Apple introduced models of its popular iPod touch handheld computer
and iPhone with double the memory available in previous
versions.
EW YORK, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Apple Inc on Tuesday
introduced models of its popular iPod touch handheld computer
and iPhone with double the memory available in previous
versions.
The products come on the heels of Apple's launch last month
of a service that lets iPhone and iPod users rent and download
movies to watch on their devices.
"There are a lot of users out there for whom there is never
enough memory," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's head of global
marketing for iPod and iPhone.
"We've given people more and more content that they can put
on their iPhones," Joswiak said.
Apple, which said in January that it had sold more than 4
million iPhones since sales began last June, will now offer an
iPhone with 16 gigabytes of flash memory, the kind that stores
data on microchips instead of a spinning disk drive.
The iPod touch, a wireless touch-screen device that plays
music and videos, adds a 32-gigabyte model.
Both of the new devices will sell for $499, Apple said.
Apple will continue to sell its iPhone with 8 gigabytes of
memory for $399. A 16-gigabyte version of the iPod touch
remains at $399 and an 8-gigabyte model, at $299.
The updated models come amid a slump in Apple's stock, due
to fears that a U.S. recession could make consumers less likely
to buy its iPods, Mac computers or other products.
Asked whether Apple expected the new models to boost sales,
Joswiak said: "We always put our products out there and hope
the market likes them. The higher-capacity models have always
done well."
Apple shares were up 30 cents at $131.95 in morning Nasdaq
trade. The stock has fallen more than 33 percent so far this
year.
(Reporting by Franklin Paul and Scott Hillis, editing by Lisa
Von Ahn and Dave Zimmerman)
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