In what is sure to be the new must have item for the 2007 Christmas season, Apple has released information about the new iPod Touch, a cool new touch screen media player.

Each year there is a gadget that everyone simply must have in order to survive. This year look for Apple to attempt to fill that coveted spot with the new iPod Touch media player. Like its scroll wheel namesake, the iPod Touch will hold all of your music and movie files, but the most incredible improvement is not what is included on the player. Instead the most impressive addition is something that is missing entirely. Gone is the classic iPod scroll wheel and in is the cool glass touch screen of its iPhone cousin.

Touch Screen iPod Provides Wide Screen Wow!

With the loss of the click wheel Apple has opened the door to wide screen media content on the new iPod Touch. Able to play your favorite YouTube videos via its built in Wi-Fi capabilities, users can switch from vertical to widescreen mode simply by rotating the Touch to its side. The iPod senses the change in orientation and flips the image to make best use of the 3.5 inch display. Users will be able to flip through their music collection visually by looking at images of their CD collection in a jukebox style layout. Add to this that the new iPod Touch is supposed to have a battery life as high as 22 hours with normal use and one wonders when the lines will begin to form outside the local Apple store. Many existing iPod accessories should also work with the new iPod Touch, but specifics are not yet available.

Wireless Internet and Free iTunes While Dining at Starbuck's:

As mentioned, the new iPod Touch includes built in Wi-Fi capabilities to allow you to wirelessly surf the Internet while within range of a Wi-Fi signal. In an attempt to bolster their appeal even more, Apple has partnered with Starbucks to provide free access to their Wi-Fi music store while wait to order your morning latte. When not in line at Starbucks you can still view web sites wirelessly using Apple's own Safari browser. No word yet as to whether or not the problems that Apple had with their iPhone and certain aspects of Internet use have been fixed or not, but regardless of any minor quirks the device might have, the new capabilities of this next generation iPod make it one of the most attractive media players on the market today.

Release Date and Pricing For The New iPod Touch:

Set to be released in late September 2007 (exact date not available as yet), the 8gb iPod Touch model is slated for sale at $299. Users can double that capacity to 16gb for an extra hundred dollars. Within hours of the official Apple press release major retailers such as Best Buy were already posting photos and information but no order links as yet. One can almost anticipate a shortage of this new must-have media player as soon as it hits the store shelves. Will it live up to the hype? We'll have to wait and see.