“Apple’s fourth generation (4G) iPod nano melds the best of nanos old and new: specifically the older, more popular tall-and-slim design with the newer, larger screen from the third-generation player. At $149 for 8GB, and $199 for 16GB, the nano is impressively priced given its additions, including a built-in accelerometer (a la iPod touch) which flips the screen orientation, on-the-go Genius playlists, and the gimmicky-but-fun “shake to shuffle” feature. It’s one of the best looking and most successfully executed flash players ever created, and like any good gadget, it’s fun to use, despite its sophisticated user interface,” Tim Gideon reports for PC Magazine.
“Although I really liked last year’s third-generation fat nano, the iPod nano 4G represents a clear improvement in both form and function. The scroll wheel and subtly tweaked user interface work as quickly and as intuitively as ever. The accelerometer’s greatest feat is not the shake trick, but the screen shifting option that allows for a better photo and video viewing experience on what, ultimately, is still a very small player. The added Genius and shake-to-shuffle features aren’t exactly groundbreaking, but they do show that the king of digital audio devices isn’t asleep at the wheel. It’s continual minor tweaks like these to the venerable iPod line that keeps Apple’s stronghold on portable media player market intact. Once again, with the nano 4G, Apple has produced the coolest, slickest, and most intuitive sub-$200 flash player you can get, and easily earns our Editors’ Choice,” Gideon reports.
Full article here.
I’m glad that PC magazine is no longer a microsoft lamer… I know it has some time that gives good reviews of apple products, but still can’t forget when they declared windows ME “Product of the year”.
Of course it does. The lust factor in the Chromatic color choice alone blows the competitors marketing wheels off. The Glass covered Screen and One piece Aluminum body Trashes the cheap plastic cases everyone else offers.
iPod = Quality = Apple
This is what the rest of the computer industry fears.
Going are the days of it’s good enough ship it. That philosophy is being killed off and the computer and cellular industries are struggling to improve and keep up with the leader in quality products and most innovative designs.
“despite its sophisticated user interface”
WTF does that mean? He desperately needed to find something negative to write?
What exactly was negative about that phrase???
@ Mobus.
WTF did you read that I did not? It’s called context.
@ @Modbus
“despite” = in spite of, original usage: scorn. That’s pretty effin’ negative.
” . . . it’s fun to use, despite its sophisticated user interface . . .”
Here’s WTF:
despite |diˈspīt|
preposition
without being affected by; in spite of : he remains a great leader despite age and infirmity.
ORIGIN Middle English (originally used as a noun meaning [contempt, scorn] in the phrase in despite of): from Old French despit, from Latin despectus ‘looking down on,’ past participle (used as a noun) of despicere (see despise ).
P.S. Thanks, Botvinnik.
He’s saying “it’s fun even though it’s UI is sophisticated.” The only way to parse that is
sophisticated = negative
So the reviewer is a hillbilly?
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The more I think about it, he’s just using “sophisticated” wrong. He thinks it means “complicated” or “detailed” or “high end” or some such. Like it’s a deep complicated UI that can do all kinds of stuff, but one that is still fun and easy to use on the surface.
I think the implication, Modbus, was that the benefit of a super-sophisticated interface does not make it any harder to use. Sometimes, the more powerful a product, the harder it is to work because it’s poorly executed. Not the case with apple, and this guy knows it.
Yeah, standardmess. That’s possible. It seemed like an unnecessary pejorative intent.
sophisticate
verb |səˈfistəˌkāt| [ trans. ]
• develop (something such as a piece of equipment or a technique) into a more complex form : functions that other software applications have sophisticated.
Even though it’s user interface is state of the art, cutting edge, it’s a blast to use.
Get it now?
“Get it now?”
Whatever.
A re-launch of the 2G Nano with slightly different cosmetics, a 3G sized screen and more memory. Not much reason to upgrade here.