New red iPod nano supports AIDS charity

Apple has teamed with rock star Bono to launch a new iPod nano whose sales will help raise funds to fight AIDS.

For every iPod nano Red Special Edition sold, Apple will donate $10 (£5.40) to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS.

The company officially released the red 4GB iPod nano on Friday for £129. The aluminium red player has the same specifications as other 4GB nanos, with a 37mm (1.5-inch) screen and up to 24 hours of play time on a fully charged battery. The device can store about 1,000 songs, and 25,000 photos.

The announcement of the iPod nano Red is part of a cross-brand campaign led by rock star/philanthropist Bono called (Product) Red. Several companies are offering red products whose sale proceeds include a donation to the AIDS charity.

Friday marked the US launch of the (Product) Red campaign. The campaign kicked off in the UK in January.

In addition to Apple's participation, Motorola is offering red Slvr and Razr mobile phones, for example, while Gap is offering a red leather jacket (modelled in newspaper ads by movie director Steven Spielberg), a red T-shirt and other items.

There are also Web sites such as (Blog) Red, a MySpace page, and a Flickr page that promote the charity project, as well as offer information on the AIDS situation in Africa.

Bono already had an existing relationship with Apple. The company has released two versions of the U2 Special Edition iPod, an iPod loaded with content recorded by Bono's band, U2. Bono has also appeared in several commercials for the iPod and iTunes.