The Apple 2GB White iPod Nano: Give the Gift of Getting So Much Cooler

Author's Rating:

Pros: Impressive display, full battery charges allows 14 hrs. of play time

Cons: How did Apple know what I'd covet before I did? Hmmmm. . .

The Bottom Line: 
A first time iPod owner, I've been privileged enough to start out with the nano. I may lose it in a hole in a pocket somewhere, but I'm happy.

Author's Review
I finally have my first iPod product - the White Apple iPod nano. I did purchase a pink mini iPod for my boyfriend's daughter back in August, and didn't realize how badly I wanted one until after spending 4 hours upgrading the operating system of a computer just so she could begin downloading songs. When the email offering a free iPod nano (a.k.a. spam) came just about a month later, I didn't realize how quickly I'd bite.

Now, 2 credit card applications, 1 South Beach Diet and many other online subscription company cancelations later, I have finally received my very own 2GB iPod nano free as part of this marketing promotion by a company called Superbrewards. Though I can't offer a comparison to other iPod products, I can give a good consumer's perspective on this one.

In the Box
The sleek black box is just about 5.5"x5.25"x1". If you're having this product shipped, rest assured that Apple knows how to package this item safely and attractively. Even though the box is black, it displays a white nano on the cover, with the silver embossed Apple and nano logos. On the back of the box, it shows a picture of the nano from the side. . . kind of like those commercials with cows that look regular from the profile and then nearly disappear from the front. What is it about us that makes us obsess over the thinness of it? What do their marketing people know about psychology that I don't? Probably lots and lots of things. . .

After pulling out a second book-like box, you open it and find your treasured nano nested inside the packaging. You get:

• The nano unit itself
• Earbuds (comfy even in my little ears)
• Two sets of earbud covers (small, round fabric covers made of a black flimsy material)
• USB 2.0 cable for connecting your iPod to your PC or MAC (with plastic covers custom-made for each end)
• iTunes software CD for Mac and Windows
• A manual, software license agreement, and one-year limited warranty
• Two white Apple stickers to broadcast your purchase and give Apple some desperately needed visibility

Again, everything is packaged beautifully. If you're thinking about purchasing this as a gift for someone this holiday season, don't worry if the company doesn't have gift wrapping available because I truly loved unwrapping each and every little piece of my new nano.

Compatibility
Please don't make the same mistake I did when purchasing the first iPod - make sure you (or your giftee) are up-to-date technologically. I was running Windows 98 on an old PC when I bought it and even though I asked the Apple representative at least 3 times specifically whether or not I could run it on '98, he gave me the wrong answer. That really put a damper on the whole "let's go take this home and start downloading music right now" kind of thing.

Windows system requirements as per the Apple website are as follows: PC with USB port or card (USB 2.0 recommended), Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 or later, or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later. To download the latest Service Pack for your version of Windows, simply visit the Microsoft website. As you can see, having 2000 may not be enough. FYI, most newer computers come with XP and Service Pack 2 installed. I don't know much about Mac's (*sniff*), but here are the sytem requirements for them: Macintosh computer with USB port (USB 2.0 recommended), Mac OS X v10.3.4 or later.

Another concern for you might be whether or not all of those songs you've got downloaded on your PC will play on your new iPod nano. The procuct supports those songs downloaded from iTunes (the Apple website) which comes integrated in the "Music Store" feature of your software, MP3's and MP3 VBR, AIFF, WAV, Audible, and Apple Lossless.

If you're not a tech guru, simply use the Explore function of Windows to search your files or go into your "My Music" folder (standard on many current PC's running on Windows) and click the button that looks like a box with icons on your top (browser-ish) bar to view the details of your audio files. Look at the file extentions (or last three letters followed by the dot in the file name) and make sure they're called something like .mp3, .wav, etc. If not, you may be able to change the formats of your audio files using free or cheap software found on download.com or some such other site.

The only other thing I want to say under compatibility is this: Do you want an iPod nano or do you want an .mp3 player? These units cost more for their prestige and other functions. You may not need to break the bank for the nano if you simply want skip-free music for the gym, etc. The iPod's have a sort of stigma attached to them and people may make decisions about you based on the fact that you have one. I speak from experience. The looks I get with this thing are crazy. It's like owning a pug. Only it's a nano.

So What Can It Do?
My iPod nano is 2 GB's (or 2 billion bytes) which can handle about 500 songs. For me, that's plenty but depending on the user, you may be just as well off going for the 4 GB. To help you make your decision between the 2 and 4 GB, I can offer this piece of advice: Is the user going to expect to transfer their entire music library - guilty pleasures and all - to this little unit? Will they want external speakers and a docking station to use at parties? If so, you should probably go for the 4 GB or better yet, the 60 GB iPod. If, on the other hand, you simply want to put lots and lots of your favorite songs and your address book into one conveniently tiny (0.27"Dx3.5"Hx1.6”W), nearly weightless (1.5 oz.) number that doesn't require you to upgrade the size of your carrying bag/briefcase, then the 2 GB is probably the one for you.

