First looks: iPod nano "it sure is small and it sure is cool"

The Internet is ripe with iPod nano "first look" reviews hot on the kix of yesterday's product launch. The sounds of tittering tech cherubs casting early first-looks is nearly deafening as they proclaim on high how the device "looks like a winner", how everyone is "awed" by such a tiny device, and it's "the best combination of beauty and functionality of any music player I've tested." The last quote attributed to friendly Uncle Walt Mossberg. In fact, Walt gushes his way through a swooning iPod nano love-in finding the features, PC and Mac synchronization, sound, and battery all to perform as advertised, or better. He found the $39 lanyard to be "perfect" and even dropped the nano "several times" from a height of about 3 feet to see if it would skip — it didn't. Much more to come.

Read - Walt Mossberg
Read - iLounge
Read - Playlist [Thanks, DekarTyphon]
Read - AppleMatters [Thanks, Reid]

[Crazyglues @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

wow seems cool.... dam but i need some better pictures...

[fearsim @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

The nano is so cool! Even though i have a i398, i was thinking of getting one too... 2GB fits me well

[Pip @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

I think these things are going to outsell the original iPod. People were saying the market is saturated and theres not much more room to make a booming profit anymore. Watch these suckers. Sales will go through the roof.

[dreampc @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Why on earth would he think it would skip?

It's flash-based... no moving parts! It shouldn't ever skip.

[Tyler @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

That thing looks like it would snap pretty easy.

[Robert @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

I'm confised, is this the result of the deal apple agreed with samsung to use their flash chips? I assume it is due to the size, it will be cool to have a flash based ipod, from 256mb flash mp3 player it is easy to see that the battery lasts a lot longer than hard disk based players.

[delerious @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

It won't skip cause it probably has Samsung NAND Flash. I love this, I'm probably going to end up getting one after I get fed up with my shuffle that I love so dearly now.

"The announcement confirms recent rumors that Samsung apparently was successful in convincing Apple to replace the harddrive-based iPod mini with a revamped Flash-based device."
http://www.tomshardware.com/hardnews/20050907_145240.html

[bert @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Check apple site for better pictures!!

www.apple.com

SO Should we be expecting the 8Gb model for Christmas???

[Robert @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Here are some great photos of the nano on the "PC Watch" web site here in Japan.

http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2005/0908/nano.htm

[nolan @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Better pictures (comparisns with other ipods!) can be found at
www.ilounge.com

[freshsci @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Mine should be at my house on FRIDAY. Yahoo, my first ipod..

[Jester @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Nice device, short on cash but very tempted!!

Is it me or do people think it looks very stretched?? It looks like it should be shorter or the screen should be longer.

[Robert @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

The only think that skips are the loyal Mac zealots, who skip to the Apple Store to buy anything and everything that Apple comes out with!

[TZK @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

These are nice, I cant wait until Luxpro rips it off and makes a cheaper one with an FM radio and voice recorder.

Rule. Thanks Apple!

[gg @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Thank you for your fascinating insight Robert.

[eskimo @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

did you know that if you put in www.iphone.org it takes you to the apple site. i think that there is still a apple phone yet to come, one thats been designed by apple themselves

[eskimo @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

if your on the apple site. read it properly they always write "motorola phone with itunes on it" never is there a mention of "phone" but why then would they have a website under "iphone" unless it was still in developement

[fredric @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Non-subscriber-link to the WSJ Mossberg article :
http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20050908.html

[nick @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

I'm still waitin for my i-flea.

[Ryan gardner @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

The guy should hit it with an EMP and see if it skips. Dropping it will do nothing.

[Insider @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Last month there was a flurry of rumors about the 2GB/4GB iPods based on a "mistaken" listing of them in Shopping.com. Fast forward to today and they are announced. It's nice to see that at least sometimes the rumors we love to read about turn out to be spot on. Secondly, if you are a Katrina suvivor and are a Mac user, you're screwed. Sorry.

http://independentsources.com/2005/09/08/fema-to-mac-users-youre-screwed/

[manti @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

it is all MARKETING HYPE
I cannot believe people like Mossberg get excited about a player that is NOTHING NEW compared to iPod and is a step backwards compared to iRiver, Creative, or Archos.

[steeef @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Robert: The only thing worse than an Apple zealot is an anti-Apple zealot who thinks every Apple story demands a comment flaming Apple fans.

[Taken Aback @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

I'm only going to try to get it for free. The cost is just too close to a standard iPod to decide to save $50

tinyurl.com/84eqz

[SickPuppy @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Oh whoopee, another bloody iPod that I won't be able to afford and tbh couldn't really care less about...

you'll ask therefore why I bother commenting?
well because I just wanted to whine about all the coverage it'll get on account of it being an iPod :(

I love my Creative Zen Xtra 40GB. Sounds great, works well, small and light enough, cost less than a bloody iPod and I've had it for 3 years without any probs whatever...

[Heero134 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Will this ipod be compatible with Ipod Linux?

[TrueDis @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Anybody noticed that this thing is HUGE for a flash player? Look at all of that extra space above and below the click wheel! People like it just because it looks like a regular ipod but squished flat.

[Fen @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Wow, that comparison with the 'shuffle' just blew my mind. Apple should have entered the flash player market with the 'nano' in the first place.

[manti @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Far from trying to flame I simply see no reason to buy one. Or you think "option" to drop the player from on the floor compensate for lack of any innovation? Pass on. Next?

[mveloso @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

#27

It's small, it's light, and it looks great. Unfortunately, you pay for all three of those attributes.

