Hewlett-Packard on Tuesday announced the addition of two new Apple iPod from HP models to its lineup of digital music players. HP is now carrying 30GB and 60GB iPod models. The company isn’t calling them iPod photos, however — it’s keeping the “Apple iPod from HP” moniker, although it notes the photo transporting and viewing capabilities of both devices, which are functionally identical to their Apple-branded counterparts.
Apple and HP first announced a manufacturing partnership early in 2004. When Apple introduced its fourth-generation iPod, equipped with the Click Wheel interface, HP also introduced its own line of Apple iPods from HP. HP has since offered the devices through its Web site and retail channels that Apple didn’t have access to before. This is the first significant change to HP’s iPod product line since that introduction.
The new photo-capable Apple iPods from HP come with USB 2.0 cables and are compatible with “HP Printable Tattoos,” special removable decals that users can apply to iPods with custom artwork, designs and photography. The new Apple iPods from HP retail for US$349 and $449 for the 30GB and 60GB models respectively, the same price Apple charges for its own versions of the iPod photo. HP also includes its “Total Care” customer support program, which includes a one-year warranty and one year of phone support. HP’s Web site had not been updated with information on the new iPod models as MacCentral posted this article.