iPod nano
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7th-generation iPod nano hands-on!
Not to be outdone by a refreshed iPod touch (and, let's face it, a new iPhone), Apple also shot out a 5.4mm-thick iPod nano today -- that's 38 percent thinner than the one it replaces. We just got our hands on the newest, tiniest music player outside of Apple's product launch today, replete with a 2.5-inch multitouch panel and a familiar Home button. As you'd expect, the enlarged display is hugely beneficial. While there's no bona fide version of iOS on here, the stripped-down variant seems sufficient for handling media alone. As if the ability to watch widescreen video wasn't enough, fitness gurus are also apt to take notice -- inbuilt support for Nike+ gear, along with Bluetooth, make this one potent device. The Lightning connector seems to make a lot of sense here, given the dearth of real estate along the bottom, but somehow the company squeezed a big enough battery in here to net some 30 reported hours of battery life. In playing with it, we found screen transitions to be adequately smooth, and video playback was surprisingly enjoyable to watch. The screen is most definitely less stunning than the one on the iPod touch, but at $149, you can bet quite a bit of these end up in stockings this holiday season. %Gallery-165135%
Apple announces new iPod nano, $149 for 16 GB (updated)
Apple has reinvented the iPod nano. The seventh-generation model bears almost no resemblance to its iPod shuffle-sized predecessor. Instead, its large, widescreen, touchscreen display and tiny home button are more evocative of a tinier version of the iPod touch. The iPod nano is 5.4 mm thick, 38 percent thinner than the previous nano. It has a 2.5-inch multitouch display, and in addition to music you can look at photos and, in a re-introduced feature, videos. The iPod nano now has built-in Bluetooth for wireless audio streaming and the new Lightning dock connector. The device has built-in fitness and pedometer functions, so no extra accessories are needed for Nike+. The iPod nano's battery offers up to 30 hours of music playback, the best of any nano so far. The nano comes in silver, black, purple, green, blue, yellow and red. Update: The new iPod nano will be 16 GB for $149 and will be on sale in October.
Apple refreshes iPod nano: 2.5-inch multitouch display, 16GB, Bluetooth, available this October for $149
With news of Apple's shining star, the iPhone 5, out of the way, the company's shifting focus to its other major pillar: the iPod. Now seven generations in, the iPod nano is getting a refresh with a 38-percent thinner profile and svelte 5.4mm thickness. The multitouch screen now measures 2.5-inches across and sports a physical home button right below. Also packed in to this evolutionary PMP leap is an FM tuner with DVR-like functionality for playback control, Bluetooth radio (for wireless streaming support), inbuilt pedometer and, of course, that slimmed-down Lightning dock connector. And, according to Cupertino, this wee media player should last for up to 30 hours, making it the longest lasting nano the company's ever built. You can snag this 16GB lil' fella in a near rainbow of colors -- seven in all -- this October when it goes on sale for $149. Official PR after the break. Check out our liveblog of Apple's event to get the latest news as it happens!
Apple search results turn up iPhone 5 name and LTE connectivity, indications of new iPod touch, iPod nano and iTunes 11
Apple offered a hint of the name in its invitation to today's event, but it looks like a slip-up on its own website may have now let the cat of the bag. Searching for "iphone-5" brings up a number of results for (as yet nonexistent) pages related to a device that seems to clearly be called the "iPhone 5." What's more, as 9 to 5 Mac notes, there are also references to a "new iPod touch with Retina Display" and a new iPod nano, as well as a similar indication that iTunes 11 is set to be released today. Update: 9 to 5 Mac has also turned up another search result that would seem to confirm the presence of LTE in the new iPhone.
