Apple's next-gen iPods just around the corner, full of rainbows?

[Thanks, Kiwi616]
Read - AppleInsider
Read - 9 to 5 Mac


If Archos.com happens to be a regular haunt of yours, you might've noticed that the site went down last night, with only a simple message remaining: "Coming up soon..." If you can ignore the awkward phrasing, it sounds like Archos has more than a new website in the works, and most people are pretty sure a generation 6 line of players is being prepped, including a flagship 606 device. A tipster says the site is due back at midnight CET (a bit over 9 hours from now), but that hasn't been confirmed. Archos did have a little teaser graphic up for a few days before the site went down (pictured) , but that's about all we've got to go on, at least officially -- rumors naturally abound.
Steve Jobs, presumably speaking from a hyperbaric chamber where he's being nourished with an infusion of liquefied developers-souls before his next public appearance, had a few interesting tidbits about the AppStore for the Wall Street Journal this morning. Namely, users have downloaded some 60 million programs for the iPhone representing sales of about $30 million since the launch last month -- a 30/70 revenue split between Apple and developers, respectively. "The thing's going to crest a half billion soon," Jobs added, "I've never seen anything like this in my career for software." He went on to say that phone differentiation is no longer about radios and antennas (or uh, battery life) but about software. Steve also confirmed the controversial iPhone application kill switch in the event that Apple inadvertently approves a malicious program for distribution. Jobs said, "hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull." As to the $999.99 I Am Rich application, the dubious download that displayed nothing but a glowing red gem, pulling that from the store was a "judgment" call. Sure, but that doesn't explain how it made it through the vetting process to begin with.
It's Thursday evening -- do you know what that means? Besides being the unofficial start of the weekend (party people, what's up?), it's time for another round of Ask Engadget. This week we've got a college freshman who's scared to death about 8-hour flights between his hometown and his new school... without gadgets. 







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