The colors are a cash grab. I love Easter Eggs as much as the next guy, but the pastels are just an excuse to buy. "I have this black iPod touch, but now I can be myself with blue!" Whatever. Not sure why I didn't feel the first iMacs were like that -- perhaps because that was the first colorful computer I remember. Now color's just the shine on a shiny bauble.

The new iTunes' emphasis on albums is either an extension of skeuomorphism talk from yesterday or it's a concession to music labels. Emphasizing albums might sell more albums, which means sell more b-rate tracks than you're currently selling.

The iPod touch is insanely expensive. That you could spend within $100 of a Kindle Fire or iPad on a touch is insane. How much is the unlocked iPhone 5 going to be? The touch was a great buy when $180 at Black Friday got you the current model, but the current $200 version is long in the tooth. There's no longer a model that's an obvious great deal. Buy a real phone. The new touch isn't tempting. Wait, I take that back. The wrist strap would have potentially saved mine, which was dropped by a tiny hoodlum a few months back. That part is tempting.

The nano, otoh, is pretty cool. Video is back. Until now, my old 5th gen nano was my favorite iPod precisely because of video and camera with a quick, tactile pause button (the last I will miss). Bluetooth is brilliant. And here, the colors at least have a history. Buying the red seems a no brainer, though. Nike+ stinks in general, but at least without the dongle it'll honestly work with a nano now. It was nearly worthless for me until I got an iPod touch (I use Runkeeper on my phone now), as the nano dongle would come out or get wet and stop working. Running involves sweat and jarring motion, Apple.

Earbuds. Who cares. Can you really run in in-the-ear headphones? I can't. They fall out. Cheapie behind the neck or nothing for me when I'm mobile. Giving me Ives' finest seems wasteful. I've already got at least 8 of their 1.2 billion (or whatever) tiny speakers in my desk drawer.

Overall, especially with the iPhone, nothing interesting. Natural progression for a company looking to print more loot. Nothing revolutionary. Nothing that distinguishes these as new devices. Just more Apple keeping their lead (and the stock went up wildly too, last I'd looked).

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