iPod Nano 2ndGen... Second Coming or what the first Nano should have been?
Written: Sep 16 '06 (Updated Sep 18 '06)
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Pros: Thinner, 24 hours battery life, 8GB, flash drive, aluminum casing!, iTunes 7
Cons: Less features than competitors, earbuds still average, other minor quibbles
The Bottom Line: If you have the 1st Generation Nano... there isn't much here since you can update the firmware of the 1st Gen. As an overall experience, Nano is hard to beat.
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| yusakugo's Full Review: Apple iPod nano 2nd Generation Black (8 GB) MP3 Pl... |
Great... one year after I bought the 1st Generation iPod Nano 4GB, out comes the incrementally better iPod Nano 2nd Generation. Okay... sell 1st Gen to a friend and buy the 2nd Gen with the educational discount (which Apple has now stopped... bummer). After playing with it for at least 3 days (I got it from my Apple store on 9/13/06 with a green 4GB iPod Nano for my brother to replace his iPod Mini), the iPod Nano wasn't much of an upgrade from the 1st Gen but the battery and new casing will make 1st Generation owners jealous... very jealous!
Damn you Steve Jobs... getting people like me to buy your products year after year (I must have iPod fool stamped on my forehead by now like thousands if not millions of others).
Apple sticks with what has worked... showing that if a product does its job well and easily for its target audiences, just about everyone will love it. It's a fact that I constantly have to remind myself of everytime I look at a new product. Look at Microsoft Office... a great product that does it is basic job well and overall well liked but most people don't know how to access many of the features because they are buried in tons of submenus. Another example is the iPod Shuffle, it still sold well and made most of its owners happy... even through I thought the 1st generation iPod Shuffle was a rip-off.
Short Take
At $249, the 2nd generation Nano is the same price as the other 8GB flash players out there. The unit really holds on average a maximum of 1800 songs (at approx 4 minutes each at 128 Kbps AAC encoding). That gives you over 120 hours of music on the new Nano. Otherwise, the functionality of the 2nd generation Nano and the 1st generation is about the same. A quick firmware update will bring the software features of the 2nd generation Nano to the 1st generation.
The Nano still has very tight integration with iTunes and is Apple's biggest strength. No one else comes even close to the integration and ease of purchasing and sync music like the iPod and iTunes combination. The Click Wheel remains as functional as ever and still my personal top choice for a music player. The Nano is easy to hold and control in one hand and now feels more solid than ever! Volume and sound quality seems improved over the 1st generation iPod Nano as well (although this may be due to the improved standard earbuds... there was no difference with use of Shure earbuds). The 1.5 inch color LCD is excellent as well and is supposedly 40% brighter than the 1st generation (to me it looks slightly brighter... but not really a big deal). The use of an aluminum casing is huge... bringing back the good old day of iPod mini design.
Downsides include the still odd placement of the port connector and the headphone jack side-by-side and pricing compared to competing hard drive mini-MP3 players. The competition had caught up in the price and size department and offer more standard features than the iPod Nano including FM tuner, recording features, and even video playback. The Nano remains primarily a music player with photo display capabilities.
Some might balk at the $249 price tag for a 8GB unit especially when the Apple Store has it side by side with the 30GB Video iPod for... you guessed it $249! If you just want to lay around and listen to music, there are tons of options in the same price range or cheaper that do as good a job as the Nano and offer other features (if you need those features).
In the end, the iPod nano is a minor upgrade from the 1st generation Nano but the minor upgrades do address some major problems with the 1st generation Nano. The much improved case, the extended battery life, the new gapless playback, and tweaks to the music search system are huge. I don't think owners of the 4GB 1st generation Nano have a reason to upgrade but 1 and 2 GB 1st generation Nano users might... and those looking for their first flash memory MP3 player or upgrade a much older MP3 player will be plenty satisfied by the 2nd generation Nano especially if the goal is music playback!
Price
Costs $249 for the 8GB unit. For 8GB it is on the same price range with the competition like the Sandisk Sansa models. There is a student/education discount of $20 for iPods through any Apple Store or Apple's online webstore. You may get a bit of a discount online from some retailers as well (usually $5 maybe $10 off) although most of the major web retailers still have it as a preorder. I don't think the 2nd generation Nano will have much to worry about on sales...
