Why, Specifically, the New iPod Nano Sucks

Technology

Everybody is talking about the new iPod Nano. I mean everybody. I can't refresh my RSS reader without stumbling across yet another review of the thing, like this one from Ars. However, not a single one of them is telling you why the new iPod Nano sucks. But I will.

The new iPod Nano sucks because the Meizu Miniplayer M6 is smaller, has a bigger screen, costs less, and has already been out for over a year. Don't believe me? Let's review, with a similar table to the one I put together last time. I'll be comparing the 4GB models here, but there are also 8GB models available for each.

FeatureNew NanoMiniplayerWinner
Storage4 GB4 GbTie
Screen2"2.4"Miniplayer
Weight1.74 oz.1.94 oz.Nano (barely)
Thickness6.5mm10mmNano
FM TunerNoYesMiniplayer
MoviesYesYesTie
PhotosYesYesTie
FormatsAAC,MP3,AIF,WAVMP3,WMA,OGG,WAVMiniplayer (no DRM!)
Touch InterfaceYesYesMiniplayer (it doesn't take up half the device)
Built-in MicrophoneNoYesMiniplayer
GamesYesYesTie
Cost$149.00$99.00Miniplayer

Overall winner: Meizu Miniplayer, by a long shot. Unless 0.2 ounces and 3.5 millimeters are worth a 17% smaller screen and paying $50 more. Oh, I guess I forgot that you get to be an Apple drone, too.

Don't give in to the marketing hype: The new iPod Nano sucks. Buy a Meizu Miniplayer instead.

All technical specs obtained from the official Meizu Miniplayer M6 specs and the offical iPod Nano specs. Prices taken from the Apple store and a Google product search.

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Ardvaark
Posts: 3
Comment
Re: Pot
Reply #7 on : Fri September 14, 2007, 09:03:20
Allan: Sure, it's Meizu's web site - but it's their user forum. Of course you're going to find horror stories there! The forums are there for that very purpose.

Check Apple's forums, and you'll see the same thing: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4970551
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5261248

And there's plenty more. Clearly, iPods crash all the time. Everyone you see wearing white earbuds is merely *pretending* to listen to their actually-broken iPod, out of embarrassment for buying it.
Ardvaark
Posts: 3
Comment
Touché
Reply #6 on : Fri September 14, 2007, 08:49:54
It would be nice if it did support AAC, for all those who have AAC files. But really, who uses AAC anyway, besides everybody who already has an iPod? ;-)
Allan
Posts: 5
Comment
RE: Pot
Reply #5 on : Fri September 14, 2007, 08:20:57
Single post? That's the Meizu website. There are tons of posts that owners made about the player dying after one use. It's not one post. I'm not trying to dog the player. In fact after seeing your post, I thought maybe this could be the player to replace my Nano.
Andy Boyko
Posts: 5
Comment
No AAC?
Reply #4 on : Thu September 13, 2007, 10:54:30
You're saying Meizu player doesn't support AAC, a ten year old internationally-standardized audio format? I've got a couple hundred GB of audio in AAC format. I have no evidence that anybody has any audio in OGG, except for a few kooks with Richard Stallman lectures they recorded on their cell phones. But I agree, don't buy a nano. Buy a 160GB iPod classic.
Chris
Posts: 5
Comment
Sucks is a bit strong
Reply #3 on : Wed September 12, 2007, 13:08:39
Brian,

While the new iPod nano may be inferior to the Meizu, it certainly doesn't suck. They are taking their existing, wildly successful, "platform" and modifying it to meet the needs of their customers (or, more likely, they are telling their customers what they want, and then providing it to them).

Your major complaints are the screen size, DRM, and price.

First, Apple is not going to abandon its iconic circular button thing, and they didn't want to make the unit too big - hence the reduced screen size (and I have to admit, half an inch means quite a bit with a screen that small).

Second, you don't have to play Apple's DRM game: you can use your own music files that have no DRM at all. If you use iTunes to purchase music, then you'll be at the mercy of Apple's DRM, but that would be true if the Meizu came essentially bundled with a music management and sales mechanism, which it doesn't. While I agree that lack of support for OGG (really? I would have expected the iPods to speak OGG) is a disappointment, the support for DRM-laden audio formats is not a reasonable condemnation.

Finally, the price is something that Apple gets to set. Why charge $50 more? Because Apple has proven that their devices have a tremendous cool-factor. Apple has calculated that relative cool factor to be worth $50, and I'm sure they're going to get lots of $50's.

The iPod nano does not suck. It is simply technically inferior to the Meizu. Guess what? The Meizu will probably die and the iPod will probably continue to dominate, based almost solely on marketing (it doesn't hurt that the iPods are pretty easy to use and actually work... Apple isn't just robbing people). The same thing happened to Betamax. The same thing is happening to the PS3, and, to a certain extent, Nintendo in general.

What sucks is that superior technology and/or features doesn't always win.
Ardvaark
Posts: 3
Comment
Pot, Kettle
Reply #2 on : Wed September 12, 2007, 12:02:19
So a single, unsubstantiated anecdotal post on a message board invalidates my technical comparison? Nice try.

If you do a search for ANY product breaking, you're sure to find plenty of negative stories. Here's a positive one: I've had my Miniplayer for almost a year now, and I've had no problems with it.
Allan
Posts: 5
Comment
Re:
Reply #1 on : Wed September 12, 2007, 08:40:45
http://en.meizu.com/userforum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1309

That doesn't support your claim. And by no means am I an Apple lover. In fact I'd rather have something else but I don't think I'll be buying one of these.

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