Got an iPod nano 1G? Apple is replacing it for free – but with what?

by Bill Palmer

Those of you who still have the old iPod nano you bought in late 2005 or 2006 are about to get it replaced, thanks to an unsafe battery defect in a small number of units. There’s no way to determine which units are the bad ones, so Apple is swapping out all of the first generation iPod nanos still in service just to be safe. Just what Apple plans to replace your old nano with is another matter. Apple has to do this trade-in program for legal reasons, but it no doubt doesn’t want to. It’s not that it can’t afford to comp the relatively few first generation iPod nanos still in use after five years; after all, Apple has eighty billion dollars cash on hand (literally). No, the issue here is that what first generation nano owners end up getting back in the mail might be worth way more than that old broken circa-2005 nano they found sitting in a drawer – and that could set off a secondary market which would turn this (intended to be) quiet trade-in program on its ear.

Apple ceased selling the black and white hued original nano five years ago. The company likely kept some stock around for inventory replacement for at least another year, but any trace of first gen nano inventory is long gone by now. So unless Apple has taken the extraordinary (and expensive) step of putting the original nano back into limited production just to fulfill this replacement program, participants are likely to receive something much more modern in return. The least expensive iPod Apple still has in production is the current generation iPod shuffle, but you can’t swap someone’s nano with a shuffle without ruffling feathers. That leaves Apple in the position of perhaps having to send a shiny new seventh generation iPod nano, worth $129, as a replacement product for those who send in an old first generation iPod nano worth about as much as a ham sandwich these days even if it is in working condition. Apple says the warranty on the replacement iPod is good for only ninety days, which suggests that what you’ll be getting back in the mail might ultimately be a refurb. But even so, a refurbished seventh generation iPod nano with a touchscreen is a whole lot shinier than a six year old one with a click wheel.

We’ll see. Apple says the replacement won’t come back to you until six weeks after you send in yours – perhaps just enough time to end the program quietly before any replacements start getting into anyone’s hands. That would mean the party would be over before it started, as right around the time word starts to spread that you can get a free new iPod nano just by sending in an old one you can grab off eBay for ten bucks, the deadline will have passed anyway. So why are we tipping you off to this? Well, because you’re our readers. Have at it. Just try to behave.

iPhone 5 release date for October – 82%. iPhone 4S – 50%. Sprint – 67%

by Bill Palmer

Apple is six days away from taking the lid off what the public hopes is an iPhone 5 complete with a 2011 release date, what could be an iPhone 4S under a pair of very different circumstances, and what will certainly be the new iOS 5 operating system. In addition to existing Verizon and AT&T iPhone iterations, Sprint could join the club as well. Other new product categories, from the iPod touch 5 to the iPad 3, are on the table for the October Apple Event to varying degrees. Lacking a crystal ball but having observed Apple’s actions and motivations, here’s a rundown of our odds of various products and concepts coming to fruition at Apple’s October 4th event.

iPhone 5: 82%. The widespread assumption is that Apple’s “Let’s talk iPhone” tease is in reference to the iPhone 5, and that’s probably a correct one. However, it’s no guarantee. The “talk” part of the invite is in reference to Apple’s unannounced new Assistant feature of iOS 5, which allows you to control your iPhone in a human manner simply by speaking to it. Apple’s choice to focus on an iPhone software feature rather than new hardware aspects in its tease leaves the door open to the scenario in which Apple never was able to get past the component and/or manufacturing issues which dogged the iPhone 5 all summer, and are now instead coming to market with an iPhone 4S. That would push the iPhone 5 release date well into 2012, and would result in some unhappy customers. About that iPhone 4S…

iPhone 4S: 50%. There are two ways in which the 4S can play into Apple’s 2011 puzzle, one of them exciting and the other not so much. The first is the doomsday scenario in which the iPhone 5 isn’t ready and the 4S is a substitute. Put that at 18%, to counter our 82% odds of an iPhone 5. The other 32% comes from the scenario in which the iPhone 5 arrives with the iPhone 4S as a sidekick. The reasons are multiple: the current iPhone 4 won’t power Assistant, or so we hear, so the 4S will have the same A5 processor as the iPhone 5 and iPad 2. A single 4S unit would eliminate the separate Verizon and AT&T units, while adding Sprint compatibility.

