Several rumor sites recently claimed that Apple was about to release new iPods soon. But it seems that they all were quite optimistic. At that time, some sources told me that it was too early and as you see they weren't wrong. The same sources comfirmed me that Apple is also going to release a new version of iTunes that will add be a major release with several new features:

Rendezvous support for iTunes playlists is a feature that Steve Jobs showed us several months ago and it's almost sure that this feature will be added to iTunes 4.0. Full MP4 (encode/decode) compatibility is also expected on iTunes 4.0 as well as on the firmware of the new iPods. It is possible that Apple adds also some new visual plug-ins for iTunes.

Finally, it's quite confirmed that Apple is going to launch its own music service that will allow Mac users to download legally copyright protected MP3s in partnership with several music companies. According to several sources this major update of iTunes will be integrated with this new service.

This update may come with or without an iPod update and it can happen at anytime during March or April. If you have more info don't hesitate to write in here.