Very true. And, $149 for an Apple watch (that can also play music and do a few other things that watches normally cannot) does not seem like a bad deal at all.
I think Apple should advertise and sell it as such. I will ask for this iWatch from my kids for Christmas.
I hope the next upgrade comes with an optional wrist band and supports bluetooth headsets. That would be sooo neat.
I think the most interesting thing is how phenomenally well HTTP Live Streaming worked. How many people were watching this? How many DoS and other attacks did they deal with during the presentation today?
Really? I had to reload every five minutes or so as the video froze but the audio continued. It seems like it was struggling with the bandwidth-switching mechanism.
Also, occasionally I would suffer 2 minutes of the audio and video cutting in and out from a black screen. Not just freezing, it was: working-black-working-black-working at about half-second intervals.
I was actually a bit embarrassed for Apple through the whole thing. Aside from the lame HTTP streaming, we had the following:
- "whoops, we took all the buttons off the Shuffle and predictably we made it crap."
- "we're taking all the buttons off the Nano, but this time it'll be cool, honest."
- "people say the Touch is like an iPhone without the phone. So we're going to make it so it's even more like an iPhone without a phone. Really, the only thing we're leaving out now is the phone bit."
I was pretty disappointed by the whole thing. Plus, Chris Martin is a prat and can't sing.
Oh, by the way, I'm in the UK, so maybe that's why the video streaming was appalling. After all, we know that Apple has some vendetta against the UK!! Perhaps it's something to do with the Beatles!
Really? I had to reload every five minutes or so as the video froze but the audio continued. It seems like it was struggling with the bandwidth-switching mechanism.
Also, occasionally I would suffer 2 minutes of the audio and video cutting in and out from a black screen. Not just freezing, it was: working-black-working-black-working at about half-second intervals.
I was actually a bit embarrassed for Apple through the whole thing. Aside from the lame HTTP streaming, we had the following:
- "whoops, we took all the buttons off the Shuffle and predictably we made it crap."
- "we're taking all the buttons off the Nano, but this time it'll be cool, honest."
- "people say the Touch is like an iPhone without the phone. So we're going to make it so it's even more like an iPhone without a phone. Really, the only thing we're leaving out now is the phone bit."
I was pretty disappointed by the whole thing. Plus, Chris Martin is a prat and can't sing.
Oh, by the way, I'm in the UK, so maybe that's why the video streaming was appalling. After all, we know that Apple has some vendetta against the UK!! Perhaps it's something to do with the Beatles!
It worked great on my end and I?m not on a fast network, but it is a campus network so it is consistently slow (if that makes any sense). I was surprised by the size of the on screen image and its quality. I don?t think the streams of the keynotes and special events that open in QuickTime has ever worked so well, and I was getting much better quality. Note those are prerecorded.
Surely the UK could be different. After all, it adjusts the stream quality according to the worst connection along its path, and you would have many more hops than I do.
You do know that the new Nano has physical volume buttons?
Yes I know that, volume buttons aren't the concern here. Changing workouts during a run, pausing a workout at a light, checking the status of the run, all of these need detailed interaction. Something a very small sweaty touchscreen isn't going to accomplish.
Apple made an interesting and odd (to me) physical design decision in making the border/edge on the top and bottom much thinner (visually) than the sides. Looking at the dimensions (1.48" x 1.61") it seems they could have made it only slightly taller (1.61") and made that border visually the same on all four sides.
Seems like an odd detail to have overlooked (for Apple).
It definitely seems un-Apple. But people didn't "get" the iPad bezel, either, and I totally understand the iPad design now. Maybe touchy-feely with the new iPod nano aka SuperShuffle will help us understand the design.
It's an interesting device to add to the iPod lineup, but it's a huge downgrade from the previous generation Nano. The last one was already nearly perfect, all it needed was the capacity bumped up substantially enough that they could justify dropping the iPod Classic.
A lot of podcasts theses days are video podcasts. Most of them you don't need to actually watch them, but the video is the only version offered. No video on the new Nano means those podcasts won't sync.
Built-in clip on the nano is a big mistake. Not only does it make the device needlessly thicker, but the clips on the shuffles are terrible for running. The shuffle just pops off all the time, you need a case or a pocket to keep it with you.
Steve understood why people want physical buttons on the shuffle, but he doesn't understand why they are important on the Nano? Much like the Nano fatty, I predict this version will not last long in this form.
