It’s about Goddamn time.

I say that with an air of friendship. It’s been a long, frustrating wait for the new iPods, but I managed to survive (though not without needing a fix back in March). Overall I like this new version. The proportions are a bit odd, but so are those of the nano. The larger screen is a welcome addition, as is the slimmer form factor – these new ones are the closest to sexy yet. I especially like the new treatment of the front area, how it’s more a of a flat plane set on top of a chrome base. That, along with the new black version, makes this the most cosmetically consistent iPod lineup ever.

But let’s talk about the video, since that’s the big deal here. The music videos kind of hit me on the sour side. It’s a nice idea to be able to play them on the go but I’m not big into paying to see them. I was really surprised (pleasantly) by the TV show idea – that actually is pretty clever. I wouldn’t hesitate to pay a couple dollars to own an episode or two of Saturday Night Live (hopefully NBC will sign on) or something along those lines. My other big hope is that Turner takes advantage of this because they have so many good shows. Just give me Adult Swim and I’ll be a happy camper.

Every iPod update is not without its drawbacks these days. First they dropped the dock and charger, and switched to USB cables. Now, as with the nano, this new iPod cannot (I repeat, CANNOT) be synced via FireWire. LAME. On the plus side, I actually have free USB ports on my computer so I don’t have to daisy chain it with my hard drive anymore, and it will still work with my wall charger that NEW IPODS DON’T COME WITH. Fools!

Enough with the yelling! The iMac got updated too, and they have this remote thing now, which maybe will turn out to be nice once I figure out why I need a remote for the computer I’m sitting two feet away from. The Bluetooth Mighty Mouse is nowhere to be found (yet), but can you say “makes a great Christmas gift”? I knew you could. Nothing happened with the laptops either, which I think was a letdown, but wouldn’t have really fit with this presentation and almost would’ve been too much at once.