“People familiar with the matter indicated that the size and shape of the device, revealed this week through photos of third-party cases, will be more akin to the iPod shuffle than the current-generation iPod nano,” Hughes and Jade report. “Even with this small size, however, it is expected to have a traditional iPod dock connector, allowing compatibility with the existing iPod accessory ecosystem.”
“The new iPod nano is said to utilize a tiny 3cm-by-3cm display that was revealed in its bare form as unknown Apple-branded component earlier this summer,” Hughes and Jade report. “For comparison, the second-generation iPod nano had a screen that was about 3cm by 2.5cm.”
Hughes and Jade report, “It is not clear how input will be handled with Apple’s new iPod nano. Previous reports indicated that the new, small display will be a touchscreen, though its limited available real estate could make navigation difficult.”
There’s much more in the full article, including images, here.
Dude, chill with the updates. You’re making me work on Saturday.
Why does Apple keep screwing with the nano? Didn’t they learn their lesson the first time when they played with the form factor and it resulted in that monstrosity known as the 3rdGen?
This is bogus. Bigger news than this is coming Wednesday.
3 cm x 3 cm seems awfully small.
Sept 1 is iPods & music. Separate event for AppleTV, cloud-sync.
If they put facetime on the nano, they would instead be better off making a Dick Tracy wristwatch with facetime. That would sell big time.
Jesus, Apple, can’t you leave good enough alone? You TOTALLY DESTROYED the iPod Shuffle because it’s totally unusable now, and now you’re going to destroy the iPod Nano as well? Perhaps it’s time for Steve Jobs to step down. This is getting ridiculous already.
This rumour seems to be gaining some cred. If a new nano can effectively replace the 3rd generation shuffle, that would be great. The in-line controls on the present shuffle force you to use Apple’s ear buds, which don’t work for me.
If it was that easy and obvious, the competition would’t be 5 years behind and Apple wouldn’t be that far ahead of it….
Trying to second guess Apple is an exercise in futility.
So… What technical advantage would a 3G enabled iPod touch have over the iPhone? Yeah, yeah, there would be no contract but I am talking about usability…
The Nano will lose the click-wheel, it’s just a matter of time. Do we really want Apple to “leave well enough alone?” They wouldn’t have evolved the original iPod or developed the iPhone.
The current iPod nano has reached its form-factor design optimum, just as the original (hard drive -based) iPod form-factor reached its optimal design a few years ago with the iPod classic. You can’t do too much more to the current iPod nano improve it, other than increase storage and tweak its software.
What Apple should do is continue to sell it mostly as is, just as Apple continues to sell the iPod classic mostly as is. But bring back an old name and rename it iPod mini. Add this brand new rumored iPod model (that is truly “nano-sized”) as the new iPod nano.
So the iPod lineup would be:
iPod shuffle (tiny clip-on iPod with no screen)
iPod nano (rumored tiny iPod with screen)
iPod mini (“classic” click-wheel iPod with flash storage)
iPod classic (“classic” click-wheel iPod with hard drive storage)
iPod touch (iPhone minus phone)
(I think the current iPod classic with a storage upgrade to 200GB should continue in the lineup, as long as it keeps selling.)
iOS 4 update for iPad?
I’ll take a 240GB iPod classic too. Too bad that Solid State storage is still too pricey for iPod classic level capacity.
Star Trek communicator pin, anyone? We now nearly have the tricorder (iPhone 5?), the keyboard less utility iPad. The next device would definitely be something meant to be worn on clothing. “Jobs to Ives – come in Ives…”
Next year, iChat/Face Time anywhere – join into the same session whether you are on the iPhone, iPod, iPad, or regular Mac.
One inch square nano with front facing camera and WiFi. Tens of millions of FaceTime capable devices?
@microme. There are a ton of 3rd party earbuds and headphones with the remote that work with the shuffle.
I’m still going to be surprised if September 1is their annual iPod refresh/launch. I don’t recall they’ve ever done that during a Back-to-School promo involving iPods.
Um, the OLD shuffle. thanks
Maybe it could be for the next Shuffle because to be honest, the 2nd Generation iPod Shuffle was the Most loved version.
The Latest shuffle is just trash the way it is. More difficult to use and theres little 3rd party headphones Avail for it It just make sense for it to be the shuffle. I mean, it just won’t be comfortable to hold that small of a devise to use for video recording purposes. How would u hold it without getting your fingers over the screen?? Just awkward.
Maybe it’s really the next Shuffle. I can’t see Apple taking the nano down to that size factor – they would have to drop the camera which was just added in the last gen.
@Scubaboy
I don’t know about a “ton”, but I do know of three. They all cost extra, and one of them, the Belkin, has a poor reliability reputation, if the online reviews are to be believed.
In my view, shifting the Shuffle controls to the earbud line was a mistake, or at least Apple should have continued to offer the 2nd generation shuffle as an alternative. I’m hoping the rumoured nano will offer the compromise (or maybe the best of both worlds) of a shuffle-sized iPod with controls on the main unit.
No 3G iPad touch and I doubt the small nano just would not work. Not everyone wants a touch iPod.
@scubaboy
As far as belkin hardware is concerned, any online reviews that suggest bad experiences should be believed. Belkin is shit. Pure and simple. Do yourself a favor, Stay away from all their shit.
Sorry last post was for micro me