Apple's 3rd generation iPod nano revealed in "spy shots"?

Sure, we know that the photo up over there just looks like someone took a regular iPod, squashed it down, duplicated it, colorized it, and then pasted the copies in a playful circle. But what -- just what -- if you're actually looking at the 3G nano? According to 9to5Mac (and at this point only according to 9to5Mac), Apple's next move on the iPod front will be short, squat, and muted-pastel colorful. The site previously reported that the new color scheme will come in a variety of shades not dissimilar to what their "spy shot" shows, so at least their own info lines up. Other than that? No corroborating evidence from Apple, and no leaks from other sources indicating this direction... let's just say we wouldn't make any bets on this particular piece of news.

Update - We've gotten our hands on a nice, large version of the picture, and as many of our astute readers have already noted, you can clearly see a window heading which reads "nano-flower.psd" at the top of the shot, which should give further pause to anyone taking this at face value.

Update 2 (August 23) - Our machinegunnin' lawyers advised we pull the original image, but we've replaced it with a mockup. Full story here.

[Shashwat @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:12AM]

in a word:

fugly

[Joseph @ Aug 31st 2007 12:44PM]

http://digg.com/movies/Jango_Fett_Halloween_Costume_PIC

[mac snooper @ Aug 22nd 2007 3:58PM]

I would like to let everyone know there will be a release of the new ipods before Christmas it will look very similar to the iphone and should drop one sept 4th.

[Billy Fiul @ Aug 22nd 2007 4:36PM]

Why? Because they can.

[tom pengo @ Aug 25th 2007 7:09AM]

I don't get it. If this is the "new" version, similar to the iphone, then why the click-wheel?!?!

[Argot @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:12AM]

Looks like a total Zune ripoff.

[Jose El Maton @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:16AM]

Or at least the 2ng Gen Zune that Engadget (or someone else) mocked up.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/23/next-gen-zune-reportedly-on-track-for-holiday-season/

[Ireland @ Aug 22nd 2007 11:02AM]

I know that was a joke by the way, but i think it looks like an iPod 5G rip-off!!
I think the new nano will be this myself: http://www.flickr.com/photos/83512992@N00/1020148556/

[captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Aug 22nd 2007 2:33PM]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83512992@N00/1020148556/ ...why does a touch screen iPod have a calculator?

[ftf @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:16AM]

That 150 dollar zune is looking pretty good right now. These are hideous. It looks like the nano went on a binge eating spree at krispy kreme.

[Sintek @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:22AM]

Actually i think this is true, i have seen them on Sharpvision.com where if you are employed by a sharp retailer you can enter and get prizes from sharp for selling sharp products, this is on of them it also says it is 80gig, this Sharp promo doesn't end untill the end of sept and prizes don't come untill maybe dec... so maybe they will release the new Nano SOON

[Dale @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:02AM]

Why would Sharp give away a competitor's products?

[E @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:30AM]

and why would a nano be 80 gigs?

[HAL @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:51AM]

I smell SPAM.

[Sintek @ Aug 24th 2007 12:49AM]

I have no idea, but They are, the picture look EXACTLY the same as these ones do, and they are also giving away stuff like Garmen GPS and stuff.

[artifex @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:23AM]

I don't think so. The market is now expecting that Apple's next big iPod change will take it to touchscreen. If you had such a small device, would you willingly lose half the display side to a control surface? It looks too much like an iTamagotchi, which is what I predict it will be called if

[Ant @ Aug 22nd 2007 12:51PM]

I have a horrible feeling this is not that far off the mark you know. I've heard about a super small scroll wheel being included in the new 6gen iPod and this wheel is real small and would likely be the same unit.

This is one tiny device and it follows that nasty aluminium casing that the Nano now has. I think the iPod would benefit from a tiny tactile scroll and touch sensitive but on this it just looks stupid, or does it? I never know. Ow god, please let them keep the style of the 6gen iPod and leave this messy multicoloured gimmick stuff to the Nano.

[Dave95 @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:24AM]

Unless they fired Jonathan Ive, I call bull. Besides, the 5G iPod is in need of an update first, not the Nano.

[mikey @ Aug 22nd 2007 11:15AM]

look what he did to the iMac. don't trust him.

[33scottie33 @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:28AM]

This is what would happen if MSFT were to buy Apple!

[Mike @ Aug 23rd 2007 2:58PM]

dude gates owns a ton of apple anyway lol

[fernando @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:29AM]

I have a hard time believing Apple would release a product so aesthetically unpleasant. We'll see.

[Leonard Nimrod @ Aug 25th 2007 1:51AM]

Ergonomically unpleasant, as well.

There is nothing Apple-like about those pics.

Complete BS.

[FreshJulius @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:07AM]

Actually they would, they call it the iMac... It's new.