Innovation for innovation's sake is sort of a ridiculous attitude. That's like buying a 61" DLP because of the technology, instead of that wide-screen pr0n goodness.

[Rick @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

I bought one for jogging. I never wanted to get a HD player and my 256MB iRiver is crap next to this. At home I listen to my MP3's through my TIVO /AudioSystem or PC.

This thing is so sweet, cant wait to get it delivered!

[transporter X2 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

its small its cool but it lacks hdd support and radio. Add this and im sold !

[boynamedsue @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

the only thing more tired and annoying than the mac fans, and the people complaining about mac fans is the people who observe that the anti-mac people are more annoying than the mac fans. Soon, the people complaining about these people will be more annoying. Its a fucking hallway of mirrors.

We'll be able to carbon date engadget on this someday.

[manti @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Oh yeah! It is great for jogging. Flash, big time. But why pay more? Unless you in for 100 miles marathon you do not need more such capacity. Speaking of capacity - with this nano you are getting smaller capacity and worse battery life than with iPod mini. That is my point. Plus: Screen is nail size with the same resolution ratio - which effectively means more fatigue to your eyes. And according to the reviews linked on the top there is no fm tuner and no recording option. I absolutely see no innovation here.

[manti @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Oh, wait: there is this password to lock the player but - this has been screwed... password will show on the display, will show what you have just keyed in if you go one step back! Very innovative approach to passwords hahahaha! Password that is showing. Nonsense...I am simply very disappointed. My sympathy to all who extaticly throw money away.

[Delta737 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

I have one question. Does anyone know if you can use the Nano as a standard external harddrive (like those USB Memory Sticks) without having to use i-tunes (so that I can just plug it in to every PC)

[DannyMac @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Okay... wait a second...

The cheapest 4GB portable USB flash drive I can find is $430. The iPod nano is $250 and comes with a color screen, built in power source, ability to listen to music, and ability to view pictures. USB flash drives do not.

iPod nano: Cheap 4GB USB flash drive, plus more OR expensive MP3 player? The only ways to get cheaper 4GB flash drives is to buy a 4GB CF card (or any other 4GB flash media that happens to be cheaper than the iPod nano) and get a flash memory media reader.

[MrE @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Yes, it will show up as a removable drive in Explorer so you can use it as a thumb drive if desired.

#35, how many people are going to key in a password and take one step back for all to see? That is just an assinine comment from someone who already said they dislike the nano (no innovation here)comments. And no, the screen doesn't fatique your eyes. I thought so at first too until I got my hands on one.

[pimp @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

#27, if they reduced the length by another 0.5" then it would've been the size of a business card. That would've been delicious.

[Joel @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

RE #27 TrueDis:
"Anybody noticed that this thing is HUGE for a flash player? Look at all of that extra space above and below the click wheel! People like it just because it looks like a regular ipod but squished flat."

You are terribly misinformed, TrueDis. The iPod nano is AT LEAST 50% smaller than ANY similar competing flash players from Sony, Creative, ect.

Watch this:

http://stream.apple.akadns.net/

Skip to the part where all the similar competing products from Sony, Creative, ect are compared side-by-side to the nano. It is tiny compared to any other product with similar features.

[Rory @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Pimp, you are mistaken. It is smaller than a business card. Its the same height and about 2/3" the width.

[irshliquor @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

whenever i see the ROKR name, i always think of that fat black weatherman on the today show. Al Roker...

[sg @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

wow, it's a ipod...only smaller.
I wish that i could buy Jobs a drink to express my amazement of his ability to create such productive hype. Kudos to him

[Edwin Avalos @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Anyone Know if this will have seemless play back becuase listening to live albums is kinda annoyinhg with the pause in between if it does ill most defnitalety get one the battery on my mini doesnt seem like its gonna last o.o

[Jeff L. @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

why no firewire syncing support? i'm furious apple is cutting all firewire support from its new products. as little as 2 years ago, no macs had USB2, that's a lot of people who can't buy new iPods and use them.

[showU2 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

just picked up a white 4gb nano in chicago and it sounds great plus it is very appealing to the eye!! the store i was in received 800 an hour before i arrived and only had 112 left when i got there.

[Samuel Lago @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

I thought the combination lock feature was so clever, its really those things that make a product!

[sam c. @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Now I own an ipod mini with portable speakers and am wondering on a video from apple Jobs says it is full ipod accesory compatible, would it be compatible with my speakers or no? Just wondering, i love it if i had the mula i would have sold my mini and bought one already.

[Guillermo R.A., Republica Dominicana @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Ipod E-Nano

[abitexpensiveforflash @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

I find the price way too high though, I would pay $250 for this MP3 player if it used a Micro 1" 4GB Hard Drive from Seagate, that would make sence since these drives cost a lot more money than a 4GB Flash chip board. When I first saw it, I thought they were using Micro Hard Drives for a change. I just bought a Creative NOMAD Zen Xtra 60GB for $250, which arrived today and it's fabulous though, the sound quality and options (EAX) are unbeatable compared to any other MP3 player I've used, including iPods. Also, Creative has two small MP3 players, Nano are Flash while Micro use Micro Hard Drives (One Inch) from Seagate and Hitachi. They sell them in Mono or Color screens. Micro 6GB Mono is $229 and Color is up to 8GB on their site, but it seems to be newly introduced and I can't get a price on it at the moment. Also, Creative players have integrated AM/FM radio receavers. Here is the Link to all of Creative's MP3 Players http://www.creative.com/products/welcome.asp?category=213&