New player continues the iPod lineage

September 25, 2006 —

If I had a time machine, I would go back to October 2001 and not buy an iPod. Sure, being one of the first students to own Apple Computer's famous music player was cool, but if I had been wise enough to invest my $400 in Apple stock I could use the return to buy dozens of iPods today.

Perfect hindsight aside, I loved my first iPod. It held all of my music collection, it played music for the better part of a whole day, and it was fun to use. And it made me look really cool.

I never had any complaints about my first iPod. I marveled at the physical size of it - which, at the time, was a bit larger than a deck of cards - and I didn't anticipate any improvements besides increased song capacity.

Of course, I was pleasantly surprised when Apple introduced new iPod models over the past five years - each smaller and less expensive than the original. The first major leap came with the iPod mini. It was about the width and height of a business card. It sold phenomenally well.

Last year, Apple made a bold move. It dropped the iPod mini line and replaced it with the iPod nano. Although risky, the decision paid off. The iPod nano was a huge success during the holiday season and it was a common high school graduation gift last year.

In a special media event on Sept. 12, Apple released the first update of the iPod nano. Although the pricing remains the same as the original, the model now sports double the storage capacity, a brighter color screen, five case colors, an improved battery, and new earphones.

I bought the blue one.

Honestly, there isn't anything groundbreaking about this update. But that's a good thing. All of the qualities that made me love my first iPod are still present in the new iPod nano. I can scroll through 1,000 songs in a few seconds, store contacts and calendars, and even play a few games. If you ignore the color screen, the iPod nano's interface is very reminiscent of the venerable iPod. At only .25 inches thick, though, the iPod nano makes my first iPod look enormous.

There are two changes with the new iPod nano that stand out to me. First, the iPod nano's casing is now made of aluminum and is much more scratch-resistant. Although this means I can no longer use my iPod as a mirror, it does ensure that it won't look like it was stored in a silverware drawer after a few months of use.

The included earphones are another noticeable improvement. The original design was much larger, and I know many people found them uncomfortable. They didn't bother me, but the new earphones definitely feel more comfortable. Rather than being completely plastic, the new earphones have a ring of rubber where they make contact with your skin.

If you already own the first generation iPod nano, earphones and colors are not reason enough to drop $149 on the new model. But if you are one of the few college students who don't already own an iPod, the iPod nano offers the best music experience of any portable player on the market...still.