New iPod Nano Hands On
Here’s the new iPod nano. The paint is less matte, more shiny. The corners seem less sharp (a previous complaint of mine). But physically, it’s about the same. The differences are inside.
The camera hole is on the bottom left of the face, so you end up putting your fingers over the lens and mic a lot if you’re right handed. Slightly annoying.
The video recording is a capable 640×480, and there are 16 or so video effects you can overlay in real time onto your video. There’s no zooming or editing, so this is barebones, but for quick video that you can take when you need it, it’s pretty decent. Note: It does not take still photos.
Its pedometer functionality works as you’d expect. Same with the voice recorder—they’re both straightforward, and the voice recorder is basically the same one you’ve seen on the iPhone.
The FM radio has the same problem that small devices have with radio in that you need to have your headphones in to get reception. Not a huge deal with the nano, since you’re going to always have your headphones in anyway. But we didn’t get a chance to test FM reception since there were no headphones available.
All in all it feels exactly like the old nano, except with new features—which is the point. So yeah, the polished/glossy finish looks very nice, and the new features like voiceover are useful if you’re into that.
Have a look at our video, plus the full details.
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@MontgomeryAphaea: Video quality = Pre-Google Youtube. In other words, you're better off with a Flip.
It would make so much more sense if the camera was on top and all you had to do was press the button in the middle of the wheel! What were they thinking!? Looks solid other then that.
nerve11
Does it only take video, or pictures as well?
clickbam
@MontgomeryAphaea: 640x480 30fps.
apple's site has them already
[www.apple.com]
@Clayton Seymore: I'm quite sure you could, but that is a pretty strange place to put the lens, now that you mention it...
Probably the only place it could go.
Any words on the video quality, Tech aspects of the camera?
MontgomeryAphaea
If only it could make phone calls. Could you imagine if that existed? Boy oh boy that would be just great.
wtf the button looks like its a different finish.
Does it sense the orientation of the camera and turn the video image right side up?
BlowfishAvenger
@Clayton Seymore: No, you Steve Jobs hating Nazi. You also can't use the camera to take pictures of Microsoft products or a Palm Pre. Doing so will create an all white vortex that will swallow your soul and close your iTunes account.
you cant turn it so the lense is on the top right?
Clayton Seymore
@wkm001: Zune HD!!!
The new shiny finish leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. At least judging from these pictures it does.
@Diddle my Skittles: Speaking of Flip... what's with the flip? For the same price you can buy a P&S of similar size that takes better videos, and can capture really good still photos too.
@appletoad: You would imagine that it would progress from still images to video, but it's a nice after thought that doesn't add to the cost but does add to the value.
Of course it doesn't take photos, next year the camera will take photos and everyone will freak out with excitement!!!
redban
@wkm001: You can probably buy the Gen1/2 touch for less than $200, you get most of the features and have money to spend ^_^
awdark
@Kaiser-Machead: I thought that when I was lucky enough to get a star, spouting witty comments would just come naturally.
But no!
Please Kaiser, tell me, tell me your secret behind your comments of infinite win.
@Nasdaf: I don't know how big camera chips are, but it could be a case of not having room to put it behind the screen.
@appletoad: Nope. We mentioned it somewhere, but I just clarified it here.
Apple's a software company. All of this camera and microphone stuff is on a Nano because it doesn't have OS X and the app store capabilities (also lack of wifi is a perfect fit for Nano). That's why you're not getting your stinking camera on an iTouch, something that would quickly become an iphone without a cell tower and expensive subscription involved.
@clickbam: I was just wondering the same thing. It doesn't say anywhere on Apple's site that it takes pictures, nor did I see it on the menu. I doubt they mentioned it either.
Watch it be a feature of the iPod nano 6G. "Still with video recording, but now with still shots!"
Chris
@Kaiser-Machead: You nearly owed me a new keyboard.
The5thElephant
why is the camera down where your you hold it? why not top right corner - a la iphone?
mobile 640x480 blurry smudged lense youtube uploads await
@nerve11: They were thinking a camera on top would make the nano thicker since it wouldn't fit in the current body behind the screen.
