Nine months after Think Secret first broke the news of a touch-screen iPod, the first public evidence of the device's existence has emerged in a PDF Apple posted to developers recently regarding the iPod's notes feature.
In a section dubbed "Advanced Uses of Notes", the guide states:
Note: Linking to photos and videos is supported only for the 5th generation iPods running iPod Software version 1.2 or later. All other Notes feature capabilities described in this document are supported for iPod models with display screens, beginning with the touch-screen models. [Emphasis added]
The touch-screen iPod, which will sport a 3.5-inch display, has been in development for at least 18 months. Its existence led to confusion last year, when sources privy to the touch-screen iPod's details stressed that the "video iPod" would not emerge until 2006 at the earliest.
In October 2005, Apple debuted the fifth-generation iPod with video playback capabilities. Prior to that announcement, Think Secret had said the video iPod would not arrive that month, but at the request of sources who wanted their identities protected Think Secret was unable to elaborate on the misinformation until sources gave the green light that following February.
Originally, the touch-screen iPod, which sources say Apple refers to as the true "video iPod" (as opposed to the "5G iPod with video playback"), was slated to debut in the first-half of 2006, but problems with the new technology caused the revolutionary iPod to be pushed back first to the second-half of 2006, then to early 2007.
An announcement at Macworld Expo San Francisco in January is now expected, although unforeseen delays could hamper its arrival once more, sources have cautioned, although internally Apple executives are said to feel confident the product will be ready by no later than the first calendar quarter of 2007.
Updated 11/2 - It appears the Apple document in reference may simply contain a typo where it specifies "touch-screen", as opposed to "touch-wheel" (2G iPods).
http://developer.apple.com/hardwaredriv ... uideCB.pdf
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