The iPod nano is Apple’s fourth digital audio participant combining options of both equally the iPod shuffle and iPod. It was introduced on September 7, 2005, replacing the iPod mini, which was discontinued on the exact working day. The replacement of the mini took Macintosh internet sites and the press completely by surprise given that, even though there ended up rumors about a new flash memory-centered iPod, there was no prior observe of the mini becoming discontinued.
Perform on growth of the new design and style of the iPod nano started only nine months right before the start day. The iPod nano has far more flash memory storage than is utilised in the iPod shuffle and has a miniaturized variation of the color monitor and simply click wheel observed on the full-sized iPods. The screen also has a increased resolution than the previous grayscale iPod, permitting 1 additional line of text than the mini’s display. The battery and other interior parts had been also diminished in dimensions. The floor of the simply click wheel is somewhat rough, letting increased tactile feed-back for out-of-sight procedure.
Overview
Dimensions comparison of iPod nano and regular-sized mouse.Advertising emphasizes the iPod nano’s small dimensions: it is 1.6 inches (40 mm) extensive, 3.5 inches (90 mm) prolonged, .27 inches (6.9 mm) thick and weighs 1.5 ounces (42 grams). Its mentioned battery life is 14 several hours. The display screen is 176 x 132 pixels, 1.5 inches (38 mm) diagonal, and can screen 65,536 colors (16-little bit coloration).
The iPod nano will work with iTunes on Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows (third-bash software program is obtainable for platforms that Apple does not assist). It connects as a result of the very same proprietary dock connector as the third-generation iPod, the fourth-era iPod, and the iPod mini, employing a USB 2. port on the user’s personal computer. Whilst it uses the same connection of Apple’s FireWire iPod Cable and can cost its battery above FireWire, the iPod nano does not assist synchronizing above a FireWire link. The iPod nano incorporates a stop check out and a a number of time zone clock perform. There is also a mixture lock element that helps make use of the simply click wheel to lock the iPod, and serves to safe the user’s calendar and get hold of information and facts. It was also the initial iPod to consist of a new lyrics display screen, modifiable working with iTunes.
The nano was released in two hues (black or white) with two out there dimensions: 2 GB (roughly 500 music) for $199 USD and 4 GB (1000 music) for $249 USD. On February 7, 2006, Apple up-to-date the lineup with the 1 GB product (240 tracks) marketed at $149. Apple also launched some accessories, which includes armbands and silicone “tubes” built to bring colour to the nano and shield it from scratches, as nicely as a mixture lanyard-earphone accent that hangs around the neck, and avoids the trouble of tangling earphone cords.
The iPod nano makes use of flash memory as a substitute of a tough disk. As a final result, it has no relocating areas, creating it immune to skipping and considerably more tough than disk-dependent players. The tradeoff is, like with all flash memory, it has a finite number of read through/generate cycles. Testing by technological know-how-fanatic website Ars Technica has revealed that even soon after becoming driven about twice by a car or truck, the unit’s screen was weakened but that it could still enjoy audio. The device ultimately stopped enjoying tunes just after staying thrown 40 toes into the air.
Even though the iPod nano charges much more than the iPod mini range it replaced, it must be mentioned that the iPod nanos are priced precisely the very same as the iPod minis (2 + 4GB) were when they ended up initially introduced back again in 2004. As opposed to earlier iPods, Apple is not giving an optional FireWire cable for the iPod nano (nor the fifth-generation iPod). The absence of the remote connector observed on the prime of the iPod mini and Generations 3 and 4 of the iPod intended that a quantity of 3rd-party add-ons will not function with the iPod nano. Nonetheless, since the removal of the distant connector from the principal iPod line to the swap of the Common Dock connector, brands have been pressured to produce alternate options to equipment that made use of it. The nano also lacks the Television set-out and voice recording selections of the larger iPods. Apple has also said that, unlike other iPods capable of storing photographs, the iPod nano will not work with either Apple’s iPod Digicam Connector or any camera connectors from 3rd-social gathering brands.
Nike+iPod, introduced Could 23, 2006, is a single of the many equipment made precisely for the iPod nano. The pros of the Nike+iPod is to sync details such as the distance traveled, managing speed, or burned calories to the Nike+ internet site.
Electronics
The iPod nano takes advantage of standard-reason integrated circuits (IC) as an alternative of smaller sized, minimal expense custom designed chips, potentially to decrease time-to-market place. This design, however, improves the range of electronic elements and increases the cost. Japanese engineers estimated the part charge of the 2 GB nano as in between JPY22000 and JPY27000, which is substantial when compared to the retail rate of JPY21800. The expense of 2 GB NAND flash memory is about JPY14000. Apple opted for the bigger expense 0603 (.6 x .3mm) parts, the hottest surface mount technologies, as opposed to cheaper but more substantial 1005 (1. x .5mm) components. In simple fact, there continues to be offered actual estate on the motherboard.
Client reactions
iPod nanoThe first buyer response to the iPod nano was overwhelmingly optimistic and income were weighty.The nano offered its to start with 1 million models in only 17 days, aiding Apple to a report billion-greenback gain in 2005.
Apple’s launch of the iPod nano as a replacement for the iPod mini is seen by lots of as a risky move. The mini was not only Apple’s most well-known MP3 player, it was continue to the world’s greatest-offering participant up to the close of its lifespan and gross sales of the mini did not look to be slowing down. Steve Work has argued that the iPod nano is a required risk considering the fact that opponents are starting to catch up to the iPod mini in terms of style and characteristics, and thinks the iPod nano will confirm to be even extra preferred and profitable than the iPod mini. Analysts see this as section of the corporate society of Apple, which depends closely upon innovating to carry on captivating to buyers.
In just days of the nano’s launch, some end users reported problems to the nano, suggesting that the Liquid crystal display display screen experienced grow to be so scratched that it was unreadable, even when the backlight was on. Quite a few have documented good scratches on their nano brought about by microfiber cloths. Other owners described that their nano’s display screen cracked with no provocation.On September 27, Apple verified a modest proportion (“fewer than 1/10 of 1 %”) of iPod nanos transported with a defective display screen and agreed to replace any nanos with cracked screens, but denied the iPod nano was a lot more susceptible to scratching than prior iPods.Apple began shipping iPod nanos with a protective sleeve to safeguard them from scratches. In October 2005, a course action lawsuit was submitted against Apple, with the plaintiffs searching for reimbursement for the product, lawful fees, and “unlawful or illegal profits” from product sales of the iPod nano. Attorneys for the plaintiffs claim that the gadgets “scratch excessively in the course of regular utilization, rendering the display on the nanos unreadable, and violating condition consumer protection statutes”.Very similar lawsuits were being afterwards filed in Mexico and the United Kingdom.Some commentators this sort of as BusinessWeek’s Arik Hesseldahl have criticized the lawsuits. Hesseldahl dismissed them as “stupid” and advised that they benefitted “no 1 but the demo lawyers,” but also instructed that Apple could have averted litigation by providing “full refunds on unwelcome nanos” in its place of charging a re-stocking rate and lengthening the return period of time from 14 (if bought on the internet) or 10 (if acquired at retail) to 30 or 60 days.
Pope Benedict XVI owns a white 2GB iPod nano, turning out to be the initially Pope to own an iPod.
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