Irvine, California – Leading independent Apple authority iLounge has released the 2012 iPhone + iPod Buyers’ Guide, a new edition of the world’s most popular guides to Apple’s pocket devices, accessories, and apps. Redesigned and better than ever, the Guide now features a whopping 218 pages of incisive information, including expert selections of the best iPhone/iPod speakers, headphones, cases, batteries, and games, each with options accommodating any budget. The 2012 iPhone + iPod Buyers’ Guide is the companion to iLounge’s already million-downloaded iPad 2 Buyers’ Guide; both Guides are available for immediate free download from iLounge.com in the popular, widely compatible PDF format.

“iLounge has written the industry’s definitive books on Apple’s portable devices and add-ons for years,” said Jeremy Horwitz, editor-in-chief of iLounge. “Now we’ve done it again. Our 2012 iPhone + iPod Buyers’ Guide will help you make the most of your money, whether you’re buying a new Apple device, improving your existing one, or looking to sell your used one and upgrade.”

Designed to help novice and expert Apple users alike, the 2012 Guide focuses on several key areas of the iPhone and iPod experience:

* Apple’s devices. iLounge includes capsule reviews of Apple’s current iPhones and iPods, complete with screenshots, color guides, and per-model buying advice. A new feature called iNtelligence offers quick, smart advice at the bottom of every iPhone and iPod review, while a special comparative guide to iPhone and iPod touch cameras explains how every model compares with point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras. Additionally, the iGlossary clearly explains Apple technical and marketing jargon that has become confusing over the past several years.

* Accessories. iLounge walks you through 18 different accessory categories, explaining each category and focusing solely on the year’s very best products. Selected by iLounge’s editors strictly on editorial merit, these accessories represent the cream of the crop from thousands of different vendors, distilled down into easy two- to six-page collections of top picks. Best of the Year Awards include both Editors’ and Readers’ Choice Awards for 2011′s top products and developers.

* Games and Apps. Separate, beautiful sections of the 2012 Guide look at the Top 100 Games of 2011, and the 100 Essential iOS Apps of 2011. While the Games section looks only at titles released within the past 12 months, the Apps collection includes the 100 titles our editors have picked as the most valuable to keep on iPhones, iPods, and iPads, spanning a number of different categories.

* History and Community. iHistory provides a comprehensive and remastered timeline of important events in iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iTunes history, while the latest reader-submitted iPhone, iPod, and iPad Around the World photos show the incredible proliferation of Apple products into remote and populated regions of the globe.

“Our 2012 Guide is incredible,” said Dennis Lloyd, Publisher of iLounge and the Buyers’ Guide. “We offer the world’s best book on iPhones, iPods, and their add-ons in a PDF format, so you can read it using anything from an iPod touch or iPhone to an iPad, PC, or Mac. Carry it in your pocket or a bag, or read it from a laptop or desktop computer. We hope you enjoy it from cover to cover.”

iLounge’s Buyers’ Guides and Books are the world’s most widely read publications covering Apple’s digital media products. Downloaded millions of times, the Guides are the latest of 17 semi-annual magazine- and book-style publications released by iLounge since 2004. All of these publications are available from iLounge.com/library for free, and are published as a service to the Apple community without any editorial involvement from advertisers or Apple itself. The 2012 iPhone + iPod Buyers’ Guide can be downloaded from iLounge.com/2012bg starting today.

iPhone + iPod Buyers’ Guide

iLounge, Inc. is the exclusive partner of the Consumer Electronics Association for the iLounge Pavilion, a collection of iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Mac products that is now the largest dedicated exhibition area at the International Consumer Electronics Show, spanning over 80,000 square feet of space. As the world’s leading provider of iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iTunes information, iLounge is fully independent from Apple and vendors of related hardware, software, and services, with offices in Irvine, California and East Amherst, New York. Founded only days after Apple announced the first iPod in 2001, iLounge has exploded in popularity, today boasting millions of visitors and tens of millions of page views each month. Its editorial content is in no way influenced by advertising, paid placements, or other unsavory practices. Praised for years as “the ultimate in product reviews and tutorials on all things iPod,” iLounge and its team have been spotlighted by the Associated Press, CNBC, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and many other leading publications. Copyright (C) 2011 iLounge, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.