UPDATE: A new iPod nano with video camera, a larger capacity iPod Touch and a larger capacity iPod Classic, complete with price cuts, a new iTunes 9, a new OS 3.1 software...
There was plenty of news at today's Apple event. Read all the news as it happened below, now complete with live pictures, UK prices and more.
11.22am US iTunes Store slashes prices – prices can only ever be slashed – on iPod nano, Touch and Classic... Set face to excited.
1.18pm Yoko Ono lets slip to Sky News that the Beatles will be coming to iTunes, though when we do not know. EMI meanwhile has told the Financial Times that the aforementioned deal won't be announced today. Fun and games.
5.13pm At a top secret location tucking into flapjacks and macaroons, but still 45 mins to go before all is revealed. Oh, and the Apple Store is down too...
5.29pm Stairs have been climbed, seats have been taken, blank screens have been photographed... Those screens will soon be relaying all the latest from Apple HQ. The countdown continues...
And clearly the excitement is already too much for some...
5.50pm We're getting close to kick off. One of Apple's senior chaps is on stage giving us the lowdown on the success of the Apple and the iPhone 3G S in Europe. Apple's iPods now have a 69% market share, and there were over two million ticket applications for Apple's iTunes Festival
6.03pm And we're off... standing ovation for Steve Jobs, who arrives in his usual attire. Slightly more subdued where we are. Jobs sounds a little croaky but is happy with his donated liver, as he is merrily telling us now. Thanks the Apple family for their support in his absence and encourages people to sign-up for to be organ donors... And now, "we get to talk about music".
6.06pm OS 3.1 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Updates and fixes. Ringtones on iTunes Store. 100 million accounts on iTunes. iTunes 9 incoming.
6.11pm Genius feature added to App Store. Recommendations to you based on the Apps you already own. 1.8 billion Apps downloaded. Genius Mixes also new. Tracks that go well together put in to a unique playlist... iDJ?!
6.14pm Improved syncing on new iTunes. iTunes 9 allow better organisation of synced files, more control. Also, allow you to organise Apps on your iPhone inside iTunes.
6.16pm Home syncing between computers. Transfer files between computers over your home network. New iTunes Store with improved navigation, new look, cleaner layout, more content.
6.18pm iTunes LP. Looks to replace content 'lost' with digital music in comparison to an LP. Artwork, notes, lyrics etc., can all now be delivered with digital music files. Much more content, no need to lose out on information previously found on LPs. Now we're to get a demo of iTunes 9 from a chap called Jeff...
6.19pm We're snapping plenty of pictures live of the demonstrations of the new software on screen – we'll be adding these online to this page later this evening once we've finished the live blog. And check whathifi.com news editor Joe Cox's twitter – www.twitter.com/therealjoecox – for yet more live updates...
iTunes 9 certainly looks very slick, we expect no less. Organisation of your iPhone's Apps on your computer, using a screen shot style interface of your iPhone, looks very smart indeed. Lots more information on purchases, more content to view, easy previews still. Some genuinely useful information, including wishlists, linking of albums to Facebook and Twitter, and more.
6.30pm 223 million iPods sold to date. Wowsers. 20 million iPod Touch. And did we mention 30 million iPhones? Crazy.
6.33pm We're being told why the iPod Touch is so great... Is this like the chairman's vote of confidence for football managers?
6.39pm The iPod Touch is still the absolute nuts, we're reliably informed. We're guessing an update is incoming...
6.40pm Ubisoft's Ben Mattes, producer of Assassin's Creed 2, is up on stage. The two will be coming together on the iPod Touch. From the content on-screem, the graphics for the game on the Touch look pretty smooth. There's BD-LIve style interaction – you can put your face in the game, Starship Troopers BD style – and the game will be out on the iPod Touch on the same date, November 11th, as it's out on consoles.
6.43pm 'Awesome' Dutch man on stage, his word not mine. Guitar Hero style game being shown on the iPod Touch from a new software developer. Move the Touch or iPhone in order to to play the App. Looks kinda fun. The game is called Rhythm Rhythm, we think... he had quite some accent on him. We will confirm ASAP. More games incoming...
6.46pm This time it's a first person shooter called Nova. Does what it says on the tin. You can even listen to your tunes as you shoot your way around scree. Next up is EA Games... Coming to the App Store is Madden NFL 10. American Football on your iPod Touch. Game looks extensive with players, stadiums, plays and more, just like the real thing. John Madden is on there as well. Distinct controls and features for Touch using the touchscreen to control plays, players, the speed of the game and more. Impressive. And it's available from today.
6.53pm £149 for 8GB Touch; £229 for 32GB ; £299 for 64GB. New large capacity, new prices, faster OS promised.
6.55pm £189 now for bigger 160GB capacity on iPod Classic. So single iPod Classic model still, but with bigger hard disk.
6.57pm iPod Shuffle down to £45 for 2GB, and £59 for 4GB. Five new colours. And a stainless steel special edition 4GB player for £75.
7.00pm Steve Jobs back on stage for 'one last thing'... A video camera. Market exploding, so Apple want in. So it's a... new iPod nano with video camera and mic built-in. Retained size. Every nano will have video camera from now on. New polished, anodised aluminium finish. One touch upload to YouTube. The iPod nano is the most popular music player in the world, with over 100 million sold. And an FM radio built-in, voice recorder and pedometer. Sync with Nike+Apple. Larger 2.2in display. A load of new colours, too – nine now in total. The FM radio also has live pause, which is pretty clever. 8GB £115; 16GB £135.
7.06pm Cursory mention of 'ecomentals'. Environment, green,
yidda yadda. And we think that might be it... Live music to end, as
per, and it's Norah Jones zzz. No offence, Norah, and indeed the 36
million people who have bought her albums.
7.10pm And that's all folks...