Though it is not official, those in the “know” say Apple is just hours away from announcing a new Wi-Fi enabled iPod designed to receive digital radio along with an option to buy content from the iTunes Store. It is not known whether the same functions will be included in the iPhone.

Other rumors about the new Wi-Fi iPod line suggest the inclusion of a wide-screen touch-screen interface like the iPhone, larger storage capacity, Flash based hard drive and a new version of the iPod Nano that can handle video.

On a personal note, I’m ready for a wide-screen iPod. Watching wide-screen formatted movies that I’ve ripped off of DVD on the small iPod screen has been giving me a headache.

Since the iPod’s release in 2001, the hand-held music player has gone from a fun toy to a cultural icon. But it may be time for a revamp. Last year Apple’s iPod sales dipped for the first time since 2002.

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