nano coating, ed glass and it's a D TYPE! http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08012907nikkorpce24.asp rumors of a 45/2.8 PC and a new 85/2.8 PC are in the works. and, a new 60/2.8 macro, that silly 16-85, and the d60 was announced.
that 60mm macro would be dynamite on DX, the 24PC would be great too for film or the D3, and the 16-85, if you convert the euro cost to American dollars, it's just under $1000!! YEAH RIGHT! Nobody's going to buy it at that price if you can still get an 18-70 which is half a stop faster and has about the same range for about $280 new. At that price, yes, silly.
Yeah, I wanna learn more about that new macro lens, I've been waiting to get a macro lens and that one seems nice. Focuses at 6".
Yeah, I they could have just made a 18-70 VR kinda like the 18-55 VR, charged $300 and sold em like crazy. But no, Nikon has to make wacky marketing decisions (like replacing a practically brand new camera with something that has extremely marginal differences and is barely an upgrade).