Filed under: iPod Family, Reviews
First Impressions: iPod nano 2G
I broke down in the name of TUAW and picked up a new 8GB iPod nano. Of course, running out of space for workout jams on my 1GB nano might have had something to do with the purchase as well. I've put this second generation iPod nano through the trials enough (including some Nike+ runs) to warrant a first impressions post. Like others who have already weighed in, I'm pretty satisfied, but there certainly are some (mostly iTunes 7-related) quirks.
I'd post unboxing pictures and all the typical stuff, but others have already been there, done that. I'd rather touch on the other little things that make product evolutions like this so (well, mostly) sweet.
First Thing's First: The New Earbuds Are a Great UpgradeI know it's strange to praise the giveaway earbuds included with an iPod, but Mr. J wasn't kidding when he said how cool these were. The overall design has received a very welcomed update, replacing the previous earbud's 'boxy' form with smooth curves that I think will uphold their iconic status. The black foam coverings that almost no one seemed to use have taken a hike in favor of a light gray rubber band around the bud itself, and I can say from taking a few runs that these both fit and stay put a lot better than their predecessors (of course, YMMV). I think they also sound a bit better, but that could simply be a factor of the new rubberized banding making a better seal with the ear.
Like a Glove
These new aluminum enclosures fit really well in the hand. There's just something about the rounded edges on this thing that make it a pleasure to hold and use. Just like the iPod mini, the aluminum screams 'bring on the action' over the standard iPods (remember the original nano's scratch fiasco?), though this time around the new iPod nano can actually fill those shoes - the flash memory means you really can beat this thing up (if that's the way you roll), shedding the guilt and worry as to whether you're slowly killing a hard drive. I don't even have to think twice about bringing this thing into battle, and not having that worry on my back is a wonderful thing.
Trouble in Paradise
The fancy new features of the iPod itself are great, like the noticeably brighter display (I can't get a good pic, sorry) and even the searching - I'm impressed by the zippy performance and how surprisingly usable the wheel is for dialing in a few letters of an item. Unfortunately, the shiny new 2G nanos aren't without their shortcomings.
Most notably, I can attest to the slower transfer rate that others are reporting, which might be a result of the nano confirming the disbanding of the partnership between Apple + PortalPlayer. I haven't done any hard core stopwatch testing, but I've transferred enough songs and playlists to iPod nanos to know that this new 2G model suffered a hit in performance. I would hope this is something that can be improved in a future iPod software update, but that is obviously up to Apple's engineers.
The other glaring problem (so far) with products announced at It's Showtime lies with iTunes 7 itself. Don't get me wrong: I love the improvements and the new very non-Aqua UI (though it does feel a little dark and gothy for Apple), but that's because I am anxiously awaiting a 7.1 bugfix update. This new version has adopted some schizophrenic behavior: at times it refuses to see either of my iPods (I also own a 5G) until either a logout or a restart (yes I've done maintenance, yes I've tried to use Disk Utility to un/remount the drive), and iTunes 7 will freak out if I attach an iPod when the external drive that houses my library isn't connected - only a force quit will settle the problem.
Still Rocking On
Aside from what seem like software-based problems (which means a fix is possible and hopefully in the pipeline), I'm really happy with this new model. iLounge has mentioned a couple of isolated accessory incompatibility issues, but mine fits fine in the NueElements case and Nike armband that I use. I haven't been able to push the battery anywhere near its new 24 hour limit, but I can tell my typical uses don't drain it nearly as much as the old model. Ultimately: this is a great evolution of Apple's flagship iPod, and I definitely recommend one if you were waiting for this 2G line to land.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
rahrens said 8:12AM on 9-15-2006
Uh, maybe it worked in iTunes 6, but why would you expect iTunes to be ok with having no library to sync the iPod with? At the very least, I'd expect a warning message if your library wasn't available. Remember, iTunes is expecting to sync your iPod with an existing library. If you put it in with a blank library, which I would expect iTunes to be showing if the main library's HD isn't mounted (and iTunes is already running), then you'd lose your music when iTunes did sync it. If you're just mounting the iPod with iTunes not running, and the HD with your default library isn't available, of course iTunes is gonna freak when it comes up and can't find the library it expects.
I think more explanation of that statement is needed to understand what happened.
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Mr Lizard said 8:15AM on 9-15-2006
Just got mine today
Here's something interesting
Comparing my 4GB 1st Gen nano (white), to my new 4GB 2nd Gen (silver), under the 'about' screen the capacities are different:
White 1st gen: 3.7gb
Silver 2nd gen: 3.6gb
Hardly a huge difference I know. Maybe they are using a different supplier for flash memory?
Also, anyone find that the new clickwheel feels a bit like paper?!
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Mr Lizard said 8:21AM on 9-15-2006
Oh, and #1:
Just for trivia...
If the library is on an external drive, and not connected/mounted, iTunes still shows the list, but attempting the play a track causes a small exclamation mark to appear next to the song
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snife said 8:35AM on 9-15-2006
I just got my 8GB nano - you see pictures but I really did not comprehend how much small it was than my mini - this thing is amazing.
The only problem I have now is that my SLVR looks huge next to it - i will require a 6.5mm phone
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Destro said 9:04AM on 9-15-2006
rahrens said:
"Uh, maybe it worked in iTunes 6, but why would you expect iTunes to be ok with having no library to sync the iPod with?"
