Rating:

In the last couple of years, they’ve added features to the nano which weren’t really improvements, just additions. The nano’s main purpose as a take-anywhere music player was muddied by other features that didn’t really fit. The screen was not really big enough to watch TV shows or movies on it. The video camera was simply not hi-res enough to be competitive or useful. As I’ve said in other reviews, it seemed that these features were added not because they made the nano a better product, but just because Apple could add them.

With the latest nano, Apple has stripped away all those extra features, and gone back to trying to make a best-in-class take-anywhere music player. Great idea. Unfortunately, they failed in two respects – the execution of that idea, and the price.

The two main design changes in this nano are the smaller screen, and the replacement of the click wheel with a touchscreen (with buttons for volume). Both of these changes make the product less successful as an on-the-go music player than previous models.

Having a smaller screen makes it harder to find songs – only a few lines can be displayed at a time. On a purely aesthetic note, having the mix of icons and menus in the user interface is more cumbersome and less clean that the purely menu-based UI of previous models. Not a big deal, but Apple’s appeal has traditionally been their sense of aesthetics.

Removing the click wheel is a serious misstep. The click wheel made it easy to adjust the volume, scan back and forth within a track, or move between tracks in a playlist or album *without taking the player out of your pocket*. You didn’t have to look at the player; just dip your hand into a pocket, quickly find the click wheel by feel, and make the adjustment. You can’t do that with the new nano. While superficially cool, the touch screen makes the new nano harder to use than its predecessors.

Finally, the price. Apple is charging the same price as the previous model nano, for the same amount of storage. In essence, we lose the extraneous features in order to pay for the touch screen. I would accept that trade-off if the touch screen better served the nano’s core function as a portable music player. But it does not.

I’m giving the new nano three stars because, despite being a step down from previous models, it’s still a pretty good music player.

But in paring down the nano back to its primary function, Apple also made design changes that make it perform that function less well, and then charged us for them. Far from being an improvement, the new nano is a disappointment.

Rating:

More than an update, this is a new product that simply retains the iPod Nano name. It gains a significant feature, but loses several others.

The big deal is the touch interface on the newest iPod Nano. iPod Nano users will now be “touching,” their music as iPod Touch and iPhone users have before them. The click wheel is gone. To find your music, you select a category from the Nano’s menu such as “Playlists,” or “Artists,” and select from there. Less convenient or more convenient than a click wheel? Honestly, about equal. The screen is indeed small, but not unusable.

FM Radio has been retained as well as the Fitness aspects with the ability to use Nike + or simply the built in pedometer. However, the form factor will be a major benefit for those working out with the Nano. The previous Nano required an armband to keep it on you while working out, jogging, or the like. Not always comfortable, an additional expense, etc. However, with this new small, square form factor that need is gone. Now, we can simply “clip,” the Nano onto us, with the built in clip, and run to our listening content. A bigger deal than you might think.

The downside? Features have been removed from Nano. The screen is much smaller than the previous generation. Therefore, playback of video content from iTunes is gone. Nano no longer plays video, which was a feature added three years ago. Secondly, last year, Nano added a small video camera to record low quality video, which could be played back on the Nano’s screen or synced with iTunes and viewed on your computer. That feature is gone too. The device is too small now for a camera or to watch video. This new generation iPod Nano has many exciting new features, but buyers must be aware that it is no longer a video player. It is something new. Those wishing to play video on an iPod must choose an iPod Touch.

My opinion on this change? Honestly, did I ever watch video on the iPod Nano’s screen? No. For me, while they kept trying to make the screen larger, it was simply too small to enjoy more than a once a year video. Likewise, the camera was simply not high enough quality to keep yourself entertained by using on a regular basis. It became a feature unused by many.

The iPod Nano has changed and gone back to being an exceptional music player. There is nothing here you do not need to enjoy music. However, the display and touch interface brings the 21st century “touch,” that Apple has made so popular to a more affordable device. The touch function will be limited here to simply selecting songs or bringing up the clock, but nevertheless, touch has made its way to the Nano.

