Tech Blog

[#1]

Earlier this month, we caught wind that Apple could be working on a touchscreen iPod shuffle . The rumors of the updated next-generation iPod shuffle called for a 1.7-inch touchscreen display, possibly addressing the issues related to lack of control on the current shuffle. Well, it seems that those rumors are being squashed. Well, perhaps "squashed" isn't the right term. "Adjusted" is probably a little more accurate.

That's because the newest rumors flying around on the Internet say that Apple is indeed working on an iPod with a smaller touchscreen (that is not the iPod touch), but it's not the shuffle; it's the new iPod nano .

And we could be seeing it for the first time in just a few short days.

As you may have heard, Apple is apparently hosting some big event on September 1 . On that day, we're expecting some announcement about Apple TV and how they'll be offering 99 cent TV rentals within 24 hours of the original episode airing on network TV. This will better position Apple TV as a direct competitor to services like Hulu and Netflix. We're also hearing that a new iPod touch will be revealed at the event, possibly with an iPhone 4-like shape, camera, and FaceTime support.

But what's this about an iPod nano with a touchscreen? The details are sketchy at best, but it seems that Apple wants to eventually move everything to multitouch. It's on the iPhone. It's on the Magic Mouse. There are even rumors of it coming to iMac, so why wouldn't they do the same to the iPod nano too?

Personally, I'm still a fan of the old click wheel. It's simple, it works, and it provides just enough tactile feedback to make me feel like I'm using "real buttons." However, if the new iPod nano does in fact have this touchscreen, it'll probably ditch the click wheel. If it does (and the screen is just 1.7-inches), that'll make the nano even smaller.

Does this mean that we can finally dig a plot six feet deep for the iPod shuffle? Or does it still have a place among the product portfolio? I guess we'll find out on Wednesday.

[#2]

I have to agree with you on the tactile sensation of the click wheel being more appealing.  I love touchscreens (they are sexy), but they are not a panacea.  For example, many retailers (Future Shop included) now have touchscreen debit terminals.  I hate them, because I don't get any tacticle sensation of entering my PIN.  I don't actually look at the terminal when I enter my PIN; I cover it with my hand and feel my way through the sequence.  A touchscreen doesn't let me do that.

I mostly use my iPod nano (first generation, boo-yeah) for two things: cycling and driving.  In both cases, I want to keep my eyes on the road, so I'll often fumble for a second to touch the proper button.  With a touchscreen, I imagine it would be a lot harder for this sort of "eyesfree" control.

But Apple's iPods have been bloating since they came out.  When my first first generation iPod nano broke a few months ago, I decided not to buy a newer nano because of all the features I didn't need (why does my MP3 player need a camera?).  I just bought a first-generation nano off (competitor), because it does what I want it to do.  I don't want to be "that guy" declaiming new technology, because touchscreens are cool, and I'm sure someone out there needs a camera in his or her MP3 player.  But do we need to put touchscreens on everything?

I've always ignored the iPod shuffle because of that lack of control, even though I tend to put my music on shuffle.  As I said, however, a touchscreen on either the nano or the shuffle would do little to increase my enthuasiasm for a newer-generation device.

[#3]

That brings up a very good point: "eyesfree" control. I completely agree. Whenever I enter my PIN, I do it by feel too. The same can be said about dialing a regular phone, for example. There's still a place for buttons and not EVERYTHING needs a touchscreen.