Apple now supports Podcasting in iPod and lowers Shuffle prices

Apple now supports Podcasting in iPod and lowers Shuffle prices

Apple today announced plans to merge their iPod and iPod Photo range of digital music player range to streamline the operations. Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPod product marketing, spoke to a media group and said: “We are simplifying the lineup. We think it’s a great next step: people have loved the color display, and to be able to make that available across the white iPod line is going to be an exceptional feature for our customers.”

The refreshed iPod range of music players now include a 20GB model capable of storing around 5000 songs for USD 299. The bigger model with 60GB capacity is now priced around USD 399. The company also launched the special edition iPod U2 in 20GB capacity for USD 329. iPod Shuffle sees a price cut and is now available in the retail market for USD 129.

Apple also released an update for the iPods, which is available for free on the website. This version brings support for Podcasting in iPods as promised by the company and is able to display Podcast artwork in color. The company claims that their power to combine the capabilities of both hardware and software application is unmatchable by the competition and this gives them the extra edge.

The market is anxiously waiting for the phone they are developing in collaboration with Motorola, which would come with support for the iTunes music store. That should add to that edge Apple has over the other digital music stores in the market.