But it's not like it really matters. Who shoots videos in portrait anyway? I always turn my iPhone sideways when I take pictures or shoot videos so I don't really see a problem with the design.
Chris
I am guessing that crapple is looking for the nano to be purchased by one major group. Kids. The 9-18 range. Price and all the "cool" features it can will make it a wonderful gift for all the little brats this Christmas.
flyingkiwis
I totally agree about not being able to take still photos. Seems like a huge oversight.
OxfordRablash
@Jimmy1: And courthouses. If the dimensions are identical, you could get a case for a 4G nano, and simply cover the camera. The likelihood of it being stripped to check for the camera hole is nil.
@Jimmy1: There is a speaker.
what can we say: apple is just very much aware of our unwavering craving for new, shiny objects. However, this nano does make me feel a bit dumb for having bought a Flip mio..
squarefuse
Wait...
This doesn't take stills?
I'm just glad that FM is included. Not because I'm going to buy a Nano, or would even use the feature, no such consumerist reason like that. No, I'm glad it's included because now anythingbutipod folks can shut up about FM being a HUEG feature and Apple-tards can shut up about FM being worthless. The epitome of petty, worthless fandom bickering.
Does it come in 32gb yet?
shadowthief0
@thebear91: nope
Ala Kotaku... "It prints money!"
@Identity≈Spontaneity: Finally some constructive ideas. But seriously I have been setting money aside for a few months to buy an iPod Touch, now I have no intention to. Thanks Steve.
wkm001
no camera for the touch??
thebear91
another thing to add.. will the new polished aluminium get scratched easily tahn the prev one? because the previous generation surace was cool in the way we dont need any silicone coverage.. is this really a good change? do colours look betehr on the new surface?
Ulysses Dw
What takes the cake on the new Touch is the black plastic plug where the camera should have gone. *Hears Price is Right loser music in the background*
Someone brought this up someplace else, but I thought it was a good point: since iPods, not cell phones, are allowed pretty much anywhere like gyms or sensitive work places, isn't an iPod nano camera going to be a problem?
From what I can see, there isn't a flash or a speaker for that 'snap-click' sound, to alert anyone that there's a picture being taken. I foresee many headaches for businesses ahead.
Jimmy1
If not for the iPhone, the touch would have a camera, and that's pretty freaking sad. I don't like that this doesn't take still pictures. Taking quick snapshots is a more frequent occasion (for me) than shooting short videos.
@cardboredbox: That is a great point.
wkm001
Cool new features.. sth good is the Fm radio.. would the VGA camera really work as shown in the presentation..
however any apple new feauture makes me happy..
Nice coverage!
Ulysses Dw
@zfleeman: A Cupertino Steamer?
Well that they didn't include the Touch in the discussion of cameras I am thinking the rumors were true about trouble with the cameras. So they left it out and made for a short presentation.
Blair Slavin
@cardboredbox: This is exactly why I don't understand why they didn't add video support for the 3G in 3.1. Also, why not put the camera in the Touch? Putting it in the Nano seems retarded. Pay the extra $50 and get apps, wifi, a camera and more. Shit! I'd do it! This move just doesn't make sense to me at all.
Austenw
@Mike Zuniga: That was Unexpected: I totally agree.. pointless. The only reason they didn't chuck it in the touch (or did they and i missed it?) is that it would poach iphone sales and piss off ATT. the nano is blech.. and fm radio? why add that now? I really feel these updates are a bad way to go, they are splitting the line. Want games and the app store? Can't have a camera etc. Want a camera, can't have the app store and games... want all of them.. gotta sell your soul to ATT.
h00ligan
@wkm001: For $300 you could get a PS3 slim, a Zune HD, a Time Capsule, or a piece of furniture from Ikea.
Just throwing some ideas out there.
Identity≈Spontaneity
@Diddle my Skittles:
Sorry I'm married, already full, can't say that I own any. Do you like for people to crap or jerk off in your Skittles? What do you mean by Diddle?
wkm001
@bornonbord: Really?
wkm001
@bornonbord: The first two words of describing his friday nights?
