Photo: eisenrah / Flickr

Apple has recalled the first generation Apple iPod Nano, due to a battery issue discovered on some of the models. For owners of that model of iPod Nanos – and for those who are even able to find the mp3 player – it will be beneficial to take the company up on the offer since the older Nanos will be replaced with a more recent model.

Apple posted news of the recall on its programme replace site, saying a small percentage of their diminutive mp3 players sold between September 2005 and December 2006 might suffer from overheating. The irony is Apple warns users to stop using the device with immediacy, though I have my doubts about how many people are still using a device that old. This is especially so, given Apple updates its product line-up annually, and the company’s customers have a reputation for updating Apple products frequently.

Incidence is rare

In the post, Apple says that the ‘issue has been traced to a single battery supplier that produced batteries with a manufacturing defect. While the possibility of an incident is rare, the likelihood increases as the battery ages.’ The post has a link on the site to order the replacement unit, with Apple saying that measures have been put in place to ensure that your first generation iPod Nano is eligible for replacement. ‘Your iPod nano serial number will be checked to verify that it is eligible for this program. You will receive a replacement unit approximately 6 weeks after we receive your current iPod nano (1st gen),’ the site reads.

A refreshed Nano

The likelihood of finding an old first generation iPod Nano is probably very low, but it’s certainly worth a search, given Apple stopped manufacturing those Nanos years ago, and you will instead get a newer model. It’s not clear which generation of the company’s mp3 player you’ll get – with touchscreen or sans – but does that matter in the grand scheme of things? Hey, it’s a free Christmas gift – all you’d need to do is wrap it up, and ship it along!

Photo: m.p.3. / Flickr

While all the attention for Apple’s 4 October event is on the iPhone, it’s all but a given that the iPod line will get some time in the sun. Rumours have surfaced that we will see a pair of iPods discontinued, with Apple axing the Shuffle and Classic instead focusing exclusively on the iPod Nano and the iPod Touch, at the event.

Buy now if you were planning on doing so

The report comes courtesy of TUAW, who claim to have been sitting on this rumour until more evidence came to light. The publication writes: ‘It seems that the “product transition” Apple mentioned on the last earnings call could very well be within the iPod line. Specifically, if you want to buy an iPod shuffle or iPod classic from Apple, you should do it sooner rather than later. We’ve heard those two iPods are getting the axe this year.’

Makes sense

Cnet helps put in perspective why Apple would do this, and it owes a lot to the company’s current direction. The iPod Nano and the iPod Touch both have touchscreens, while the Shuffle and Classic do not, and giving Apple’s abhorrence for buttons, it makes sense seeing this pair of iPods discontinued.

Furthermore, the Shuffle’s lack of a screen, coupled with the fact that the classic still uses moving parts storage in a time where Apple is the world’s largest buyer of Flash memory means ditching these two products would help Apple focus its already hyper-focused product lineup even more so.

For its part, TUAW insists its source is highly reputable, stressing that it ‘is NOT an analyst’. They write: ‘We feel pretty confident that Apple will soon discontinue the shuffle and classic, and we see few changes coming for the iPod touch – unless you’re super excited about it being available in white.’ How do you feel about seeing this pair of iPods discontinued?

Photo: Alex Barros / Flickr

Apple has enjoyed yet another blockbuster quarter, selling an incredible amount of Macs, iPhones, and iPads. What’s happened, though, is in all the success of Apple’s current generation of mobile devices, the company’s former shining star – the iPod – is on a sharp decline, with sales falling dramatically year on year.

The great sales plunge

Apple iPod sales for the quarter were down 17 per cent when compared to the same period in 2010. This was revealed by Apple’s quarterly earnings. As such, Apple iPod sales totaled 9.02 million.

The drop off for Apple is accelerating, though, with the company’s April 2010 figures totaling 10.89 million iPods sold. At the time, that was just a 1 per cent dip from how many of the devices the company sold in April 2009.

Which iPod are you?

While Apple doesn’t give a breakdown of which line of iPods did the numbers, chances are high that the iPod classic – the original icon – has seen its sales dwindle dramatically. The iPod Touch, incidentally, could be the one device carrying all of its siblings, considering that in recent years it has become more and more like an iPhone minus the phone, proving to be incredibly popular among teens.

Killing your own cash cow

The natural question is: ‘Why have sales of the iconic music player dropped so dramatically?’ One, it is partly attributable to the incredible sales of the iPhone, which has a fully fledged music player built into it – Apple is killing its own cash cow.

It’s also because of the rapid rise in sales of other smartphones with equally capable music players built in. Why, if you have an Android, WP7, or even a new Blackberry, would you buy a dedicated music player? Nevertheless, Apple will no doubt want to slow the haemorrhaging of such a key component of its overall business.

