Apple Gives iPhone And iPod Touch More Memory

Apple unveiled on Tuesday beefed-up versions of its iPod Touch and iPhone with double the memory available on previous devices, but the devices are still not 3G capable.

The iPhone, formerly available only in an 8 GB model for $399 now has a 16 GB cousin that retails for $499. The iPod Touch also added a big brother, launching a 32 GB model for $499 to accompany the 16 GB and 8 GB models that sell for $399 and $299 respectively.

"For some users, there's never enough memory," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing, in a statement. "Now people can enjoy even more of their music, photos and videos on the most revolutionary mobile phone and best Wi-Fi mobile device in the world."

The new iPods and iPhones will ship with the new software that CEO Steve Jobs unveiled at last month's MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, including a maps application that allows users to use a combination of cell tower and Wi-Fi hot spot triangulation to mimic a GPS device and find their location on Google-powered maps.

iPhone affictionados had speculated that Jobs would unveil a 3G iPhone with faster data transmission at MacWorld but were disappointed.

When Apple launched the iPhone with 4 GB and 8 GB versions last summer, but dropped the 4 GB model when it lowered the price of the 8GB model by $200, angering customers who'd opted for the higher-end model.

Resellers have mixed feelings about the iPhone because while they find it an appealing product, Apple won't let them resell it.

"We're hoping every day that they'll change their mind. Our company is an Apple specialist so we focus a large portion of our energy on all products marketed by Apple, so not having the phone incompletes our product line," said Charlie Thomas, director of corporate sales for New York-based Tekserve.