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Just in time for late back-to-school or early holiday shopping, Apple, Microsoft and others have unveiled a new crop of digital media players, it was reported on Monday. 

One new feature on all the new iPods, again except the shuffle, is called Genius. After users select a song, the feature creates aplaylist of like music found on their iPod and, on their computer, suggests related songs they could buy from iTunes.

The biggest change this year is with the mid-range nano. It returns to an elongated shape from last year’s square model derisively dubbed “fatboy,” and is available in new colors, according to the paper.

SanDisk’s line of Sansa players has long been runner-up to the iPod in market share. But the company has made only one notable update in recent months: introduction of the all-new Sansa Fuze which has a built-in FM tuner and a microSD card slot allowing users to add additional memory and to plug in albums.

Microsoft updated its lineup with higher capacity versions of both its flash-and hard-drive-based players, lowering its prices for older models and adding new colors.

Also, it’s updating software, adding new ways for users to find music.

As a newcomer to the MP3 player market, Slacker issued a quick update, replacing its boxy and bulky first generation Portable Radio Player with a smaller, sleeker device dubbed the G2 Personal Radio Player which is tied tightly to Slacker’s Internet radio service.

Most of the new players offer more storage space for songs, videos, pictures or games at a lower price, many have neat new features and some have radical design changes, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

As for Apple, the company has effectively cut the price on all of its iPod lines, except the low-end shuffle, by reducing the amount customers have to pay for storage.