Loop Mummy iPhone case / Nano watchband bring Chi-town flair to accessories
Loop Attachment Co. is a Chicago-based design firm with a mission: to create accessories for those Apple products we're "attached" to. The three creative professionals involved in the company started off with a low-cost silicone alternative to the overpriced iPod nano 6G/7G watch bands that were flooding the market, and now moved on to a fun and functional iPhone case called the Mummy. Let's take a look at the Loop Mummy iPhone 4/4S case (US$25) and the Loop Nano watchband ($20), and then you can have a chance to win one of these accessories. Loop Mummy iPhone case In case you're wondering where the name for this case came from, it's because of the "strips of cloth" look on the back of this silicone case. Combined with the colors that are used in the construction -- black, white, graphite, neon green, neon blue, red, magenta, powder blue, orange, purple -- those strips prove to have quite a visual impact against the natural color of your iPhone 4/4S. The strips also provide a useful function; while silicone is naturally easy to grip, the strips provide a bit more friction to prevent dropping your phone. If I had to guess, I'd say that the designers have suffered through more than one hot, humid summer in the Second City, and they know how easy it is to drop a mobile phone from a sweaty hand. The case is a piece of cake to install and remove. The silicone material stretches just enough to make it easy to slide on and off your iPhone. The Mummy case is so inexpensive in comparison to some other cases I've reviewed that it's no wonder Loop Attachment sells them in combos -- you can buy 3-packs that contain a variety of colors. My personal favorite? The "Good 'n Plenty" combo of purple, pink and white, as it reminds me of my secret vice... Conclusion Loop Attachment's Mummy iPhone 4/4S case is a fun, colorful, inexpensive, and attractive silicone iPhone case. Pros Inexpensive compared to most iPhone cases Silicone provides good protection against accidental drops Unique "mummy cloth strips" design provides additional gripping surface to prevent drops Cons None to speak of Who is it for? Anyone who wants a strikingly attractive, fun, and low-cost way of protecting their iPhone 4/4S Loop Nano Watchband The second product I'm looking at today is the Loop Nano watch band. Like the Mummy, it's made out of a single molded piece of brightly-colored silicone. Like the Mummy, it's available in a spectrum of colors -- black, white, graphite, blue, green, pink and red. Some of the iPod nano watchbands that I've reviewed in the past have been ridiculously expensive, like the Deckster Re:Class iPod nano watchband (CAD$165). Most have added a metal backplate to the watchband to clip the nano to, which ends up creating an absurdly thick watch. The Loop Nano resolves both of those issues. It's downright inexpensive at $20, and you can even order them in a three-pack combo. It is also designed so that the iPod nano clips directly to the band and is cradled in the silicone, making the band quite comfortable and thinner. Like many people, I no longer wear a watch, using my iPhone as a timepiece instead. But the Loop Nano is the first of these watchbands that I've felt was comfortable enough to actually wear on a regular basis. Conclusion Have an iPod nano? Want to wear it as a watch/music player? Don't have a lot of money to waste on a pricey watchband? Get the Loop Nano ... or get three. A trio of these will only put you back $50. Pros Inexpensive Comfortable Thin Colorful Easy to install the nano into the watchband Cons The area under the watchband can get a bit sweaty quite quickly as the silicone doesn't "breathe" Who is it for? Anyone who'd like to use an iPod nano as a watch but would rather not spend an arm and a leg Giveaway We have a pair of Loop Mummy iPhone 4/4S cases (one neon green, the other red), and a pair of Loop Nano watchbands (one graphite, the other blue) to give away. Four prizes, four winners! Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before Wednesday, August 22, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Four winners will be selected. Two will receive a Loop Mummy iPhone 4/4S case valued at $25, while two will get a Loop Nano iPod nano watchband valued at $20. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Pad & Quill's Littlest Black Book turns an April Fool's joke into reality
