iPod nano
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iPod Classic and Nano get updated to 1.0.2
iTunes has an update for the new iPod Classic and the new Nanos, and while the update doesn't have a description at all, MacRumors sez: Improved CoverFlow Quicker menus And the much awaited video out fix, among a few other interface tweaks Apparently there's a new option that will "Ask" users to output video when a compatible cable is connected. And some people say that the calendar and contacts will synch better as well, although I have the same reservations I have whenever I hear about unlisted feature updates -- if Apple did make it better, why didn't they want to tell us? Wouldn't they want us to know the iPod works better than ever?At any rate, if you think it works better, then more power to you-- enjoy your updated iPod. As always, the update can be grabbed by connecting up your Classic or Nano to iTunes and hitting "Check for Updates."Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Keepin' it real fake, Part LXXXVI: iPod nano rip-off does double duty as camera
You can tell the Chinese PMP knock-off factories are getting a little bored. They're starting to mutate their typically staid, blatant thefts into something just a little bit more exciting. Enter the UE-Technology UE-M4088, a totally fresh new entry that rips off both the new iPod nano, and a generic digital camera. Of course, it has all your favorite Chinese PMP features, like a 2.4-inch LCD display, FM radio, playback of MPEG-4, ASF, MP3, WMA, WAV and MIDI files, an SD slot, and of course that 1.3-megapixel camera. The player seems to be available now, though no word on price. Finally, you can have it all... just don't let the authorities see you having it all.[Via PMPToday]
iPod "nana" spews chest-high flames from trousers -- lawsuit at 11
Prepare to be amazed at what passes for investigative journalism on television these days. Atlanta's WSB-TV Action News team ran a sensational iPod "nana" piece last night under the title "Man's Pants Catch Fire At Airport." To set the stage, WSB-TV says that the nano "uses the same technology as those troubled laptop batteries under recall due to the risk of fire." In steps Danny Williams -- mild mannered consumer, airport employee -- who claims that his iPod nano "burst into" chest-high flames while he was at work. So why isn't he covered in burns after exposure to such a serious chemical fire? We've all watched the horrifying video of a lithium ion battery explosion, right? Well, Danny claims that he was protected by a "glossy piece of paper" in his pocket at the time. Taking it up a notch, WSB-TV worries that Danny could have been mistaken for a terrorist due to his smoking airport trousers. Look, we're not saying that nothing happened, after all, we've written about an exploding iPod nano before. We're only saying that it didn't happen in the way described. Check the video of the hot-coffee-in-lap style legal preparation after the break. [Thanks, Will]
Keepin' it real fake, part LXXXI: New iPod nano clones unveiled, thanks China
The first third-gen iPod nano fake we spotted was kind of low on details, so we're glad to see YJL giving it to us straight here with the new U2-C player. Innovative features include MP4, MP3 and WMA playback, mass storage support (what a novel idea!), voice recording, "A-B repeat" and an FM tuner. Clearly the iPod nano can never hope to compete, but good try Apple, you'll lick 'em next time. No word on capacities or price, but these things can't be far from eBayability.[Via The Gadget Site]
iPod games must be repurchased for new iPods
It looks like those hoping to port their collection of iPod games over to their shiny new iPod nano or iPod classic are going to be out of luck, unless they fork over the cash for new "reformatted" versions of the games. Unfortunately, according to iLounge, only three iPod games have been updated for the latest-gen players, including EA's Tetris and Sudoku, and Namco's Ms. Pac-Man. On the upside, those three games have all received some changes of various degrees, including most notably an all new control scheme on Tetris that'll let you use the click wheel for block rotation. While there's no word on a timeline for upgraded versions of the remaining 15 games, the three that have been reformatted are apparently available for download now for $4.99 apiece.[Image courtesy of iLounge]
iSuppli: new iPod nano costs Apple less than $83 in components
The iPod nano is the "most popular music player in history" according to Steve Jobs. So there's nothing like an iSuppli teardown of the new, 3rd gen device to get the ol' analyst juices flowing. So get this: iSuppli claims that for every $149 4GB nano and $199 8GB nano sold, Apple's components costs are just $58.85 and $82.85, respectively. That's an 18.5% lower direct materials cost than the previous nano. In other words, a substantial increase in margins for what should be a tidy boost in Apple profit after covering R&D costs. The teardown also indicates that Apple has once again opened the money trough to a whole new bevy of suppliers including Dialog Semiconductor, Intersil, and Synaptics. Micron is the big winner here as they supply the NAND flash storage whereas Toshiba provides it for the iPod touch. Could be that the effects of Samsung's NAND factory power outage are starting to show. Enjoy it while you can suppliers, chances are you'll be begging for Apple's business once the next round of product refreshes goes down. Bill of materials after the break.
