Shrinking The iPod Nano

Apple announced today a new iPod Nano to replace the 1 GB iPod Shuffle.

The Shuffle has had many critics during its product cycle. I really couldn't understand why everyone went so crazy over a player with no screen. The "shuffle feature" was a software controlled algorithm to randomly fill the player with the tunes. Imagine a user's surprise to find another family member's music filling up their Shuffle!

So now Apple decides to add the screen that the Shuffle should have had in the first place. The display essentially demands a $50 premium as the 1 GB Nano has a $149 price tag, as opposed to the Shuffle's $99. I doubt that folks will really think that knowing the name of the tune (or should I say, "iTune?") is worth a 50% premium? For the Apple devoted, they always seem to vote yes with their dollars, but for the sensible, I think not. Even by Apple standards, a $150 player is just too expensive for a 1 GB player.

Over the Christmas shopping season, the 4 GB Nano was consistently in short supply, while the 2 GB model was plentiful. I'm sure that at least some of the 2 GB's sales were from frustrated consumers who needed something to wrap up to put under the tree when their preferred 4 GB Nano was backordered.

Along the same lines, many have lamented the loss of the iPod Mini. With its small hard drive, it had a 4 GB capacity for $200. Despite not having a color screen, it had four times the capacity of this newest iPod Nano for only $50 more. The Mini now looks like a comparable bargain. This is why Apple killed it; given a choice, with attractive colors, I'm sure Mini sales would still be strong.

As Apple readies to sell their one billionth iTune, I sincerely doubt that a 1 GB Nano is what users truly want. In the end, most people have more than 240 songs, and this will be quite inadequate. I take my hat off the Apple's marketing department; they look like they can sell just about anything if the Apple logo is large enough, and the unit is white enough.

--Jonas