SAN FRANCISCO — Apple Inc. chief executive Steve Jobs took the wraps off a revamped line of iPods on Tuesday and trumpeted a truce with NBC Universal that means the TV network will begin selling programs again on iTunes.
The iPod announcements were largely expected, and investors were less than energized, sending Apple’s shares down $6.24, or 4 percent, to close at $151.68.
The iPod upgrades that Jobs revealed Tuesday in a theater in San Francisco included two slick new Nano models, oval-shaped devices that Jobs said are the thinnest iPods that Apple has ever made. They are less than a quarter-inch thick.
A $149 version comes with 8 gigabytes of memory (enough for 2,000 songs); a 16-gigabyte version (which holds 4,000 songs) is $199.
The new models acknowledge the incredible appetite for iPods. Jobs said Apple has sold 160 million iPods since their introduction in 2001, making them the runaway leader among portable music players. But Apple has to work hard to differentiate them from the iPhone, Apple’s cellphone/iPod/ Internet device that threatens to cannibalize some of the demand for iPods.
Jobs also showed off three new versions of the iPod Touch, which is like an iPhone that doesn’t make calls. An 8-gigabyte version of the new model will sell for $229, a 16-gigabyte Touch will cost $299, and a 32-gigabyte model will be $399.
Apple hopes the 32-gigabyte unit will appeal to people who download a lot of games and other programs and wouldn’t be able to store them all on an iPhone.