iPod Nano (3rd Generation) software updated to v1.0.1
If, like yours truly, you're besotted with your Third Generation iPod Nano, you might want to check for updates within your Nano's sync screen. It seems that Apple has pushed out a new software update for the new devices. It appears this is just a routine bug-fix update - with suitably short release notes - and the download weighs in at a little over 57MB.
A week with the new iPod Nano
Dear TUAW readers, I have a confession. Normally I am not a person who spontaneously buys an iPod . However last Thursday morning was, well, a little different. Upon seeing the new Nanos, Shuffles and iPod Classics on display at an Apple Store I just happened to be passing (convenient, eh?), I was torn. Do I buy a new Nano? Do I need one? Do I want one? Can I even justify purchasing one, given that I have a (RED) 4GB Nano that I love dearly? The answer to all those questions was close enough to 'yes', almost exclusively because I wanted a video-playing iPod. And more importantly, because I had 7 days of travel that would allow the Nano to prove its worth. Well, after a week of video-playing, music listening and more, the jury is in.
iPod nano/classic take-aparts
People love to dismantle their expensive, new toys for whatever reason (probably the same reason I took transistor radios apart as a kid - to see "how it works"). Today, AppleInsider is pointing to fully illustrated take-aparts at iFixit.com - one for the iPod nano, and one for the classic. They note that Apple abandoned the anodized aluminum enclosure of the former nano for the scratch-hungry gloss of the original. Also, Apple used lots of adhesive with the nano, which makes getting it back together difficult.As for the classic, it has metal enclosure tabs instead of the old plastic ones, making it harder to get apart.If you're still compelled to disassemble your iPod, iFixit has the how-to.
3G iPod nano review roundup
Well, that was fast -- just two days after Steve pulled one out of his pocket, reviews of the newest iPod nano are filtering in, and they seem to be overwhelmingly positive. Everyone seems to be digging the fatty's battery life, price, and diminutive size, but the overall proportions dictated by the 2-inch screen drew some complaints. That screen also received praise for its clarity and sharpness, but watching video on such a small device seems to invite some awkward neck angles -- shocking, we know. Overall, however, it looks like Apple's got another hit on its hands -- fatty pride, y'all.Read - PC MagRead - CNETRead - ZDNet AustraliaRead - iLounge
Apple's new iPods don't play nice with last-gen video accessories
Now that all the RDF has worn off, a few of the hard facts about Apple's latest are coming to light, and one of the nasties has to do with video output. Apparently the new iPod classic and iPod nano don't get along too well with currently video docks and cables on the market -- that is to say, pretty much not at all. A select few products with the 'spensive Apple authentication chips built-in do allow you to turn on TV out, like Apple's Universal Dock, iPod Hi-Fi (which doesn't have video output anyways) and the $600 Zeppelin from Bowers and Wilkins, but if you've sprung for products such as the Memorex iFlip and Sonic Impact Video-55 in the past, you're out of luck for the time being. It seems logical to us that Apple has the ability to unlock this function for existing docks if it so chooses, but for now you can always drop a fifty on those new component cables from Apple -- and pray for a repeat in the "contrite open letter" department.
iLounge posts iPod Classic, iPod nano unboxing pictures
Our good friends at iLounge have gotten their hands on some brand new iPod Classics (both colors) and iPod nanos (all 5 colors) and did what any self respecting member of the Mac web would do: posted a bunch of unboxing pictures on Flickr.The iPod Classic comes in a box very much like the one the iPhone comes in (economies of scale I imagine) while the nano comes in a clear container to show off the nifty colors.