Sprint iPhone: 67%. There’s at least twice as much evidence in favor of a Sprint iPhone 5 (and/or 4S) as there is against it. Sprint execs have teased it publicly without quite confirming it. Sprint employees have installed signal boosters around Apple Stores. Come to think of it, there’s really no concrete evidence to suggest it won’t happen.

T-Mobile iPhone: 0% T-Mobile itself has confirmed it won’t get the iPhone 5 this year. It didn’t say why, but the eight hundred pound elephant in the room is the ongoing merger talks with AT&T, which would seem to preclude T-Mobile from doing its own deal with Apple in the mean time…

iOS 5: 100%. The only sure bet is the iOS 5 operating system itself. Apple previewed many of its major features this summer, and will reveal the remainder of them next week. It’ll run on whatever new iPhone(s) Apple introduces, plus the iPhone 4 and 3GS (in limited capacity), and all iPads.

iPad 3: 2% If this were to be a co-headlining event in which the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 debuted together, the invitation would have reflected as much. If the iPad 3 were to get its own separate event, it would have happened before this one, not after; the holidays are too close at this point to have another event in November for a new iPad. If there is to be a new iPad this year, it’ll be something quieter like an iPad 2S.

iPod touch 5: 50% We give it equal odds as to whether Apple upgrades the iPod touch 5 with 3G or 4G networking and makes it a powerful device, or merely kills it off in recognition of the iPhone 5 working on most carriers. Would a contract-free iPhone surface to take the place of the iPod touch? That may be the more interesting question.

iPod nano, shuffle: does anyone care? Somewhere in the rundown will be the debut of the new traditional iPod lineup. Those models still sell well, but they’re inexpensive and considered commodities. We’ve lost count as to what generation the nano and shuffle are even on, let alone what new features they might gain in their next revision.

Here’s more on the iPhone 5.

Updated 10:50pm PST with additional information regarding T-Mobile and Apple

iPod touch and iPod nano could become iPad mini and iPad nano

With Apple just a few days away from introducing new iPods, here’s a thought: could the iPod be done for instead? The “iPod” brand name, while wildly successful in its time, is nine years old – and no one thinks of the iPod as being a hot or trendy product anymore, as Apple’s own iPhone and iPad have sucked all the excitement out of a product that five years ago was about as cutting edge as you could get. So how is it that the “iPod” might suddenly go away? Take a look at the current iPod lineup for clues.

The awkwardly named “iPod touch” isn’t even really an iPod in the traditional sense. Depending on ones viewpoint, it’s either an iPhone without any phone or mobile networking abilities, or it’s a three inch iPad. So why does it even bear the iPod brand name, when it bears almost nothing in common with the classic iPod beyond the fact that it plays music? So let’s say the “new iPod touch” ends up instead carrying a name like iPad mini.

The latest rumors from CBS have the iPod nano as we know it being replaced by something that looks like a half-size iPod touch, touch screen and all. There’s still a plenty of life left in the “iPod nano” brand name, but if you’re going to rebrand things, might as well go all the way. So would a “touchscreen iPod nano” instead become an iPad micro?

An then there’s the iPod classic, which still more or less sports the same click-wheel interface which surfaced back in 2004 and is an embarrassingly outdated product by Apple’s standards. Many (including us) expect the sole remaining hard drive-based Apple mobile product to go away entirely once the flash-based iPod touch (ahem, iPad mini?) finally reaches similar capacity levels – which could happen this week.

