The Beat(les) Goes On? (Update: Nope.)
As most of you no doubt already know, Apple is holding a media event in a few hours (10:00 AM PDT) to release new iPods, and possibly a whole lot more. Of note, the event, which Apple has dubbed "The Beat Goes On", seems to be a reference to the final press release issued by The Beatles in 1970:
Spring is here and Leeds play Chelsea tomorrow and Ringo and John
and George and Paul are alive and well and full of hope.
The world is still spinning and so are we and so are you.
When the spinning stops — that'll be the time to worry, not before.
Until then, the Beatles are alive and well and the beat goes on, the beat goes on.
- Final Beatles press release, April 10, 1970
You never give me your mooooney
This of course aligns perfectly with rumors of The Beatles finally making it to iTunes Store, after literally years of speculation. The road has been long and winding, but it looks like it'll only be a few hours until customers can download digitally remastered Beatles songs on iTunes.
For live coverage of the event, MacRumors provides a comprehensive list.
Update: Event has begun Of note:
* new iTunes tonight
* ringtones support in iTunes
* new iPod shuffles in new colors, (PRODUCT) RED version
* new iPod nano, with larger screen, cover flow, games (Vortex, Sudoku), new colors, refreshed design, 320*240 screen, more capacity, video support, etc. (photo)
* current iPods refreshed with more capacity, thinner designs, redubbed "iPod classic"
* iPod touch, basically iPhone without phone functionality, thinner, has wifi, Safari... is making me kinda regret picking up on iPhone. Hum. Too soon? Also interesting that what Steve called "iPhone apps" (aka, glorified web pages formatted to fit the iPhone UI) now by default, becomes iPod touch apps as well.
* iTunes Store on iPod touch (and iPhone?) via wifi, so scratch one off the list
* so, no Beatles? darn. Ars reports, "Steve is being a tease by listening to Lennon songs"
* wait, wait, "One more 'incredible' part of this..."
* oh great, a Starbucks button when you're browsing in Starbucks. Really?
* "Can now buy whatever song is playing at Starbucks with one tap of a finger" from Ars. Cool concept, but kind of a let down. Incredible my ass.
* Ars reports, "welcoming howard schultz, founder and chairman of starbucks to talk (played Paul McCartney in the middle there, Steve is such a tease)"
* motherfucker, my friend was right. iPhone 8 gig price drop, and if his source was correct, 16 gig to fill in the top tier will be announced momentarily. I hope not.
* yay, my month old, 8 gig iPhone still remains kinda cutting edge. for now. but Steve suddenly made it worth $200 less. people are going to be pissed. especially 4 gig owners.
* aaaand, no Beatles yet. burned.
* time to lick my wounds and buy more Apple products
Questions Raised
* how long until hackers open up the iPod touch / start adding native apps, including the iPhone mail app?
* with games on the iPod classics/nanos, when will the iPod touch/iPhone get them?
* since when does "one more thing" mean four more things?
* am I the only one who thinks the Starbucks announcement was far from 'incredible', and closer to 'huh?'
* how are early iPhone adopters (the hardcore Apple fans who waited in line) supposed to feel about their models being cut, prices slashed, and the exclusive, sleek look and much functionality mimicked on a new iPod, just two months after its release? that's a quick turnaround time to screw over early adopters, even for Apple.
On a more optimistic note, this holiday season is going to be massive for Apple with all these new iPods.
Updatea 2: And Steve offers all iPhone early adopters $100 back in an open letter... in Apple products, anyway. Nice gesture, and smart business move.
Comments
Up until this point, there have been 13 responses to “The Beat(les) Goes On? (Update: Nope.)”:
Of course it's a direct reference to the final Beatles press release. I would put my money on that. I say we're going to see new CoverFlow iPods and the Beatles catalogue on iTunes.
Phill Ryu
Austin, what kind of hints was Steve dropping again in January?
Of course, it could also be a reference to the new Madonna album / single. Let's hope not, but it seems a little too coincidental.....
[...] So, everyone’s pretty sure it’s iPod related, and Phill Ryu suggests a strong Beatles reference. It’s also coincidental that since 2002, Apple have released an update to the iPod line. But with the advent of the iPhone, I get the vibe that we’re about to see something different. Especially because last year’s releases were fairly average (obviously because Apple’s attention was elsewhere). [...]
Phill Ryu
Apple Store is down.
I believe this was when he was showing off the Sgt. Pepper album with the iPhone, playing Lovely Rita. Maybe it was another keynote, but it was sometime recently.
Well huh, no beatles stuff! 
Phill Ryu
yeah, yeah. I guess it was all smoke and mirrors, or coincidental. I should apply for a job at looprumors.
Damn right I'm pissed!
Two times as many gigabytes in a smaller, thinner package, at half the price I paid for my iPhone? In just two months? Seriously Apple, WTF.
Glad I waited
The waiting has ended. Now I just have to wait for shipping :'(
Looks like I was right about the CoverFlow iPods, but wrong about the Beatles catalogue.
Hey Phill, hope you're doing ok. I just had to let you know of a contest I'm running over on my blog for web designers, graphic designers or plain ol' geeks like myself. The Prize is a package of Software and great eBooks valued at $195
Check it out here and let your readers know:
http://insanemoneymarket.com/blog/2007/09/17/1st-insane-contest-one-prize-worth-195/
thanks and have a great day 
Austin Heller
September 05th, 2007 at 10:40amGood prediction, Phill. Of course, we all thought the Beatles were coming in January when Jobs was dropping references throughout his keynote, so I'm not gonna make any calls until I hear it from the man himself.