Apple's next-gen iPod nano takes its lumps as current models run dry
It isn't even available yet, but Apple's likely successor to the iPod nano has been dubbed the red-headed (and overweight) stepchild of the lineup by the online media.
A recently leaked image on the web suggests that the as yet unnamed sequel to Apple's mid-range iPod nano would resemble a stubby blend between today's model and the company's full-size players, borrowing the width and larger screen of the video iPod but the colorful look and short body of the more diminutive nano. The photo also showed the iPod in five paler (and more controversial) variants of today's iPod nano colors.
The squat, out-of-proportion look has been dismissed by some as a hoax. But after a swift attack by Apple's legal team -- which essentially confirmed the widely syndicated image as authentic by claiming it was "stolen" from the company -- online news media quickly savaged the new player, hinting that Apple's new darling could stand to slim down its wide-hipped look.
Gizmodo was first out of the gates with a mockup image and an ample dose of blunt criticism. "Compared to the iPhone, we think it looks like crap a step back," said blog editor Jesus Diaz. "It better be 3mm thin -- or else."
Other sites that followed were even less kind to the jukebox, with Engadget unflatteringly naming it the "iPod nano 'phatty'" and comment posters labeling it the "Danny DeVito of iPods." At iLounge, a size comparison harshly christened the mystery player as the "iPod bilbo" -- a not especially subtle jab at its Hobbit-like appearance.
Giz-style rendition of third-gen iPod nano (aka "iPod phatty") | Source | Gizmodo
Whatever the reaction, checks by AppleInsider with multiple suppliers make it clear that the a nano replacement is on its way to stores as soon as next week. Best Buy and Target retailers across the US have all but run out of the flash-based player on shelves and in warehouses. Some hopeful buyers have simply been turned back by store clerks who neither had players to sell nor an estimate of when new models would be ready.
For those that had received advanced notice from their suppliers, deliveries weren't set to resume until at least September 6th, according to the reports. This follows just a day after the planned Apple event where the company is expected to announce Mac OS X-based replacements for the majority of its iPod line.
And while the 'fatboy' nano is almost certain to be one of these replacements along with a refreshed iPod shuffles, additional sources have observed that 30GB and 80GB models are listed as discontinued or otherwise impossible to order from regular buyers, further hinting at the much-anticipated arrival of a video iPod akin to the iPhone.
A recently leaked image on the web suggests that the as yet unnamed sequel to Apple's mid-range iPod nano would resemble a stubby blend between today's model and the company's full-size players, borrowing the width and larger screen of the video iPod but the colorful look and short body of the more diminutive nano. The photo also showed the iPod in five paler (and more controversial) variants of today's iPod nano colors.
The squat, out-of-proportion look has been dismissed by some as a hoax. But after a swift attack by Apple's legal team -- which essentially confirmed the widely syndicated image as authentic by claiming it was "stolen" from the company -- online news media quickly savaged the new player, hinting that Apple's new darling could stand to slim down its wide-hipped look.
Gizmodo was first out of the gates with a mockup image and an ample dose of blunt criticism. "Compared to the iPhone, we think it looks like crap a step back," said blog editor Jesus Diaz. "It better be 3mm thin -- or else."
Other sites that followed were even less kind to the jukebox, with Engadget unflatteringly naming it the "iPod nano 'phatty'" and comment posters labeling it the "Danny DeVito of iPods." At iLounge, a size comparison harshly christened the mystery player as the "iPod bilbo" -- a not especially subtle jab at its Hobbit-like appearance.
Giz-style rendition of third-gen iPod nano (aka "iPod phatty") | Source | Gizmodo
Whatever the reaction, checks by AppleInsider with multiple suppliers make it clear that the a nano replacement is on its way to stores as soon as next week. Best Buy and Target retailers across the US have all but run out of the flash-based player on shelves and in warehouses. Some hopeful buyers have simply been turned back by store clerks who neither had players to sell nor an estimate of when new models would be ready.
For those that had received advanced notice from their suppliers, deliveries weren't set to resume until at least September 6th, according to the reports. This follows just a day after the planned Apple event where the company is expected to announce Mac OS X-based replacements for the majority of its iPod line.
And while the 'fatboy' nano is almost certain to be one of these replacements along with a refreshed iPod shuffles, additional sources have observed that 30GB and 80GB models are listed as discontinued or otherwise impossible to order from regular buyers, further hinting at the much-anticipated arrival of a video iPod akin to the iPhone.
