Random Musings on Apple's iPod Nano

I think you hit the nail right on the head here, Harry.
I love my 30 GB photo. I love having all my songs in one place. BUT, I think the nano looks amazing and it is so small with a color screen.

I want one :).

The world finally got to see the iPod-killer everyone?s been talking about for the past few years, however, it came from Cupertino. The one thing that would make the iPod Nano better is if came packaged in Zen Micro shells, since there's enough room in them, and they've become worthless as of today. Talk about instant obsolescence. I used to believe that it was simply brilliant marketing that took Apple from the verge of bankruptcy to the best brand in the world in ten short years. What I've realized is that Apple has something that Creative, Samsung, Sony, and the rest lack, and that is a true philosophical understanding of electronics, and how consumers relate to them. As members of a consumer society, we inevitably fetishize and idealize certain consumer goods. We actively pursue nice things. Consumer goods need not be thrust upon us, though they usually are. This is the marketing ritual, where a handful of masters of manipulation gather to create an image that will hopefully transcend a poorly-engineered product. Apple has tapped into a secret of the 21st-century capitalist psyche that is rooted in primal desire. Form is more important than function. It's how we often choose our lovers, food, pets, clothes, and most things that we lust for, or have an intimate bond with. This profound understanding of aesthetics has allowed Apple to think outside the box and create truly beautiful products. Although it doesn?t hurt that Apple has some of the best engineers and most creative marketing teams. Consumers will sacrifice an FM tuner, and other frills for a product that taps into the core of their desires and makes them feel like they are better now than they were before. Yeah, it?s false consciousness, but it works. While other electronics companies are still using the McDonald?s model of value to push mp3 players, Apple?s iPod has become a connoisseur?s brand, and achieved ubiquity in the mp3 player market. Not easy to juggle the two. I predict the Nano is going to sell like hotcakes, or better yet, like iPods.

Hmm. Well said, Oprescu.

It's a pity though - it would be nice to have both form and function (built in voice recording at decent quality, decent price, tinker-able).

I can't wait to play with the Nano and see how light it really is. Pity there aren't any Apple stores here on campus. No apples, just corn. Sigh~

When I heard Apple was going to replace the mini with a 4 gig flash unit, I yawned and thought I'd continue my wait for the next full size pod before I buy. But now that I've seen the thing and how darned small it is, I want one. I just bought a shuffle because it is so darned small you don't even know it is in your pocket. The nano is the weight of two shuffles which isn't too bad.

Unfortunately for Apple's competitors, this nano looks insanely great. In short, Sony, and iRiver et al look to be totally screwed in this market for a couple more years at least.

TRUE Oprescu. ...As soon as I saw it i sad I had to have one... obivously because it looks so cool... the specs would have to be terrible for me to hold off. (Apple's Industrial Designers are off the hook!) I'm wondering if the click wheel is too small though.. the arc that your thumb would make to scroll should be easy. if they make it too small you would have to be more precise in pressing it. Otherwise it should be perfect. ...the thin size & lighter weight makes it more practical for a lanyard also. I can't wait too get my hands on it!

The day I've been waiting for... Apple is king, again! Apple user till the day that I die.

This is their segway into the flip-phone market - it doesn't take a degree rocket science (or graphic design) to see that. I will be more interested in the device when it becomes more usefull. I wish apple would take that talent and begin releasing prototypes that conform to the body. With all the gadgets out there - the public attire is beginning to ressemble the batman utitlity belt.

It is everything you actually need a thousands songs i mean seriouly does anyone love over a thousand songs at one time. The thing that makes it better then the rest is size and colour screen is the thinnest on the market and still has a colour screen.

APPLE RULES

Color screen, tiny, light weight, and can view pics! If it had a voice recorder, Id be sold. The wheel also looks a bit tiny. But I guess Ill have to hold one to before I decide on passing on it.

It's glassy smooth again though. It looks fragile like it was designed for efeminate women. I want to see an Ipod for Loggers.

Two Words:
Mountain biking
or
Trail Running
or
Rock Climbing

Whichever way, there are a whole host of us who would like to take our music out, but have been reluctant to risk our hard-drive players (and entire music collecitons) playing in the dirt. Until now, for me its been my minidisc player- with mp3 ability, but downright clumsy software that keeps me from changing my trail music often. Sure, you'll need a protective case (maybe even a hard case), but what doesn't? For 24-hour races or long solo rides, I think that this might just be the ticket. Especially in black.

mb

hahahahha an ipod for loggers that nice.

