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Quick History of the Apple iPod nano

You've seen the new 3G iPod nano. You might even own it. (I sure like mine...) Have you wanted to know how it was invented?

Here's the scoop.

Obivously the iPod nano evolved from Apple Computer as part of the iPod product line. That original iPod was is often credited to Tony Fadell. Tony was part of the team that created the original iPod classic. Who invented the nano? It seems to be a team effort, as no one is being publicly credited with its invention. Let's look at the details of the nano's launch.

Apple introduced the iPod nano in 2005. It took the press by surprise. The iPod Mini was doing pretty well with the mid-price buyers. Apple discontinued the Mini in favor of the nano.

What was special about the nano? A couple things.

The nano traded out traditional hard disks for using "flash drive storage" to store the music. The new flash drives don't have moving parts and survive a lot more abuse. Those of us constantly on the go needed a player they could trust, no matter what abuse we threw at it.

In contrast, you'll see a typical hard drive in the classic iPod. Don't get me wrong, the classic iPod is a great product. It holds more than a nano and doesn't get lost so easily. But, you have to treat it a little more kindly than a nano. Nanos shine for people who work out, commute, or have hectic lives.

The iPod nano's size is one of it's strengths too. Flash drives are much smaller than hard disks, which you see reflected in the nano's size. I can carry my nano in a blazer pocket without a bulge. It fits small carryons. It's a lot less bulky on an armband.

Enough of the history lesson, where are we now? Apple launched the nano 3G (third generation) last fall, September 2007. Why mess with a good thing? To add video playback and games! Users were thrilled.

The nano 3G images are sharp and clear. It renders with a 204 pixel density on a QVGA 320x240 screen. Beautiful.

Now for games. When you buy a 3G nano it comes with three free games: solitaire, iQuiz (a trivia game about music, movies, and tv), and Vortex (think Pong with the ball dropping down a well). You can download more from iTunes and other download sites.

Now you know how the nano came about, and why. Happy playing!