When Apple first released the iPod in 2001 I thought, “wow, those are pretty cool; I’d like to get one of those someday”. But as the years went on, and the models changed, I never did. For one, I’m cheap. Second, I’m picky. I never needed the vast storage of the nice models, and frankly didn’t want to pay the hefty price tag (see? cheap.). Well what about the shuffle you may ask… and I would refer you back to the picky. If I was going to get an iPod, I wanted to get one that I would enjoy. And that required an actual interface. When the first generation Nano’s arrived, I thought ‘aha, here we go’. But alas, it never happened (back to the cheap). Fast forward to 2007. I knew Apple was about to announce new iPod’s in the fall, so I figured now was my chance. I could get the gen 2 Nano for cheap after they announce the Gen 3. Perfect. I’ll finally take the plunge.
When the first spy photos of the gen 3 Nano first hit the net, there were a lot of folks bashing it. Design, small screen, whatever. It was nothing new. The same thing happens every time an Apple product gets leaked. But after it was announced, I knew I had finally found “the one”. Music, video, photos, calendar, games, etc. Perfect.
After a bit of discussion with the CFO (aka, wife o’ mine) I had my order in at Amazon. After several weeks of use, I must say, I love it. My drive to and from work is about 35 minutes. Previously I would spend the time flipping between stations, but now, I’m in podcast heaven. The screen is great, and the size is perfect. So now from the driveway to my desk and back again, I get uninterrupted entertainment and education.
So good job Apple from a long-time Mac user, first-time iPod owner.