Back on April Fools' Day, Pad & Quill CEO Brian Holmes let me in on a little joke that he was putting together. The joke was a small version of their Little Black Book iPhone case that was created for the iPod nano. To make the joke look realistic, Holmes and his team actually made a small prototype. Of course, at the time Holmes really didn't think that Pad & Quill would ever make more than just one of these cases, nonetheless put the case into production. Now, after getting some funding through Kickstarter, Pad & Quill is selling the Littlest Black Book as a real product. The product, which costs US$34.99, is amazingly cute. The result of Holmes' sense of humor is the smallest handmade bindery case for any device. It's made in Minneapolis, Minnesota from of the same quality materials that are used for Pad & Quill's other products. A tiny handmade wood frame holds the iPod nano into place. There is a leather bound cover, and inside the front cover there is even room for a miniscule, stamp–sized bookplate. And would you believe there's even a small red ribbon bookmark? It's certainly novel (no pun intended), and your friends are sure to do a double-take when you reach into a bag, pull out a tiny book, open it up, and tap on the display. Enjoy the gallery of photos. %Gallery-158168%
iPod owners notified of RealNetworks-related lawsuit's class action status, given chance to cash in (updated: not Real)
Remember the 2005 lawsuit over Apple's effort to keep RealNetworks' Harmony DRM off of the iPod, calling the countermeasures an abuse that locked customers into Apple's FairPlay copy protection and the iTunes Store? You're forgiven if you don't -- the complaint was filed in 2005. Even with iTunes having gone primarily DRM-free over three years ago, though, owners of iPods bought between September 12th, 2006 and March 31st, 2009 are just now getting notices that they qualify for a slice of any damages if they register and Rhapsody's former owner the class action group wins in court. Of course, there's no guarantee that RealNetworks former Rhapsody users will win and get you music money to feed your iPod, iPod classic, iPod nano or iPod touch, but unless you're planning to sue Apple yourself, there's no penalty for a legitimate claim. Update: RealNetworks has chipped in to let us know that it's "not involved in any way" with the lawsuit, which is actually an independent complaint centered around the Rhapsody users themselves. RealNetworks hasn't embroiled itself in a legal fight with Apple to date.
Supposed next-gen iPod Nano with camera leaks again, clip back in tow
If you'll recall, it was April of last year when we reported on pictures from Apple.pro, which claimed to show a seventh-generation iPod Nano chassis with room for a camera. Not long after, the site posted a second leak of the device, hinting at the omission of the Nano's famous clip in favor of optics. Fast forward to the present, and we're now looking another supposed shot of the unit, however, this time the clip is back and it's made room for the shooter. Like prior Nano-camera efforts, this prototype's loaded with a less-than-whopping 1.3-megapixels of resolution, which M.I.C Gadget claims in its non-final form, took overexposed photos. Apple's apparently also been toying with 2-megapixel prototypes, but those too were apparently deemed unsatisfactory. M.I.C. Gadget also muses the two month old prototype is nearing release, and that it could be released before the traditional fall schedule. Seeing as the Nano's long overdue for a hardware refresh, we'd file that under definitively maybe, but before believing, take copious amounts of salt as you hit the source link below for a bevy of pics.
