On Monday, I returned from my daily walk and announced two things to my husband:
1) 30 Seconds to Mars’ new album would be releasing the next day, and he needed to get it for me.
2) I needed an iPod Nano.
Now, let’s talk about why I needed an iPod Nano. I currently use the iPod Classic. It was a hand-me-down from my hubby when he transitioned over to using his iPhone as his iPod (via the Cloud) and my old iPod (the rather awesome U2 Special Edition) used up all its memory and I had to pick and choose stuff to upload to it. The old iPod had a case with a clip, which was great for when I used to work out using the elliptical. My current iPod has a case but no clip, nor do I want a clip for it, because it spends most of its time in my car, and a clip would get in the way.
When I started making the effort to walk daily, I grabbed my U2 iPod and clipped it on my pants and started it up. Only the battery was dead. So I charged it and just put my current iPod in the pocket of my hoodie.
The next day, I took my fully-charged U2 iPod and started it up. It allowed me to scroll around a bit, and then the battery died. Again. Okay…
So what I’ve been doing is carrying my current iPod. The one with no clip. And because of the size and shape differences between the U2 iPod and my current iPod, I couldn’t just switch cases.
Carrying the iPod in my pocket is fine. When I have a pocket. Which happens when I wear my hoodie. Given the warming temperatures, that’s not always an option unless I want heat stroke. And workout clothing, for some reason, hates pockets. So I’d have to carry the thing, paranoid I’m going to drop it (it’s a rational fear, folks).
Hence, I need an iPod nano. It’s cute, it’s small, and it clips on to whatever I’m wearing. Only, when I started researching it, I realized the nano doesn’t look like this anymore. It looks like this, which is the 7th generation.
Which is cute and small, but does not clip onto whatever I’m wearing. In order to take it with me, I’d need pockets or one of those armband thingies, which, after reading reviews for, I wasn’t excited about.
However, iPod does offer the shuffle, which looks just like the 6th generation nano I wanted, but no touch screen and a smaller memory. But it’s cute, small, and has a clip.
So I did my research. I kept concluding all I NEEDED was the shuffle. But I wanted a touch screen so I could search my music. And the nano offered this really cool built-in fitness app sponsored by Nike. Which was tempting… really tempting, despite my having my own (bulky) pedometer that I’ve been wearing 24/7.
I couldn’t make up my mind. My hubby couldn’t help either, because he saw the pros and cons of both. Saturday, we went to Target, but beforehand, he went to a website that talked about the likelihood of the iPod getting an update soon (the keynote speech announcing new products and upgrades is in June). For the iPod shuffle? Upgrades are LONG overdue. But my husband is convinced they’re gonna phase out the Shuffle, which means no upgrade.
So picture me, sitting in Target, my eyes roaming back and forth between the Shuffle and the Nano. Neither is exactly what I want, but both have things I want. What I really needed, I knew, was the 6th generation iPod Nano, which had the size and clip of the current Shuffle, but the touch screen and fitness app of the current 7th generation Nano.
We decided to wait. I thought there might be places that sold used iPods and I might get lucky. We had to go to Hastings to return a book, so while I was handling the return, my hubby went back to the music section to see if there were any used 6th generation Nanos.
There were. But better still, Hastings still had unopened, brand-new, 6th generation iPod Nanos.
My husband finds me at the counter and asks, “What color do you want?” In which case I did a mini giddy-clap/happy dance, scaring the poor teenager trying to ring up the return.
I got it in green. I’ve had two walks in it, and it’s exactly what I wanted.
Thus concludes the great, epic hunt for the iPod Nano (6th generation). And yes, for those of you wondering, I got my 30 Seconds to Mars album. It rocks.
Calico Writes 
I am somewhat shocked they still make such a wide variety of ipods. I figured they’d be trying to push people into the iphones, but it makes sense that they’d keep the small ones around at least.
I do most of my exercise on the exercise bike, so I just watch videos on my kindle fire, or listen to must from my laptop. I did used to take walks though when I lived in Rhode Island and was walking distance from a beach. I had an old insignia mp3 player (who’s demise I still mourn), and found that it was a great way to keep me walking. Now, I don’t live in the greatest neighborhood (it’s not THAT bad, but when I walk alone, strange men tend to approach me), so walks are sadly a thing on the past.
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I just saw a commercial about more people use iPhones for music more than any other phone, so I’d say there is a push. We’ll see where things go. I considered using my iPhone as my iPod, but that would still involve getting an armband (or worse, a clip) for my iPhone, and I wasn’t too excited about that….
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It’s lucky that you were able to find a new one. You can buy a refurbished Nano 6 at your local Apple Store, with a warranty and everything.
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I’m still stunned. I was going to try Gamestop, because I’d seen online where they took old iPods on trade-in, but if I’d struck out there, I probably would’ve headed up to an Apple Store. 🙂
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Wow, the universe was definitely on your side while you hunted for the exact iPod you wanted. Lucky you!
I currently have an iPod shuffle. A friend of mine gave it to me a few years back. I’m actually relieved it doesn’t have a touch screen, since my long nails would make that a pain to put up with, I imagine! XD
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Indeed it was. I was tickled pink to find it!
How do you like using the shuffle, if you don’t mind me asking. Do you have to keep clicking buttons to get the song you want?
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Yeah, you have to keep clicking to get to a certain song, but that usually isn’t a problem for me. I’m one of those people who’ll get obsessed with a single song and listen to just that for a week or more. So, I tend to put just one song on my iPod at a time so I can easily listen to it on repeat. At most, I’ll just have an album’s worth of songs I’m into. (A six-song EP is on my iPod right now, for example.)
So, yeah. I’m weird. XD
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Nah, not weird, unless I’m weird too! I can listen to a song on repeat for hours, but I usually tend to put an album on repeat. When it comes to working out, though, I want options in case something isn’t clicking with me. The need for repetition tends to show up when I’m writing. 🙂
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I still don’t have an iPod of any description. I still use a CD player. This is probably unforgivable, for someone who wants to be a computer programmer, because Technology, yo!
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Irony!
I always find it ironic when I met science fiction writers (not including fantasy, just straight up science fiction) who are resistant to technological change. It boggles my mind. 🙂
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Unfortunately, if I have to chose between technology and being able to buy food, I have to go with the latter.
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Oh, I totally get that, and didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I’m thinking more along the lines of published authors known for SF but their websites still look like they’re from the nineties. Don’t get me wrong, if you factor in the economics of web design and hosting and all that, one can easily argue it’s not affordable depending on one’s income; it’s just that there’s so many free, great website-ish THINGS out there that one can easily have a professional looking site without being out of date. Yet I know SF authors who refuse to learn more about such things. It’s rather maddening. 🙂
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