I have an original iPod, and I bought it the day it came out. I paid $449.95 a the local Compusa, and it has served me well through two battery changes. It is offically retired when I get my nano in black.

The most songs I ever had on it was 875. I have a little over 4000 songs in my collection, and I can't imagine ever needing 4000 with me when I am in the car.

Finally an iPod for runners.

I was tempted to get my first iPod this month, and it was going to be a Mini. Now I'm not to sure. The Nano might look cool, but I don't like the fact that I'll pay the same amount for a 2Gb Nano that I would have paid for a 4Gb Mini.

Apple really goes too far with their pricing. Their an innovative company, but I can't help feeling that they're trying to screw me for every penny.

Bryan...

Keep in mind that its 2GB of flash. As of now, the nano is the only 4GB flash player out there. Flash memory is much more expensive than HD. Apple is making less per unit on the nano than the mini. I don't think the price is that out of line. I spent $200 on a 512mb iRiver player only a few short years ago.

Go for the nano - it looks like another amazing iPod product.

I agree w/the active people. I have been waiting for an affordable flash player w/good capacity. This comes very close. For Bryan: Flash memory is more expensive. If you bought a plasma TV, would you complain that it's more than a tube TV? It's the price of technology. When it falls, new, expensive tech comes out. Or maybe that's the other way around!

Bryan, It's not really Apple trying to screw you, it's the cost of all that R&D plus somewhat higher component costs. If the extra size doesn't matter to you, you can probably expect 4GB minis to be found on the cheap soon.

hello wake up mate it's because flash memory costs more.

I too bought an original iPod that night in Oct. 2001. I've waited for another iPod to simply take my breath away, and after seeing the image on Apple's homepage after the nano's release - I immediately bought a 4GB white model. Sometimes a product simply solicits a smile. I can't wait for my nano.

Guttsy move Steve, retiring the best selling Mini. However, once again, your instincts are correct. This will sell like crazy!!

Looks are great - but the real question will be the sound quality! I've read reviews on looks and style but I have not read anything on the quality!

Kudos to Apple for another truly awesome product. I'm rushing to my Apple store this weekend to buy not one, but TWO of these amazing iPod Nanos. They truly are an iPod-lover's dream come true....

I don't know if you guys relize it or not but apple was very smart my making black ipods the time they did. If you looked at any forms in the last 2 years you would have seen all kinds of people demanding black ipods. And when apple saw that, they coudn't help but raise the tension by waiting awhile and then giving the people what they wanted.

ilounge says a little about the sound quality. They say its as good as the regular ipods

In our initial and admittedly limited testing of the iPod nano using high-end Ultimate Ears UE-10 Pro earphones, it did not appear that Apple had made significant improvements to the bass response of the new iPod over that of the color-screened iPod. Stated differently, this iPod is not likely to represent an improvement over its predecessors from an audio standpoint. However, we?re going to want to spend more time testing before we render any final opinions on this issue.

Try holding before you buy. My gargantuan digits are unable to make the itty bitty wheel work.

Still no MP3, battery too small for non-replacable (read non aaa, or aa batteries) if you traval, screen is very hard to read. Mine has already been returned after one return flight.

Since I can't have my entire collection (you never know what your in the mood for) and have to chooose, I'l just choose a few less and keep my Radio Shack 1GB Flash unit I got a few weeks ago for $80USD. I like the metal feel and size of the mini, but HD capacity of the full size. If they bridge them I may be willing to convert my collection.

Last year, when the iPod mini was launched, I thought 4GB in such a small package, wow. Now after the nano, an ipod that can hide behind a pencil and hold a 1000 songs, I feel like Apple is using all their profits from their current iPod lines to research how to make better iPods. And with that said, I don't feel bad about spending the $249, I actually feel like it's an investment to the company so they can continue to deliver the "impossible" so I can continue to enjoy the "impossible" in my own hand.

Doug Colt posts:
Another stunner from Apple; now I can just sit back and wait a couple of months until the Nano is upgraded to 6GB!

I thought I'd never say this, but I bought the nano last night. I've been looking at IPods since they came out, and being an audiophile, thought I'd never buy one.

I'd been looking for something to replace my Sony MiniDisc, but all the IPods thus far have been slightly too big for me.