On moderating expectations for Apple's 2012
Just after the year-end retrospectives clear newsrooms, speculators begin pounding away at the forecasts for the coming year. Every year we see wide-eyed imaginings about what Apple "could" do in the coming year, and every year someone comes out with a list that sounds just as outlandish as the "too cheap to meter" claims about nuclear power from the 1950s. Time Techland's Tim Bajarin looks at "five industries Apple can disrupt in the near future," and the piece is typical of the overly-optimistic expectations people always seem to sprout this time of year. I'll skip over the first section related to TVs, because it's the only halfway-plausible section of the piece, and dive right into the "meal in a pill" musings that follow. "Imagine if Apple began working with the auto companies directly and, in extreme circumstances, was perhaps able to get a 7-inch iPad into these cars," Bajarin muses, managing in one sentence to combine speculation about an industry Apple's shown no interest in entering with speculation about a product Apple's shown no interest in building. He imagines iOS device integration with car systems that would allow for Siri-activated access to things like navigation, media, text messages -- basically all the things Siri already does, but tied into the car's display. The question for this auto integration scheme -- and a question I'll ask twice more later on -- is why Apple should bother. "People don't replace their TVs all that often" has been a major strike against speculation that Apple will produce its own TV set, and that counterargument rings even truer for cars. Apple could theoretically produce a head unit or other bit of hardware with auto integration that could be deployed across multiple auto makes and models, but the question remains: how would Apple benefit from this? Where's the money in it? The first followup question one must always ask after "Wouldn't it be cool if," is, "How much money could Apple actually make doing this?" If the answer to that second question is, "Hmm, probably not all that much, now that I think about it," then you can safely discount the possibility of Apple entering that industry. That goes double for the next industry in Time's list: wristwatches. "If Apple used the Nano to mirror some of the functionality of my iPhone in a watch format, the company could potentially redefine the role of the watch," Bajarin says. The problem is, the wristwatch's role has already been re-defined for the majority of consumers: it's been put on the same pile as the typewriter, slide rule, and floppy disk. Even people I know who are wristwatch enthusiasts have admitted that if you have any kind of cell phone you don't really need a watch. "I don't need to pull my watch out of my pocket to tell the time," you might say in defense of the wristwatch; "I don't need a bulky bit of rubber and metal attached to my wrist to tell the time," is my response. Bajarin correctly points out that some nano users have been using the latest iPod nano as a watch, but most of the reviews I've seen of the so-called "iWatch" point out that while it's technically possible to do this, it doesn't work all that well -- not even as well as a conventional watch. As for the idea of putting Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or some other connectivity between a wrist-worn nano and an iPhone, this is once again an idea that sounds good on paper but very likely sounds terrible in Apple's accounting ledgers. iPod sales have been declining for years, and the iPod touch already makes up the majority of the iPod's increasingly slim share of Apple's profits. While it certainly sounds cool, iPod-iPhone connectivity is a very niche-sounding feature in an already niche product like the iPod nano. Apple's trend over the past few years has been to shy away from heavily promoting its outlier products like the shuffle, nano, and Classic while devoting much more focus to its wide-appeal, general-purpose products like the iPhone and iPad. That's with good reason: general-purpose products have greater appeal to a greater number of consumers, and therefore Apple can make more money selling them. The intersection between "wristwatch wearer" and "iPhone owner" and "iPod nano fan" and "gee wouldn't it be great if all these things talked to each other" speculator has to be very small -- and too small for Apple to want to bother with addressing that market. Another market Apple's shown no interest in is home appliances, but that doesn't stop visions of iFridges dancing through people's heads. "If Apple applied their iOS software to appliances and married it to iCloud, they could turn pretty much any screen integrated into things like refrigerators, ovens or even cabinets into application-specific smart screens," Bajarin writes. This is another case of something that sounds cool at first, like something right out of a sci-fi movie or one of those concept videos of the "near future" that outfits like Microsoft like to crank out every decade or so. It's easy to picture a scenario where you walk into your house, say "Lights," and a Siri-powered "home assistant" turns them on for you. Or better yet, iOS-powered appliances in your home converse with the ones in your car, monitoring your location as you drive home from work, and when you're five minutes away they turn on the lights, set the A/C to 72 degrees, start the coffee pot, fire up the TV, fetch your pipe and slippers, and so forth. That's the house of the future that we've been promised for at least sixty years, and I can already hear the jaunty piano soundtrack in the accompanying concept video. What's not so easy to picture is Apple willingly involving itself with any of that. Unless it plans on branching out into building its own refrigerators, dishwashers, HVAC units and toasters, Apple's iOS definitely isn't going to show up in home appliances. You're not going to see Frigidaire running a licensed build of iOS 6 on a touchscreen refrigerator door, nor is a Kenmore dishwasher going to have iOS powering a multitouch interface where you pick your rinse cycle then knock out a quick game of Jetpack Joyride. You know why not? Because Apple's never going to license iOS to other manufacturers, period. "Never say never," the saying goes, but I'm saying it anyway. Just like with cars and watches, you have to follow the money trail to divine the level of interest Apple might have in the home appliance industry. And just like with cars and watches, I just don't see toaster ovens or thermostats as a lucrative market for Apple. Though it's nice to play around with these Jetsons-like images of a fully Apple-powered home, the reality of Apple's 2012 is going to be far more "boring" than the iCar, the iWatch, and the iHouse. Here's what you can really expect from Apple in the year to come, roughly in the order you can expect to see them: A faster iPad, possibly with a double-resolution display Faster versions of its current Macs, and maybe a 15" MacBook Air A faster iPhone iOS 6, with evolutionary improvements to iOS 5 An A5 or A6-powered high definition version of the current Apple TV -- or, far less likely, an actual Apple TV set Iterative improvements to Siri, iCloud, and iTunes services throughout the year Yawn, right? Where's the disruptive product, the wave of the future, the thing that makes us feel like Star Trek's universe has come 300 years early? If it exists at all, it's probably deep within Apple's labs, in prototype form, and a hell of a lot more exciting than anything on Bajarin's list -- or mine.
