“Talk show host Oprah Winfrey and humanitarian rocker Bono hit the city’s ‘Magnificent Mile’ on Thursday for a shopping spree to promote a new line of clothing, accessories and gadgets, including a special-edition iPod, that will raise money to fight AIDS in Africa,” Ashley M. Heher reports for The Associated Press. “Dozens of ‘(Product) Red’ items will go on sale in the coming weeks by Gap Inc., Apple Computer Inc., Motorola Inc., Converse Inc. and Emporio Armani.”

“Apple will contribute $10 from the sale of each new red-colored iPod nano. The model, priced the same as its $199 cousins, goes on sale Friday,” Heher reports.

“The celebrities, who arrived at the downtown Chicago Gap store in a red Ford Thunderbird, got a sneak peak at the products during a private shopping stint that will be broadcast Friday on Winfrey’s show,” Heher reports. “After visiting the Gap, the duo walked along Michigan Avenue to an Apple store and picked up the red iPod, the first music product from the Cupertino, Calif.-based company designed to raise money for charity.”

Heher reports, “With Apple’s iPod alone, The Global Fund stands to raise millions of dollars. During the holiday quarter in 2005, Apple sold 14 million iPods. The iPod maker also plans to donate some proceeds from a $25 iTunes Red gift card to the organization. ‘I love the fact that Bono is trying to do something about this problem,’ Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs said in a phone interview. ‘I’ve never been to Africa, but you don’t have to go there to know there are a lot of people dying of AIDS there. In a small way, this is something we could do about it.’”

Heher reports, “Bono said. ‘We now have some of the most creative people in commerce – Steve Jobs, the marketing people at Gap and Motorola – all working for the world’s poor. That is so so cool.’”

Full article here.

The Chicago Tribune has a photo of Bono and Oprah listening to the ‘(Product) Red iPod nano at the Apple Store Chicago here.

MacDailyNews Note: We expect press releases and official photos from Apple and (PRODUCT) RED on Friday.

Related articles:
Oprah and Bono to unveil Product Red iPod nano tomorrow [UPDATED] – October 12, 2006
Red Apple iPod, new MacBook to debut next Tuesday? – May 12, 2006
Red Apple iPod coming soon? – January 27, 2006