I’m most thankful that the Nano has indeed retained the DOCK CONNECTOR. The dock connector is key to use with iPod accessories such as docks, speaker docks, and built in car iPod connectors. The nano is so diminutive that if you plug it into the factory iPod kit of an automobile, the cable’s dock connector will look nearly bigger than the Nano itself. Not a negative, just amusing. Nevertheless, the dock connector is there, and you will be able to use the device in such applications, and that was a significant decision by Apple. Users want and need the dock connector. It is there on this iPod Nano, but still missing from the Shuffle due to its even more diminutive size.

This 16 GB version is the largest size Apple offers in the Nano. It offers no additional functionality over the 8GB, but features twice the storage. Choose the one best for you. 16 GB is great if you have a large music collection. We should all remember though that with Nano no longer doing Video or Storing Pictures, the storage is exclusively for music. This makes 8 GB and 16 GB more appropriate size offerings as music takes up much less storage than video.

Overall, Apple has removed video (both playback and recording) from this iPod Nano. However, it’s an equalling good music player. Navigation of music is now completed via touch, which works effectively despite the small screen. It’s really hard to believe so much can fit into such a small device and I believe everyone will be a bit shocked when they open up the Nano the first time and see it’s size yet primary function as an effective music player retained. The newest Nano brings a nearly Shuffle like size, but yet retains the functionality (touch, clip, dock connector) that serious music lovers and those who use the Nano while working out, demand.

Rating:

With the Apple TV, they have correctly, I believe, simplified the complexity of the original offering, removed any notion of storage, which tended to confuse the average user, and prepared it for an app driven iOS future. They claimed these changes resulted from a close look at the usage of the current Apple TV, and that they made the changes they felt were needed to more closely match what was desired.

The Nano, I believe, follows the same path.

I have an iPhone and and the new Nano. I also have the previous generation Nano. I tend to agree with Apple: I never the older Nano once to watch a video. I never used the contacts, the calendar, nor did I play a game on the Nano. I bought it for jogging, I only used it for jogging.

All those things removed from the new Nano I currently do on my iPhone. These removed features were worthless to me and will not be missed.

But the Nano did do exactly what I wanted it to do: become smaller, and be easier to use. Though I am getting used to a virtual pause button vs. a physical button on the older model, I find the new Nano to sound a little better and is less intrusive during running.

Apple has apparently moved away from the “same feature set, different design” view and has moved to “what’s best for the intended useage?” model. They now have a mature line of music players, each with a clear and intended purpose.

The Classic is for those who wish to carry their entire music collection with them.

The Touch is the top of the line universal player and application machine. Not intended for exercise, but rather for those who don’t have an iPhone but want its best features.

The iPhone, a Touch with a phone built in. Same positioning as the Touch, but replaces your phone if you are in the market for a phone.

The Shuffle: the low cost entry point into the Apple ecosystem. Probably the only way Apple could offer any product under $100. With its small storage, and lack of screen, it appears to be essentially a gateway device for some to enter the Apple world.

And finally the Nano. Not the universal player anymore. Not the smaller iPod Classic, like its predecessors were. The Nano seems to be targeted to the highly mobile exercise crowd. The Nano is really only good for playing music, which, along with the Shuffle, make it the only “pure” iPod left. If you want a music player, and you want more than 2GB or storage, but you don’t need apps or video or games because all you want to do is listen to music, than the Nano seems ideal. It fails when we try to make it something is clearly not intended to be. And for those who grieve at the loss of the features, I am sure Apple’s answer is that “you really want a Touch.” They’re right, too. The days of the Nano needing to be a stripped down Touch or Classic vanished the day the Touch was released.

So, though not perfect, I think the design and intended use of the Nano fits in nicely into the Apple music player offerings.

Rating:

A lot of ppl are confused about the radical re-invention of the Nano, not realizing that the Nano is, essentially, dead. The Nano’s mission was to be a middle-sized iPod that still did some higher-end stuff like video and taking pictures- a nice portable ‘media’ player. No more.