There are $149 2GB version (silver case) and $199 4GB versions (blue, green, or pink case). 8GB version is black only.
You can read my article The Art of Buying... Getting your money's worth! to find some tips for saving a little money on electronic purchasing. I've put some specific money saving tips for iPods at the very end of this review.
I can't remember if I got an education discount with the 2nd generation Nano... I'll check the receipt in the morning and update this. Checking my receipt, I had to pay full price for the 2nd generation Nano.
Design
The Nano has dimensions of 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.26 inches... yes, true believers... it is actually thinner than the 1st gen iPod Nano (from 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.27 inches)! It even shed some weight... now only 1.41 ounces (from 1.5 ounces). The overall design harks back to the iPod mini... and to me a much more stunning design than the original iPod Nano. Because all the dimensions are about the same, all the 1st generation Nano accessories and cases will work on the 2nd Generation Nano! Like the iPod mini, the main casing is black anodized aluminum. On the very top of the unit is the hold switch. The top and bottom of the 2nd Gen Nano is made polycarbonate in the classic iPod white! Like the first generation, the Click Wheel is the only other "movable part" on the Nano. Like the first generation Nano, you find the dock connector port and the headphone port (which continues the same problems from the 1st generation). This Nano has a brighter 1.5 inch color LCD (although the resolution and color range remains the same) and the Click wheel based on Apple's internal design (started in the Nano and Video iPods). Note that the Click Wheel remains pretty flush against the surface of the Nano but the difference in texture help you locate Click Wheel as well as manipulate it easier without looking!
Apple didn't fiddle anymore with the Click Wheel as it continues to be extremely responsive. A quick twitch really increased the volume very rapidly and I glided through hundreds of songs very rapidly... so older iPod and iPod mini user should take care when first using it. The touch sensitivity of this Nano remains as responsive as the 1st generation. Faster circling around the Click Wheel sped you through lists of songs (with a new caveat I'll get into later) while inching around the Click wheel let you go a song at a time.
The redesign brings back all the benefits of the iPod Mini case. Now you have a sturdy, tough, and solid aluminum casing that is much more scratch resistant than the 1st generation Nanos. The Nanos still look stylish and elegant but have more of a fun factor with the color choices (depending on the memory capacity). The most severe of the complaints that is carried over from the 1st generation is the placement of the headphone jack near the iPod connector port. While this placement works well with some accessories (the earphone lanyard) it is horrible for others (the actual dock since you have to remove the headphones to put it in the dock!). This placement makes it difficult to remove the dock connector since it is so close to the earphone jack (you often have to remove your earphones to remove the dock connector!). Although not a deal breaker, it still remains annoying!
Although the 8GB Nano has about 8GB of total memory in the unit, only 7.4GB are available for your use! 600 MB are needed for the operating system and other essential software for the iPod nano (compare this to the only 300MB being used for the operating system and software on the 1st gen Nano). It's a pretty sizable chunk.
In Use... The Music, The Photos, and Navigation
Overall, the 2nd generation Nano sounds a little clearer and louder than the 1st generation with the standard earbuds. I found little difference on my portable iPod speakers or my Shure earbuds. Apple's improved standard earbuds sound slightly better... I think. Most people will not likely notice any slight sound distortions. Playback is truly continuous now... the next song starts immediately when the last song ends. The unit does not skip under hard jostling (no problems while exercising and jogging). The Nano is capable of playing the following music files:
AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Music Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF
Ya... no new music formats introduced.
There are still only 22 preset equalizer settings on the Nano and most basic features for music playback are easily accessible via the Nano's controls. The Shuffle function is quite prominent on the default menu settings. Note that you can modify menu settings via the Setting submenus. Overall, the Nano is a solid music player.
