Apple “Special Event” Recap: All New iPod Lineup, iTunes 10, Ping, Apple TV 2G

Apple hosted a special music event today at the YBCA Theater in San Francisco. Steve Jobs took the stage at around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, dressed in the traditional Apple CEO regalia. So what did Dear Leader unveil today at the “special event?” Let’s recap, shall we?:

• iOS 4.1 – Fixes proximity, Bluetooth and iPhone 3G bugs. Adds the ability to take HDR (high dynamic range) photos. Includes Game Center. Upload HD video to YouTube straight from phone. Available next week for iPhone and iPod Touch.
• Sneak Peek of iOS 4.2 – Adds everything from 4.0 and 4.1 to iPad. Wireless printing for iPad. Out in November for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.
• AirPlay – stream audio, video and images to other WiFi devices. Included in iOS 4.2.
• New iPod Shuffle – Includes VoiceOver and buttons. Super tiny. Wearable with clip. Features Genius Mixes. Battery offers 15 hours of listening. Available in five colors. 2 GB for $49.
• New iPod Nano – Completely multi-touch, no buttons. Also extremely tiny, 46% smaller and 42% lighter than its predecessor. Much like the Shuffle, it include a wearable clip. 24 hours of audio playback. Rotate the screen orientation with your fingers. Available in 6 colors. $149 for 8 GB version. $179 for 16 GB.

• New iPod Touch – Thinner. Includes retina display, Apple A4 chip, 3-axis gyroscope, front facing camera and FaceTime! Rear camera with HD video recording. 40 hours of audio playback. 8 GB ($229), 32 GB ($299) and 64 GB ($399). Available next week, pre-order today.

• iTunes 10 – New logo. They ditched the CD. Album cover art in list mode if you have more than five songs from a single album. New feature called Ping – a social network for music. Like Twitter and Facebook mixed with iTunes. Ping also available on iPhone and iPod Touch. iTunes 10 is available today.

• Apple TV 2G – Super small. A fourth of the size of the first generation. All HD when available. All rentals, no purchases. No more storage management. Rented from the cloud. Streams media from your computer, both Mac and PC. $4.99 first run HD movies, the day they come out on DVD. $0.99 HD TV shows, partnering with ABC and FOX. Stream Netflix right from Apple TV. Adds Rotten Tomato ratings to movie pages. Video ready to watch within a few seconds. Stream content from iOS device to Apple TV using AirPlay. Now costs only $99. Available in about four weeks, but you can pre-order today.