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Multi-touch video iPods to arrive in August - report

Apple is preparing to launch a next-generation video iPod in August that features a touch-screen panel similar to the iPhone, according to DigiTimes.

Citing "sources at upstream suppliers," the Far Eastern rumor publication reports that Wintek will be supplying the touch panels for the players.

"The Taiwan-based panel maker will begin shipping capacitive touch screen panels in the second half of 2007," DigiTimes said. "The company noted that its touch screen panels will be used with customers' own software and ICs."

During a private meeting last month, Apple's traditionally tigh-lipped chief executive Steve Jobs all but broke the silence on the future of the video iPod. Speaking to employees at the Apple Town Hall, he said a division of the company was hard at work on next-generation iPods that, like iPhone, would run an embedded version of the Mac OS X operating system.

Picking up on Jobs' comments were Wall Street analysts such as Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, who in a report to clients earlier this week suggested that the current iteration of iPhone represents much of what Apple's flagship iPod line will soon be.

"Specifically, we expect Apple to release high capacity iPods based on OS X sometime during or before Macworld '08 in January," he wrote.

According to Munster, whose reports appear to be somewhat speculative, the new video iPod players would likely include touch-screen media features akin to the iPhone, but not include wireless phone capabilities or Internet features.

The last significant update to Apple's video iPod family came almost two years ago, when the company used a media event to introduce 30GB and 60GB models with color screens and video playback capabilities.

Although the video players were refreshed the following fall, the updates were modest at best — they included game support, brighter displays, and 20GB of additional capacity on the high-end model.

104 Comments

bergermeister 20 Years · 6559 comments

Pray this time it is a world-wide release!

icibaqu 19 Years · 251 comments

nice. i went to an apple store yesterday (after renewing my tmobile contract to lock myself out of covet mode) and checked out the iphone. that thing is so awesome, and ipod mode is really pretty cool. the plan became clear

1. iphone (the kids covet, but cant justify or afford 600 bones)
2. touch screen ipods so the kids can have some of that, covet the phone some more and train on how to use multitouch
3. cheaper iPhones and less-feature heavy version that millions of people will eat up in a second.

brussell 24 Years · 9645 comments

Has Digitimes ever gotten a rumor right?

spindrift 18 Years · 652 comments

There are so many of the reports flying around, the law of averages tells you one of them is bound to get it right eventually!

We all know a full screen video iPod with touch controls is on its way, we have known that for well over a year now. It's just a matter of when.

syklee26 20 Years · 77 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by BRussell

Has Digitimes ever gotten a rumor right?


they have been hit and miss but mostly hit recently.