It was a matter of time.  A question of when, not if.  With Apple’s stock flirting with its all time high (and over it probably were it for the stock option backdating scandal), Cupertino-based Apple knows that it needs to keep the hits coming.

As the iPod remains the music player par excellence despite MSFT’s foray into the space with Zune, Apple is not only holding down the fort, but it is also taking the battle to many more companies and competitors.

Engadget has a fantastic in-depth, detailed overview here.  Other media outlets have already narrowed down the key components.  To summarize, the following are five facts on the device, dubbed the iPhone:

* The phone is 11.6 millimeters thick with a 3.5-inch-wide touchscreen and a 2-megapixel camera.

* The device integrates functions of Apple’s popular iPod music and video players and has 8 gigabytes of storage.

* It runs a version of OS X, the same operating system that powers the company’s Mac computers. It also has Apple’s Safari browser for Internet surfing.

* The phone will use the network of AT&T’s cellular unit, Cingular Wireless.

* The iPhone can also connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi wireless technology, and has Bluetooth, the short-range wireless technology used to support wireless headsets or link to other devices such as printers.

For months now I have been describing to colleagues and friends what the ideal phone should be, and while it’s certainly premature to hand out accolades, it looks like Steve Jobs and the Apple team have come as close to perfection as they possibly could.

Also announced at Macworld: the Apple TV, which was previously dubbed iTV.  According to Marketwatch: It will feature a 40-gigabyte hard drive and be able to store up to 50 hours of video. The device can stream to five personal computers, and will be able to hold movies, television shows, music and photographs. Apple TV will be priced at $299 and begin shipping in February, Jobs said.