Who Created the iPod nao: A Quick Review

Posted by Lydia Vaughn on May 25th, 2008 at 02:04am

The Apple iPod nano is my favorite iPod — and may be your favorite too. Have you wondered who invented the Apple iPod nano you love some much?

Wonder no more.

The easy answer is the iPod nano was invented by Apple Computer as part of the iPod product line. (By all accounts the original iPod was inspiration came from Tony Fadell, who was part of the team that eventually created the iPod classic. ) Yes, you already knew that, but here’s the deeper details

The iPod nano was launched by Apple in 2005. The media was a bit suprised, as Apple already had strong sales for the iPod mini.

There were a couple solid reasons to discontinue the mini in favor of the nano.

First, the nano uses “flash drive storage” instead of a hard disk. Flash drives are a lot more durable. I travel a lot, and my nano gets packed in carry-ons, dropped from hotel desks, and stuffed into my coat pocket all the time. It withstands hot temperatures and has sat in the rental car overnight in Minneapolis in the winter. All without a hiccup.

Apple’s since put flash storage into all except the classic iPod (which still uses a hard disk). The classic iPod needs to be handled a little more carefully than a nano, though the nano doesn’t store as much.

The iPod nano’s size is one of it’s strengths too. Flash drives are much smaller than hard disks, which you see reflected in the nano’s size. I can carry my nano in a blazer pocket without a bulge. It fits small carryons. It’s a lot less bulky on an armband.

Enough of the history lesson, where are we now? Apple launched the nano 3G (third generation) last fall, September 2007. Why mess with a good thing? To add video playback and games! Users were thrilled.

For those of you who understand such things, the 3G has a pixel density of 204 ppi shown in a 320×240 QVGA display. For the rest of us, that means the images are incredibly sharp.

As far as games, the nano 3G delivers with three to start. A healthy variety are available for download at iTunes and other download sites.

Now that you understand where the nano came from, go enjoy yours!

Under Technology