Apple iPod Nano

Apple's 4th generation iPod Nano combines the overall aesthetic of the 2nd generation Nano with the functionality of the 3rd generation. The newest Nano, released in September 2008, returns to the long and rectangular formfactor with the thinnest profile yet at 0.24 inches. The screen size is the same as the previous version, although it must be rotated width-wise to get the same dimensions. The major difference, other than the shape, is the curved aluminum shell, which creates a cohesive and smooth unit, front to back.

Where to Buy

Apple iPod Nano Win it on eBay
Apple iPod Nano $179.99 at PC Connection
Apple iPod Nano $149.00 at Apple Store
Apple iPod Nano Buy it from AmazonAmazon
Apple iPod Nano 2
MSRP $199.00
Release date September, 2008
Brand Apple
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
11 reviews
75
negative
mixed
positive
11 positive
0 mixed
0 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
Ridiculously thin
+13agreedisagree

Available in 9 different colors
+13agreedisagree

Shake to shuffle
+12agreedisagree

Engraveable for free
+10agreedisagree

Returned back to taller, more desirable form factor
+9agreedisagree

Accelerometer means you can watch videos in either portrait or landscape orientation
+9agreedisagree

New voice recorder application when plugging in a microphone
+8agreedisagree

updated software is a lot nicer than earlier generations
+8agreedisagree

Accelerometer can be used for games
+4agreedisagree

Excellent battery life
+3agreedisagree

No lag at all when viewing pictures
+3agreedisagree

Better looking than previous generations
+2agreedisagree

Many funky colours to choose from
+2agreedisagree

Shake to shuffle can be turned off
+2agreedisagree

Very light
+2agreedisagree

Genius mode
+2agreedisagree

Extremely portable.
+1agreedisagree

Never skips
+1agreedisagree

great capacity for such a small device
+1agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
Doesn't charge with older chargers ( you need to buy all new equipment for it)
+6agreedisagree

scroll wheel is of lower quality than previous generations
+3agreedisagree

No WiFi
+2agreedisagree

Rounded screen can lead to glare
+2agreedisagree

created to be used as part of a closed system - iTunes, Apple music store and iPod
+2agreedisagree

Shake to shuffle isn't always picked up
+2agreedisagree

Accelerometer feature can't be turned off
+2agreedisagree

Limited codec support - No FLAC or WMA
+2agreedisagree

No FM Tuner
+2agreedisagree

Apple advertises 12 to 16 hours, but the device needs recharging after 6 hours.
+1agreedisagree

Can be controlled only through iTunes
+1agreedisagree

difficult to navigate/transfer files without itunes
+1agreedisagree

finger prints prone, need to clean every time u touch it
+1agreedisagree

user manual is not in detail. no information on initial charging etc
+1agreedisagree

Non-replaceable battery
+1agreedisagree

You MUST buy a case/shell for this device.
+1agreedisagree

NEED TO BUY SOFTWARE: In order to enable the cooler features - like syncing photo albums automatically, etc..., you need to purchase or own iLife (iPhoto specifically) 4.03 or better. If you have PC, you have to buy Adobe Photoshop Elements.
+1agreedisagree

Very fragile.
+1agreedisagree

Requires upgrade to iTunes 8 with significant hardware requirements
0agreedisagree


16 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!

Details

New Features

  • "Shake to Shuffle" - the Nano now has a built-in accelerometer which responds to shaking and randomly shuffles your music to a different song
  • Games - New games, made especially for the nano will be available through the iTunes store and will take advantage of the built-in accelerometer
  • Portrait mode - You can rotate your nano width-wise to view photos and videos, which gives you a 2-inch widescreen display
  • Cover Flow - Album art comes to the forefront with a new way of browsing albums (similar to the iPhone)
  • Genius Playlist - Apple makes playlists for you, based on your existing music library, creating music that flows together

iPod Nano Versions

  • 8GB version, $149, available in all 9 colors
  • 16GB version, $199, available in all 9 colors

Color options

This generation is being dubbed nano-chromatic because of its extensive array of colors including: silver, gunmetal, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and pink.