When I saw pictures of people holding the Nanos, that sold me. They look practically credit card sized, and with the holder and "Tubes", I'll be able to be active with it and do all the things I want to do.

I'm waiting my 5 business days and I'll have my engraved (for free!) new Nano!

I, too, love my 40gig ipod with it's 6000+ tunes for all the same reasons. 6gigs just wouldn't cut it for me.
Make a 60gig the same size as the Nano and I'd be really impressed

Small correction: iPods do play MP3 files (and AIFF, WAV, Lossless, Audible), not just MP4/AAC. (And iTunes will rip MP3 files too.)

Re the price: Apple's actually accepting LOWER profit margins, accepting some risk in order to get the lead in large-capacity flash devices. Each nano model costs MORE to make than the same-price Mini (as explained on CNet today). And the nano is priced lower than 2-4 GB flash RAM alone, for that matter.

Some other companies make 1GB flash players with color screens that cost $300, and yet still are much thicker than Apple's $199 2GB or $249 4GB. And many companies make 1GB players that don't even have a color screen (and usually just a 1-line screen), for hardly less than Apple's $199.

Flash storage is expensive, but worth it since it's shock-proof, more compact, immune to magnetic damage, has no moving parts to wear out, and consumes less battery charge than a hard disk.

Also, note that students/educators get the nano for $180 and $230, and that anyone can get free engraving (anti-theft/loss, or for gifts).

So Apple's pricing is actually excellent--as is often the case despite the reputation they had in the early 90s.

And a tip for people with a need for more than 1000 songs: you can make Smart Playlists in iTunes that work even better (more customized) than the Autofill.

So you can automatically have iTunes keep a large batch of your favorites (by rating or playcount) on the nano all the time, plus have it always include all your recent additions, AND your "theme" playlists and favorite artists. Then, in the remaining space, iTunes can cycle through "all the rest" at random (or in some order) to keep the variety fresh--and to insure that ALL your music is on the nano, even if not all at one time. When you hear a song, it gets swapped for a new one next time you sync. So you WILL hear ALL your music in the end, even if it's far too much to fit on the nano normally. AND you can choose specific music at will and it will be there--as long as it's in the batch of favorites you have requested to always be present.

You can have both control and variety, with no additional effort needed once you set up the playlists you want. It's all automatic when you sync. Smart Playlists in iTunes are very powerful.

I love Apple's products and own quite a lot of them.

However I notice that they all are made in China or at least the majority of the components are made in China or Taiwan which owns factories back in China.

It's hard to keep the competition off your heels when you teach or give your technology to emerging markets with the capability to use the technology to make their own version of your product i.e. a copy or imitation versions.

It's obvious that these countries have the technical capabilities and factory machinery to make these high quality, Top design and high tech products.

It's not just Apple but most of the big brand name companies do their manufacturing outside North America.

Wish these Big Brand name companies can make these products domestically.

Where will this inevitably lead North American ???

What can I say? I just ordered my Nano online and I am drolling while I wait its delivery. Someone at Apple understands the psych of the majority of mankind. This person should run for office and perhaps save the world from itself. Perhaps Jobst should donate shuffles to the refugees from New Orleans? Perhaps Steve should run for office?

WOW! Finally a higher capacity flash based music player. The thing that kept me from getting an iPod was my unwillingness to smash the drive if I took a tumble while rollerblading. I've been using cheapo cassette walkmans while skating and wondered how long it would take to get a genuine silicon device to replace it and not have to worry about G-forcing it into inoperability. Thanks, Apple!

you do realize that 1000 songs is not based on the greatest sound quality (or even good sound quality for that matter)

Flash storage per Gig is about 50x more expensive than that of a Hard Drive (so somewhere around $30/GB)

personally, it's not big enough for the songs I'd want on as a minimum (about 8 gig minimum for me)

and did anyone see this?:
http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,122455,00.asp

it's like apple slapped sony in the face before they did anything

This morning at 8am I read the e-mail; I had spent $210 and some odd cents by 11pm (after I returned my blue mini to Walmart for a refund since the wheel was sticking...talk about motivation!). I know I personally recharge my ipod(s) more than anyone I know...plus I'm a techno-junkie/trend-chaser, so I just HAD to have one in black...should be here in a few days. I used to be completely anti-apple until I discovered the joy that is being able to drive/walk/ride/be antisocial anywhere...even if i have to delete a few songs from my library, anything that enhances this experience (be it the sexy design, full color screen, did anyone happen to metion PODCASTS????) is a must have for me...my empty bank account doesn't seem to think so though!

i wanted to get the original ipod in white but then the mini came out but i didnt like it because there wasnt a white colour although it was smaller and more handy. then the shuffle came out and that was great because it was white and well small and compact but it only held 100 or so songs. then damn at last the nano came out: perfect size, with colour and pics and up to 1000 songs and most of all its damn crystal white!