@zfleeman: You and me both.
mnerd
Man, is it just me, or does the new nano feel just like the Mini? I've never liked the design too much, and I've always felt about it the way I used to feel when I saw the Mini: blegh. Can't they put a the same capacity flash drive on the same body shape as the classic, only thinner? Not that I'm in the market for it or anything, just making remarks, I guess.
@cardboredbox: They intend for this to replace/compete with the inexpensive Flip cameras. If I were in the market for a Flip (I'm not), I would definitely consider the new iPod nano.
@Mike Zuniga: That was Unexpected: It's not you, or at least it you AND me.
much rather the Nano be cheaper.
but I have a clip and a fuse so you shouldn't ask me.
@zfleeman: Usually you have to pay extra for that- enjoy!
wanago
meh.
@wkm001: A girlfriend? Hopes and dreams? A shelf full of self-help books? I could go on, but I'll leave room for more people to pick on you.
Is it just me, or does putting a camera into the Nano seem kind of pointless? It would be much more useful to put one in the Touch. Besides, is the quality even that good?
@wkm001: What's an iTouch?
@cardboredbox: It doesn't take pictures. It takes video.
Hooray!
Haven't seen a thing about the still camera. It has a still camera funcion, right!?
frikova
The new iTouch sucks. The fact that it doesn't have a camera or built-in microphone takes the cake. Now I need to find something else to spend my $300 on.
wkm001
Apple took a big dump on my face by not putting a camera in the iPod Touch.
This might just be me, but why would I ever want my iPod to take pictures. There's 2 scenarios where I would take pictures:
1. I see something funny and want to show it to my friends so I take a picture with my camera phone and send it as a MMS
2. I want to take good looking pictures of an event or memory so I use an actual digital camera to take clear pictures
The iPod can do neither of these, its a useless feature
Maybe it's just me, but I really don't like the super shiny finish.
I think I'm the only that really cares about the pedometer. Totally cool. Even cooler if you laser etch a pedobear on the back, and then it will be a pedobearometer. :)
James Hall
@GlenTen: Perhaps, but the real breakthrough would be a way to deliver Application Programs to it... if only there were some sort of store....
I wish I could add FM radio to my iPhone. NPR is a lot more enjoyable to listen to without the constant 30-second blocks of Edge-induced silence that plague it.
@Kaiser-Machead: The courts here don't allow anything with batteries (except the obvious things that help people hear and make their heart beat).
Apple continues it's slow but inevitable march towards the middle. It's beginning to look like 1996.
LeeMarvinsPants
@James Hall: The pedometer made me happy too. I'll probably get one for that. I lost 40 pounds when I had that old Walkman phone with the pedometer.
@Ulysses Dw: enjoy the kool-aid.
LeeMarvinsPants
Is it digital HD FM? if so then yes that is cool, camera meh, I have a real cameras for taking pics and video. I think I will stick to my very under used 16gb 4g nano.
Nanan00
@otko: 640x480... nice!
LeeMarvinsPants
@LEWD98: Yep, no still photos on the Nano is the new no Copy/Paste.
@zfleeman: Not just yours. Mines too buddy. Here's a napkin you still got a little right there.
whatznext28
@appletoad: 640x480? nice pics...
LeeMarvinsPants
@Monty: Um, Monty - you are a dumb-ass. The iPod Touch is camera-less, so when it comes to photos from Apple, it is an iPhone or nothing, bitch.
(Wow, I really need to read all of the Apple stories before commenting. Assumptions are dangerous.)
It takes video but not photos. WTF?
LEWD98
@Ulysses Dw: for some reason apple thinks shiny=good.
that didnt go over well with the macbook screens. the shinier, the more apparent small scratches are. the matte finish was nice.
Ian Grams
@redban: oh so true...and maybe the year after that it can zoom!
Ian Grams
No still photos. Really, what is the point of this?
jkbeckman
@appletoad: Not taking still photos is merely a feature they can add to the next version of the Nano, right?