Deckster Re:Class iPod nano watchband is really nice, really expensive
The sixth-generation iPod nano has spawned a host of watchbands, all designed to turn the diminutive music player into a cool watch. Up until now, though, I haven't seen one that would make me shell out $129 to $149 for a nano just to have a watch. The Deckster Re:Class watchband from N-Product (CAD$165) would have changed all of that, but that price tag is the downfall of this otherwise very nice band. N-Product makes all of the Re:Class bands from recycled materials. The review watchband, for example, uses bicycle tire inner tubes and treads to make a comfortable, stylish, and tough band. The company partnered with Mountain Equipment Co-op to take leftover materials from backpacks for some of the other bands, and uses 99.9% recycled aluminum for the unique casing that holds the iPod nano in place. %Gallery-142632% The name Deckster comes from that casing. When the entrepreneurs at N-Product were thinking about a way to hold an iPod nano in place but make it easy to insert and remove, they thought about old cassette tape decks. Many cassette tape decks had a "door" that folded out; you open the door, placed the cassette into the door, then closed it. The Deckster design works the same way. There's a button that releases a latch when pressed, and the top of the casing opens up. A nano slides into the casing easily, at which point you close the door until it clicks securely into place. N-Product emblazons the inside of the case with a painting of a cassette to honor the memory of that ancient media format. I personally don't own an iPod nano, so I lent the review unit to a friend who has one. He commented that the Deckster did a much better job of holding the iPod nano in place than most of the other wristbands. Several of those (the iWatchz Q, for example) use the clip on the back of the nano to hold it in place. The Hex Icon uses a bulky box-like structure to hold the nano, while the LunaTik is designed for permanently encasing your nano. My friend liked the way the Deckster case worked to make inserting and removing the nano a snap. So, my buddy was impressed with the Deckster, until I told him the price. Yes, it's in Canadian dollars, but the website's conversion tools shows that still makes the Re:Class band US$160.58. Considering that's over twice the price of the HEX Vision stainless steel band (US$69.95) and double what many of the LunaTik cases run (US$79.95), the pricing is completely out of line. Sure, the convenience of being able to pop your 6G nano in and out of the Deckster is nice, but is paying more than the cost of the nano itself for a watchband a really smart idea? You decide.
Apple reportedly swapping recalled iPod nanos for 6G counterparts; you have yours?