The iPod shuffle? Here’s the one iPod model that seems unlikely to be either canceled or rebranded. For one thing, it’s Apple’s only sub-$100 music player, and it would only likely go away if the iPod nano were about to drop to the $99 price point itself – which seems doubtful if the nano is indeed about to go touchscreen. And it would be difficult to find a way to rope the iPod shuffle into the iPad lineup (iPad invisa?) without really stretching for it.

But you never know. Apple intentionally took the iPod’s buzz factor away when it launched the iPhone in 2007, and the iPod has become even more of an afterthought in a year in which the iPad feels like the future while the iPod sounds like something you’d buy for your kid. Maybe now is too soon to pull the trigger. And perhaps throwing away altogether the cache still remaining in the iPod brand name would be foolish anyway. But it is interesting that the most exciting talk about this week’s possible new “iPod” products generally involves them becoming less like the iPod we once knew, and more like Apple’s other, hipper product lines whose brand name still sounds current.

New iPod touch, nano, shuffle, and classic: what to expect Wednesday

Next week’s Apple event likely means updates to some of all of the current iPod lineup. Here’s a common-sense look at what’s likely to change, and what’s likely to stay the same…

iPod touch: there will be a new iPod touch, the question is just how new it’s going to be. It’s well past time they get a camera into the thing, if for no reason other than the fact that there are so many photography apps that Apple is losing potential revenue on, because touch users can’t buy those apps. I’ve thought since 2007 that the iPod touch would only really make sense as a mobile communications device if it came with an optional cellular data plan, because what is the point of owning a pocket device that can do email and internet and Twitter and Facebook and Weather and Maps and all this other cool stuff, but only when you’re at home and you have your computer there anyway, or only at starbucks, a place you’re at just long enough to get the wifi code, type it in, fix the typo you just made, finally get onto the wifi, and by then you’re done with your coffee. And now the iPad has exactly that, an optional 3G chip with a nice little $15 a month data plan, I can’t help but wonder when Apple is going to get around to doing the same with the iPod touch.

iPod nano: is there anything the nano can’t do? But then again, Apple could sell the iPod touch at a loss and still make a big profit through app store sales. But the nano is a different beast. People buy music for it, but the lack of App Store sales for the nano makes me wonder at what point Apple gets tired of the nano not much money after the fact a blows the nano in favor of some kind of iPod touch mini. But then again, of all the apps your iPod touch, how many of them would you want to use at half size on a tiny nano touchscreen?

iPod shuffle: it’s just gonna keep getting smaller. The funny thing about the shuffle is it now has, what, eight times the capacity of the original shuffle, this time maybe it goes to sixteen times the capacity, and yet it still has that same interface motif of hearing one random song after another. But then again, if they put a screen and a click-wheel on it, then it becomes an iPod nano.

iPod classic: the iPod classic used to be 160 GB, and now it tops out at 120 GB, gee, I wonder why? The minute the iPod touch goes to 128 GB, the classic is gone, and for two reasons. One is that it’s still sporting an interface from 2004, which is to a company like Apple is embarrassing. And other other reason is that sales of the classic contribute nothing to App Store sales.

review: Griffin Outfit case for 5G iPod nano

The Griffin Outfit case for the iPod nano 5th generation is one of the more comfortable cases I’ve had the privilege of reviewing. Although it’s a given that Griffin Tech is almost a household name given its mainstream popularity, anyone with an iPod nano 5th gen should consider this case. I’ll go over why with you right now.

First, it’s one of the simplest cases to install onto the iPod nano. The design is a two-piece slide-together form, meaning there is one piece for the bottom half and another for the top half. Simply put the iPod in one of the pieces and then slide the other piece into place. Ta-da! Taking the case off is easy as well – just have both pieces in your hands and gently slide them apart. I prefer this style of case over the 2 piece snap-on shells that I’ve reviewed before.

