“The third-generation iPod nano introduced at last year’s Apple Event just never seemed to take off with the public like the second-gen model did. Why? Though the screen was big and beautiful for such a tiny device, it just didn’t feel right. Its form factor was more awkward in the hand than its predecessor, and, well, consumers just plain didn’t like it,” Jacqui Cheng reports for Ars Technica.
“Apple obviously noticed this problem as well,” Cheng reports. “The company doesn’t release sales data for each type of iPod, but the fat nano couldn’t have been selling well, so its design was scrapped. (Like Super Mario Bros. 2, both Apple and the general public are likely to pretend that the third-gen iPod nano never existed). This fall, Apple made a triumphant return to the form factor that everyone loved in the second-gen iPod nano, but with some improvements. All hail the fourth-generation iPod nano!”
MacDailyNews Takee: We see no proof offered by Cheng that Apple’s 3rd-gen iPod nano was or wasn’t selling well. Using the “logic” that it was replaced by a new design as the “proof” of its failure to sell well flies in the face of iPod history, where fast-selling models (iPod mini, for just one example among many) were replaced by Apple while they were selling very well. It’s nice to have pet theories, but let’s not report them as fact, Jacqui.
Cheng continues, “As an Apple-made portable media device, the 4G iPod nano is quite solid—surprisingly so, given the fact that half the world has already moved on to the iPhone and iPod touch. But the new nano gives potential buyers—including many of our own readers and forum posters—a reason to think of ways to work a nano back into their lives. One for the gym? Sure. An iPod exclusively for the car? Go for it. At $150 and $200 for the 8GB and 16GB versions, it’s relatively cheap to add the new nano to your collection.”
“For us, the new features enabled by the addition of the accelerometer shake to shuffle, and turning the iPod on its side to watch things in widescreen mode) make it worth the money. And, of course, clicker-headphone support and Genius playlists don’t hurt either. As a non-touch iPod, this is one of the strongest yet, and even the most seasoned iPod owners will find something to be interested in with the new nano,” Cheng reports. “It has been nothing but a joy to use.”
Full review here.
I LOVE APPLE (IPODS, MACS AND EVERYTHING) MICROSOFT MUST DIE INTO APPLE’S HANDS!!! IN THE FUTURE!!!! MAC RULES GO APPLE!!
Screen glare seems to be the most favored talking point for anti-iPod trolls. “I was finally looking forward to buying an iPod nano but there’s too much screen glare.”
It’s “iPhone fingerprints” all over again. They both only show when the screen is black.
Cheng is probably basing that “didn’t sell well” on rumour.
Steve Jobs was quoted as saying that “people didn’t like (the design) as much” (or words to that effect), when describing the 3rd gen one and as explanation for why they went back to the candy-bar form factor.
The trouble is Steve didn’t back that up with anything either and historically when Steve Jobs says “people didn’t like it,” half the time he really means “Steve Jobs didn’t like it.”
@Jeremy
Yeah, kinda like “people” didn’t like the MobileMe launch. Has “people” set any more buildings on fire back at Apple HQ?
Where’s the troll on this site that is so discombobulated by the iMac’s glossy screen? He must be beside himself with the new nano.
If Steve didn’t like it, it wouldn’t have been released.
I tend to believe there was a drop in sales. It might not have reflected in total numbers because an increase in shuffle sales could’ve compensated (or any number of factors). But Apple has the internals and the 3G nano came in below expectations.
I mean look at the paths Apple could’ve taken to create a video nano. Obviously the 4G is the first thing they came up with. Stretch the screen, slide the clickwheel down a bit. It’s ABC. It’s what the world expected. Apple purposely went in a new direction because they wanted to differentiate their product. They also wanted the clickwheel to always be its rightful orientation. It failed and they went back to Plan A.
They made a mistake and quickly corrected it. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that.
“Admit” whatever you want, R2. You still have no proof whatsoever.
It’s called logic, Peter. That’s all the proof I need.
I guess you figure it was part of the big plan, huh? Deviate from the nano form factor for one generation and then come right back a year later? They did it to shake up the industry, huh? LOL.
And when Steve said that people didn’t warm to the 3G nano design, what exactly was he using to gauge the reception? Online surveys? Scanning the comments at gadget blogs?
There’s only one thing that talks to Apple: MONEY! If the 3G nano was selling like gangbusters it’d still be on shelves across the world short, stout and proud.
The mini analogy doesn’t fit. The key there was positioning the line away from hard drives and embracing flash memory. It was part of a long term goal, one that probably couldn’t begin to take shape before the mini’s release. These nano changes are aesthetic. Is there anything Apple did with the 4G nano that they couldn’t do a year ago?
Pastels may never be out of style in Florida but nobody wanted to buy into the colors offered with the 3G units
Why use the phrase “one of the strongest non-touch iPods yet” when you’re not referring to durability?
R2:
“And when Steve said that people didn’t warm to the 3G nano design, what exactly was he using to gauge the reception?”
Had the 3G nano been selling up to Apple’s expectectations, would it have been replaced? I doubt it.
It’s funny because when rumors of the 3G nano surfaced, people seemed to dislike the chunky form factor. Now people a shocked, shocked that it wasn’t as popular as the “classic” iPod mini/nano rectangular shape.
None of it matters any more. The 3G nano is gone.
As for the glossy screen, you don’t stare at an iPod’s screen all day long, so it’s not really much of an issue.
I bought a black iPod Nano on Monday and once it had charged and synched with the PC, I have found it very easy to use. If you keep pressing Menu, you can find various menus of things you want even without reading the instructions. A couple of Menu presses gets the songs, or the videos, or the top menu with everything. I like “Cover Flow” which scrolls through the cover artwork and lets you select that way. And if you can’t sleep it’s fun watching a music video or two in bed without disturbing your partner.
The sound quality is fantastic. The video screen is very sharp; there is some glare but I am sure there is a brightness control. There are also 3 free games and a few free tunes, which got me very confused and thinking “what the hell is this music?” but it’s the thought that counts.
My only criticism is that the headphones could be more comfortable. They hook into the ear, pinch slightly and often fall out. A small loop to hook round the outer shell of the ear would be more comfortable, but might look a bit like a hearing aid. Otherwise it’s a fantastic new toy, and I will probably not need to store over 2,000 songs on it.