The new Nano, aka Super Shuffle, is focused on a different task entirely, and much the same one as the regular Shuffle… the gym. To that end, Apple radically reduced the size and gave it an integrated clip a la the regular Shuffle. It’s now ‘wearable’, and is basically the ‘Shuffle with a screen’ that many have wanted for a long time.

The downside, obviously, is that many ppl still wanted a ‘true’ Nano, and now they can’t have one, unless they go running for the old 5th gen models before they’re sold out. This means the Super Shuffle will be disliked by some no matter what, as it ‘killed’ the player they loved. =

Others will say that the Super Shuffle is inadequate even for the gym. “I don’t want to look at a screen to switch songs or change the volume. How lame!”, they’ll say.

Thing is though, you don’t usually HAVE to look at the screen, because

- The Super Shuffle has physical volume buttons. They’re small, but still easy to use.

- It has the ‘Shake to Shuffle’ feature… literally shake it to shuffle to another song (this can be turned off if you don’t dig it). However, I do find StS slightly inconvenient to use- see notes @end of review.

- It supports VoiceOver. BUT, to use all VO features requires the Apple Earphones With Remote & Mic… which AREN’T included (Apple either wants you to shell out another $30, or they still haven’t solved the ‘sweat’ issues the remote & mic have had in the past).

So, that said, the Super Shuffle will work well enough for its intended task, i.e. being a Shuffle w/a screen. Plus, it does photos, audiobooks, podcasts (minus any video), is a pedometer, and does FM radio besides. And I’ve got to say, that FM tuner makes radio stations sound lots better than expected, in any area with halfway decent reception. Even low-power college and university stations usually come in clear- a very good thing, since they often have the most innovative music programming.

It also retains the 30-pin dock connector, so you can still have access to the universe of iPod accessories. This is all well and good.

MY BEEF with it is not that it killed the Nano (if enough people voice their displeasure with that, Apple may make another ‘true’ Nano in the future), but rather the level of ‘milking it’ that Apple’s decided to go with here… specifically, while I own it and like it, the Super Shuffle just isn’t worth an additional $100-130 MORE than the regular Shuffle.

They do much the same thing, after all… the additional features are fairly minor in nature (for example, ever try to get consistent FM reception inside a large concrete building, i.e. your typical gym? Best be near a window.)

Okay, yes, you do get the touchscreen, which is fun to use, is sharp & clear, and is eerily resistant to smudges and fingerprints (nice). But said touchscreen is also REALLY small (bigger would’ve sacrificed ‘wearability’) and sucks way too much battery juice- see notes @end of review.

And sure, you do get 6GB more storage than the Shuffle (though that cost Apple less than $15 to put in there). But a ‘gym’ Shuffle doesn’t really have to hold 2,000 songs (4,000 if you opt for the 16GB), nor does the tiny screen lend itself well to navving through all that. The capacity (and price points) are really Nano legacies, but as we all know, this ain’t a Nano.

So all in all, the advantages don’t really add up to the price charged, in terms of value provided to most users. You can buy THREE regular Shuffles for the same money.

Apple probably should’ve had a 4GB model coming in for cheaper… hitting a $99 to $129 price level in the future would be very good, as that’s about what a ‘Super Shuffle’ is really worth. And including the Headphones With Remote & Mic, as they did with the previous gen Shuffle, would be a BIG winning move (solve the sweat issue Apple) that would make the Super Shuffle easier and better to use at the gym- its intended mission.

Here’s hoping we see that *and* a new ‘true’ Nano once the 7th generation rolls around. Not that I have anything against the Super Shuffle, except its Nano price point. A Shuffle with a screen is cool, just not quite cool enough to justify shelling out $150-180. I paid slightly less @Amazon, but Apple still took me for a bit of a ride, and I’m aware of it.

I do dig ya, Super Shuffle, but the price and lack of remote & mic on the included ‘phones are your Kryptonite.