Photo: bfishadow / Flickr

As politicians accuse the iPad of undermining American jobs and whole companies restructure in the face of Apple’s sales behemoth, technology soothsayers, analysts and even competitors have a lot to say about where this tablet PC will end up in years to come.

One of the more interesting questions, however, is its fate in the market in the long term. More specifically, could the iPad be to tablet computers what the iPod was to mp3 players – a device that dominates its product category so much that it goes unchallenged? Or will it go the way of the Mac – niche and profitable, but not dominate in sales volumes?

The first parallel – market validation

The major parallel between the iPad and iPod is that they both validated product categories that existed prior to their arrivals. Mp3 players were available before the first Apple mp3 player, as were tablets way back in the early 2000s, before the first Apple tablet PC. What Apple did, whether it be through design, product execution, marketing, or a combination of the three was make people buy these devices in droves.

This would spawn copycats – which has happened – looking to snatch some of the impetus right out of Apple’s hands.

The second parallel – early market share

The second major parallel between the iPad and iPod is that they both had unbelievable market share early on. This, of course, is a product of being ‘first’ to market. However, it’s also a product of the early imitators not being up to scratch.

The big question is will Apple be able to update the iPad rapidly enough so that competitors never catch up in quality or sales, the same way it did with the iPod?

The third parallel – pricing responses

The final parallel for the iPad and iPod is how competitors respond in terms of pricing. Here there is both a divergence in execution, and a convergence. The iPod was never affordable when compared to competitors – the iPad has proven to be. However, what soon happened was competitors began undercutting the price of the Apple mp3 player in hopes of eking out some market share. They did, but very little of it. The same pricing strategy is panning out with the Apple tablet PC, too, if a report suggesting manufacturers have resorted to undercutting the price of the iPad in order to succeed is to be believed.

The question is: will it work to slow Apple this time round, or will the Apple tablet PC’s market share mirror that of the iPod’s – which is to say dominate totally.

Photo: threefingeredlord / Flickr

It’s looking increasingly likely that Apple’s September music event may be the event where the company unveils the iPhone 5. This would be a break in trend from previous years where the company used WWDC, which happens in June/July, to unveil their latest smartphone.

Research note alludes to it

We previously reported that Apple would use WWDC 2011 to show off software only, with many predicting the company is ready to show the world its many cloud computing initiatives.

A research note released by Avian Securities suggesting the iPhone 5 won’t debut until September 2011, at the earliest, is more evidence still that WWDC 2011 will get no iPhone 5 love. The firm writes: ‘Conversations with yet another key component supplier indicates that production for iPhone 5 will begin in September.’ They added that: ‘This is consistent with Avian findings in the supply chain in recent months and we believe the consensus view is moving towards this scenario.’

Surely it is not coincidental Apple’s annual music event happens in September, too, right?

Re-energising music event

AllThingsD hypothesizes that this means that the Apple iPhone 5 could be unveiled at the event, which in recent years has lost some of its lustre due to the iPhone stealing the spotlight. Furthermore, Apple has perfected the iPod line to the point where the various iterations on it have stopped being interesting.

It would make perfect sense for the iPhone 5 and the fifth gen iPod Touch to be shown side-by-side. It would also refocus attention on a key part of Apple’s business, given how central iTunes, the iPod, and the music platform are to the company’s success. The new handset would undoubtedly get more attention than all the other devices shown, but it could goose coverage of the press conference.

Photo: latca / Flickr

Our favourite video games analyst, Michael Pachter, believes Apple is (or will) develop a 3D iPod to erase the competitive edge the Nintendo 3DS will give the Japanese video gaming icon. While recent patent happenings suggests Apple may very well have the technology to deliver this 3D product, this is a remarkable prediction, even by Pachter’s own standards.

The revolution will be 3D-ized

Pachter told Konsolifin.net that he thinks the 3DS is indeed a big deal device, but Apple’s charge will be formidable. After lashing the Japanese company for how the Wii has been baron of innovation, Pachter said: ‘On the handheld side, I see the 3DS as truly revolutionary, but expect Apple to copy it and improve the design with a 3D iPod, and to again begin to erode Nintendo’s first mover advantage’.

Yet, almost as if he remembered that Nintendo has never lost against any competitor ever in the handheld space, Michael Pachter added that ‘Nintendo has iterated its handhelds frequently, and may succeed in holding Apple at bay; it will be interesting to watch’.

