Apple‘s announcements today held few surprises, but the company’s updates to iTunes and its iPod lines keep the company far enough ahead of competitors to keep them at bay for the next year:

• Apple introduced its new iPod touch lineup, starting at just $199, giving users an iPod, a pocket computer, a game player and access to Apple’s App Store with over 75,000 applications. The 8GB iPod touch is now available for $199, along with new models which deliver twice the capacity for the same price, with the iPod touch 32GB model for $299 and 64GB model for $399.
• Apple introduced the new iPod nano, adding a video camera, mic and speaker.  iPod nano also features a built-in FM radio with live pause and iTunes Tagging, as well as a built-in pedometer. The new iPod nano is available today in an 8GB model for $149 and a 16GB model for $179, and comes in nine colors, including silver, black, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, (PRODUCT) RED and pink.
• Apple also introduced iTunes 9. New features include iTunes LP, Home Sharing and Genius Mixes, as well as a redesigned store and improved syncing. Home Sharing lets you  transfer music, movies and TV shows among up to five authorized computers in your home. iTunes 9 offers better management features for iPhone/iPod touch apps and downloadable ringtones.
• The iPod shuffle is now available starting at just $59 in five colors. The iPod shuffle is available in a new 2GB model for $59 and a 4GB model for $79, and both models come in silver, black, pink, blue and green.

The highlight of the event was probably Steve Jobs’ participation, which, for many, bodes well for Apple’s future.

Here’s what today’s announcements mean for new media:

• The updated iPod touch sidelines Microsoft’s Zune HD. The Zune HD doesn’t do enough to differentiate itself, and Apple’s iPod touch price cuts make the touch a much better deal. And the addition of a radio tuner to the iPod nano seems to be there just to kick some sand in Microsoft’s face.
• The new iPod nano will quickly become the most popular video camera in the world. This is going to put the hurt on makers of cheap YouTube video cameras.
• Apple’s continued dominance means there’s little pressure for them to innovate in the area of podcasting.
• Anyone hoping for something really revolutionary (iPod tablet, updated Apple TV, iTunes in the cloud, etc) is going to have to wait until next year.

Apple’s confident enough in their lead that they can choose to dribble out new features and use them as a differentiator for premium products. This is great for Apple, and they’ve got a great lineup of new products, but you have to think that the new iPod line would be more innovative and affordable if Microsoft or someone else could come up with some solid competition.

What do you think of today’s Apple announcements? Will they have any affect on new media? Leave a comment with your thoughts!