home video, games, photos, is thinner with an all metal enclosure with a newly introduced cover flow.It was launched with a capacity of 80 and 160 GB where 80 GB Classic had 30 hours audio playback and five hours of video playback and a capacity to store 20,000 songs and 100 hours of video. The 160 GB Classic has a 40 hour audio and seven hours video playback, capacity to store 40,000 songs with 200 hours of video. The 80 GB Classic is priced at Rs 14,500; the 160 GB Classic is priced at Rs 20,400. Says Yiong, "Apple iPhone is the best iPod ever because of its use. All the innovation of the iPhone was used in making the iPod Touch." The iPod Touch has a three and a half inches screen and is eight mm thin.With its revolutionary multi-touch interface; the device automatically takes the landscape or the portrait view by simply changing its position. "It comes with multiple options and with the Touch, music sounds and feels amazing," comments Yiong. For the first time, it also has a Wi Fi: Safari which is supposed to be the fastest browser in the market and a convenient .com button for easy use. It also has Wi Fi: YouTube for downloading videos and bookmarking them. The Touch is available in the capacity of eight GB, priced at Rs 17,700 having a 22 hour audio and five hour video playback. The 16 GB Touch having a 22 hour audio and five hour video playback is priced at Rs 23,600. Apple is working on modifications to the models for the Asian market too. There`s no hard disk attached to the models, which can transfer information from the iPod to the laptop or store it on a CD/Pen Drive, to which Yiong says, "We are working on it and I am sure, formats can be converted to store data. And if we put the hard drive, it will increase the thickness and the product wont look attractive either." The absence of the facility of FM radio while launching music products in India is yet another downside, but Yeong says, "With options to create your own library and subscribe to podcasts, no one will miss FM." Also, the charge plugs are designed according to the voltage in America, to which Yiong says that the company is working on the design to suit the Asian countries and users. The iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano and iPod Classic will be available within a few days in the Indian market, but we will have to wait till the end of October for the iPod Touch.