Those boys over at Tech Digest are on the ball. Whilst we were discussing dogs without heads, they were celebrating the fifth birthday of the iPod and plotting a very comprehensive timeline. But we're awake now, and thought you might like to join us on an Official The Good, The Bad and the Ugly as voted for by Smash Hits readers me.
The Good
What could be gooder than giving money to charity? It costs £129 in the UK, but as Camilla pointed out here, Apple UK are being a bit sketchy on how much gets donated to fighting AIDS. Spec wise, it's a second generation Nano with 4G of storage. That's good.
On a more personal 'good' note, you can't forget the mammoth 80GB iPod released a month or so ago. It's bigger, it's brighter, and it'll last you longer, with 75% more battery life. Now all you need is 20,000 songs to fill it with.
The Bad
Come on Apple. You tell us we're getting a new Nano, and then you give us a Mini throwback. Yes, it's cute, and we love the colours, and it got a rave review from loads of people over at the Shiny Fashion Forum, but really. A new Nano? We think not.
And Bono. You're synonymous with wraparound sunglasses, and you do a good line in albums you can steal from your dad. But the signatures on the back of the iPod, the in-your-face black and red, the adverts with you gyrating around to what is probably your own Greatest Hits album? No thanks. (But good job on the (product) range by the way.)
The Ugly
How could it be anything else? The iPod Shuffle was awarded Chav Gadget of 2005 at the Shiny Awards, so couldn't possible escape a mention on this list. Whether it's the option of wearing it round your neck, the lack of screen or the plastic white casing that does it is unclear, but it wasn't Apple's finest moment.
And it's with a heavy heart that the last entry on this list is the First Generation iPod. It was only available in white, it had a monochrome screen and was about the thickness of a pack of playing cards. However did we cope?? Saying that, it's the Adam and the Eve of what we're celebrating today, so will always hold a special place in my heart.
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I mainly like how small the new Nano is... it is great to work out with.
i was so depressed when i bought a 1st gen mini and it didn't have the ye olde apple font that was on the (then current) iPods.
but i must have scored some sort of supernatural model since it's been running without any problems for 2 years now (bar the notoriously woeful battery life)
i was so depressed when i bought a 1st gen mini and it didn't have the ye olde apple font that was on the (then current) iPods.
but i must have scored some sort of supernatural model since it's been running without any problems for 2 years now (bar the notoriously woeful battery life)