The battery life is also rather ‘touchy’ (see below) and could be considered disappointing to some, and there are a few minor bugs/issues (also see below).

_________________

Note #1 (Colors): If you intend to buy one of these online without seeing it in person first, be aware that the color casings are paler/more muted than they appear in most pics. The blue Super Shuffle, for example, is almost kind of a smoky, very pale blue in person.

The exception is the Product Red model, which is a *very* vivid red IRL. It’s probable that the graphite, silver, and red models will end up being the most popular. But no doubt some ppl will appreciate/prefer the more muted color anodizing found on the other models.

Note #2 (Battery Life): The batt life on this baby is VERY variable, depending on how you use it. Playing around with the touchscreen a lot- which is EXACTLY what you’ll do when you first get one- will just KILL the batt juice, and quickly. No other way to say it… the touchscreen, while really fun, is also a huge battery hog.

Doesn’t help that the screen sleep behavior wastes power keeping the screen lit far too long after a touch, and this is *not* changeable in Settings. =/

Thus, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND hitting the Sleep/Wake button and putting the screen to sleep every time you’re done touchscreening. Your battery life will thank you.

From the above, you may have gathered that the ’24 hours’ in Apple’s claimed ‘UP TO 24 hours of battery life’ refers to playing music with the screen always asleep/off. And you would be correct. In real-world usage, that figure is extremely unlikely… especially for new users who can’t keep their hands off the touchscreen. Playing around a lot with the radio tuner to find that ‘perfect’ station is also pure battery kryptonite (my advice: set up your radio presets early).

So, buyer be aware- some new owners will mistakenly think at first that they got one with a bad battery, when they need, really, to be less ‘touchy’ with it. Even then though, you ain’t gettin’ no 24 hours.

For myself, I generally do 90-minute workouts, and with reasonably careful touchscreen usage and a mix of radio and regular music, I usually knock 15-25% off the battery. So yes, you will likely be recharging fairly frequently.

Reducing the screen brightness in Settings can help a bit, though the default isn’t excessively bright. I reduced mine slightly.

Note #3 (Bugs, Interface issues): Minor annoyances/’things I hope Apple fixes in a Software Update’, if they’re listening:

- In low-but-quite-usable radio signal areas, you’ll get lots of erroneous ‘No Radio Signal- Please plug in headphones’ messages. I get these WITH my headphones plugged in, listening to a station that’s coming in a bit quietly but just fine. =[

- Some ppl are complaining that, “ZOMG, I can’t turn this thing completely OFF!”. Well, it’s not obvious, but the Super Shuffle turns ITSELF off automatically, after 36 hours of sleep. It uses almost no power during sleep. Still, I’m sure some worriers would prefer having a MANUAL option to turn the SS/Nano off right away.

- If you set the text to White on Black in Accessibility (which looks way cool and is more contrast-y), it unfortunately turns all your touchscreen icons into photo negatives of themselves. The wallpaper too. Whaa?

- I keep wanting to be able to double-tap the screen to wake it from sleep. Perhaps Apple’s worried that you’d accidentally turn the screen on, but it’s hard to accidentally double-tap, and if it was an option in Settings, you could turn it off if there’s any probs. It’s a bit tedious to always have to hit the Wake/Sleep button before doing anything, it feels unintuitive/slow to go ‘button, THEN touch.’

- Would be nice if the Battery Life icon and Time were visible on all screens (such as ‘Now Playing’). You shouldn’t have to nav back to see this, and doing so keeps the screen on longer/wastes power.

- As mentioned, the backlight power-saving behavior needs work… the screen’s still partly lit a full MINUTE after you stop touching it. 20 seconds would be more like it. And again, this is not changeable in Settings. It really should be.

- The ‘Shake to Shuffle’ feature may need some rethinking. First off, it’s hit-or-miss ’til you figure out the technique… which is 2 short, FAST shakes in any direction, *while the screen is ON* (1 shake can work, but the % is lower).

