Audio specialists Bowers and Wilkins today leapt into iPod audio with the Zeppelin. Shaped like the airship of its namesake, the device echoes the high style of the label but also the emphasis on accurate sound. Four tweeters with glass-fiber cones and tapered tubes are joined by a 5-inch woofer and combine to produce audio more reminiscent of the company's floor-standing sets; about 100 watts of sustained power through a three-channel amp define it as one of the strongest speakers in the class, by B&W's estimates.

A floating iPod dock fits nearly any of Apple's music players with a Dock Connector; users setting up the Zeppelin as a companion to a TV can pipe photos and videos from compatible iPods through a rear analog output. B&W will offer the Zeppelin soon at a premium price of $599.