Apple iPod Nano third-generation
Is video a feature too far...
Review Earlier this month, Apple announced the newest embodiments of various iPod lines. The new iPod, the Classic, doesn't look substantially different from its predecessor. The new Nano, which supersedes the second generation product is - on the other hand - a complete revamp.
What you'll notice straight away is its shape: it's a little shorter and much wider than its predecessor. Both the 4GB and 8GB configurations are identical in terms of dimensions - 6.9 x 5.2 x 0.7cm - so it is thinner than the older model, but at 49.2g, weighs a fraction more.
The reason for this change in design is a LCD: now at 2in with a 320 x 240 resolution, a 204 pixels per inch density and with an effective blue-white LED backlight.
Apple's iPod Nano: old and new side by side
Much like the Classic, the Nano's casing is now covered in a tactile anodised aluminium shell, replacing the glossy, smooth finish sported by Nanos of old. Curiously, only the black iPod Nano doesn't have a white scroll wheel, but all of them are narrower than before. The player's corners are nicely rounded and it seems much more resistant to grubby fingerprints and scratches. Of course, only time will tell, as all it takes is a morning rush and a jacket pocket that also contains house keys, and you'll soon see how scratch-resistant your new Nano really is.
Here at Register Hardware we have a Speck ToughSkin covering our first-generation Nano because it was one of the very few iPod covers - and there are a lot around - that actually offered some protection for the display by way of a clear, plastic screen. We foresee one or two potential problems arising with future protective covers given the now small distance between the top of the scroll wheel and the bottom of the display.
Apple's iPod Nano: top and bottom
Despite the design overhaul, the Nano shell still looks and feels like two separate halves stuck together – granted quite securely. The coloured front curves around and makes up a little of the width; the rest – and the majority – is then once again made up of the silver metallic back. As before, the dock connector and the 3.5mm headphone jack are at the bottom of the player, but now so is the Hold switch.
The new increased width makes this possible, but the Hold sldier is considerably smaller and could present problems to those of use with bigger fingers. It's not going to make life any easier for case manufacturers either. It'll be interesting to see how they handle the move.
COMMENTS
@ElderNorm
Erm - what?
iTunes does not open - so of course I cannot drag and drop from iTunes.
With other media players, I can drag and drop from My Computer via Windows Explorer.
By only allowing music to be copied to the iPod from iTunes and not from any other source - apple has severely limited my options.
No it does not just work - iTunes has to work first.
The iPod Nano does not recognise many formats - or it would not need the user to click on 'convert' or 'consolodate' in iTunes. Come to think of it, the consumer wouldn't actually need iTunes.
@ElderNorm
You are showing your age a bit. The benefits which iTunes brings to the table far outweighs the negatives for me. It does just work. Grag and drop the music from iTunes to iPod.
Download and install the latest version of iTunes, plug the nano in, it just works. It doesn't work for you in this case because you are an ignoramous and haven't read the manual/Quick-start guide. You expect this Apple device to behave exactly like your former no-name/no design pile-of-tat player. I'm sure we don't sympathise with you here.
iTunes recognise plenty of music formats, all which are majorly used today in fact. This doesn't include Flac or Ogg, because the majority of people don't use them/know what they are or those that do should be well able to convert them to MP3. I prefer the old last generation nano personally, it was ace, although now I own a Touch (and lo it was good)
If iPods stop being decent players then nobody will buy them. I don't see that happening any time soon. Zen/Archos/Zune/*fill in* owners can enjoy their hilariously niche, aesthetically-displeasing products while they sit in their anoraks pondering the next linux distribution or the next music management software app they want to try, while the rest of us just happily listen to the music...
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@Elder Norm
As far as I'm concerned, if I pay £130 for an iPod Nano then I should be able to plug it into my computer and it should just work.
I should not have all this faffing around with drivers and trying to scrounge an iTunes setup disk because Apple don't want users to use a disk anymore and want them to use the iTunes 7 and Quicktime 7.
I paid £10 for an mp3 player by Matsunichi last year and it worked perfectly - plug it in, drag and drop.
Not so with the iPod Nano - no way.
As for other companies being the same - yes, but their products work.
Why 4:3?
So, why in blinkin' flip does Apple want to sell a 21st century gadget in a 20th century aspect ratio?! Can it deal with modern TVs and do a full-resolution video out on 16:9 videos, or do you need to use the TV's zoom function to crop the programme to hell?
Go and turn on a TV, any TV, and tell me what you see. 16:9 ratio programming. Sure, anything pre-2000 may be 4:3, but the vast majority of programming in the UK is 16:9 and has been for years, and the majority of the "must-see" programmes coming out of the US have been 16:9 for a few years. Few, if any, films are shot in the old 4:3 "Academy" ratio (aka yukky square-screen), and most TV is filmed in 16:9.
For crying out loud, Apple computers all come with widescreens now, don't they? Why not their iPods? It costs enough, can't they give it a proper screen?!
@michael
Michael and others.
If you like wav music so much, thats fine. There are a lot of mp3 players out there. Why gripe about iPods???
As I understand it iPods recognize wav as long as they are not DRM. Hmmmm Maybe a Zune would work? NOPE. Microsoft zapped you there too :-(
Then you go on to say, "Steve Jobs and his arrogant delusional team should be brought to bear for this. Maybe the bear could eat them." Maybe you are a paid M$ troll??? Microsoft does just the same thing. In fact everyone out there has some restrictions or "don't works" with their system.
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