Comments
I agree. That's just not pleasing to the eye.
What we will see on Tuesday will be :-
1. iPod shuffle, no change except a new colour - Red
2. iPod nano, new colours, new interface, maybe slightly smaller, but possible no change in the physical layout.
3. New iPod category - the design we are talking about in this thread, same screen size as the current iPod viedo, but much smaller, less capacity, etc
4. Possibly a touch iPod similar to the iPhone using a touch interface, BUT this may not be ready quite yet. So instead we may just get the current iPod video upgraded with larger discs and the new interface, perhaps a little thinner and better battery life.
One thing is for sure these images are NOT the new iPod nano.
Ian
1. iPod (Full-Screen) (80GB+)
2. iPod Flash (Fatboy) (8GB 16GB)
3. iPod Nano (4GB 8GB)
4. iPod Shuffle (1GB 2GB)
One thing is for sure these images are NOT the new iPod nano.
Ian
How are you so sure, parky -- I mean -- Ian?
Throw them all in the sea!
Chop off the designers' heads with a samurai sword!
C'mon they're not that bad. Maybe you need the extra space to hold it to you can operate the touch screen with your other hand.
Dunno. I kind of like the 'fatboy'.
Yeah, looks good to me.
Put a stick underneath it and call it the iPod Dove bar.
How are you so sure, parky -- I mean -- Ian?
Sorry - no comment.
Ian
I really hope that this new "supersized" nano is just a rumour. That is one ugly nano...
How many times do I need to say this - IT IS NOT THE NEW iPod nano!!
It is the new iPod Video - flash based, smaller size, new interface, 8GB and 16GB.
The nano will still exist!!
Do they think Apple still designs products in the Jobs family garage? Whatever these next iPods look like, it will largely be in response to extensive consumer testing -- the opinions of real customers who have touched and used sample iPods, not merely stared at Photoshop mockups.
What's more, who says the present Nano design is state of the art? You need a larger form factor to accomodate a video screen big enough to display a movie at comfortable size.
This is clearly NOT a replacement for the iPod nano, it is in fact a flash based iPod video with probably 8GB and 16GB capacities.
What we will see on Tuesday will be :-
1. iPod shuffle, no change except a new colour - Red
2. iPod nano, new colours, new interface, maybe slightly smaller, but possible no change in the physical layout.
3. New iPod category - the design we are talking about in this thread, same screen size as the current iPod viedo, but much smaller, less capacity, etc
4. Possibly a touch iPod similar to the iPhone using a touch interface, BUT this may not be ready quite yet. So instead we may just get the current iPod video upgraded with larger discs and the new interface, perhaps a little thinner and better battery life.
One thing is for sure these images are NOT the new iPod nano.
Ian
No, not a new category, but a rebirth of an old one. The iPod mini returns.
I like the design, even if it's the nano, I still like it.
I have some friends that like the mini's wider form factor and never got nanos because they hated the design, I think they'll like this better
Dunno. I kind of like the 'fatboy'.
I at least like the fact that it will, if photo is correct, have a larger screen!
I thought the new iMac was ho-hum, until I saw it in person, which seeing it in the 'flesh' looked better than it's photos.
If this photo is for real, I say to the naysayers, see it in person, get a chance to hold it in your hands, see how the photos and other things look on the larger screen, etc., etc. You are only criticizing it now because of what you are so used to. I bet all those making cat calls would still be doing it if the iPod nano's or mini's or whatever were short and fat since it's product launch and then Apple came out with the design that it currently has. People would say that it has gone anorexic or something to that nature...
Wait and see, my friends, wait and see...
This is supposed to be a new model inbetween the nano and the iPod, which will be updated to a touchscreen form factor like the iPhone.
It's an upgrade from the nano with a bigger screen and video playback. To make the screen bigger, you have to make it wider, simple as that. And if it's wider, you can keep it short or you can add unnecessary height to keep it more "skinny". The other alternative is to switch to a sideways landscape layout with the control wheel off to one side, which I think would get an even harsher reaction.
Personally, I want the biggest screen in the smallest form factor. This seems to be the best way to do it on a model that still has a clickwheel.
I think many of the doubters are going to change their tune once they see this on and playing a video, next to a nano. Faced with that, who is really going to argue that they should have kept a way smaller screen just for the sake of a "pretty shape"?