Apple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled the company’s newest products Tuesday at the MacWorld Exposition in San Francisco. Jobs also announced that Apple had sold 4.5 million units of its epic iPod during the 2004 holiday quarter, a figure slightly below some Wall Street forecasts. Among the highlights at MacWorld:

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The iPod Shuffle: This low-priced iPod uses a different kind of computer memory called “flash memory” to deliver digital music. A version with 512 megabytes of memory will sell for under $100 and a 1-gigabyte version will sell for $149. Apple’s current 4-gigabyte mini-iPod sells for $249 and can hold about 1,000 songs.

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New agreements with major car companies to create integrated iPod car stereos: Apple has teamed up with Mercedes-Benz USA, Volvo, Nissan, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari to allow customers to use their iPods directly through the car stereo systems. Mercedes-Benz M-Class and Volvo will offer two iPod options for their entire 2005 U.S. model lines. Nissan, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari will announce details of their plans later this year.

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The Mac mini: Apple enters the budget desktop arena for the first time with a stripped-down compact computer that runs on Mac’s latest operating software and starts at $499. The two-inch-tall, 2.9-pound computer doesn’t come with a keyboard, mouse or monitor and has a 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor and a 40GB hard drive. It will go on sale Jan. 22. Apple hopes to build on the success of its iPod sales by attracting PC users willing to switch to Mac products.