While I am not a gambling man, I have to assume that Apple could easily add this feature in with a software update to the Nano. I have to think the reason they did not allow it to shoot stills is based on the quality of the photos or some minor technicality. I could be obnoxious and say it is a marketing ploy to make us buy a Touch or iPhone, but I like to hold my obnoxious comments until Friday.
@Kaiser-Machead: Damn, you are sneaky.
@Renegade: While a pain in the ass, I'm sure you could snag a frame from a 2sec video in QTX for your still pic needs.
It seems as if they are grabbing at straws, trying to have something... ANYTHING... new to bring to the table. This is less a breath of new life and more like stale flatulence.
Kind of a sad way to welcome back Mr. Jobs.
thirstypilgrim97
@wkm001: You were saving up for an item that you didn't even know to exist (iPod Touch with a camera and built-in camera) and you're blaming Apple (or Steve) for not making this fictional device? Litigation is in order!
@Wilson Rothman: yea that's a real deal breaker as a second device, I was thinking this is smaller to keep in your jean pocket as a camera phone alternative and then keep your phone in a bag or a jacket pocket, but without still image it's more an 'extra fun' feature than 'functional'.
What I mean to say is, without the still image option, I can't see any reason to get this if you have an iPhone, because they just overlap in awkward ways.
It's things like this that keep me from ever falling in love with Apple Products. They come out with something great but just keep adding useless features to it to keep the price up.
Maverick56
This is why I bought my wife a new nano last week. The ever-larger screen is trying to push the clickwheel right off the unit, and she would never use the video or radio functions anyway.
Dayv
OK, so at what point is Apple going to make it too easy for every minor and their mother to take naughty videos the will eventually end up on the internet? To me, the nano's biggest market is young kids and now you added a feature to really get them in trouble. Not that I want to take away parental responsibility, that was lost years ago, but this certainly opens the door even more. I know every cell phone has this ability, I am just saying, don't be surprised when you find yourself watching a video on the internet and wondering if that is someone you know...
andrelix
@Nasdaf: no kidding what a shitty location! :/
trailingedge
I guess this sucker has no autofocus? You certainly can't touch the spots where you want to focus like on a 3Gs.
Noobs-R-Us
@Kaiser-Machead: i guess you can always take video, upload to computer, pause during playback, and take a screenshit, i mean screenshot.
@wkm001: People jerk off in Skittles? Where do I sign up?
tayaya
@andrelix: This is a bit of a stretch. Kids are going to start making naughty videos because the ipod nano has the ability to? Seriously now...
Jestermeister
@LEWD98: Yeah, I am reeeeeally interested in hearing the explanation of that one. Like having a phone where you can hear people but can't talk to them.
Jestermeister
Pros:
Video recording looks fun
Pedometer would actually come in handy
Super Cheap
FM Radio?
Cons:
Shiny finish looks like they are marketing towards inner-city 16 year old girls.
FM radio can't transmit to my car stereo.
I still miss the 3rd gen design.
It probably causes cancer.
My iPhone 3G can't record video.
@LeeMarvinsPants: Welcome to 1998!
@Dayv: you knew about the new nano last week? you must have ESPN!
@LeeMarvinsPants: Thats around the size Facebook/Twitter resizes them to anyways. Better than NO pics.
LOL: And all the iPhone fanbois say radio is insignificant, apple doesn't seem to think so with the nano, i bet they're just waiting to add radio to the next gen iPhone, just to give another must have feature the fanbois will suddenly love and uppgrade their phones. Suckers, nokia has all the HW features in n-series and gives regular FW upgrades making even a 2y old phone as good as new, the old n95 still beats the iphone on features!
I'm curious as to weather or not it will be able to be used as a webcam when plugged in. Most laptops have built in webcams, so it'd be kind of redundant, but still a nice touch.
Mind end up being a third part app/hack
AustinMiniMan
No still pictures but it takes video? Come on.
@Wilson Rothman: No stills? That's just weird. Still: Nano, thou shalt be mine.