Submit a link

This report was started September 12, 2008 at 3:32 pm by Amanie
with the last edit occurring May 26, 2009 at 3:23 pm by vsaxena911
This page has been viewed 2128 times, with 226 edits by 20 contributors.
See the full report history »

Competitors

Apple iPod Nano is ranked 1st among it's competitors.  See the top picks in MP3 Players »

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Comments

1.  avatar dialupinternetuser said:

Once again, Apple has a not-worth-buying lower class iPod. I'm gonna have to go with overpriced and LAME.
Sep 23, 2008 9:36pm
2.  avatar Yale said:

I thought it was pretty lame before I went to the apple store and compared it to my 2nd generation Nano. Ridiculously thin, nicer screen (I didn't really notice the roundedness that looks way too evident in the pre-release leaked photos). The better software is just icing on the cake, and to be honest I didn't even look at it too closely. Not too shabby at all.

Would be nice if they built Nike+ into it (who wants to lug around a touch while running?)

Oct 01, 2008 2:46pm
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

Yale

avatar
May 7, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
82
negative
mixed
positive
9 pros
2 cons
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Ridiculously thin
  • Available in 9 different colors
  • Shake to shuffle
  • Engraveable for free
  • Returned back to taller, more desirable form factor
  • Accelerometer means you can watch videos in either portrait or landscape orientation
  • New voice recorder application when plugging in a microphone
  • updated software is a lot nicer than earlier generations
  • Accelerometer can be used for games

Cons

  • scroll wheel is of lower quality than previous generations
  • created to be used as part of a closed system - iTunes, Apple music store and iPod

Comments

"

I thought it was pretty lame before I went to the apple store and compared it to my 2nd generation Nano. Ridiculously thin, nicer screen (I didn't really notice the roundedness that looks way too evident in the pre-release leaked photos). The better software is just icing on the cake, and to be honest I didn't even look at it too closely. Not too shabby at all.

Would be nice if they built Nike+ into it (who wants to lug around a touch while running?)

"
Did you find this review helpful? Yes  /  No

Erik

avatar
October 1, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
70
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
3 cons
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Ridiculously thin
  • Available in 9 different colors
  • Shake to shuffle
  • Engraveable for free
  • Returned back to taller, more desirable form factor
  • Accelerometer means you can watch videos in either portrait or landscape orientation
  • New voice recorder application when plugging in a microphone

Cons

  • No WiFi
  • Rounded screen can lead to glare
  • Requires upgrade to iTunes 8 with significant hardware requirements

Did you find this review helpful? Yes  /  No

justafire

avatar
May 20, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
62
negative
mixed
positive
16 pros
10 cons

Pros

  • Ridiculously thin
  • Available in 9 different colors
  • Shake to shuffle
  • Engraveable for free
  • Returned back to taller, more desirable form factor
  • Accelerometer means you can watch videos in either portrait or landscape orientation
  • New voice recorder application when plugging in a microphone
  • updated software is a lot nicer than earlier generations
  • Accelerometer can be used for games
  • Excellent battery life
  • No lag at all when viewing pictures
  • Better looking than previous generations
  • Many funky colours to choose from
  • Shake to shuffle can be turned off
  • Very light
  • Genius mode

Cons

  • Doesn't charge with older chargers ( you need to buy all new equipment for it)
  • scroll wheel is of lower quality than previous generations
  • No WiFi
  • Rounded screen can lead to glare
  • created to be used as part of a closed system - iTunes, Apple music store and iPod
  • Shake to shuffle isn't always picked up
  • Accelerometer feature can't be turned off
  • Limited codec support - No FLAC or WMA
  • No FM Tuner
  • Requires upgrade to iTunes 8 with significant hardware requirements

Did you find this review helpful? Yes  /  No

ralli

avatar
May 19, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
63
negative
mixed
positive
12 pros
7 cons