VisualHub updated to support new iPods
Regular readers know that we're big fans of VisualHub here at TUAW. It's generally the easiest and quickest way to convert video from one format to another, particularly for playing on our favorite Apple hardware. Techspansion is really on the ball and today released version 1.27 adding video support for the new iPod nanos and classics. The new release adds presets for the new iPods, and also includes a "universal preset designed to be compatible with all Apple video devices at the highest quality possible."This is a free update for registered users. For everyone else, VisualHub remains $23.32 and a demo is available [via Macworld]
See the new iPod Nano in action
The newly refreshed iPod nanos no only sport a new look, but a new version of the iPod UI (as does the iPod Classic). This might not be obvious a first blush, so Apple has posted some demo movies to clue you in. The first shows off CoverFlow and the second is focused on the 'Extra' functionality in the iPod nano.What do you think of the new look of the UI?
Apple's "The Beat Goes On" event news roundup
Apple came out swinging today, with three entirely new iPod models, a color refresh of the shuffle, the launch of the iTunes WiFi Music Store, iPhone ringtones and a price cut, and a partnership with Starbucks -- if you blinked and missed something, here's a brief recap of what went down at Moscone West:Live Coverage / Hands-on Steve Jobs live -- Apple's "The beat goes on" special event iPod touch first hands-on iPod nano 3G first hands-on iPod classic first hands-on iTunes WiFi Music Store first hands-on iPod / iTunes Meet the new iPod family Apple announces (PRODUCT) RED iPod shuffle, new colors Apple announces new 3rd gen iPod nano Apple's new iPod classic Apple's iPod touch gets official Apple announces iTunes WiFi Music Store Apple and Starbucks join up for iTunes WiFi purchase iPhone Apple adds iPhone ringtones to iTunes iPhone to get iTunes WiFi Music Store, too Apple cuts 8GB iPhone price to $399 Apple killing 4GB iPhone, $299 while supplies last Where the hell is the 3G iPhone for Europe? We might know.
iPod nano 3G first hands-on
Ok, we know we've been calling it the fatty, but we'll be straight up with you guys: the third gen iPod nano is friggin' tiny. It's maybe not the most beautifully proportioned iPod we've ever seen, but its tapered edges and ridiculously thin frame make up for the squatness going on here.%Gallery-6923%
Meet the new iPod family
Apple's been a little busy it seems, since the company just announced three all-new iPods, plus a few new colors and price points for existing products. From smallest to largest we have the PRODUCT (RED) iPod shuffle, which is accompanied by some other new colors, the iPod nano on the left up there, the iPod classic in the middle, and the iPod touch on the right.
Apple rumor-roundup for September 5th event
Check your pulse Apple fanatics, "the beat goes on" September 5th... now just two days away. Unusual for Apple rumors, this event has pretty much all the analysts and so-called insiders in sync with their predictions. Mass disillusion or divine soothsaying, we don't know. Certainly everyone's been expecting this to be a big quarter for product transitions. While we wait, we figured you might as well get up to speed on all the predictions for Wednesday's big show: iPod Touch with flash-memory, WiFi and OS X-based Cover Flow user interface iPod nano "phatty" Wireless iTunes store sales for iPhone and wireless iPod(s) (PRODUCT) Red iPod shuffle iTunes ringtone service Beatles on iTunes -- yes, again While not necessarily rumored for Wednesday, there's always a chance that we'll hear a bit more about Apple's automotive collaborations with Volkswagen and Jaguar. Just sayin's all.
DigiTimes mongers-up new iPods with touchscreen and WiFi for Wednesday
As if you need another source "confirming" the launch of new iPods at Apple's September 5th event, along comes DigiTimes riding their wave of Taiwanese component manufacturing insiders. According to the folks who brought us the Powerbook G5, Apple is due to drop a new Inventec Appliances manufactured, flash-based widescreen "iPod video" with touch-interface (widely rumored to carry the iPod Touch brand) sporting WiFi and an iPhone-like UI when it ships "at the end of this month or early October." Also in the cards is a Foxconn manufactured iPod nano with more storage and iPhone-like UI at the same prices as existing models and higher capacity iPod shuffles from Asustek. So yeah, it falls in line with all the other rumors but that doesn't mean we're buying it.
TUAW Back-to-School Giveaway Day Ten: iPod nano
Get 'em while they still exist in their current form factor: today's prize is an iPod nano. Again, you pick the color. The catch? Apple has to actually make a nano in the color you request. It was the same deal for yesterday's shuffle giveaway, sorry all you ColorWare fans.To enter, leave a comment on this post between 5AM and 11:59PM EST on August 24. Validate the comment for it to qualify, and only one per person please. Full rules on our TUAW Back-to-School Giveaway page. Good luck and thanks for reading!
