SAN JOSE, Calif. — Apple introduced higher-priced models of its iPhone mobile handset and iPod media player Tuesday with double the memory of older versions, altering its lineup for the second time in six months to encourage shoppers to spend more.
A 16-gigabyte version of the iPhone will cost $499, and a 32-gigabyte edition of the iPod Touch will sell for $499, the Cupertino, Calif.-based maker of the Macintosh computer said in a statement. The new iPod can store about 7,000 songs, while the updated iPhone can hold about half that.
Chief executive Steve Jobs added new iPods, including the touch-screen version, in September to expand Apple’s array of more expensive devices that can play video.
The higher-capacity iPhone may buoy sales until the company releases a model later this year that operates on so-called third- generation networks, which run high-speed Internet and video.
“The next really big thing is going to be a 3G phone,” said Romeo Dator, who helps manage $5.5 billion, including Apple shares, at U.S. Global Investors Inc. in San Antonio.
Meanwhile, the storage boost may lure shoppers to the Touch, which connects to the Web, instead of models with fewer features, he said.
Apple fell $2.29 to $129.36 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading Tuesday. The shares, which closed as high as $199.83 in December, have slid 35 percent this year.