Many gym ppl won’t like this, though. They want to leave their Super Shuffle clipped on, so they can just reach over and shake it, WITHOUT having to activate the screen first. Apple’s worried about accidental triggerings, but you’d like to see a better solution than this.

Plus, this is another example of the Super Shuffle’s somewhat klunky ‘hit Wake/Sleep button, THEN do something else” interface logic. With the regular Shuffle, you just click a button, i.e. one action.

Here’s hoping Apple can put out a Software Update reasonably soon. The Super Shuffle is basically good, it just needs a little love.

Rating:

Several colors are being offered in both 8 GB & 16 GB capacities.

More than an update, this is a new product that simply retains the iPod Nano name. It gains a significant feature, but loses several others.

The big deal is the touch interface on the newest iPod Nano. iPod Nano users will now be “touching,” their music as iPod Touch and iPhone users have before them. The click wheel is gone. To find your music, you select a category from the Nano’s menu such as “Playlists,” or “Artists,” and select from there. Less convenient or more convenient than a click wheel? Honestly, about equal. The screen is indeed small, but not unusable.

FM Radio has been retained as well as the Fitness aspects with the ability to use Nike + or simply the built in pedometer. However, the form factor will be a major benefit for those working out with the Nano. The previous Nano required an armband to keep it on you while working out, jogging, or the like. Not always comfortable, an additional expense, etc. However, with this new small, square form factor that need is gone. Now, we can simply “clip,” the Nano onto us, with the built in clip, and run to our listening content. A bigger deal than you might think.

The downside? Features have been removed from Nano. The screen is much smaller than the previous generation. Therefore, playback of video content from iTunes is gone. Nano no longer plays video, which was a feature added three years ago. Secondly, last year, Nano added a small video camera to record low quality video, which could be played back on the Nano’s screen or synced with iTunes and viewed on your computer. That feature is gone too. The device is too small now for a camera or to watch video. This new generation iPod Nano has many exciting new features, but buyers must be aware that it is no longer a video player. It is something new. Those wishing to play video on an iPod must choose an iPod Touch.

My opinion on this change? Honestly, did I ever watch video on the iPod Nano’s screen? No. For me, while they kept trying to make the screen larger, it was simply too small to enjoy more than a once a year video. Likewise, the camera was simply not high enough quality to keep yourself entertained by using on a regular basis. It became a feature unused by many.

The iPod Nano has changed and gone back to being an exceptional music player. There is nothing here you do not need to enjoy music. However, the display and touch interface brings the 21st century “touch,” that Apple has made so popular to a more affordable device. The touch function will be limited here to simply selecting songs or bringing up the clock, but nevertheless, touch has made its way to the Nano.

I’m most thankful that the Nano has indeed retained the DOCK CONNECTOR. The dock connector is key to use with iPod accessories such as docks, speaker docks, and built in car iPod connectors. The nano is so diminutive that if you plug it into the factory iPod kit of an automobile, the cable’s dock connector will look nearly bigger than the Nano itself. Not a negative, just amusing. Nevertheless, the dock connector is there, and you will be able to use the device in such applications, and that was a significant decision by Apple. Users want and need the dock connector. It is there on this iPod Nano, but still missing from the Shuffle due to its even more diminutive size.

This 16 GB version is the largest size Apple offers in the Nano. It offers no additional functionality over the 8GB, but features twice the storage. Choose the one best for you. 16 GB is great if you have a large music collection. We should all remember though that with Nano no longer doing Video or Storing Pictures, the storage is exclusively for music. This makes 8 GB and 16 GB more appropriate size offerings as music takes up much less storage than video.

Overall, Apple has removed video (both playback and recording) from this iPod Nano. However, it’s an equalling good music player. Navigation of music is now completed via touch, which works effectively despite the small screen. It’s really hard to believe so much can fit into such a small device and I believe everyone will be a bit shocked when they open up the Nano the first time and see it’s size yet primary function as an effective music player retained. The newest Nano brings a nearly Shuffle like size, but yet retains the functionality (touch, clip, dock connector) that serious music lovers and those who use the Nano while working out, demand.