Phew. Just got out of the hubub of an Apple event down at BBC TV Centre in London - and dealt with some rather strict dead-tree deadlines - and can finally report what the Mac-heads probably already know: Apple's just launched a new iPod.
First, the stats: it's a slimmer, slicker model that comes in 30GB (£219) or 60GB (£299). And it comes in black as well as white. It does all the usual stuff, and also - as expected - video.
But is this what Apple really wanted to launch with, or were they rushed into it? After all, the iPod screen is no bigger than a traditional white iPod, and the video download service that will now be available through iTunes 6 allows you to buy music videos, short films from Pixar (no surprise) and shows from American network ABC (like Lost or Desperate Housewives).
That's not a whole lot of content, to be honest. Steve Jobs was surprisingly muted about video - he called it "a bonus" - and although he tried to whip up enthusiasm about a choice of 2,000 music videos, it's hard to when that's just a drop in the ocean. Madonna alone probably constitutes half of them, the old chicken.
It's a step forward, certainly, but this was probably Apple's most highly (and accurately) anticipated launch in a long time, and it delivered... what we expected. Few surprises.
Also on the slate tonight was a sleek new iMac - again, slimmer and higher specced - and some new home multimedia apps, including a new desktop media centre-style application, Front Row, and a remote control that can run the whole show. Again, this is toe-in-the-water territory: do Apple want to do a media centre, or do they want to test whether it's worth it?
Should they have gone in more heavily? Should they have waited longer?
I'm sure my initial scepticism will be proved wrong - it usually is - but I think Apple might find video a harder, and bigger, nut to crack than the music market.
Related: other posts from the launch - New iPod: first impressions - New iPod: a chat with Apple