Just in case it hasn’t been stated, HTTP Live Streaming isn’t just for live events. The video of yesterday’s event on Apple’s site is streamed using HTTP Live Streaming if you are on an iDevice or using SL with Safari 4.x. Otherwise it’s using the older .MOV format.
You pause like you do on the shuffle, ipod touch, and iphone today: you click your earbud button once. Double-click to skip, Triple click to go back.
.
Except you look at the ads, the Nano doesn't have the in-line control headphones any more.. Anyone bought one yet to confirm/deny? Even on the commercial - click the nano once to get to 'advance track' mode, then 2nd click to advance track. (and probably an extra click to 'wake it form sleep' to begin with).
It's an interesting device to add to the iPod lineup, but it's a huge downgrade from the previous generation Nano. The last one was already nearly perfect, all it needed was the capacity bumped up substantially enough that they could justify dropping the iPod Classic.
A lot of podcasts theses days are video podcasts. Most of them you don't need to actually watch them, but the video is the only version offered. No video on the new Nano means those podcasts won't sync.
Built-in clip on the nano is a big mistake. Not only does it make the device needlessly thicker, but the clips on the shuffles are terrible for running. The shuffle just pops off all the time, you need a case or a pocket to keep it with you.
Steve understood why people want physical buttons on the shuffle, but he doesn't understand why they are important on the Nano? Much like the Nano fatty, I predict this version will not last long in this form.
agree bsenka. i was very skeptical of the no button shuffle. (a lot of folks in this same comment section thought it would prove brilliant.) i say the same for the new nano. it's a big disappointment. i agree with your prediction that it will flop. the price for its content level is ridiculously high. i really think this was a purposeful ploy by apple to get people to ditch the nano for the touch. which highlights btw, the notion that apple needs competition in the marketplace to keep them honest.
if they took away FM people would complain too. Its nice for people who go to gyms where you have to tune in to a radio station to hear the TVs.
How good is FM reception on portable devices in buildings?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffreytgilbert
you know what you can also get for 200 bucks? an xbox 360, a wii, or 2/3rds of a ps3.
Good luck carrying one of those around on a jog. Actually, that might not be a bad idea, sometimes carrying dead weight is good for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aslak
It seems much more likely that Apple just re-skinned the old iPod software and added a few things like touch support then get iOS working on this thing. iOS is overkill anyway for a device with no need for a TCP/IP stack.
It's possible, but it would seem that mimicking the look and flow (probably harder than just skinning) of iOS and adding multi touch to Pixio would be harder than cutting down iOS to fit the task.
Quote:
Also the apple website makes no mention of iOS for the nano.
I don't think they need to. They probably have no intention of offering apps, or maybe they might support them but don't want expectations to get out of hand before they finalize that. Speaking of which, this one doesn't support games, didn't the old nano play games?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich
You got it, but now give me a nice, thin band so I can wear this with regular clothes, not just a Jersey Shore Adidas track suit.
You might be able to just buy a bracelet that looks like a leather watch band.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RoadWarrior56
I won't keep ranting on the 6th Generation Nano's features and form factor or the fact that you get less for your money than the previous generation. And I won't even rant that the new model appears to be a solution in search of a problem.
It's hard to know which way it will go. People made the same complaint about the iPod mini, a lot less storage for not terribly much smaller. But it still sold better than the regular iPod at the same time. The novelty of the small size might win out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by athelas
well, IMAX is actually almost square and nobody complains, so what's the deal? :-)))
IMAX (1.4:1) is wider than Academy (1.37:1), . There are screens people think are square because they can't differentiate proportions (Academy, old TVs, etc) from a different shape, but the new nano screen really is square.
Before we just dismiss the 6G nano outright, let's actually get our hands on one and USE it. Why? Because it will take some getting used to the multitouch functionality of the new nano if you're not used to the touchscreen operation of the iPod touch or iPhone.
I want to try one and and see will it actually work decently. If it does, I do like the very small form factor, especially the ability to easily put it in my pocket.
Is there any confirmation the Nano is running iOS yet?
It the keynote at 27:50, Steve is demo'ing it and he drags an icon to the home screen and says "Just like I can with my other iOS devices," so that would seem to suggest it is (else he wouldn't have said "other.") But I could be reading to much in to one word.
But if so, it must be the most cut down version of OS X ever, with most of the background daemons not started, etc. And hopefully the parts they do start, they profiled and made as efficient as possible, and those performance improvements can feed back to the Mac.
Comments
Very true. And, $149 for an Apple watch (that can also play music and do a few other things that watches normally cannot) does not seem like a bad deal at all.