Simply the coolest iPod ever! I have a shuffle, but I must have a nano! I do not need to carry 4000 songs around. Would take a whole life time to listen to each one twice. Unbearable!

had i tunes for years have been waiting for a 30gig ipod or 20 gig mini that records, has a radio and plays video oh well.... this nano made me through all my specs out the window for what I wanted in a ipod ... i purchased a black nano last night this thing is way cool

I have about 45 gigs of music in itunes, but only have about 10 gigs loaded on my 20 gig ipod. I think the 4 gig nano would be great for all the music I listen to regularly, and then some. lol.

I wonder if the reduced battery life is due to the color screen. I seem to remember the full size ipod battery life dropped when they went from b/w to color.

hell, i don't just want one, i'm going to buy one. this little flash machine is what i've been waiting for in a running partner. :)

hells yeh i am getting one, and i agree can anyone ever like over 1000 songs at once, i mean half the snongs u never listen to and ur just keepin them for the hell of it and to show off to ur friendas so it make s u look "COOL"

May I ask a stupid question?

What is the difference between Flash and HD? They both do the same job at about the same speed, right?

The Nano looks like a great product, but I'm still not prepared to pay that much for such little capacity. (Encoding MP3's at a decent bitrate also means "4GB stores 1000 songs" isn't true)

I would love to see a small, high capacity model with the "Jump to File" functionality in WinAmp. Then I would pay.

^^
Wow, it's good to hear winamp's still around. I remember using it back in the day. Went to the site and nice to see it hasn't changed much since the 90's.
Keep it going brother!

Oh yeah, flash is solid state and HD is moving parts (read large energy drain) - no suprise in the question from a winamp user.

^^
Wow, it's good to hear winamp's still around. I remember using it back in the day. Went to the site and nice to see it hasn't changed much since the 90's.
Keep it going brother!

Oh yeah, flash is solid state and HD is moving parts (read large energy drain) - no suprise in the question from a winamp user.

What the he77, I'm getting a nano, and iTunes 5 kicks a55!

^^

What the he77, I'm getting a nano, and iTunes 5 kicks a55!

The decision to buy the Nano was made within 2 seconds after I had first seen the picture of it. It is if Apple had read my thoughts. The Nano is exactly what I was looking for and couldn't find until now.

wasnt impressed, its so fragile

Global Source... you need to read the book "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman. All this work in China is GOOD for North America!!

Oh come on BRYAN, its $50 more than a mini for the same size (4GB) and it adds a COLOR SCREEN and its 1 gazillionth of the size. Nobodies trying to "SCREW YOU". If you can't afford an extra $50 you shouldnt be buying a $250 consumer electronics device anyway. You have to ask yourself, WHATS THE EXTRA $50 getting me as a cheapskate? It's getting you a lot more than the mini had.

Oh and what's the difference between a hard drive and flash? SIZE! Why do people ask obviously inane questions. A flash device is infinitely smaller than a hard drive unit because flash memory is tiny. The other difference is that flash memory is solid state, NO MOVING PARTS. Now if you went to college at all, you know that a device with less moving parts last a heck of a lot longer. Point 3, BATTERY LIFE, no moving parts means less battery usage. Don't ask mindless questions.

- Voice recorder, voice recorder, voice recorder! The missing voice recorder is the bane of many a college student and business professional who wants to record lectures or meetings.
- The iPod Mini style (not size) is much better because it matches the Powerbook and doesn't have the horrid fingerprint and smudge-attracting metal back of the original iPod. Anodized aluminium is so much more robust, feels nicer to use and just looks so damn good.
- I hope Apple re-introduce the colours of the iPod Mini in the iPod Nano line. I have a gorgeous green Mini. If everything was black, white or silver, then the world would look like a pretentious hair salon.
- iTunes 5 is ugly, ugly, ugly. Apple shouldn't be into the cheap and plastic look - other brands do it better.

Apple products are still the best but the praise for the Nano smells distinctly of fanboy-dom.

heh sounds like an unhappy mini owner who bought one too quickly. The minus for a voice recorder is not a minus because the mini doesn't have one either.

