Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
When Apple announce , at a special event last September , that the companionship was dropping the immensely popular iPod mini and put back it with the iPod nano , many percipient questioned the move . Besides replacing Apple ’s most popular mathematical product , the nano offered less storage infinite ( 2 GB or 4 GB ) than the iPod mini ( 4 gigabit or 6 GB ) at the same $ 199 and $ 249 price points . But when Apple recently announced that 14 million iPods had been sell this past holiday season , with psychoanalyst estimating that the bulk of those sales were nanos , you could almost hear Apple executive director thinking , “ We told you so . ” The iPod nano ’s sleek design , colour screen , and new features won over even many iPod - mini - loving critics — news report of promiscuous scratching notwithstanding .
The runaway achiever of the nano has run to much meditation over the past few months that Apple would finally add a screenland to the less expensive , but similarly twinkling - based , iPod shuffle . But last week , Apple went the other way , insteadintroducing a little - capacity iPod nano . This 1 GB model offers everything its “ larger ” sibling allow for at the lower Leontyne Price of $ 149 — only $ 20 more than the Leontyne Price of a 1 GB iPod make before Apple ’s recent round of drinks of shuffle damage cuts ( announced the same 24-hour interval as the 1 GB nano ’s button ) .
Less of the same
iPod nano
Playlistreviewed both the 2 GB and 4 GB nanos ( ) back in September , and apart from their larger capacities , there ’s little difference between those example and the new 1 GB version . Like theiPod shuffle course , the 1 GB nano uses skip - proof flashgun memory rather of a relatively frail hard record ; but like full - size iPods , it has a bright , colour display that both makes navigating the iPod ’s menus easier than older black and white variant and can be used for watch photos and album art sync to the iPod via iTunes . The 3.5- by 1.6- by 0.27 - inch trunk has the same metal back and acrylic face as the original nanos , available in pitch-black or white , with earpiece and dock - connection port wine on the bottom and Apple ’s acclaimed Click Wheel on the front ; a delay switch posture on the top edge . The new nano syncs with your computer via USB 2.0 ( or , slowly , via USB 1.1 ) and can accuse via USB or FireWire .
The sound quality of the 1 GB nano is identical to my ear to that of the original nanos . barrage fire life is also similar , with the 1 GB edition allow for just under 15 hours of uninterrupted playback based on a repeating playlist of 206 tracks purchased from the iTunes Music Store . ( During battery testing , the iPod was drive Apple ’s earbuds at just over half of full volume ; backlighting was disabled . ) In terms of data transfer pep pill , those 206 tracks synchronise to the nano in a speedy 2 minutes and 51 minute over a USB 2.0 association to a Power Mac G5 . ( you may thank the nano ’s instant memory for this fastness , which is also responsible for the nano being the most responsive shield iPod in terms of control , onscreen interface , and photograph show . )
Finally , the nano shares its brotherly twins ’ software features list , including the new Stopwatch , Screen Lock , and multi - zone Clock features , as well as podcast played / unplayed indicators and lyrics exhibit . It miss full - size iPod feature such as audio transcription , television camera - connecter photo downloading , and video output . ( And , like all new iPod , you could no longer boot a Mac from the player . )
( For more on the nano , Christopher Breen handle all of the its features in his original iPod nano review as well as in afirst look at the nanoright after its Fall 2005 launch . )
Kind of blue
One underage conflict between our 1 GB iPod nano revue social unit and the 2 GB and 4 GB nanos we have on manus is that the newer model ’s screen is likely of a slightly lesser calibre than those of the older units . Although the 1 GB model ’s screen look very full on its own , when compared immediately with those of our “ larger ” nanos , the 1 GB screen is slimly dimmer with a swooning sorry tinge . The prototype below shows relative brightness well , but does n’t quite capture the thin coloration difference :
iPod nano blind : 1 GB on leftover , 4 GB on right
To be clear , the differences we ’re escort could simply be due to invent mutation , rather than a difference in the actual tone of projection screen used in the various iPod nano model ; however , we ’ve seen similar reports around the Web .
iPod nano sleeve
On the case
Like the original iPod nano models , the 1 GB version comes with Apple ’s key signature white earbuds , a USB dock connector cable television , Apple ’s new exemplary - specific adapter for “ Universal Dock ” accessories , and an iPod / iTunes package CD . The 1 GB model also includes a thin “ sleeve ” case , much like the one introduced with the iPod with telecasting and now included with all iPod nano models .
In need of Autofill
When Apple introduced the iPod shuffle in January 2005 , it also touted a new shuffle - only feature of speech of iTunes telephone Autofill . Based on the presumption that most iPod shuffle owner would have much more medicine than can fit on a shuffle , Autofill automatically picks an assortment of songs — from either your iTunes Library as a whole or a playlist of your choosing — to fill up your iPod . If you choose , you may have iTunes choose those track randomly and/or choose higher - shop songs over lower - shop ones , and you may even have it pick a new group of track each time you connect your shuffle .
Autofill apace became one of the most popular features of the iPod make , so much so that many iPod mini and nano owner — who also often had more euphony than their iPod could entertain — call in on Apple to make the feature useable for their iPods , as well . It has n’t yet happened , and in the eccentric of the 1 GB nano , that ’s a shame , as the nano has the same retentivity limit — and thus the same need for the Autofill feature — as the big iPod shuffle . Hopefully Apple will enable Autofill for the nano ( or , even good , all iPods ) in a future software update .
An iPod for everyone
Apple also made two other alteration to the iPod lineup last week , lour the 1 GB shuffle ’s cost from $ 129 to $ 99 and reducing the 512 MB exemplar ’s price from $ 99 to $ 69 . These prices make the already low-priced shuffle models (; review ) a deal compare to many competing merchandise . Think of it this way : for $ 20 to $ 30 more than many vendors charge for a 512 megabit or 1 GB flashing drive , you get a flash driving with a screenless iPod “ build - in . ” With these lower iPod shuffle prices and the improver of the 1 GB iPod nano , Apple ’s iPod lineup now ranges from $ 69 to $ 399 , with interval at $ 99 , $ 149 , $ 199 , $ 249 , $ 299 — an iPod for nearly every budget . ( And a snatch of “ If I just expend a little more ” temptation at every price breaker point , which is likely exactly what Apple has in thinker . )
The Lowdown
Although the iPod shuffling is still the least expensive and ( thanks to a lack of a silver screen and no easily - scratchable open ) most durable iPod , the 1 GB iPod nano is an attractive alternative , in more way than one . My co-worker Christopher Breen had this to say about the 2 GB and 4 GB nano last crepuscule :
Those opinion hold dead on target for the 1 GB theoretical account , as well . If you ’ve got a pile of music or are await for the the most memory quad for your money , a full - size of it iPod ( with video ) is the agency to go . But if you do n’t require immense space — or if you ’re in the food market for a second , smaller iPod — the new 1 GB nano gives you yet another alternative , with the added incentive of the 1 GB model ’s even lower price : For $ 20 more than the 1 GB iPod shuffle be a week ago , you now get the same amount of storage but with all the stylish , Click - Wheeled , people of color - screened glory of an iPod nano . The lack of access to iTunes ’ AutoFill lineament is missed , but many users will apace overlook that omission after a few second give the sleek nano in their hand .
