Thread: iPod Classic & Third-Generation ipod nano

Size Differences

The previous nano and the SG iPod looked very different from each other, but the new versions meet somewhere in the middle. Each has an anodized¬metal face like the previous nano's, with a shiny metal back like those of the previous full-size iPods. The clas¬sic is available with a silver or black face; the nano comes in a 4GB silver model or an 8G B in silver, black, light blue, light green, or red. Although this aesthetic change unifies the look of the lineup, it also means that the new nano isn't nearly as rugged as its predecessor-the shiny back scratches and smudges easily.
Other than the new finishes, the most immediately noticeable change in the two models is their size (although in different senses of the word). Both of the classic models are exactly the same height and width as their SG predeces¬sors and only slightly thinner, but their storage capacities have grown immensely. They provide 80G Band 160GB of storage-enough, by Apple's estimates, for 20,000 or 4°,000 songs, respectively-at the same prices as their 30GB and 80GB predecessors.

The new iPod nano, on the other hand, comes in the same storage capacities as before but has undergone a complete redesign. Instead of being tall (3.S inches high) and narrow (1.6 inches wide), the new model is a squatter shape (2.8 inches high by 2.1 inches wide). If you're familiar with the previous nano, the new shape may look odd at first-but it looks much better in per¬son than it does in pictures. The only real drawback is that the nano's Click Wheel is now thinner and thus requires a bit more precision when you're scrolling through long lists.

The Classic Updated
Apart from its altered appearance and increased storage capacity, the iPodclassic's hardware remains largely unchanged from that of the SG iPod line. It sports the same 2.s-inch screen, the same general features, and the same connections.
There are two notable changes, however. First, Apple has done away with the AV-capable headphone jack found in the SG iPods, leaving all video out¬put to the classic's dock-connector port. Second, although most dock-connectoraccessories made for the SG iPod work with the classic, Apple has made changes to the video-output capabilities of the dock-connector port that render most third-party video accessories incompatible. It's unfortunate that many of the expensive accessories you may already own won't work.

The classic's on-screen interface is dramatically revamped (see "Common Interface"). In addition, the classic supports new games, and includes three of these-Vortex, iQuiz, and Klondike. The downside is that any games you purchased for a SG iPod won't work on the classic.

The Nano Revamped
The main reason for the nano's wider shape is to accommodate a significantly larger screen: 2 inches (diagonally measured) instead of 1. S inches. The nano also gains the ability to display video, just like the iPod classic. (Both models support MPEGA and H.264 videos at resolutions up to 640 by 480 pixels.) This new }20-bY-240¬pixel screen is impressively bright and clear, and has the highest pixel density of any piece of hardware Apple has sold; despite the screen's 2-inch size, video is quite watchable, although if you plan on viewing it for long stretches, the iPod classic and touch are better options.
Buying a nano previously meant sacrificing features (compared to a full-size iPod's) in favor of a smaller player. But the new nano has gained every major feature of the iPod classic. In addition to video playback, you get video output via the dock-connector port and even support for high-quality games (it also includes Vortex, iQuiz, and Klondike). Unfortunately, the nano suffers from the same limitations as the classic with respect to third-party video accessories and SG iPod games.
In other words, the new nano is effectively a scaled-down version of the iPod classic. The main differences between the two devices are physical size and stor¬age capacity; the nano also offers the skip¬free performance of flash memory (rather than a hard drive as in the classic).

Common Interface
Both new iPod models also have a completely revamped on-screen interface. Although basic menu navigation hasn't changed, the look of those menus has. For example, whenever you select Music, Videos, or Photos on the main menu, the screen is split in half, with the right side displaying a panning and zooming preview of items in that category (album covers, video frames, or photos, respectively). This split view continues within each category as you browse submenus, until you get to item listings: the Playlists screen lists each playlist, along with the number of tracks it contains; the Albums and Audiobooks screens list the items of that type, each with a small cover image to its left; and the Songs screen lists each song, with the name of the artist below it. The additional information provided by these new menus makes finding content easier, although if you have a large music library, the two-line-per-track Songs list takes longer to scroll through.
The new iPod software also includes a version of iTunes' Cover Flow feature. Select this item from the Music menu, and you can use the Click Wheel to cycle through the album covers for your music tracks. When you find the album you want, clicking on the Center button brings up a list of tracks for that album; you simply select a track to begin playback. Although it looks great, Cover Flow is slower on the new iPods than in iTunes, and is more visually interesting than useful.
Few aspects of the interface have gone untouched. For example, you no longer have to navigate up several lev¬els to the main menu and then down to the Settings menu just to change shuffle mode; instead, while listening, you simply press the Center button three times to bring up the shuffle settings. The Playlists menu now reflects the folder and playlist hierarchy you've set up in iTunes. An updated Now Playing screen looks much like the one you'll see on the Apple TV-except with a white background-and dis¬plays more information than before: artist, track, album, rating, and track number. And the various Extras and Settings have gained better-looking visuals and clearer messages.


Although the increased use of album art and previews throughout the new iPod interface makes for a bet¬ter visual experience, it has some drawbacks. Most notably, overall menu navigation feels a bit slower than on previous iPods. An iPod software update, released soon after the new models came out, improved perform¬ance considerably, but navigation still isn't quite as fast as on older iPods. Much of the blame for this lies with the heavy use of album art; when we disabled the transfer of album art to the iPod and resynced with iTunes, the entire interface felt zippier.





Performance

As is the case with most recent iPods, Macworld's battery tests showed signifi¬cantly longer life than Apple's published estimates. For example, Apple claims an iPod nano will play music continuously for 24 hours. Our nano played music nonstop for almost 30 hours. Similarly,

Apple suggests that a 160GB iPod clas¬sic can play music for 40 hours straight. We squeezed out more than 52 hours of play time in our best-case testing (see "Battery Life: iPod Nano and Classic" for our complete results).

Most of the dock-connector acces¬sories we tested with the new iPods worked as expected, although we ran into some exceptions. Besides the video-output accessories mentioned previously, Apple's Camera Connector and the FM transmitters that display the tuning frequency on the iPod's screen don't work.

The new iPods' audio performance is very good; both the nano and the classic resolve the differences between higherand lower-quality audio files when played through a good headphone or stereo sys¬tem. (Unfortunately, the included ear¬buds are still of only average quality.)
Macworld's Buying Advice

If the iPod touch isn't in your buying future (see our review on page 68), which of these updated iPods should be? If capacity is your prime concern, the iPod classic is the one to own, offer¬ing cavernous storage with a bright, clear 2.5-inch screen that you can watch for extended periods. On the other hand, if you've already got a 5G iPod that still has space remaining, the clas¬sie isn't terribly compelling.
If you don't need to carry around a massive audio and video library, and your video-watching sessions tend to be short, the new nano is in many ways the most appealing iPod to date. Apple has improved the 3G nano over its predecessor in almost every way, and the device, available for as little as $149, is now essentially a miniatur¬ized version of the iPod classic. Although the new nano's shiny back surface scratches easily, it's tough to resist an iPod that gives you big iPod features such as video playback and output in a device not much bigger than a saltine cracker.-CHRISTOPHER BREEN AND DAN FRAKES

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