[shak @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:34AM]

I won't complain if they play video at 320x240 and keep the current price tag...
but yes .. they are ugly! I don't understand steve's love of everything aluminium, yes its a decent material to work with but don't ruin the ipods please!! first gen Nano was a beauty (although it got easily scratched but that can be fixed in the later models by using a more advanced poly coating) and this 2nd Nano is absolutely hideous! it looks as if someone has squashed an alimnium pipe and filled it with mp3 circuit put two plastic plugs on either sides and bob's your uncle ...

now if these 3rd gen Nano spy shots are real .. *sigh*

[AlexP @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:54AM]

Wtf, the second gen Nano is faptastic, especially in red or blue.

[Preston @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:33AM]

I love my (red) 2G nano.

[wslcrew @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:36AM]

I think this is rather a 6G iPod than a nano... I heard something like this on one of the apple rumor website with regular iPod getting multiple color and shortened length modification. Anyway I'm gonna be waiting for touchscreen iPods...

[Bo Kristensen @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:43AM]

LMAO

BS

[andrew @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:48AM]

ok i'm not even a fanboy, but apple would never do something this bad.

[Brandon Payton @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:51AM]

i think they're dope. now chicks wit nanos can watch videos too. Let me know when the touch scree 320 gb joints come out. I need those!

[Ondra Soukup @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:52AM]

it's printed on paper, look at the edge on left :DD

[ThreeDee912 @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:01PM]

It's called a 3D shadow... It's a part of the OS X GUI.

[Ondra Soukup @ Aug 23rd 2007 2:05AM]

I'm so sorry, but when I was here, the pic was around 150x150 pixels "huge"...so I couldn't notice...now I see the control widgets, it's clear to me ;)

[hickhamt @ Aug 23rd 2007 2:54PM]

speaking of the shadows, they look strange to me.. the light comes from one side on the bottom three, and from another direction for the top two... i could be wrong, but i think its suspect...

[Cody S. @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:01AM]

For whatever reason I couldn't find a link to a full size shot.

http://www.9to5mac.com/files/Nano-spy-shot.png

Looks like someone print screened it to avoid photoshop "ducky" in hex.

[Crazd @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:14AM]

"Woops! It looks like you tried to access a page that doesn't exist."

[Miles @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:12AM]

A bad mockup.

Remember all those ugly mockups we got for the Wii, Ps3, and 360?

Same thing.

Apple wouldn't make something this ugly.

But then again, Leopard is pretty bad.

[Nick @ Aug 22nd 2007 11:07AM]

i dont think Apple is this stupid.

[joe23521 @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:14AM]

These would be the ugliest products Apple's put out since the first gen iMacs.
This is total BS.

[James @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:14AM]

This just cannot be true !!! I mean come on why on earth would they do such a hideous thing. Looks like a game boy to me! So not Apple.

[brat @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:28AM]

To Apple - Finally, thank you biatches!

Apple's more tighten about leaked nano pictures then a virgin nun!

[Bobby @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:29AM]

9to5Mac aren't the only ones reporting this, as it looks to be precisely what Think Secret described a month ago...

"Apple engineers are said to have shaved the height of the iPod while maintaining the same 320x240 resolution display and click-wheel as the current 5.5G iPod. The saved space will shrink about an inch off the device and give it proportions that in some ways more resemble a BlackBerry."

http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0707ipod.html

[tande @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:41AM]

Yep thats just what I was thinking.

There has been talk from most if not all of the rumor sites about a "blackberry-esque" ipod.

Is this necessarly exactly what it will look like? No it could very well be a fake mock up but when the new ipods hit (not necessarly nanos) this is what I'm expecting them to look like.

[DC @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:33AM]

Looks like the new zune...

[Kevlar @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:37AM]

This is so incredibly fake. For those of you who think it's real, hit up the read link, and check out the larger version. It's not printed on paper. It's open on a computer screen (In an OS X preview window to be exact.) Filename is iPod-Flower.psd, and the shading on the edges is so terribly done, it looks like utter garbage.

For any of you who want confirmation of it's illegitimacy, just hit 'Read'. 'nuff said.

[Kevlar @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:41AM]

Take a look at the inner edge of the iPods. The lighting is wrong. The darker edge is always in the middle of the circle, and the shadow is always on the left. This is impossible, under any lighting condition.
Also, there is half the shadow missing on the black one.

Also, the filename is nano-flower.psd, my mistake from earlier.

[DC @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:40AM]

those r actual size. theyr in a psd file and blow up to 100%. facinatingly fat.

[TriZz @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:42AM]

http://www.9to5mac.com/files/Nano-spy-shot.png

If you look, the file name is "Nano-flower.psd"

Last time I checked, that was photoshop's file extension.

[zachary miller @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:45AM]

maybe it has video