Well, big surprise...another iPod update before Christmas. This is getting to be a regular thing. Though some people were concerned that the media hype and rumor mill would kill the Apple mystique, they still get everyone to sit up and pay attention to what they are presenting.

Now...we all know the iPhone is compelling, but not perfect. Yet great leaps and bounds ahead of the iPod. So the obvious next step was the iPod Touch. Apple announcements lately have had more hype than delivery and today's event followed through.

iPod Touch
Slimmer, bigger drive, touch screen. Essentially a stripped down iPhone that you can do everything but make calls and tack yourself to the ridiculous ATT network. Wireless attaching to iTunes (provided you are on a WiFi network), Safari, YouTube (yawn). Again: this is just an iPhone without the phone part. Oh, and no Bluetooth for headphones?? A really stupid oversight that would have made me want to buy this. How many times do I have to say it?? APPLE PUT IN BLUETOOTH! Everyone at the gym has to work with these dang white cords. It is almost 2008, put in Bluetooth so I do not have to mess with it anymore! Tired of tangle! I can get a free cellphone with Bluetooth but not a $400 iPod.

iPod Classic
All metal, slimmer, bigger drive, better battery. Same old, same old. Except have it now has Cover Flow (yawn). The one cool thing they added is Search...use the ClickWheel to find music. Other than that, you have seen it all before.

iPod Nano
This is a little more interesting...Nano is truly a little iPod Classic. All metal, slimmer, bigger drive, same battery. But now you can watch videos. But if the old iPod Video made you buy a magnifying glass, this will not improve your eyesight. But still cute and cool. I might consider this if I didn't have an iPod video and Nano already...

iPod Shuffle
Still boring...what no screen?

Good news though: coming soon is a new iTunes version that let's people make ringtones from their downloads. This is an oversight repair on the part of Apple rather than an upgrade. And all this from a Mac guy. Well, maybe we just haven't seen much innovation in product, just a push on the cool. But where do you go right after the iPhone? Give it some time. And now that they lost NBC, how can I catch reruns of Psych from USA? Off to Amazon...

Until the next update, where is my freakin iTunes Beatles music?