Apple may be planning to ship its upcoming higher-capacity iPod Nanos in iPod Mini-like metal casings, it has been claimed. The move is said to be all about making the product less susceptible to scratching and to make the line-up more colourful.

The claim comes courtesy of AppleInsider, which reckons the new Nanos will be otherwise much the same as the current versions.

If true, the move is an intriguing one, particularly since the recent MacBook launch so clearly pitched the consumer notebooks' colour scheme to match that of the iPod family. Then again, with so many hardware manufacturers falling over themselves to offer glossy white and black versions of their products, Apple may feel the need to transition to a less monochrome colour scheme in order to continue to set the trend.

Colour aside, an aluminium casing may also play well with MacBook Pro and (soon) Mac Pro owners, so it's possible Apple has such a case material in mind for higher-end iPods like the rumoured widescreen video-oriented model. ®