I think Apple should advertise and sell it as such. I will ask for this iWatch from my kids for Christmas.
I hope the next upgrade comes with an optional wrist band and supports bluetooth headsets. That would be sooo neat.
All this moaning about the new design, and no one has even tried them yet.
Sure it may not be what you want, but others will love it.
I have ordered a Product Red version, can't wait :-)
Congratulations!!! I still have to make up my mind wether to buy the nano or go straight to the touch.
well, IMAX is actually almost square and nobody complains, so what's the deal? :-)))
right right, and weren't most TVs square untill just a few years ago when wide screeen became popular?
So go get them? Who is making you buy an iPod nano, tell me then we can protect you!
literally made me LOL.... very cute
I think the most interesting thing is how phenomenally well HTTP Live Streaming worked. How many people were watching this? How many DoS and other attacks did they deal with during the presentation today?
Really? I had to reload every five minutes or so as the video froze but the audio continued. It seems like it was struggling with the bandwidth-switching mechanism.
Also, occasionally I would suffer 2 minutes of the audio and video cutting in and out from a black screen. Not just freezing, it was: working-black-working-black-working at about half-second intervals.
I was actually a bit embarrassed for Apple through the whole thing. Aside from the lame HTTP streaming, we had the following:
- "whoops, we took all the buttons off the Shuffle and predictably we made it crap."
- "we're taking all the buttons off the Nano, but this time it'll be cool, honest."
- "people say the Touch is like an iPhone without the phone. So we're going to make it so it's even more like an iPhone without a phone. Really, the only thing we're leaving out now is the phone bit."
I was pretty disappointed by the whole thing. Plus, Chris Martin is a prat and can't sing.
Oh, by the way, I'm in the UK, so maybe that's why the video streaming was appalling. After all, we know that Apple has some vendetta against the UK!! Perhaps it's something to do with the Beatles!
Really? I had to reload every five minutes or so as the video froze but the audio continued. It seems like it was struggling with the bandwidth-switching mechanism.
Also, occasionally I would suffer 2 minutes of the audio and video cutting in and out from a black screen. Not just freezing, it was: working-black-working-black-working at about half-second intervals.
I was actually a bit embarrassed for Apple through the whole thing. Aside from the lame HTTP streaming, we had the following:
- "whoops, we took all the buttons off the Shuffle and predictably we made it crap."
- "we're taking all the buttons off the Nano, but this time it'll be cool, honest."
- "people say the Touch is like an iPhone without the phone. So we're going to make it so it's even more like an iPhone without a phone. Really, the only thing we're leaving out now is the phone bit."
I was pretty disappointed by the whole thing. Plus, Chris Martin is a prat and can't sing.
Oh, by the way, I'm in the UK, so maybe that's why the video streaming was appalling. After all, we know that Apple has some vendetta against the UK!! Perhaps it's something to do with the Beatles!
It worked great on my end and I?m not on a fast network, but it is a campus network so it is consistently slow (if that makes any sense). I was surprised by the size of the on screen image and its quality. I don?t think the streams of the keynotes and special events that open in QuickTime has ever worked so well, and I was getting much better quality. Note those are prerecorded.
Surely the UK could be different. After all, it adjusts the stream quality according to the worst connection along its path, and you would have many more hops than I do.
You do know that the new Nano has physical volume buttons?
Yes I know that, volume buttons aren't the concern here. Changing workouts during a run, pausing a workout at a light, checking the status of the run, all of these need detailed interaction. Something a very small sweaty touchscreen isn't going to accomplish.
OMG! Alert Jony! He overlooked the basic shape and form!
It's OK. You can calm down now.
Apple made an interesting and odd (to me) physical design decision in making the border/edge on the top and bottom much thinner (visually) than the sides. Looking at the dimensions (1.48" x 1.61") it seems they could have made it only slightly taller (1.61") and made that border visually the same on all four sides.
Seems like an odd detail to have overlooked (for Apple).
It definitely seems un-Apple. But people didn't "get" the iPad bezel, either, and I totally understand the iPad design now. Maybe touchy-feely with the new iPod nano aka SuperShuffle will help us understand the design.
A lot of podcasts theses days are video podcasts. Most of them you don't need to actually watch them, but the video is the only version offered. No video on the new Nano means those podcasts won't sync.
Built-in clip on the nano is a big mistake. Not only does it make the device needlessly thicker, but the clips on the shuffles are terrible for running. The shuffle just pops off all the time, you need a case or a pocket to keep it with you.