Does this "thing" have video out. It would be cool to take to a friends house & be able to watch pirated (I mean pirate) movies on their TV.
whatznext28
New ipod nano could be good offers for people who have never owned ipod. But, new ipod touch is the worst update apple has ever released.
hcho3
I will be picking up a new nano. Nike + iPod was made for the nano and I can't wait to use it while jogging. Also FM radio will be great at work in the morning.
macpatrick
@jsparakov: Apple has never been a software company. They have always made and marketed their own hardware for their own devices.
Apple is a consumer electronics company, and they missed the baot.
apollo89
I'm curious if this is going to have any trouble in gyms... Don't mind me, I'm just listening to my music *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*...
@Gundem: hell yeah!
apollo89
Zune HD this shit.
@Nasdaf: Because of the screen and it's components?
@flyingkiwis: So.. I'm guessing you don't have children?
My only question is. Who's still buying flash MP3 players? What phone doesn't have a decent enough MP3 player and has either enough memory (iPhone) or a 16 GB microSD card slot (every other phone)?
kalleboo
@kalleboo: i dont want to have to charge my phone in the middle of the day if i feel like going to the gym and listening to music for 1 hour.
and the music player sucks on the centro.
and a phone at the gym is way clunkier than a shuffle.
and the shuffle has easier controls (2g)
irfan
@wkm001: I know how that is. But since you are married, you could probably buy both your wife and you a new iPod Nano. (Assuming you aren't too attached to the whole touch screen thing. But to each his own.
Identity≈Spontaneity
@kalleboo: I guess all those 20 million weirdos who bought iPod Touches. And people who like working out. It helps us, too.
Dallifornia
@flyingkiwis: Bah.
AquaVictorian(TurboTexas)
@envador: Yes, apparently he ordered the deluxe Comcast TV Pack.
AquaVictorian(TurboTexas)
Woo, the new iPod nano can take video and photo now. I'm sure I will get one. Convert DVD Video to iPod Nano.
colarmac
How does it upload to YouTube?
cafemochaman
@Noobs-R-Us: It's a fixed-focus lens, similar to a cell phone. In fact, it is a cell phone camera, just not in a phone.
MePerson
@envador: Multiple sources had shown accurate mockups or cases with the camera and the larger screen. I didn't know the specifics of the new features (radio, video-only camera), but I'm saying I'm glad we didn't wait for them.
The only feature I can think of that would have made me regret the decision would be a model with more than 16 gigs of space, and they only added that capacity to the lineup a year ago.
Dayv
According to the keynote, the Nano is supposed to have a built-in speaker, but there's no mention of it on the Apple website. I would expect that to be an important enough feature for them to actually tell their users about.
MePerson
@LEWD98: Don't worry, I'm sure they'll bring out a new nano in 4 months time for the same price which has this revolutionary and innovative new feature.
shinchan
@jkbeckman: I guess the camera is good enough for videos but would make low resolution pictures. Maybe Apple didn't want people to complain about low quality pictures, so they didn't release that feature
what was the point in adding a camera if you half-ass it? I thought apple was all about not not half assing it and that justified the higher price points. really the only new useful feature was the fm radio, and even then it should have been included in the 1st or 2nd gen. HD radio would better but I know that it would have sucked the battery life out of it.
Bs Baldwin
Apple just wants your money, and would like you to buy-in every year.
They want you to own an iphone to make calls, ipod to listen to music, nano to take with u running, and another ipod so you can read e-mail and look at a map at the same time. oh, and then an apple laptop to sync your stuff with.
And then they want you to replace all said items, yearly, as the new models roll out.
oh, and apple called you stupid. On the international stage. yea. that just happened.
[gizmodo.com]
@Dallifornia: I like working out and sure it would be easier to carry a shuffle than my phone. Not enough of a difference though for me to plunk down the bills for a separate mp3 player that for all intents and purposes, I don't need.
parkur
@Jestermeister: REALLY? Yeah, I get it, but my point is this is a product that is marketed to kids, not adults. Sure they will take video of the cat, the ant, the cars going by, their friends, their friends friends, their friends acting stupid, them and their friends acting stupid, them and their friends acting inappropriate, etc. See, I have a 13 year old daughter and I see what they like to do, yes it is normal for kids to do things, it just doesn't seem like we should make it so easy.
andrelix