Despite last minute rumours to the contrary, Apple did, in fact, use yesterday's pre-planned press conference to launch a video version of its iPod. The new player, which launches in the US next week, will come with more capacity and a bigger screen, but is actually thinner than the original Apple player. The video players will come with 30GB or 60GB of memory which, Apple say, will hold about 75 and 150 hours of video content respectively. They will retail for $299 and $399.
Of course owners of the new players will need video content to fill them with, so Apple also announced they will be making 2000 music videos available to download via the iTunes store for $1.99 each. The computer firm also said it had made a deal with US TV company ABC and would be making episodes of the network's shows available for download at $1.99 per episode, though there was no word on when that particular service would go live.
The video iPod sees Apple reassert itself at the top end of the digital media player market. Most of the companies recent releases have been cheaper models like the Shuffle, Mini and Nano, leading some to speculate on the future of the original more expensive iPod. The video device is sure to take over from the original device, able to demand the higher unit price thanks to the video functionality.