But this is not just any company

However, even with their track records on handheld consoles, it’s fair to say that Apple is a company unlike any Nintendo has faced. A veritable steamroller in the tech space with an uncanny ability to turn entire markets on its head, the company is using its touchscreen devices as the basis for destroying many previous stand-alone device categories. Just ask the GPS manufacturers how they feel about Team Jobs. And we’ve previously explored what Apple’s new found gaming ambitions might mean for Nintendo

The best articulation of this reality is a brilliant essay written by technology leader Paul Graham, simply entitled ‘Tablets’.

So many competitors

Yet, even discounting Apple’s advances and the chances of a 3D iPod being released to compete with the Nintendo 3DS, Ninty needs to be mindful of whatever Sony’s currently opaque handheld strategy is, as well as the steady charge of mobile gaming as a whole, with the likes of Microsoft putting their hands up by cross-leveraging Xbox Live with Windows Phone 7.

Nevertheless, this is Michael Pachter we’re talking about here, and he is wrong as frequently as he is right, so take this with a pinch of salt. And, in case you think we’re down on the Nintendo 3DS, we’re not. It might be our most anticipated product in the world, period, right now. Ours is already pre-ordered!

Photo: Apple

Several months on the shelves now, in the final leg toward Christmas, the iPod Touch 4G has established itself as arguably the best dedicated personal media player on the planet. And it’s done this on the back of nine years of experience building iPod devices, and the software platform – iTunes – that supports it. It is all but guaranteed that Apple will sell this device by the buckets come Christmas, and here’s all you need to know if you’re considering getting your hands on one.

So what are your options?

The iPod Touch 4G comes in three capacities: 8GB, 32GB and 64GB. The 16GB version seen in previous generations has been completely dropped. Outside of capacity, these devices are all pretty much the same thing.

The new features the iPod Touch 4G offers are dual-facing cameras, allowing for 720p HD video recording, still camera functionality, and FaceTime calling. The Retina Display, which made its debut on the iPhone 4, also makes a welcome appearance here. Although, like for like, the screen on the iPod is inferior to that on the Apple phone, it’s still significantly better than what you find on most any mobile device on the market today.

The media player to kill all media players

Apple has taken to marketing the iPod Touch 4G as an iPhone minus the ‘phone and expensive contract’, and this sentiment has never been more true than now. Seriously, the only difference between the current iPod Touch and its iPhone big brother is the Touch lacks a built-in GPS module, 3G data, and calling functionality. If you’re unsure which way to lean between the two, you should read this.

Other than that, you have the exact same device with access to the exact same 250,000 plus app marketplace. For other media players, this is scary. While in terms of engineering quality, it’s very difficult to compete with a device of that quality at that price tag, especially for the 8GB iPod Touch 4G version. Now add a number of world class device-enhancing apps, and Apple really does have an unfair advantage over the many other media players out there.

In fact, to this day, outside of the as-yet unreleased Samsung Galaxy Player 50, there is nothing on the market that is even comparable to the iPod Touch 4G, when you factor in what it does beyond music and videos.

To buy or not to by

If you’ve wanted an iPhone 4, but couldn’t justify (or afford) the expensive monthly carrier fee, or if you’re just looking for a highly proficient media device, the iPod Touch 4G is highly recommended. When we first got our hands on it, we were blown away by how good a device it is. The more time we spend with it – and the more great apps we add – the better it gets.

Photo: happyjoelmoss / Flickr

Unless you’ve been in deep hibernation, you know that for more than two months, 33 brave Chilean miners were trapped under 700,000 tons of rock in a collapsed mine. They’re free now, and there’s been a global outpour of love and support from everywhere, with Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs making a donation of his own.

Outpouring of love

The story, which is extraordinary, came to an end on Wednesday when a tiny shaft with a diameter of no more than 60cm hauled each of the miners out, one by one over the course of more than 20 hours. The world’s eyes were glued to their TV screens, transfixed on the Chilean miners.

Upon their safe rescue, the nation of Chile burst into celebration, while the rest of the world showed its support by doing what we do best – watching every moment of the rescue efforts on television.

Showered with gifts

The Chilean miners have since been showered with gifts from all corners of the world. Book deals, and film deals are being negotiated, as well as the men receiving a generous $10,000 donation each from a singer. Reuters reported that none other than Steve Jobs himself sent each miner a brand new iPod. One hopes it’s those swanky new iPod Touch 4^th gen, because they’re awesome! What’s particularly wonderful about this outpouring of love and support, in particular the monetary donation, is that on average, each of the miners gets paid a mere $1,600 per month.

Clever marketing

Whether the iPod donation was made by Steve Jobs or Apple is unclear. What does matter, though, is that it has netted Apple some very good marketing, which, depending on your personal level of cynicism, may have been the intent after all. We err on the side of good humanity, with Jobs and his team being moved by the story and showing their solidarity with the miners in a not-so-difficult nor overly expensive gesture.

