A very interesting analysis from Adam Schwabe about the new Apple partnership with Starbucks:

The new partnership between Apple and Starbucks will let you buy tracks currently playing in Starbucks from the iTunes Store on your iPod.

This is just the first step, but will surely change the way people shop for media.

Location and context-based digital shopping is now here, in a small way, but it’s here nonetheless.

While they’re giving you ‘free access to the iTunes Store’ on your iPod, it doesn’t sound like they’ll give you free WiFi access as well.

That’s pretty shady for a company that’s clearly going to massively benefit from this arrangement.

Giving people the ability to surf the Web while on the store is only going to keep them there longer — potential for more sales, both of product in store and through the iTunes WiFi store.

Extend the ability to buy songs playing in Starbucks to other retailers, movie theaters for instance, where you could buy the soundtrack to the movie or even the movie itself immediately on the spot.

Go further with the idea.

Embed an RFID chip into the iPod and link it to my iTunes account.

Allow Starbucks, or any other retailer to let me use my iPod to pay for stuff like you can already do with the Mastercard touch-n-go and so on.

More news from Steve Jobs:

A new iPod Classic starting at $249 for 80GB – audio 30 hours, video 6 hours – with a new $349 model with 160GB for 40 hours of audio and 7 hours of video.

A new WiFi iPod Touch with the same size screen as the iPhone, but only 8mm thin – a phone-less iPhone – including a Safari web browser. The first touch product Apple’s going to ship outside the U.S. Battery life: 22 hours audio, 5 hours video playback.

A new free iPhone software update.

A new partnership with Starbucks.

More in a few minutes.

(Pictures from Engadget)