Navigation remains quick and easy due to easy to use Click Wheel. This remains my favorite way of navigating through hundreds even thousands of songs... especially with the ability to group songs by albums, composer, artist, and the such. The slight slow down seen in the 1st generation Nanos was not seen in the 2nd generation. Also note that if you have an extensive music list you are going through, there is a new search by letter system that kicks in as you are scrolling. If you continuously scroll through titles/albums/artists beginning with the same letter, a search for topic beginning with the letter will pop up. This makes it much easier to search for that particular song. If your collection is more limited, the system will not kick in.
Photos are still handled the same way as the old iPod Photo and current generation iPod units. Photos must be synced through iTunes before you can display them on the iPod Nano. iTunes will reformat the image to a small thumbnail so that the iPod Nano can quickly display it on your 1.5 inch screen. Unless you check the box in your iTunes settings, you will not transfer the actual photo files to your Nano to tranfer to other computers. The causes a bit of waste in the memory space department since you are technically storing the image twice on your iPod. The images are vibrant and sharp for the screen... no complaints there. I would even say it is one of the best color screens on a flash memory MP3 player that I've seen so far (the iRiver Clix wins for flash memory players). You can easily set a slideshow on the Nano screen with your choice of music. iTunes is capable of transferring the following file types for "viewing" on the Nano:
Syncs iPod-viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only) and PNG formats
I know nothing about the camera adapter... it isn't something I considered using. I don't even know if it is still sold anymore.
Battery Life
Major improvement here... over the first two days of heavy use between the included earbuds, my mm50 and mm32 (for some soothing waiting room music) on battery mode, car adapters, and my Shure earbuds, I got just over 20 hours of playback and almost 21 hours. Apple states up to 24 hours. The second full charge got a little over 21 hours of playback. I'm on the third full charge now.
Apple claims up to 5 hours of playback for photos with background music.
The 2nd generation Nano gets 80% charge in 1 1/2 hours and a full charge in 3 hours. Not shabby at all.
Firewire users... don't even bother. You must use USB.
Connecting to a Computer and Use as an External Hard Drive
The iPod Nano can sync via USB 1.1 connections although it is extremely slow. ITunes took 20-25 minutes to sync my songs and pictures to the Nano. Note that this was done on my 8GB Nano black. On a USB 2.0 connection, sync time was 10-15 minutes for the initial sync (modifying the songs for gapless playback). Subsequent syncs were from 1-5 minutes depending on number of new songs that had to be transferred from iTunes to the Nano.
I have not yet run HD Tach on the new Nano yet. My gut feeling is that results will be similar to the 1st generation Nano.
Firewire... still no go. I can only charge my 2nd generation Nano with the older Firewire cables.
Games?
The iPod Nano 1st or 2nd generation CANNOT PLAY ANY OF THE GAMES THAT YOU CAN PURCHASE FROM THE iTUNES store. THOSE GAMES ARE ONLY FOR THE VIDEO iPOD WITH VERSION 1.2 FIRMWARE. I've noticed too many idiots who didn't look at the system requirements lamblasting Apple for selling games that don't work with the Nano. Apple lists several times that the games are for the 5th generation iPod player only (i.e. Video iPod). It's not in fine print either... the info is actually near the buy game button. So don't complain if you buy a game from the Apple store and it doesn't work with the Nano... it wasn't supposed to work with the Nano!
Extra Software Inside the Nano
Like most iPods, the Nano has a World Clock capable of showing three different time zones, an Alarm clock which functions exceptionally well, and 4 games. Just like prior iPods, the Nano stores Contact information if saved to a vCard format, store notes (can display text files if you placed the files in the right directory), Calendar, and a nice looking stopwatch feature. They just have to be copies/moved to the appropriate directories on your iPod. You also have a Stopwatch and screen lock (also in previous iPod models)
Non-english speakers rejoice, you have options to set the iPod to any of the following languages:
Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, and Turkish
Additional language support for display of song, album, and artist information:
Bulgarian, Croatian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, and Ukrainian
On the downside, you have the following:
1. If you have WMA or OGG files, you have to convert to MP3 or AAC format.
2. There is no FM tuner built into the Nano (optional accessory!).
3. There still are no recording options like in some other MP3 players.
Keep that in mind when making your decision when comparing to other MP3 players.
iTunes 7
Major overhaul to iTunes. Now iTunes is your complete iPod docking software. While the music store interface remains similar the way iTunes displays information on your iPod is even more tightly integrated. iTunes 7 displays the breakdown of memory usage, firmware version, how and what to sync to your iPod... making it a more intuitive experience. I'm still experimenting with the new iTunes interface but it definitely is more pleasing.
