Apple's iPod Nano Event

By Andrew Ehinger

PC or Mac. Its been a war between two computer companies for years. Though either company hasn't gone the way of Betamax or more recently HD-DVD into electronic obscurity, yo cool products. But probably the one that's created the most buzz and cash for Apple is the iPod.

iPod - the name is now synonymous for portable music player like Xerox is for a copy or Rollerblade is for in-line skates. So when Apple hinted it would unveil its rumored new iPod Nano, I pulled every string I could and flew out to San Francisco to bring you the story.  

Why - you ask - it's just an iPod. Well the iPod is the king of music players. In fact Apple CEO Steve Jobs who runs all of Apple's unveilings in his trademark black mock turtle neck, jeans and sneakers said the iPod controls 73.4% of the US market share in portable music players. Microsoft is the next closest with 15.4%. Apple is the 500 pound gorilla when it comes to portable music players. But this day was all about Apple's new one - and Steve Job did not disappoint.

The new Nano (4th generation) returns to the longer look of it's first and second generation relatives. It seems as if the short and squat look of the third generation iPod was not as popular. However this new iPod has the exact same size screen - it's just turned 90 degrees to a vertical position. The new Nano is sleeker, with a curved glass screen, and oval when seen from the side. Its got some new software that's borrowed heavily from the iPhone/Touch in addition to an accelerometer. That allows the Nano to know when it's turned on its side and will adjust the screen (photos, music covers and movies) accordingly. The accelerometer also give the Nano it's first unique feature - the Shake to Shuffle.

When you shake the Nano in a certain way it will automatically play a new song from your play list. I tried the feature and it works pretty well. But joggers don't fear, it takes a dramatic shake to change the song - so no worries if you use it when you exercise. The new Nano also has the ability to record audio without a third party attachment. It will detect a microphone in a new headset (coming out in October from Apple) and can record simple audio for later playback or even podcasts. 

Even with all of these new features and 9 new colors some critics say the 4G Nano is just the same old player with a new coat of paint. I disagree and feel Apple has gone in the right direction with its Nano. It brings back the more longer, thinner and comfortable shape, adds the accelerometer, and even lowered the price for the 8Gb model. If you've been wanting to upgrade to a new Nano from a first or second generation model, now may be the time.

Next blog: A look at the Apple iPod Touch.