Pluses:

+ SIZE SIZE SIZE

+ NO HARD DRIVE

+ BETTER BATTERY LIFE

+ COLOR SCREEN

The praise for the Nano comes from the fact that it's a mini with more functionality, more features and HALF THE SIZE. That deserves praise from everybody. Your personal opinions about styling are irrelevant. For every you, you will 100 people who want a smaller unit.

Apple ~ the purveyor of slick MP3 players. :)
I'm getting my nano and I LOVE IT just as much as my current iPod Mini!

I just sold my mini to my friend because the battery life was a major drag. I was about to buy the new mini but as I surfed over to apple.com i saw the nano. It's everything I ever wanted - color screen, same memory as my mini and 14 hours battery life. And it comes in the classic white - the guys at Apple are geniuses.

there is nothing bad about the nano, buy it

Still missing:

* WiFi internet radio
* GPS
* Cellphone + camera

and you can get any color you like - as long as it's white or black.

but... not bad :)

Has anyone other than JonnyK done a critical comparison of audio quality between the Nano and standard IPODs? Apple is silent about the differences -- if any -- in the analog headphone amplifiers. Seems hard to believe you could fit a good one into something that small.

Where is the TV, the disposal and the 8 track tape player?

I don't think that anyone here really gets it. This thing is going to DECIMATE EVERYTHING out there. Apple made a deal with samsung and made a commitment to buy 60% of next years flash memory, in exchange for that commitment samsung is selling apple the flash at the same price that they were getting their micro-drives. No Other companies can even come close to making a product there will be NO copies or wannabes. Other companies simply can not afford it. If you were to see a player that held anywhere near 4GB of flash memory, that products manufactuer would have to pay twice as much for the memory as apple does. Can you see what this means. Other companies can no longer compete with apple. The price war is over.
Man apple is awesome.

!!!STEVE JOBS FOR PRESIDENT!!!!

PS. SONY, iRIVER, SAMSUNG, CREATIVE I ADVISE THAT YOU ALL JUST STOP TRYING. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO COMPETE. CLOSE ALL OF YOUR PORTABLE MUSIC DEPARTMENTS. IF YOU DON'T APPLE WILL MAKE YOU CURL UP AND DIE ANYWAY. I SUGGEST THAT YOU LEAVE THE MARKET WITH SOME DIGNITY. And I really hate people that cry and moan about "No line in recording, no FM radio, no Voice recorder." Go buy a Mini disc player. Help keep your friends over at Sony in business!!

Can the Nano connect and project photos on a TV ? (ie is there a composite AV output ?). I have read that it CAN NOT, however, when I called the Apple 800 number, they claimed it CAN be connected to a TV for viewing photos ???

Without this, I would stick with my iPOD Photo.

ok Cambridgedrhalo's comment above is just plain redundant... people like u make apple look bad... first you ramble on how samsung is selling the microdrives n how other companies could not afford it.. (like as if the price changed)....

n then u tell them to get lost? multi-billion dollar companies to get lost? ugh... i dun even know why ure moronic post is accepted...

anyway... at last... i hav finally been convinced to get my first apple product!.. the only product that seems to integrate beautifully and perfectly into both my aesthetic and functional needs.. thumbs up to apple! i hav been using other products like the creative zen touch for its impeccable 24 hour battery life... and the likes...

if only all these companies were to combine their technology.. creating the perfect mp3 player...

only thing i am afraid of this gorgeous tiny angel is its size... i got no bad things to say bout it though... juz afraid i might accidentally crush it... hehe... anybody think so?

ok Cambridgedrhalo's comment above is just plain redundant... people like u make apple look bad... first you ramble on how samsung is selling the microdrives n how other companies could not afford it.. (like as if the price changed)....

n then u tell them to get lost? multi-billion dollar companies to get lost? ugh... i dun even know why ure moronic post is accepted...

anyway... at last... i hav finally been convinced to get my first apple product!.. the only product that seems to integrate beautifully and perfectly into both my aesthetic and functional needs.. thumbs up to apple! i hav been using other products like the creative zen touch for its impeccable 24 hour battery life... and the likes...

if only all these companies were to combine their technology.. creating the perfect mp3 player...

only thing i am afraid of this gorgeous tiny angel is its size... i got no bad things to say bout it though... juz afraid i might accidentally crush it... hehe... anybody think so?

the new nano is pretty sweet...i cant wait to get mine in black! the only odd thing is that the headphone jack is in the bottom....

