Apple refreshes iPod Nano with new design and less attractive UI, introduces new iPod touch

The most uninspired device that Apple's introduced in a while is its new iPod Nano. The multicolored atrocity has a horrible, over-designed chassis that closely resembles the Nokia Lumia phones with a user interface that closely resembles that of the PS Vita -- round icons and all. It touts a 2.5-inch widescreen multitouch display, bluetooth, and a few other toned-down iPod touch features all on a very minimal version of iOS. Surprisingly though, Apple didn't discontinue its iPod touch with the introduction of the new Nano. Instead, it announced a new iPod touch that looked very similar to Samsung Galaxy and Nokia Lumia devices. (It's the angle of the curves on the back.)

This touchscreen device is, of course, the thinnest and lightest yet, but uses an outdated A5 processor. Performance is good, though Apple clearly could have done better -- an A6, possibly. The device does make up for what it lacks in performance somewhere: the camera is now 5-megapixels. Instead of boasting a "camera"  that was less than a megapixel, the iPod touch can finally compete with the best of them. The photos taken with it and shown in demos look professional, for once. There's also a carrying strap for users who plan to make films with the device, or plan to use it as a Wiimote.

Best of all the new iPod touch features, it will support Siri. The voice assistant has previously been available only to iPhone 4S users with new iPad support coming in iOS 6. Apple's latest touchscreen iPod will come in five colors (black, white, blue, yellow, and red) and unfortunately, they're just as flashy as the iPod Nano in the rear. The colorful Apple logo looks like it was made with plastic birthday party materials, not aluminum or anything Apple would use.

As if those colors weren't tacky enough, Apple introduced "EarPods", its new headphones. The pair looks like something out of Pixar's Wall•E. I can see them being uncomfortable, as the previous generations of Apple's earbuds have been, since they are made with plastic. Lack of true audio quality notwithstanding, Apple's earbuds have never been the corporation's finest products, but they are a cultural icon.

All new iPods will release in October.

Things you should know about the 5th generation iPod touch:

• Its display is 4-inches, like the iPhone 5.
• WiFi has been improved with 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz and 5GHz).
• There's finally a real camera onboard: it's 5-megapixels with HDR and 1080p video recording.
• The front-facing camera is better than the old iPod touch's rear one, capturing at 1.2-megapixels and supporting 720p video for FaceTime at 30 frames per second.
• It has a flashy new design.
• The camera has LED flash.
• The battery lasts for 8 hours on average.
• Apple EarPods are included with the device, along with iPod touch loop, a lanyard.
• It's offered in five colors: black, white, blue, yellow, and red.
• The Lightning connector is used to transfer content from a computer to the device.
• It costs $299 for a 32 GB model (64 GB is $399) and will be available for pre-order September 14th.

• It's been completely redesigned -- in a retro sort of way. In fact, it looks like an iPhone, only smaller, mixed with the iPod Mini.
• It's multitouch.
• There's a very basic version of iOS running on it, but icons are round. It has a very over-simplified version of the iOS Settings app, as seen in the Accessibility section of Apple's iPod Nano page. iOS itself would not look good on the device.
• It plays widescreen video.
• An FM receiver is included, along with the ability to rewind up to 15 minutes.
• Apple EarPods are included, in case one pod wasn't enough.
• It's available in seven colors: light gray, dark gray, green, blue, yellow, red, and purple.
• The Lightning connector is used to transfer content from a computer to the device.
• The price is $149 and the device "Currently unavailable". It's scheduled to release sometime in October.