A week with the 8GB nano
Having picked up a 2nd Gen nano last Saturday from my local Apple Store (the same one where my fellow blogger Ash had trouble getting his MacBook repaired!) I thought I would share my thoughts on it, particularly since it is the first iPod I’ve owned.
I’ve been holding off getting an ipod for some time now, I once came close to getting a silver mini but ended up waiting for the new updates, only to find that Apple killed off the minis in favour of the nano. I didn’t really like the 1st Gen nanos, and was severely put off after it was found they scratch very easily. Naturally, I was very pleased by the return to aluminium enclosures!
Anyway, let’s get onto the review and we will see if the nano survived the week problem (and scratch!) free…
Return of the Jedi mini
The aluminium casing and rounded sides are indicative of the return to the mini’s design, everything is just smaller and there is a colour screen; exactly what I was hoping the 2nd Gen mini would be! As it was with the 1st Gen nano, the headphone jack is still on the bottom right (as opposed to the top right, as it was on the mini). I like the positioning as it means the cable doesn’t get in your way when holding the nano, and also that when it’s in my pocket (upside-down) the Play/Pause button is nearest the top for easy access.
Photos: Before and After the Week
Here we have Before and After images (left and right respectively) of the front and back of the nano after a weeks use (click for larger versions). I have tried to use the nano as normally as possible; I’ve not abused it or been too anal about keeping it safe either. I’ve been keeping the nano, without a case, in my jeans pocket or coat pocket, away from keys or loose change.
As you can see, there are no obvious scratches on the case or the screen. The screen can be wiped quite vigorously with your t-shirt with no ill effects. At this point I don’t plan on investing on a case or a screen protector.
The Click-wheel
Unfortunatly, the click-wheel does seem more scratch prone than the rest of the nano.
(Important: I’m not one of those Apple fan boys who moan about the slightest imperfection, I’m merely pointing this out for the sake of the review)
After picking up the nano awkwardly, I scratched the click-wheel with one of my finger nails. The good thing is that it’s not immediately obvious that it’s been scratched, but this means that it’s probably not a good idea to keep the nano with your keys! Also, I would imagine that this is not a problem on the other nanos since they have white click-wheels.
Smudges & Pesky Fingerprints
The good thing about the aluminium black matt finish is that it doesn’t show up smudges and fingerprints very easily. You can see them if you hold it up to the light just right, but otherwise the black nano looks like new most of the time!
Final Thoughts
Overall I have to say that I’m happy with the durability of the 2nd Gen 8GB nano. It also performs its function as an mp3 player very well (I don’t have any complaints or niggles). The transfer speed from my powerbook seemed a little slow, and from what has been reported it takes almost twice as long to transfer content compared to the 1st Gen. Since I’ve already put all my music and photos on, I don’t need to transfer massive amounts anymore and so it’s not a major issue for me.
4 Responses to “A week with the 8GB nano”
By a liPierre Lourens on Sep 26, 2006 | Reply
Good review. I am thinking about buying a silver 4gb Nano, and this is (some) of what I needed. I’m a little wary of the transfer speeds, but like you said: once you have most of it on there, you don’t have to worry as much.
Is there a reason you went for the 8gb Nano at the same price point as the 30gb iPod?
By James on Sep 26, 2006 | Reply
Hi,
I’m glad you found some of this useful, feel free to ask any more questions!
To answer your question. In the UK the 8GB and the 30GB are not actually the same price (the 8GB is £169 and the 30GB is £189). However, even at the same price, I would have still gone with the nano because my music collection is quite small and I don’t adopt new artists very quickly. I currently have 2-3GB free and I have all my music and all my photos on.
I would prefer the smaller/lighter nano since I won’t make use of the 30GB. I have always liked the aluminuium styling of the mini too! I think if you can fit a good amount of your music onto the 4GB silver nano and won’t need to keep moving music back and forth then it would be a good buy.
By Justin on Apr 8, 2007 | Reply
Excellent Review. I couldn’t really seem to trust the reviews on the Apple iPod store. Like you said, a lot of the reviews on the store were by “Apple fan boys” that seem to have a reason to complain about every inch of the 8GB. As to the same price, I personally would rather have a 8GB Nano instead of a 30GB iPod because one, it’s smaller, easier to carry, and gives me extra room in my pockets; and two, the iPod Nanos can play songs for up to (according to the Apple iPod store) 24 hours, while the the regular bigger iPods can only play around 6-7 hours I heard. Overall, once again I would like to say thank you for the review, it really helped me with my decision making (I was particularly worried about the smudges showing up like on the lighter versions).
By Alyssa on Jul 3, 2007 | Reply
i would like to say this review was helpful, since i am getting a nano tomorrow. i have a 30gb white video, and i must say they scratch extremely easily. also watching videos and looking at pictures kills your battery in a flash. i’ve also noticed that after watching videos or looking at pictures that the ipod wont turn off after numorous restarts. i have also had a 4gb blue ipod mini, which i loved dearly and had no problems with, until i gave it to my little brother who let it sit in his nightstand drawer for a year, and when i went to put new songs on it, i found out the harddrive / battery went. oh well. Once again, good review, it will help me a lot tomorrow!