so it appears apple will be making a new ipod and the develpment is looking good, it will be a touchscreen one, and apple has applied for patents on it, found here
also apple is planning to put ipods at 7/11 stores, new found here and here
A touch-screen iPod would seem to make sense; they could get rid of the scroll wheel and presumably simplify the device. Patent applications do not indicate when things may come to market though.
As for 7/11, there is no indication that you will see iPods outside of Japan. Yet.
At 7/11 in Japan you can also get octopus.