It will be interesting to see how Apple's latest, revealed at Tuesday's Macworld keynote, will affect both iPod and Mac sales moving forward.

We will have more details later, but it seems that rumors of the screen-less, flash RAM-based, low-end iPod were true. The iPod Shuffle, using LEDs for track feedback, was unveiled just now at the Macworld Expo keynote. The unit is smaller than a pack of chewing gum and weighs less than 1 oz.

C|net reports that Apple has applied for a patent on a sensor to be used in the iPod that is able to detect when the unit is in a free-fall, allowing it to halt any access to the internal hard disk in an attempt to lessen damage to the unit on impact. From the article:

Apple, on Friday, announced that customers of its iTunes Music Store have a new payment option. eBay's own PayPal online payment service can be used to purchase tracks from the iTMS. Customers can fund PayPal payments using a credit card, bank account, or stored account balance. What's more, the first 500,000 U.S. customers to open a new iTMS before March 31, using PayPal as their payment method, will receive five free song downloads.

The much anticipated iPod U2 Special Edition is now a reality, in all its black and red glory. That's black, as in the face of the unit which is normally white, and red, as in the color of the clickwheel of the new units. On the back of this unique looking 20GB, 4th generatrion iPod, U2's band member signatures can be found laser-etched into the mirror finish. This "digital boxed set" includes 400 U2 tracks-every U2 album, including 25 rare and unreleased songs. A U2 poster and a coupon for U2's new album "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" are included in this package, all of which will retail for $349 and should be available in mid-November.

At Apple, the term "mini" now describes more than just a type of iPod. Yesterday morning Apple opened the first six of its new "mini" retail stores in Palo Alto, CA; San Jose, CA; Santa Rosa, CA; Tukwila, WA; Bridgewater, NJ; and Rockaway, NJ.

As a result of Apple's recently announced Q4 financials, which beat Wall Street estimates by a wide margin, Apple shares rose 14% yesterday, the largest gain in over four years. In a late trading session in New York, Apple stock jumped $5.60 to $45.35 per share. Analysts cited the Q4 financials as an example of how Apple is transforming itself from a computer company into a digital music and entertainment company. From a recent International Herald Tribune article on the subject:

Apple has issued a press release announcing that song downloads at the iTunes Music Store have topped 150 million. The 150 millionth download happened to be "Ex-Factor" [iTMS link] by Lauryn Hill and was purchased by Beth Santisteven from Ignacio, Colorado.

Now just place yourself into a pair of parachute pants, a red leather jacket, a single shimmering, white glove, and you and your iPod will be all set to bust out the Duran Duran, real horrorshow. You know you love it.

Enjoying the new movie rentals from the iTunes Store through iTunes 7.6? Wish you had more than a 24-hour viewing window once you've started watching? (Hey, sometimes really frequent bathroom breaks are just unavoidable!) As it turns out, there is a way....