Apparently, the new behavior is unexpected (and apparently, not graceful) compared to iTunes 6 and earlier. Even if iTunes wasn't meant to accept a connected iPod when the library is missing (which should never be the case; you could be connecting it to install an iPod update), there are ways to control the behavior so that it "fails" more gracefully.
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Matt Burgener said 2:02PM on 9-15-2006
I have to return my 8GB Nano as there is static in my headphones port. Whether I use it with headphones or with the cassette adapter, I get static on the high notes. Hopefully this isn't a rehashing of the old audio problems of the mini...It's a shame as everything else I've owned of Apple has been top quality. Anyone else have audio problems?
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Thomas said 1:26PM on 9-15-2006
The 3.6 - 3.7GB thing - is it a high 3.6 and a low 3.7? Still could be a fair difference but it could also make it much smaller relatively.
I still have my 3G and I've noticed in iTunes 7 that the iPod, once synchs automatically disconnects so I can just take it off the dock and go. No more waking my Mac up and ejecting the iPod. Is this new or just my iPod?
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Tim said 1:11PM on 9-17-2006
Do you know if the new nano works with iTunes 6? I'm itch to get one but really don't want to upgrade to iTunes 7 because of all those troubles I'm hearing about... or maybe I should keep both versions.
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Guram said 9:01AM on 9-15-2006
I at all do not present that it is possible to write down on 8Gb and more so to listen all this!
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pedro said 11:11AM on 9-15-2006
David, do you think the hit in performance could be due to most of your music now having Album art? This is assuming that you synced your library with the itunes store to get the new art. That does had a few hundred K to each file.
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David Chartier said 10:10AM on 9-15-2006
About my external library: Sorry guys, maybe I should've explained that better. iTunes is actually incredibly smart about handling importing/downloading media if you keep your library on an external hard drive. If that drive isn't present, it will download/import any new stuff into the local (on your Mac/PC) Music folder, and that media can be played. Once the external hard drive is plugged in again, using the Advanced > Consolidate Library command will tell iTunes to move all that new media to the external hard drive, essentially putting all your eggs in one basket. This is incredibly handy for people like me who have far too large of a library; I personally have a MacBook Pro which, after installing the Final Cut Studio and my other software, I only have about 35GB left on my drive - my iTunes library is almost 35GB, and that would leave me with *no* room to work, try new software, almost nothing for a scratch disk, etc.
But usually when you start up iTunes and the external library isn't present, iTunes handles it gracefully, it just doesn't care. Even if I plugged in an iPod (maybe I needed to get some files off of it, for example), iTunes would still play it cool and either sync only any new media I've imported, or it simply wouldn't sync anything because it *knows* the rest of my library isn't there to sync in the first place.
iTunes 7 freaks out and locks up, and I can hear my iPod's hard drive running unusually active. It keeps starting up, spinning down, clicking - rinse, repeat. That's not cool. Sure with a nano it isn't as much of a big deal, but my 5G iPod gets thrashed when iTunes 7 goes all crazy.
So there's the long story as to why I'm really excited for an iTunes 7.1 software update. ;)
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David Chartier said 10:15AM on 9-15-2006
#7, re: album art - yea, that could definitely impact speed, but the iLounge link I used in the post a couple times quotes a test they did with moving a large ~ 2.5GB file onto both an old and new nano (a Windows Vista image file, to be exact), and it took a bit longer on the new nano by comparison. I honestly don't think it's anything detrimental or a deal breaker, but I think it might be noticeable to a lot of people out there.
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Zsolt said 11:11AM on 9-15-2006
David,
Submit a bug report to Apple. They actually read those and respond.
http://bugreport.apple.com
Zsolt
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Phillip Palmieri said 11:17AM on 9-15-2006
Here is the new 80GB 5.5G Unboxing:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76568627@N00/sets/72157594285278784/
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pedro said 11:16AM on 9-15-2006
Sorry about the double posting. I had my comment queued, but didn't click on the verify link on my email! :-)
It might be that the USB 2.0 chip on the nano from Samsung is simply not at the same level. The big question is whether the 4GB and 2GB models have the same issues. Perhaps its an issue with the NAND RAM?
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rahrens said 11:20AM on 9-15-2006
Thanks, Dave, for your response and additional info. that helps make it clearer.
I have never tried to use an external drive for a library (but if I keep buying music, I may need to!), so thanks for the additional info on how it works.
Something to keep in mind as we buy movies, music videos, etc., after the iTV comes out!
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matt said 11:24AM on 9-15-2006
unboxing pink nano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVl5n7jW4OU
(for my mom)
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Rob said 12:03PM on 9-15-2006
What's more, I've also got my library on an external HD and while the library was unavailable the iPod erased all songs since it couldn't find them. So I'm looking up to a long sync for 6500 songs!
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Mark D. said 12:40PM on 9-15-2006
Actually, my first-gen Nano seemed to sync slower with iTunes 7, I've replaced all the music and 'casts before, but it always seemed snappier (and I already had album art on the items, so the new auto-album art feature isn't to blame.) Of course this could just be me. The only way to find out is to buy a new nano!
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icruise said 1:26PM on 9-15-2006
Why does the "read" link point to the Apple web site? Seems kind of counterintuitive to me.
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