What wasn't anticipated is that the 30 and 60-gigabyte devices, costing $299 and $399 respectively, will go on almost immediate sale in the States.
Equipped with a 2.5" screen, the 30GB model stores 75 hours worth of video, and its big brother double that.
The differences don't end there with the promotional blurb revealing that, "The new iPod boasts up to 20 hours of battery life, five more than before. Plus, you get a bigger display and one more iPod colour – sleek black. But here's the kicker. At under half an inch thin, the new 30GB iPod takes up about 45% les room than the original iPod. Even the new 60GB model is 10% thinner than the fourth generation 20GB iPod."
Since its introduction in October 2001, Apple have sold 28 million iPods, giving them a 75% share of the portable digital player market.
While their wider advertising plans for the video iPod aren't yet known, the one shown on the apple.com website has a silhouetted Bono on its screen.