You think subscription services will beat out iTunes?! You must be joking! First of all no one will forfeit buying the #1 mp3 player just to use a subscription service. Secondly, most people want to buy songs and be able to listen to them as long as they want, not have to keep paying monthly to keep the same song for a little while longer. Lastly, people still like CD's. If I pay for a song I want to be able to do whatever I want with it; burn a CD with it, listen to it on my mp3 player for as long as I want & basically just know that it's mine rather than having it "loaned" to me for a little cheaper.

Yo interchill88!

The Price did change, genious boy. Apple gets the flash memory at half the price of ALL of their competitors. So yes the multibillion dollar companies will have to give up Jock o. Sony announced the day after nano came out that they were planning to sell 4.5 million units, THE ENTIRE YEAR!! in 2004 sony predicted to sell near double that many and failed miserably. They are already backing out don't you get it? Apple sells 4.5 million ipods PER QUARTER.

This thing is way to fragile, it wouldnt survive one day in the life of my jean pockets.

Lol, competition is ALWAYS good. If there were no other companies out there to try to copycat Apple's iPod, than Apple will not probably be working so hard to make such good products.

i have a shuffle and cant decide whether to get a nano or not

wheres the belt clip?? seriously... i am not going around town with a nano hanging around my neck!!

black and white...so BORING!!...wheres the pink or green?? and why is the headphone jack at the bottom?? and why does the nano look like its been stretched?

i have a shuffle but the only thing i dont like about it is it doesnt hold many songs. i have been wishing thay would come out with a shuffle that held 500 songs and then the nano came out. why should i upgrade in space when i only want a shuffle that holds more?

I have enjoyed my 40GB third-gen iPod and even bought a trendy Vaja case for it, but I'm concerned about the increasing resemblance between Apple and Microsoft. My third gen iPod isn't even scratched yet and I'm already three models behind the times (iPod Photo, Shuffle, Nano).

Really- does one consumer need one full-size iPod for car/stable travel, one for working out (Shuffle), and one for... ?

Also, is the scroll wheel really a good idea for sweaty hands at the gym?

Apple has certainly struck another string in the shallow minds of their consumers, eliciting craving for immediate self-gratification with possessing product's shape. One obvious, forward looking question to ask is "How long will the Ipod Nano battery last and is it replacable?"

SOund QUality Comparison.

I spent a lot of time comparing the iPod Shuffle, Mini, and the Nano 4GB

I used a pair of Sony EX71 and a pair of EX70 for comparison.

It terms of Overall sound quality, I would rank them as:

Shuffle >> Mini >/= Nano

The Nano has poorer bass response. Even with the Bass booster EQ, the bass is a bit muddled. The highs on the Nano is definitely where you'll notice some static distortion.

The sound-staging of the Shuffle is much broader and much more precise. The bass, mid, highs are all clean on the shuffle. COmparing the Shuffle to the Nano in terms of sound-staging, clarity, fidelity is kind of like comparing a pair of magnepans driven by a high-current amp to a Home-Theater-In-A-Box.

On the Nano, you can hear all the instruments/voices at a reasonable volume. To do the same on the Nano, you have to turn up the volume. But by doing that, you also end up with more distortion.

I get tired after listening to the Nano for an extended period of time, but NOT so with the shuffle.

I own both and probably will keep both. Had Apple never released the Shuffle, I would say the Nano is the BEST MP3 player ever made.

I hope this helps

i got mine today and i love it. used for about 2 hours, including showing off to friends. scratches ridiculously easily. it's stupid that the nano tubes only come in 5-packs and take 3+ weeks to ship. why make such beautiful products, and then have them all scratched to hell by normal use? should have made it ALL black or ALL white. the silly mirror-silver back gets all smudgy the second you touch it. might have been better to take the minies off the shelves, swap in a color screen and 4x1Gb (or 2x2Gb or more) flash chips. recycle the old parts and keep selling. still i am smitten with my new friend.

Please read this information carefully!
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For more information on this incredible new iPod, visit
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Click the link and check this out ... you won't be disappointed. Enjoy!