Pros

  • Ridiculously thin
  • Available in 9 different colors
  • Shake to shuffle
  • Returned back to taller, more desirable form factor
  • Accelerometer means you can watch videos in either portrait or landscape orientation
  • New voice recorder application when plugging in a microphone
  • updated software is a lot nicer than earlier generations
  • Better looking than previous generations
  • Many funky colours to choose from
  • Shake to shuffle can be turned off
  • Very light
  • Genius mode

Cons

  • scroll wheel is of lower quality than previous generations
  • No WiFi
  • Rounded screen can lead to glare
  • Shake to shuffle isn't always picked up
  • Accelerometer feature can't be turned off
  • Limited codec support - No FLAC or WMA
  • No FM Tuner

Did you find this review helpful? Yes  /  No

scrap104

avatar
March 29, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
92
negative
mixed
positive
11 pros
1 con
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Ridiculously thin
  • Available in 9 different colors
  • Shake to shuffle
  • Engraveable for free
  • Returned back to taller, more desirable form factor
  • Accelerometer means you can watch videos in either portrait or landscape orientation
  • New voice recorder application when plugging in a microphone
  • updated software is a lot nicer than earlier generations
  • Accelerometer can be used for games
  • Excellent battery life
  • No lag at all when viewing pictures

Cons

  • Doesn't charge with older chargers ( you need to buy all new equipment for it)

Did you find this review helpful? Yes  /  No

Omar

avatar
March 3, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
82
negative
mixed
positive
9 pros
2 cons

Pros

  • Ridiculously thin
  • Available in 9 different colors
  • Shake to shuffle
  • Engraveable for free
  • Accelerometer means you can watch videos in either portrait or landscape orientation
  • updated software is a lot nicer than earlier generations
  • Accelerometer can be used for games
  • Excellent battery life
  • No lag at all when viewing pictures

Cons

  • Doesn't charge with older chargers ( you need to buy all new equipment for it)
  • No WiFi

Did you find this review helpful? Yes  /  No

fractalhorizon

avatar
January 7, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
82
negative
mixed
positive
9 pros
2 cons
love itlove it

Pros

  • Ridiculously thin
  • Available in 9 different colors
  • Shake to shuffle
  • Engraveable for free
  • Returned back to taller, more desirable form factor
  • Accelerometer means you can watch videos in either portrait or landscape orientation
  • New voice recorder application when plugging in a microphone
  • updated software is a lot nicer than earlier generations
  • Excellent battery life

Cons

  • Doesn't charge with older chargers ( you need to buy all new equipment for it)
  • Rounded screen can lead to glare

Competitors

fractalhorizon prefers Apple iPod Nano over iriver e50, Slacker G2, RCA Lyra Slider SL5008, RCA Lyra Slider SL5016
Did you find this review helpful? Yes  /  No

qubiiii

avatar
October 14, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
60
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
4 cons

Pros

  • Ridiculously thin
  • Available in 9 different colors
  • Shake to shuffle
  • Engraveable for free
  • Returned back to taller, more desirable form factor
  • Accelerometer means you can watch videos in either portrait or landscape orientation

Cons

  • Doesn't charge with older chargers ( you need to buy all new equipment for it)
  • No WiFi
  • Rounded screen can lead to glare
  • Requires upgrade to iTunes 8 with significant hardware requirements

Did you find this review helpful? Yes  /  No

lonehunter

avatar
January 4, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Ridiculously thin
  • Available in 9 different colors
  • Shake to shuffle
  • Engraveable for free
  • Returned back to taller, more desirable form factor
  • Accelerometer means you can watch videos in either portrait or landscape orientation
  • New voice recorder application when plugging in a microphone
  • updated software is a lot nicer than earlier generations

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful? Yes  /  No

Kelly

avatar
November 3, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
3 pros
0 cons
have ithave it
love itlove it

Pros

  • Ridiculously thin
  • Available in 9 different colors
  • Returned back to taller, more desirable form factor

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful? Yes  /  No
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