I have to say that the iPod touch is one shiny new sexy gadget I’m going to have to try my hardest to resist. I got my 8GB second generation iPod nano less than a year ago and I’m really happy with it, so I can’t really justify spending £199 on another 8GB player. (I guess I’ll just have to spend £269 on the 16GB version instead...)

But that’s not what I wanted to rant about. This is what I wanted to rant about: iPod touch’s fat little brother...My iPod nano looks slim and sexy, but the screen is tiny and it can’t play video. Apple understandably had to do something about that, so they made this one a bit wider and shorter. And now it looks like the little fatty of the family!

So, with a bit of photoshopping, I given that fat little iPod nano a quick tummy tuck by moving the Click Wheel. People don’t need to see the Click Wheel in order to use it, so why not make the device smaller by moving it to the back? (There might need to be an option to flip the functionality of the Click Wheel though, as it should probably work the opposite way around with it being on the back, but some people inevitably wouldn’t be able to get the hang of it.)Now doesn’t that look better? I’m no electronics expert, so I don’t know how difficult this would have been to put in to production, but Apple have proved in the past that virtually anything is possible when it comes to them cramming advanced technology into slick designs. I realise there are probably some issues with the physical size of batteries and memory chips, but they could probably have worked around that by making it a bit deeper.

Update: 7 September 2007 (13:46)
Thanks to the iFixit gang, we can see that it probably is just the battery size that would be a problem. If only I had a few hundred quid spare to buy a couple of these to tinker with... [via Gizmodo]

This design would be a neat first step towards the interface in Apple’s patent for Back-Side Interface for Hand-Held Devices – brought to our attention by Unwired View earlier this year – which consists of an active touchpanel covering the entire reverse side of the iPod that can be used to control the device.

What do you think? Would you buy a fatso iPod nano? Would you buy one of these? Would you like to buy me a 16GB iPod touch?

[Original images from Apple.]

Labels: gadgets, ipod, rant

I like your design better than the actual Nano, but I also like lots of storage space so even the oh so sexy Touch is not for me. I will buy one when there is a 40GB version and stick with my trusty old 20gb ipod until then.

I like the design also, much better than the official Nano, however it would need a sexy touch screen as well as the Click Wheel, and at least a 40GB option, I would actually say more than that to make it a good investment, oh and with Wi-Fi too. Yeah, then I'd buy one.

click wheel on the back - simple but genius.

put me on the list if you go into production!

john

That idea caught my eye. Perhaps it will catch the eye of someone at Apple...