What matters ultimately is that the Chilean miners are home with their families, and each of them made it out alive.

Photo: Apple

Apple is the undoubted leader in all of mobile computing. They have a trifecta of products – the Mac, the iPhone, and the iPad – that are doing massive numbers and are widely considered world-beating. The iPod, though on decline, is no slacker either, and is still by far the world’s most popular media player. Competitors everywhere are wondering how to stop Apple. Nobody has the answers, but here is the curious onlooker’s guide to beating Apple.

Prioritise aesthetics and usability

Where Jonathan Ive has made Apple’s products the desire of industrial designers the world over, a team of very smart engineers have made their software impossibly simple to use and highly responsive, too. One may not think this now, but back in 2007, the world had never seen a mobile phone so simple to use.

And mobile had been around seriously for about 15 years. That’s remarkable. They did the same with the MP3 player industry with the iPod. And though you may not be sold wholesale on the Apple tablet PC, it is light years better than the clunky tablets that ran on Windows in the past. Beating Apple requires understanding design cannot be treated like a commodity, and software needs to both be elegant but highly usable.

Build a rock-solid central platform

One of the things Apple takes the most flack for is locking people into iTunes. For my money, iTunes may be Apple’s greatest achievement. Sure, the iPod, iPad, and iPhone are all genius pieces of work, but iTunes is the Trojan horse Apple has used to disrupt the music industry, and the applications market for mobile phones. Why is this? Because people are comfortable with iTunes, so the tacking on of additional services is totally rational to them.

All these other companies who are swinging against Apple need to develop similar platforms to make the rollout and adoption of newer products and newer pieces of media as seamless as iTunes has made picking up the Apple tablet, the Apple phone before that, and Apple MP3 player before that, too.

Beating Apple requires replicating their strategy and redeploying from that perspective.

Acknowledge it isn’t easy and build slowly

One of the things I admire about Google Android as a platform is how it is progressively getting better, and better, and better. When the G1 one came out I, and many, couldn’t help but feel a sense of ‘Is this it? This is what the fuss is about?’ because the software was ho-hum and the hardware average at best. But years on, with the HTC Desire and most recently the Samsung Galaxy S on the hardware side, and Froyo leading the charge on the software side, most everybody can admit that Google Android is a real contender.

This is the way for companies who don’t have an industrial design genius of Ive’s capability, or a product visionary of Jobs’ enormity.

Beating Apple is not impossible – though at this point probably implausible. Companies just have to want it, to be honest, and then not make mistakes as they go about it.

What’s your take? How does one upend the insanely popular Apple phone and Apple tablet PC?

Photo: Apple

When we first saw the new iPod Nano introduced, and learnt it had a clip on the back of it for adding a strap, we imagined a bunch of ways zany owners – some NSFW – would attach it to themselves. What has emerged as the best unconventional way to wear it is, believe it or not, as a wristwatch. Enter the iPod watch.

It’s all in the size

Given it’s, umm, Nano size, the iPod Nano 6th generation, with its refined square shape, looks cool wrapped around your wrist. All you need to do is buy an appropriate strap, and you’re good to go. With its full screen digital clock function, you can use it as your primary time piece, letting it go to sleep whenever it’s not in use to preserve battery life. And when you bump into other Apple nerds lovers, when showing off your super smart solution you can call it your WWJD timepiece – short for What Would Jobs Do?

It’s impractical, you know?

Though I’m 100 per cent certain nerds everywhere will use the iPod Nano 6^th gen as the most advanced digital watch ever invented, it is worth pointing out that, umm, it isn’t particularly practical.

For one, the miniature iPod Nano 6^th generation doesn’t support Bluetooth or wireless headsets, meaning if you want to use your new iPod watch in the way it was initially intended to be used, you’d need to run earphones up your arm and under your shirt to your ears. You’ll look super silly in a short sleeve shirt, but in a long sleeve shirt, you’ll almost undoubtedly feel like a Scotland Yard badass.

Secondly, iPods aren’t exactly known for the seemingly timeless (chuckle) battery life on regular digital and analogue watches. I’ve never heard of someone’s watch’s battery running flat daily, so if I ask you for the time and you can’t accommodate me, you’ll look like a silly guy wearing a dead watch.

It’s also kinda expensive

Oh, and, consider the iPod Nano 6^th generation one last time before you go buy a touchscreen watch (how bad-ass is that, btw?), remember it isn’t cheap, with a retail price of £139 for the 8GB and £189 for the 16GB. But we may have stealthily uncovered another market Jonathan Ive, Steve Jobs, and the Apple crew want to obliterate – the digital wristwatch space. Those sneaky, sneaky guys!

Go on, buy your iPod watch already. We won’t judge you.