The core benefits to this product include the following:
• The ability to play skip-free music (mine has not skipped once, even with files that previously skipped on CD players)
• Easily organize your music by artist, album, genre, composer, etc.
• Create your own playlists (mixes)
• Easily access shuffle and repeat features to play Catpower’s “Crossbones Style” or "Bi*ch" by the Rolling Stones over and over and over and over again
• Store photos and create mini slideshows
• Check the time without carrying a watch or digging out your cellphone
• Play Solitaire on the train (comes standard with Brick, Parachute and a the same Music Quiz game that comes on a regular iPod)
• Transfer your Vcards from Outlook Express or create your own contact list
• Store text files
• Remind yourself with alarms or refer to the calendar feature when you have meetings

These are probably going to be the core benefits for the average Meagan like me. However, Apple has a whole lot more to say on that subject. They want you to know that you can also use the following features: customize the main menu, adjust audiobook playback speed, clicker playback through headphones, rate songs, put Sound Check on or off, use 20 equalizer settings, backlight timer or sleep timer, display time in menu bar, contacts sort and display by first or last names, clicker on or off, and use in different languages such as Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese and Turkish. K. Nough said there.

The Display and The ClickWheel
Well, I gotta tell ‘ya. I just love the display. And I’m personally quite happy with the fact that I didn’t jump in on the iPod craze (though it took some serious self-control here and there) purely because of the beautiful display now. The color is so much easier to read than the simple screen on the pink iPod mini and it’s very attractive on the white nano. I will not be using this for photos, but if you are considering using the nano for this purpose, you should know that the display is 1.5 inch (diagonal) liquid crystal display with blue-white LED backlight (translation=VERY easy to read) with 176 x 132 pixel resolution. That resolution is great for such a small screen. The contrast makes it much easier to read than that of the old iPods and the screen kind of fades out to a sleep position after not being used similar to what most computer monitors do.

I’m sure there are many more insightful writers who can or who already have gone on and on about how the clickwheel has revolutionized this or that, but I can tell you that coming from the average consumer that never owned an iPod before, the click wheel is so intuitive. You get it pretty quickly. It is pretty sensitive, but a HOLD feature allows you to put it in your pocket and run in a similar way to locking your cell phone keys (no, I can’t even afford a flip phone).

SetUp, Software and Battery
I set this up after simply inserting the iTunes CD that came with my nano. First, you connect the iPod to your PC (optional for the actual installation process but imperative soon after) and the software tries to figure out whether or not it needs to reformat it. Then you go through a process of registering your nano which will require you to set up an Apple account with a unique user ID and password. Thankfully, they don’t ask for half of much information as Microsoft does. Well, they may ask but they don’t require much.

After you complete the installation process the program will ask you if you’d like to import all of your music (you should probably say yes unless you’ve got some serious bent against doing that for some reason), and whether or not you’d like Apple to keep your music organized in your iTunes library. The first time I used this software I was a little annoyed and using it with the nano was no different. You may not have track information for all of the songs in your music library, which can get confusing. Furthermore, you quickly realize that Apple really really REALLY wants you to buy their music - and getting to the files in your own CD’s/other places where you downloaded songs from other sites can get a little complicated. It isn’t impossible though and as long as you remember to uncheck the songs you don’t necessarily want to carry around with you everyday (the free songs that come with RealPlayer and JukeBox, for instance) and go to File and Update My iPod – you’ll be fine.

The unit comes with a battery that’s about half-way charged and I charged mine fully in a little over an hour today. Apple’s official claim on this is Full-charge time: about 3 hours with abuilt-in rechargeable lithium ion battery when charging via USB or FireWire to computer system or power adapter (sold separately). This is very important: you do not need to purchase a separate charger! The USB connection also charges your iPod. I did not realize this when purchasing the mini and thought I had to get that “power adapter (sold separately)” thing. Yes, I’m an idiot. But hey, I’m not the only one and this statement can easily be misread to think that you won’t be able to charge it on its own.

Avoid Consumer Freak-Out #1
The first time you try to disconnect the USB cable from the nano unit, you might freak out because it doesn’t come out. Stop pulling on it and squeeze the sides. It’ll slide right out. There, now. Doesn’t that feel better?

Avoid Consumer Freak-Out #2
You’re not going to break it unless you. . .well . . . break it! Just be smart. It isn’t dishwasher safe. Also, look at the environmental specifications for the product and think about where you live. Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C), Non operating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C), Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing, Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m). Sorry, Killimanjaroans. Better luck next time.

Avoid Consumer Pitfall #1
You probably don’t need any of the extras Apple sells so don’t let them push you into it. The only thing you might want to get is a case, but I strongly recommend using it for a while first and seeing what you really need first. These bits and pieces really add up and sales reps can be very persuasive. You also don’t need to buy an iTunes music card – even if you’re buying it as a gift. . . though it would be nice!

My Only Gripe
The sound is not as good as it is on the iPod mini, though it's still exceptional. I've listened to Bossa Nova, Jazz, Hip Hop, Acoustic, Rock, Indie Chick and other genres without any issues. I feel like it's especially good with jazz and bossa nova. The bass and drums and piano are all clear.

Also, keeping the silver back clean is an impossibility, but I didn't have too many issues with fingerprints showing on the front. My guess is that the white model is easier to keep smudge-free than the black.

Overall
As a first time iPod owner, I’ve been privileged enough to start out with the nano. I realize that the nano may have some technical issues, the market may be saturated, and I may lose it in a hole in a pocket somewhere, but I’m happy. And I believe you or your giftee will be too.


Copyright 2005 Meagan Downey