It's been a few weeks since Apple's issued a worldwide recall on a number of its first-gen iPod nanos at risk for becoming uncomfortably hot under the collar. Evidently, many folks who've sent their devices into AppleCare to get swapped are finding that they've being treated with an upgrade to the current sixth-gen variant. Lovers of click wheels may view its square, touchscreen shell as folly, but hey, its hard to fuss over owning latest there is, right? The replacement program is still ongoing, so if you haven't checked to see if your nano qualifies, hit up the "more coverage" link below to find out. Already got yours back? Let us know your mileage in comments! [Thanks, Scott]
Daily Update for December 20, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Apple replacing recalled nanos with new models
In mid-November, TUAW reported on Apple's program to replace certain first-generation iPod nanos with refurbished models. The replacement program was designed to resolve issues with iPod nanos manufactured between September of 2005 and January of 2006 that could cause overheating and pose a safety risk. Now some nano owners are reporting on a MacRumors forum that Apple is replacing their 2 GB first-generation iPod nanos with 8 GB sixth-generation models. News of the first shipment of these newer units came from MacRumors reader CoolCatGee, who posted an image of an email that had been sent by Apple announcing the shipping of the device. The reader checked the serial number of the new device and found that it was a 6th generation iPod nano. So why is Apple sending out newer devices to replace old equipment? It appears that there was unprecedented response to the "recall," and there may have been only a small number of refurbished units to send out. Many of the forum respondents also noted that the replacement is taking 5 to 6 weeks, meaning that Apple might be providing the newer units as part of its usual policy of over-delivering on promises. MacRumors is now backing up its forum posters with a confirmed report that Apple is indeed shipping sixth-generation iPod nanos. The devices come with an expired warranty, and forum fans are unsure if they're refurbished 6G iPod nanos or completely new devices. [via iPodnn]
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me read data from my nano
Dear Aunt TUAW, Greetings from overseas from the long-lost branch of Dutch family members and thanks for al. your helpful posts. My question is the following. I have an iPod nano (sixth generation) which I use quite often as a flash drive. The problem is that I can not use it on a Windows PC since I have set it up initially with my Mac. Is there any way to make this work since quite a lot of people around me (still) use Windows PCs? Your loving nephew, Ivo Dear Ivo, The Windows-OS X file system divide is one of long standing. Unfortunately, the last time Auntie dealt with this problem herself was a badjillion years ago, back when MacOpener was still relevant. So take that in mind as she dishes out advice from the age of the dinosaurs. Your nano is normally formatted using Apple's HFS+ file system. A utility like MediaFour's MacDrive or Paragon's HFS for Windows may solve the problem for you. According to their marketing text, they allow you to mount, read, and write OS X formats from Windows. Each costs US$20 but both utilities offer a free trial, so you can make sure your nano is readable on your Win PC before putting down your money. Hugs, Auntie T.
Apple retail to mark World AIDS Day by spotlighting PRODUCT (RED)
According to ifoAppleStore.com, Apple will be spotlighting (PRODUCT) RED items in its stores on December 1 to mark World AIDS Day. A percentage of proceeds from the (PRODUCT) RED line, which Apple launched in 2006, is donated to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Sources indicate that Apple Store employees will be wearing and/or promoting the red iPod nano, and employees carrying iPads will have red Smart Covers on them. Apple is also expected to promote its RED iTunes gift card and a set of Beats by Dre headphones that are also part of the RED initiative. At the same time, Mophie is also launching a line of RED products, including a new version of the red Juice Pack Air which has been available for some time now. As of this writing Apple is already promoting the red Smart Cover on its website; clicking links to buy the Smart Cover took me directly to the page for the (PRODUCT) RED version. Apple has stated that "(PRODUCT) RED has generated more than $170 million for the Global Fund" since its 2006 introduction, and "up to 50 percent of gross profits" from (PRODUCT) RED sales go to the Global Fund.
First-generation iPod nano replacements begin to arrive
As detailed late last week, Apple announced a replacement program for first-generation iPod nanos created between September 2005 and January 2006. These particular models may overheat and pose a safety risk. Registered users of these iPod nanos were sent an email from Apple directing them to the replacement program. Though the replacement program indicates that it may take up to six weeks to receive the replacement iPod nano, MacRumors is reporting that some applicants have already started to receive their replacement iPods. And if you assumed that applicants to the replacement program would receive current generation iPod nanos in exchange for their faulty first-generation ones (especially since first-generation iPod nanos went out of production nearly five years ago), you wouldn't be the only one. However, the replacement nanos appear to be first-generation refurbished models.
