After selling my iPod nano 6th generation, I decided to get the newer one (7th generation) mainly because it has Bluetooth feature. My bedroom speaker has Bluetooth connectivity, so I thought it might be a good idea to use it wireless.
Basic question: if I just need to have a music player with Bluetooth connection, why not just use iPhone or iPad mini?
Well, I was trying to save myself from avoidable radiation, so I always leave my iPhone outside my bedroom at night. Please read my other post for more discussion on this topic.
Now back to this iPod nano. This 7th generation comes with touch screen and home button, like a smaller version of iPod touch, but with more dedication to playing music without all the extra apps. It has Bluetooth connection, FM radio, Nike+ support, capable of displaying photos and playing videos. Playing video in such a small screen? That’s what I thought too. Not to mention all my previously converted movies which plays without problem in iPhone can’t be played in iPod nano. Yes it’s capable of playing video, but only certain video with specific criteria. Chances are, even you already have converted movies for iPhone/iPad, those movies still won’t play in this nano.
Unboxing this nano gave me unique experience. Usually Apple puts the main device on top the packaging content and have some sort of plastic wrapping it, making sure it’s properly fixated to the packaging structure. This one only have a thin layer of plastic covering its screen, and I couldn’t figure out how to actually detach the iPod from the plastic base. Turns out we need to bend the base plastic a little bit and the iPod will be released. Only a very slight bending needed though, gotta be careful not to break it.
Size-wise, this iPod nano is larger than the previous model (iPod nano 6th gen). However, it’s strikingly thinner. So thin I find it hard to pick it up from a table sometimes. Using a case protector might cover the beauty of its aluminum body, but I find it easier to use super-thin device when a silicon case is attached to it. The photo above shows a comparison between iPod nano 7th gen and iPhone 4S.
The main menu has 2×3 icons. We can press the home button from any screen to return quickly to main menu, or we can still use the swipe gesture inherited from previous gen nano. With taller screen, it displays more of my music playlist and songs, and I love it !
Sound-wise, I couldn’t notice any different from the previous nano. It sounds the same. The sound quality we would expect from an Apple device is there. It comes with an Earpod in the box. The Earpod has the same shape as the ones found in iPhone 5 package, but this one doesn’t have the remote (and mic) part. Naturally it also comes with a lightning cable so we can use it to transfer songs and to charge it.
If you have old speakers with 30-pin dock, you can’t use it straight away with this iPod. You can either buy a converter from 30-pin connector to lightning, or you can get a new speaker. Many people seems to be angry over “I can no longer use my old accessories”, but the old 30-pin connector was almost 10 year old (first introduced in 3rd gen iPod in 2003) and I do feel it’s time to move forward to a better connector.
I don’t really like the fact that the lightning connector of this iPod is located at the bottom right side, not at the bottom center like other Apple devices. Having the connector not centered makes it look weird when we plug this iPod to a lightning dock. I’ve been searching for few days, there is no single product out there, charging dock or speaker, that is designed for this weird placement of lightning connector.
Playing music through Bluetooth connection works well. The pairing is done in few touches. The sound quality over Bluetooth is also quite enjoyable. However, I notice that playing music through Bluetooth does drain iPod battery significantly. Apple website specifies 30 hours of music playing and 3.5 hours of video playback. I can understand that using Bluetooth will surely reduce playtime, but not from 30 hours to 5 hours. That’s just barely more than the play time for video playback. I thought Bluetooth 4.0 is supposed to be a low-powered technology? Bluetooth is my primary reason of upgrading from 6th gen to 7th gen, so this one flaw got me disappointed.
Overall, it’s still a decent music player. Very compact and portable. Good sound quality and reasonable battery life as long as we don’t use Bluetooth.
Apple iPod is known for industry grade sound quality. But in my opinion the sound quality of Nano 7th Gen is not that special. It is a great product due to functionality and look but IMHO there are better products in lesser price.
At this point, MP3 player is no longer considered as “cutting edge” technology. It’s a matured technology, with many companies capable of making quality products. Since music is forever, and people will always listen to music, MP3 players still have market. I guess now people choose an MP3 player not merely based on “sound quality”, but also based on other aspects like the overall look of the player itself. The definition of “better products” is pretty much very subjective to every person’s personal taste.