Wondering how Apple will fare in the long run? Understand that Steve jobs is (A) An extremely competent techie (B) A workaholic (C) Hyper Creative (D) Charismatic (E) A marketing Genius (F) An absolute Perfectionist who never settles for anything that does not completely please him (G) A very good CEO and people manager (H) A "Rock Star" to most musicians who grew up in studios using Macs (H) Has a product that IS the standard for playing portable music. Nearly all high school and college kids have or want an iPod, and now most want Apple Laptops.

While any big company can put together a team of people that have all of the above qualities cumulatively, finding one guy with all those traits would be virtually impossible. The guy is a freak, as was Michael Jordan, Sandy Koufax, etc.. If Jobs sticks around at Apple for another 20 years don't be surprised if Apple dominates much more than portable music players. So far as whether or not someone can punch a hole in Apple's online and portable music dominance: Not in the foreseeable future.

in general, computer geeks are not cool or even aware "cool" exists. Jobs is cool, and while it didn't help much when Apple took on IBM and Microsoft years ago, it may be all that matters in our society today.

The nano needs a tougher plastic coating. Too many people, like me, are finding the scratches appear even after wiping with a cotton t-shirt. This device is a beautiful feat of engineering and functionally it is the best music player I have (yet I am returning it) and I have several. The nano is the only one that looks tatty after a few hours of careful (and I really mean careful) use. What a pity because, with a harder coating for the screen, it would be the best music player available based on style, functionality and form-factor.

everyone who's saying that the ipod nano has any downfalls is not too bright. Don't insult the ipod. Why don't you try all the faults on an iriver! Real faults! Not ones like "it scratches easily" IT STILL WORKS EVEN IF IT'S SCRATCHED!!!

apple rocks!

If your screen or case gets scratech use Brasso or other fine polisher to remove the scratches. Also, get a case to prevent scratches.

If your screen or case gets scratech use Brasso or other fine polisher to remove the scratches. Also, get a case to prevent scratches.

Well, i was a bit skeptic at first...This was because of the size itself. So small of a clickwheel cant be easy to use....or can it?...YES IT CAN! Its actually easier for me than the mini was and it very nice. I actually havent found a scratching problem like said above since i actually dropped mine on the pavement. (OOOOOOPPPSSS!!!!)

Nano gets scratched easily. But you could get a case.

However, the complaint of it being fragile is utter nonsense.

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nano.ars/3

Just got the nano (in black!). I'm in love with this. It's the best thing ever. I will say that this is my first ipod so I don't have anything to compare it to but I've been wanting an ipod forever and I finally got it (it was sold out EVERYWHERE and had a few left at the apple store). The only two things I don't like are: 1) there's not a lot of space on it...1000 songs isn't enough! and 2) it scratches ridiculously easily. Mine's scratched entirely already. Oh I have one more complaint: I need a case and they're sold out of them. The armband is $30 and it doesn't even have a protectant for the top screen of the nano. What if you're running? It can fall out!

I just bought a mini i-pod and love it. The nano is way too small for me, and the wheel HOW I'M I GOING TO USE IT! my hands are way to big for it. Also so what if it has a color screen the reason for an mp3 player is to listen to it not look at it. With that said I still think the nano looks good, but apple should of replaced the shuffle not the mini.

Another thing is that we fliped our car over and slid on the roof, my ipod was slung out and has only 3 nics on it that are noticable only if i show someone. How that for durability

i just bought a nano a few days ago, and well i'm liking it a lot :) it's my first iPod product and pretty good feeling so far. still, i haven't took the plastic cover off, lmao. just a little brush past it and fingerprints all over! until i get a good case, that's when i can fully use it :) now it's only at home, haha. anyway, i think it's awesome. the graphics, the sound quality, the options: it's amazing. pretty convenient and sexy. i'd recommend it :)

how do nanotech about mirrors pleases
tanks

may be i know your nanotechno productions .
thanks.

I received a Ipod Nano as a Christmas gift; I purchased protective covering so it would not get damanaged then one day...I went to get to use the ipod and the screen would only show black streaks and would not show any words on the screen at all. Up to that point my Ipod worked perfectly. I contacted Apple and they stated that my Ipod had to be physically damaged. I am soo upset to say the least!!! Short of having to purchasing another Ipod I do not know what to do. Buyers beware to watch your screen so it works properly. I had been gentle and careful but just make sure this does not happen to you.

I dont know what to do at this point but i will tell you why i want a free ipod it is because my niece has been wanting one ever since. she always crys about it. I have been on more than a hundred sights but you have to fill out another offer so please just please