Switched On: Next for the nano
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. For all the grousing about the minimal changes from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S, Apple's fastest smartphone incorporates sweeping shifts compared to what the company did with its iPod line. From keeping the waning iPod classic in the lineup to leaving the still-potent iPod touch untouched save for a blanching and price reduction, the venerable digital media player line seemed all but ignored at a time of year when Apple once primed the holiday pump for MP3 players. Yet, while the iPod touch may not have received the processor boost or Siri-ousness of the iPhone 4S, it at least continues to remain vibrant via access to Apple's app store. That's not the case for the nano, once the flagship of the line. While Apple's smallest touchscreen device gained new software that enlarged the main icons and brought new clock faces, these improvements are also being offered to owners of the last-generation iPod nano via a software update.
Apple launches 1st generation iPod nano replacement program
Apple has sent out emails to registered owners of 1st generation iPod nanos stating that certain iPod nanos created between September 2005 and January 2006 might overheat and pose a safety risk. This is because of a manufacturing defect from a single supplier, and the likelihood of problems increases as the model ages. Apple then directs the owner to a replacement program. There have been some cases of the iPod nano's battery overheating in the past, and while a search on Apple's support site turns up a document, the link is currently not active. The issue turned up previously in 2009, and the Japanese government said in 2008 that three fires were caused in Japan from faulty 1st-generation nano batteries, and that Apple had two other reported cases where people were burned by their iPod nanos. For those wondering if the emails they received are legitimate, a link to the replacement program can be found directly from Apple's support site for earlier models of the iPod nano and Apple's exchange and repair extension program. The full email text can be read below. Show full PR text Dear iPod nano owner, Apple has determined that, in very rare cases, the battery in the iPod nano (1st generation) may overheat and pose a safety risk. Affected iPod nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006. This issue has been traced to a single battery supplier that produced batteries with a manufacturing defect. While the possibility of an incident is rare, the likelihood increases as the battery ages. Apple recommends that you stop using your iPod nano (1st gen) and follow the process noted below to order a replacement unit, free of charge. Note: This battery issue is specific to the iPod nano (1st gen) and does not affect any other iPod. Replacement Process You may order a replacement unit via the web. Click here to begin. Your iPod nano serial number will be checked to verify that it is eligible for this program. You will receive a replacement unit approximately 6 weeks after we receive your current iPod nano (1st gen). If you have a personalized iPod nano, you will receive a non-personalized replacement. Make sure to use iTunes to back up any data on your current iPod nano before sending it in for a replacement unit. Additional Information Identifying an iPod nano (1st gen): • It has a black or white plastic front and a silver metal back - later iPod nano models have a metal front and back. If you need assistance with placing an order, please visit an Apple Retail Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) and bring your iPod nano with you for serial number validation. Your replacement iPod product is warranted to be free from defects for 90 days from the date of service. Thank you for participating in this program. Sincerely, Apple
Apple is replacing first gen iPod nanos due to faulty batteries
After offering to swap out a few faulty first gen iPod nanos in Korea back in 2009, it appears Apple has finally seen fit to get them out of owner's pockets here in the US (update: worldwide) too. An email just sent to registered owners (included after the break) and notice posted on its replacement program site inform users the affected units were sold between September 2005 and December 2006. If you have one (seriously, yours still works?), stop using it right now and fill out the form at the link below to order a free replacement unit. The main inconvenience -- other than finding out you've been walking around with the possibility of a "rare case" of overheating taking place in your skinny jeans -- is an anticipated six-week lag between Apple receiving the old unit and shipping you out a replacement. The reason given for waiting so long to replace them is that when it comes to this issue "the likelihood increases as the battery ages"; that, and it's finally too late for you to run out and get a Zune. No word yet on which models will be sent out as replacements, but if yours is personalized, then sorry -- no inscriptions available. [Thanks, Paul & Jordan]
Daily Update for November 4, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
