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September 12, 2007

ipod

iPod nano: my impressions

Posted Sep. 12, ’07, 6:39 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | iPod

iPod nanoWhen Apple launched the new iPod nano, it didn’t take me long to decide the silver 8GB model was to be mine as soon as possible. It arrived today, so I thought I’d share my impressions from the point of view of an average iPod user.

First, the new nano is really small. The rectangular end of the USB cable that plugs into the dock connector is not only thicker than the iPod, but also almost as wide as the Click Wheel. As soon as it’s turned on, however, the screen draws your attention: it’s very, very sharp and plenty bright too. Text, images, and videos look smooth and detailed, and it’s a pleasure to look at.

As for the much touted new interface, it’s quite nice, but definitely evolutionary, not revolutionary. Overall, I found the small details really made it better, like touches to the Podcasts and Videos sections: album art, release dates, numbers of episodes, etc. The Ken Burns-style previews of album art, photos, videos and podcasts are nice, but can be pretty annoying sometimes; the split screen is mostly useful in the Settings, providing extra information about individual options. At the end of the day, it’s the same interface we know and love, with some pretty good usability and elegance enhancements.

Oh, and you old Mac owners out there will be happy to know it syncs OK over USB 1: it took roughly two hours to transfer 5.5GB of data from my trusty eMac. Not fast at all, but bearable. (Of course, over USB 2.0, it syncs way faster, as most of you know.)

Verdict? The new nano is a great iPod, perhaps offering the best features/price ratio of the new line-up. The screen is really the highlight here, along with the ability to play video on it. And let’s face it, it looks pretty sweet.


6 Comments

Paul said:

It still looks like an Oompa-Loompa.

September 12, 2007 9:28 PM
George said:

Are my math skills off? How can a $199 8GB nano have a better features/price ratio compared to a $249 80GB iPod Classic (man, that's a stupid sounding name)? 10x the storage for just $50 more. I guess the Nano has one feature than the Classic (still stupid sounding) lacks, Nike+ integration but 900% more storage space trumps Nike+ in my mind.

September 13, 2007 3:45 AM
Anonymous said:

Great that you like the Nano, however more people are having serious problems with the Classic. Why are you and MacWorld and others not talking about these real issues? See the Apple discussion below

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1127750&tstart=0#5335500

September 13, 2007 5:07 AM
Tom Maze said:

One important missing accessory is the Apple lanyard. The previous generation lanyards don't fit, took mine into the store and the geometry is different. The lanyard contributed significantly to the enjoyment and usability, for exercising or cord management or whatever.

Any idea whether Apple has a lanyard on the horizon?

September 13, 2007 7:54 AM
Thunk Different said:


iThink that this ipod looks challenged. It's fat, squashed, and needs to get out more. I too wasn't impressed by the OS X? software. The ipod touch is another story, now that is impressive, and for a little more you get a wi fi device, ical, and other goodies that make it much more practical than the "ipugsley ipod" Glad you are happy, but to say, "And let's face it, it looks pretty sweet." Is something I bet over 50% of your reader will disagree with. Put up a poll, its trivial, but the old one can be bought for $99.00 and offers many of the same features... plus that one looks healthier.

September 13, 2007 8:34 AM
Dan SP said:

Amount of space isn't that important to all of us; I'd rather have the Nano due to its robustness, which, I guess, the Classic lacks due to the hard drive based storage.
Besides that it's more 'grandiose' in size; hence, once again the Nano takes the lead as I already own a cell phone that suits my need. No iPhone for me, thanks.
I think the Nano clearly has it's niche.

September 13, 2007 2:33 PM

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