It remains easy to purchase music from the iTunes store, encode CDs to appropriate music files types, and sync the songs you want (as well as pictures) to the Nano. Version 7 allows purchasing of TV shows, movies, and games although these are for the Video iPod. So far iTunes 7 seems to be stable. Ouch... I didn't realize the sheer number of Podcasts available for syncing before... there's alot of them.
This section will be a work in progress as I play with iTunes 7 and purchase some material for my Video iPod 60GB. Who knows, maybe Apple will update the firmware for the Nanos to play the Video iPod games... one can only hope!
Note that iPods do not sync with other programs (at least not officially). Unless you are computer/software savvy, iTunes is the only way to sync your iPod to your photo and movie collection. MusicMatch is out the window. RealPlayer unofficially can sync although this changes as Apple releases new firmware for their iPod players. I don't know if RealPlayer is unofficially syncable with iPods anymore.
In the Box
You get a USB dock connector cable, the new iPod white earbuds, 2 sets of foam coverings for the earbuds, and iTunes version 7 software and PDF instruction manuals on a single CD. You have to buy the actual USB AC adapter if you want to charge the iPod Nano away from a computer or a USB 2.0 hub.
Accessories? No Problem!
Since the overall shape and size of the 1st and 2nd generation Nanos are about the same, you have a ton of accessories available for the 2nd generation Nano already.
I should say that a case on the 2nd generation Nano seems cruel... just covering up its good looks with a case that won't look nearly as nice. I would consider a screen protector... hopefully The Invisible Shield will release a screen only protector soon!
You can read my review on the Logitech mm50 portable speakers for the iPod. I love these things. They are a fair size with very few compromises on quality and sound!
The Logitech mm32 portable speakers for the iPod are a decent alternative.
I will link my review of the JBL OnStage II compact iPod speaker system when I finish writing it.
Competition? There's a ton. Deciding on an MP3 player
The competition has gotten more robust... however, Apple still rules the roost in the overall general public. Flash players gives adequate space, overall robust feature sets, and flexibility in use such as vigorous physical exercise (jogging for example). Apple lacks many features built into the competitions' MP3 players. The Zen V/V Plus, iRiver Clix, and Sandisk Sansa players offer voice recording, music playback, photo display, video playback, FM tuning, and some even line-in recording! Apple's Nano only offers music playback and photo viewing. Most flash MP3 players offer limited Personal Information Management (PIM) or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) functions as well (except the really, really small MP3 players). Hard drive based MP3 players at 30GB in capacity run about the same price as the largest size flash players... and may be a better buy if you don't exercise with your MP3 player. Note that I have reviewed the Creative Labs Zen V here.
A combination of memory size, style/design, a decent feature set, and ease of use and integration with the iTunes 7 software give the overall edge to Apple... although the competition is fairly close technology wise. The major edge for Apple is style and the extremely tight integration with iTunes 7... these two are the huge swing factors towards Apple! Much depends on your own PC music collection... If your music collection is on another PC jukebox software like MusicMatch or RealPlayer, you probably should look into other MP3 players first.
When you start looking at an MP3 player... Ask yourself these questions:
1. Where am I going to use this? The gym or jogging? Look at flash memory based players. Car/train/bus/plane/etc trips mostly... think hard drive based players and even CD-R based MP3 players.
2. Is size a factor?
3. What features do I need on it? Just for music? Do I need FM on my player? Do I need to see pictures on such a small screen? Do I need video capabilities?
4. Is it easy for me to use?
5. Do I like the jukebox software it is compatible with on my PC?
6. Do I need to record voices, conversations, music, or video with my player?
7. How much do I want to spend on this?
8. Will I use the MP3 player often? If the answer is no, why are u buying this?
9. Do I need to use this as an external hard/flash drive?
10. How fragile is the MP3 players I considering?
As technology evolves these questions may disappear and new ones appear... but as with a year ago, most of these questions should still be asked if you're interested in an MP3 player.
