Just watched Steve Jobs presentation of the new iPod nano and my overall reaction is that it’s awesome. I knew this was coming after so many people complained about the “bulky” design of the last generation. I personally thought was brilliant though. What else were Apple supposed to do?

It didn’t have the accelerometer back then. For us to be able to watch movies, it needed a big screen. Not vertically, because we couldn’t flip it on it’s side. No, it may not have been the best form factor in Apple’s history but it was necessary.

The times are changing and technology is moving forward. Now it’s back to its original slim appearance and it looks wonderful. I really like it. It seems like it has become a more intuitive device now that we have the accelerometer as well as some interface enhancements here and there. I mean, you’ve got to love that “shake to shuffle” thing, right?

So, all good? Well, almost – there’s only one thing I’m personally concerned about. Apparently we can now even record voice notes on the nano, perfect eh? NO. No, no, no.

People have been screaming for this feature ever since other media players offered it and I really understand Apple’s decision to include it here. But I don’t like it. The nano is a media player with enourmous potential to do all sorts of stuff, but it is not an organizer.

This feature belongs on the iPhone I’ve got in my pocket. The iPhone is an organizer. No matter how much people scream in desperation for audio recording on an iPod, I still don’t think it belongs there. And it’s not because I’m conservative (hope not), but because I want to keep things simple.

Not saying Apple isn’t keeping things simple though. The new nano seems like a wonderful device. And it is, as always. It’s just my personal opinion that it should be tailored for it’s job, and not have one feature too much. 

But hey, that’s a balance act Apple has been doing for years and they’ve already earned my trust many times over. So thanks for a great keynote and some awesome new products!

Popularity: 2% [?]