Second, the feel to this case is especially nice as well. It’s a silky smooth, satin-like feel. The case is also frosted (white or black) and is matte, so you won’t see your fingerprints all over like with glossy cases. If there are scratches, they will be very faint on the case, and at least it isn’t on the device itself. It leaves both the top and bottom open for easy access to everything. However, the screen is left out open, which may be a minor annoyance if you’re the super picky type about having the screen protected at all times (but then you’d have a screen protector, right?).

I have yet to drop my device (and quite frankly would rather not) but this case seems sturdy enough to survive through a fall without coming apart, because it takes a bit of force to pull the halves apart. Overall, this is my favorite case for the iPod nano 5G so far. It’s simple, feels good, and protects your shiny iPod nano. If you’re in the market for an excellent case for your iPod nano 5G, then I’d look no further than the Griffin Outfit.

rating: five stars out of five • available at target=”_blank”>GriffinTechnology.com

Apple reports quarterly revenue up 49%, profit up 90%; iPhone sales soar

So much for these being hard times where no one wants to pay for a product unless it’s been discounted. Apple reported its quarterly earnings this afternoon which included $13.5 billion on overall revenue, three billion of which was profit. Compared to the same quarter a year ago, revenue was up forty-nine percent while profit was up an eye-popping ninety percent, confirming that consumers are increasingly willing to pay Apple’s asking prices for its products even in instances where competing products can be found at significantly cheaper price points.

So how did Apple pull it off this past quarter? Nearly nine million iPhones were sold, more than double the number being sold this time last year, along with nearly eleven million iPods – which represented a perhaps humorous one percent drop in year ago sales, presumably as longtime buyers of classic iPod models increasingly find their way to the iPhone instead. These sales numbers do not reflect the iPad, which went on sale after the reporting quarter had ended. Apple also sold 2.94 million Macintosh computers (desktops and laptops combined) during the stretch, representing a thirty-three percent increase over the previous year.

Referring to it as the best non-holiday quarter in the company’s history, Apple CEO Steve Jobs remarked “We’ve launched our revolutionary new iPad and users are loving it, and we have several more extraordinary products in the pipeline for this year.”

These are the numbers as Apple has reported them. We’ll crunch them further to try to put them into greater context, and see if there’s any bad news hidden anywhere within what appears to have been all around good news for the company.

review: Contour Design iSee inked

review: idox Traveler Series

review: iFrogz Luxe and Luxe Frost

OtterBox Armor for 4G iPod nano

OtterBox has long been the leader in waterproof iPod and iPhone cases, and just as the fourth generation iPod nano was only a modest revision of the second gen nano from a design standpoint, OtterBox’s updated Armor case for fourth gen nano is more evolution than revolution. But if a product got it right the first time around, then that’s not a bad thing.



But before I get ahead of myself: the Armor is a waterproof case that allows you to either submerge your iPod into a couple feet of water or simply use it in a wet situation. In other words you can go swimming in shallow end of the pool or wade a bit into the ocean, and as long as your iPod doesn’t go more than about three feet under, it’ll stay high and dry. If you’re going to actually submerge your iPod then you’ll need third party waterproof earbuds to go with it; using standard earbuds requires ensuring that you keep them dry even as your Armor-clad iPod gets wet.



In short, the Armor for 4G nano works as advertised (no surprise, as no Armor case has ever let me down over the years). And while it’s bulky by ordinary nano case standards at about two-thirds of an inch thick and about an inch taller than the nano itself, those dimenstions are fine for a waterproof case. Scrolling through the waterproof membrane is almost as easy as if you were scrolling on a bare click-wheel, the nano’s screen is fully visible, and the replicated headphone port is on the bottom where nano users expect it to be.



The $39 Armor comes with a detachable belt clip and neckstrap, which are both welcome. But I wish it came with an armband as some past Armor cases have, as strapping it to your arm seems the best way to keep it from being submerged more than three feet deep. But that aside, the latest Armor lives up to its predecessors nicely.