Sporting a completely new design, Apple's new iPod Nano does away with the clickwheel and opts for a multitouch UI
Like clockwork, Apple this past week unveiled a completely refreshed lineup of iPods, with the iPod Nano being on the receiving end of a drastic and arguably much-needed makeover.
Over the past few quarters, sales of the iPod Nano have stagnated, if not plummeted, as folks continue to flock in droves to higher margin and more capable devices like the iPod Touch and iPhone. Despite some well-intentioned upgrades over the past few years, such as the addition of video playback and video recording, the Nano simply wasn’t able to attract customer attention as much as Apple would have liked.
The solution? A completely re-designed iPod Nano with a new form factor and a multitouch user interface. So long, clickwheel!
The new iPod Nano comes with a 1.5-inch screen with 240×240 resolution. It measures 1.61 inches in width and 1.48 inches in height. In all honesty, the new square form factor resembles an iPod Shuffle of old, and interestingly enough, the new Nano comes with a clip for easy clothing attachment. Sound familiar?
Conspicuously absent from the new Nano is video playback and video recording. While the Nano’s new screen size undeniably made the decision to remove said features an easy one, I wonder if Apple came to the conclusion that enabling video recording and playback wasn’t worth the extra cost given how poorly the device had been performing. From Apple’s perspective, it’s natural to assume that anyone interested in video playback and/or recording would step up to an iPod Touch or iPhone. That being the case, it would make sense for Apple to build a cheaper Nano, throw in an FM tuner, and generate higher margins on a device that’s arguably seen its day.
In any event, the new Nano comes in 6 colors and two capacities. An 8G Nano will set you back $149 and a 16GB Nano will set you back $179. When fully charged, the Nano supports up to 24 hours of continuous music playback. Also notable is that it comes with a 30-pin dock connector, meaning that the new Nano will work just fine with any iPod accessories you just happen to have lying around the house.
