Apple Updates iPods - iPod Nano
(Page 2 of 4 )
The iPod Nano got a major overhaul. Apple dropped the 2 GB version and bumped the 4 and 8 GB versions down in price. The Nano also received the new enhanced interface, which brings with it many features from the iPod. Nanos now support video as well as audio. This feature is only a generation old and has found its way down the iPod family line.
The previous iPod Nano’s design would have caused eyestrain while watching videos, so a total redesign had to be done. It is a lot squarer and its new screen boasts 320 by 240 resolution to help watch videos. It measures 2 inches, ˝ inch smaller than the iPod Video -- but with the same pixel count.
The user interface has some new features. Users can now search by albums in a jukebox-like way. I think this is a really neat feature. It brings something back to the music listening experience. It is no longer a matter of simply finding the songs on a menu; you can pick out the album and play it, which is much more like finding the CD in your collection and putting it in the CD player. The new home menu shows your traditional iPod menu on one half, while the other half displays the album cover of the song to which you’re now listening. The ability to play games has been added as well.
Overall the iPod Nano was massively overhauled. It added the features I felt it could have had in previous generations, and also offered a total redesign. It’s all personal taste as to whether or not you like it. I for one am not a fan. I got a little sense of a Zen-like design.
iPod Classic
News flash: the iPod is no more. Okay, maybe I’m over reacting, but you can no longer buy just an “iPod.” The MP3 player formerly called the “iPod” has been renamed to the “iPod Classic.” The official reason it was renamed had to do with the whole family of iPods -- all of them are iPods, and all of them have sub names such as Shuffle or Nano.
The iPod Classic is more or less your traditional iPod. There is no new totally redesigned look here. Apple still changed it enough, however, to justify a move to the sixth generation. Their last update was labeled the 5.5 generation, as it was only a bump in size. With the new sixth generation you still have your traditional iPod form factor. The case is now all metal, so it should hold up better to scratches than the fifth generation.
The traditional white iPod has become more of a grayish iPod. It sports the same U.I. as the Nano got with all the new features. As with most of the other generations of iPods, it received a storage bump. It will now come in 80 GB and 160 GB versions. Let’s remember the iPod started with 5 and 10 GB of room; now we're up to 160 GB!
This should hopefully satisfy most people with massive collections of music out there. I'm not sure how much bigger they need to release iPods. With this latest release, you can now store 40,000 songs on a single device.
Next: iPod Touch >>
More Mobile Devices Articles
More By jkabaseball