Steve understood why people want physical buttons on the shuffle, but he doesn't understand why they are important on the Nano? Much like the Nano fatty, I predict this version will not last long in this form.
Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot!?
Yankee-Hotel-Foxtrot
Anyone willing to test and compare the two?
You pause like you do on the shuffle, ipod touch, and iphone today: you click your earbud button once. Double-click to skip, Triple click to go back.
.
Except you look at the ads, the Nano doesn't have the in-line control headphones any more.. Anyone bought one yet to confirm/deny? Even on the commercial - click the nano once to get to 'advance track' mode, then 2nd click to advance track. (and probably an extra click to 'wake it form sleep' to begin with).
It's an interesting device to add to the iPod lineup, but it's a huge downgrade from the previous generation Nano. The last one was already nearly perfect, all it needed was the capacity bumped up substantially enough that they could justify dropping the iPod Classic.
A lot of podcasts theses days are video podcasts. Most of them you don't need to actually watch them, but the video is the only version offered. No video on the new Nano means those podcasts won't sync.
Built-in clip on the nano is a big mistake. Not only does it make the device needlessly thicker, but the clips on the shuffles are terrible for running. The shuffle just pops off all the time, you need a case or a pocket to keep it with you.
Steve understood why people want physical buttons on the shuffle, but he doesn't understand why they are important on the Nano? Much like the Nano fatty, I predict this version will not last long in this form.
agree bsenka. i was very skeptical of the no button shuffle. (a lot of folks in this same comment section thought it would prove brilliant.) i say the same for the new nano. it's a big disappointment. i agree with your prediction that it will flop. the price for its content level is ridiculously high. i really think this was a purposeful ploy by apple to get people to ditch the nano for the touch. which highlights btw, the notion that apple needs competition in the marketplace to keep them honest.
if they took away FM people would complain too. Its nice for people who go to gyms where you have to tune in to a radio station to hear the TVs.
How good is FM reception on portable devices in buildings?
you know what you can also get for 200 bucks? an xbox 360, a wii, or 2/3rds of a ps3.
Good luck carrying one of those around on a jog. Actually, that might not be a bad idea, sometimes carrying dead weight is good for you.
It seems much more likely that Apple just re-skinned the old iPod software and added a few things like touch support then get iOS working on this thing. iOS is overkill anyway for a device with no need for a TCP/IP stack.
It's possible, but it would seem that mimicking the look and flow (probably harder than just skinning) of iOS and adding multi touch to Pixio would be harder than cutting down iOS to fit the task.
Also the apple website makes no mention of iOS for the nano.
I don't think they need to. They probably have no intention of offering apps, or maybe they might support them but don't want expectations to get out of hand before they finalize that. Speaking of which, this one doesn't support games, didn't the old nano play games?
You got it, but now give me a nice, thin band so I can wear this with regular clothes, not just a Jersey Shore Adidas track suit.
You might be able to just buy a bracelet that looks like a leather watch band.
I won't keep ranting on the 6th Generation Nano's features and form factor or the fact that you get less for your money than the previous generation. And I won't even rant that the new model appears to be a solution in search of a problem.
It's hard to know which way it will go. People made the same complaint about the iPod mini, a lot less storage for not terribly much smaller. But it still sold better than the regular iPod at the same time. The novelty of the small size might win out.
well, IMAX is actually almost square and nobody complains, so what's the deal? :-)))
IMAX (1.4:1) is wider than Academy (1.37:1), . There are screens people think are square because they can't differentiate proportions (Academy, old TVs, etc) from a different shape, but the new nano screen really is square.
I want to try one and and see will it actually work decently. If it does, I do like the very small form factor, especially the ability to easily put it in my pocket.
you know what you can also get for 200 bucks? an xbox 360, a wii, or 2/3rds of a ps3.
Ya right.. Try running along with your xbox in a gym..!
It the keynote at 27:50, Steve is demo'ing it and he drags an icon to the home screen and says "Just like I can with my other iOS devices," so that would seem to suggest it is (else he wouldn't have said "other.") But I could be reading to much in to one word.
But if so, it must be the most cut down version of OS X ever, with most of the background daemons not started, etc. And hopefully the parts they do start, they profiled and made as efficient as possible, and those performance improvements can feed back to the Mac.
Hmmm...... Did it seem like it could not play video!?
they crippled it
the old model was pretty cool
now we have no video or photos