Final Thoughts...
8GB is a lot of space... well 7.4GB is a lot of space. The 2nd generation model looks and feels much sturdier than the 1st generation Nano. It is also harder to scratch although I thought the Zen V was more scratch resistant. Gapless playback is nice but the firmware updates to the older Nano will give you this feature as well as the new and nice search by letter feature. The only major changes in reality are the slightly brighter screen, the aluminum casing, the longer battery life and up to "8GB" of memory. If you're overall happy with the 1st generation Nano, just download the new iTunes 7 and update your firmware... that gives you the rest of the minor changes to the Nano.
I did wish that the Nanos could play some of the games available to the Video iPods... too bad. Apple could have made a killing here.
Money Saving tips
Although these can be applied to various items especially other electronics, I am doing this specifically for Apple iPod products since they rarely have any major price reduction for the first couple of months. I composed a few ways to save a few bucks on the iPod here... especially if you want to try before you keep your purchase. Note that purchases from the Apple store or Apple.com website means you subject yourself to the extremely inflexible returns policy (10% restocking fee for returns whether it is defective or NOT!). If you want your iPod Nano 2nd generation now... the Apple store (if you have one near you) or the Apple webstore at www.apple.com is your best bet for the first couple of weeks.
If you have never shopped at Crutchfield.com, this is a good place to buy your Nano from. Crutchfield has excellent customer service, provides additional printed material on connecting to other devices, and offers a vast array of online help. On top of that, there is no sales tax unless you live in Virginia. Often there is a promotion for free shipping for orders over a certain amount. Since the Nano doesn't have a significant price drop from any reputable store, crutchfield is an excellent place to buy one... especially with their flexible return policy. On top of that, using a referral code will also net you a $20 discount (first time shoppers only!) and give the referrer a $20 credit at Crutchfield as well. I get in stock purchases from Crutchfield within 2-3 business days! Use the link from epinions to reach Crutchfield.com. Currently on preorder status.
Another quick discount is using the A9.com search engine. Why? This is amazon.com search engine that also incorporates results from google.com. When you use the A9 for a certain period of time, you earn a 1.57% discount from purchases made at amazon.com (note that amazon must be the seller of the product! Someone selling a product through Amazon.com site does NOT earn the discount!). Couple this with amazon's overall good customer service, no sales tax, potential free shipping, and flexible return policy, it makes purchasing the Nano from amazon very tempting. Currently at full price and on preorder status.
PCMall.com, MacMall.com, PCConnection.com, MacConnection.com, and affliated sites are decent places to shop as well. Often the price will be lower by $5-10 with free accessories (after rebate of course) and sometimes a decent mail-in rebate is available on top of that. There is no sales taxes expect for people in California but S&H do apply. The PCMall and MacMall sites allow for the same laser engraving that is available at the Apple.com store. I don't have experience with their customer service department but I believe it is more flexible that Apple.
Target.com is a decent place to buy the Video iPod (when it becomes available for sale there). You will often find a 10% coupon to use and the return policy is much better than Apple's policy. However, target.com charges sales tax and S&H charges. If you want to purchase from Target.com, I would recommend using a Citibank credit card that is enrolled in the Thank You Merchants Program since that will give you up to 7 points per dollar spent at target.com (5000 points gets a $50 gift certificate to places like Target. 3000 points gets a $25 certificate). At the time of this review, it is on preorder status.
Buy.com is another good place to make a cheap purchase. Buy.com will have a small discount with available dollars off (usually for new customers however) or small percentage coupons available to further lower the price. Couple this with the often free shipping and no sales tax to most of the US (I believe they are based in California) and sites like ebates.com or fatwallet.com can lower the price of the Nano up to 10%! However, the customer service at buy.com leaves something to be desired. Currently on preorder status as I write this review.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 249
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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Epinions.com ID:
yusakugo
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Member: Rich Go
Location: Somewhere in the NorthEast
Reviews written: 399
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About Me:
Losing Sleep and Lacking Time... sigh...
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