All-New iPods Could Arrive in a Rainbow of Colors Next Week

Apple is reportedly coming out with new iPods next week, including an all-new nano with a potentially new form factor and functionality, and three new iPod touches, two of which are redesigned versions.

People familiar with the new iPod lineup are telling 9to5mac that there will be new iPod shuffles announced next week. The update will mostly consist of new colors, according to these sources.

The nano might see a redesign but nothing is concrete on this front either. There have been some rumors that Apple was planning to launch a WiFi-enabled version that talks to the iCloud (for streaming one’s entire music library).

Other rumors say the player will have a bigger screen, an overall bigger form factor, and a Home button, hinting at iOS.

The iPod touch update is said to be the the biggest one. 9to5 is hearing that “Apple will retain the fourth generation design for the entry-level iPod touch configuration, and redesign the two higher priced models.”

The base model is said to be “tweaked” but, again, no specifics are given. The smaller dock connector should be in the cards for this new generation of iPod touches (as it should for all the iPods).

Mark Gurman reports, “We’re also told that these new $299 and $399 iPod models (which we assume are new iPod touches) will come in multiple variations.”

Gurman speculates that “Perhaps, for the first time, the new iPod touches will come in various colors.” The author is careful to outline that this is not confirmed, but inferred.

Finally, the sources indicated that all these players “appear to be set for launch in less than a week.”

In other words, expect this colorful iPod refresh at Apple’s September 12 event, before or after the iPhone 5 announcement (depending on what makes a better one-more-thing).