My iPod rough patch

I recently hit a rough patch with my iPods: first I lost my Gen2 nano. Then while using my iPod video on the treadmill, the earbud wire got caught on me and flung my iPod to the ground. Luckily the iSkin saved it from a fatal blow, but it does appear to be a little less stable than it once was. At the same time, my earbuds got munched in the treadmill. So I have been running and working out without my music for a couple of weeks now (an awful thing, right?), and clearly am in need of a replacement iPod to accompany me on my workouts and commutes.

The Replacements

Thus, recently I made a trip to my local Apple store to behold, caress, and otherwise inspect the new iPods (nano, classic, and touch versions) to determine their appeal and possibly buy one. I have to say that I was, if not disappointed, underwhelmed.

The classic holds essentially no appeal due to the fact I already have a 30gb iPod that looks almost identical. Yes, a 160gb drive sounds nice but aside from use as data storage, not really something I need at the moment. The touch is a different story: so similar to the iPhone, but without the AT&T contract. This feature is, at once, attractive and repellent, since the lack of cell service frees you of your monthly $70 bill, but then again without cellular internet access the novelty and utility of the device is radically diminished.

Which, appropriately, leaves me with the nano as my contender. I have been a huge fan of its preceding generations, all the way back to the iPod mini, and have owned both mini and nano gen 1 and gen 2 models. But the new one leaves me cold. The form factor lacks the slick appeal of its ancestors, the screen is bigger but not for any practical purpose, and the interface has added silly superfluous background images - for no apparent reason.

I think Apple faced a dilemma with the new nano: the screen had to be bigger, but (for some reason) could not mimic the touchscreen of its more expensive brethren. So a clickwheel (and thus the space to house it) was required on the face of the machine, effectively defining the new form.

A better idea

After spending some time dealing with my disappointment and alternative solutions (I am going to buy a last-gen nano!) I think I’ve come upon a novel design solution that would at once a) push the iPod design envelope further ahead; b) allow the wow/sexy factor of a larger screen and slick proportions and c) avoid the cost and hassle of a touchscreen device.

A superior design would be to place the clickwheel on the back of the iPod, leaving the front surface to house only a large, 3″ diagonal widescreen. The clickwheel, housed on the rear surface, would appear and function like it always has, but when being used an overlay image would appear on the screen, to facilitate ease of ‘blind’ usage. That is, you hold the device in your hand but caress the back of it to manipulate the menus and functional navigation.

Bang! There you have it: a radical evolution of the clickwheel, a sexy new form factor that bears a family resemblance to the the big daddy iPhone, and a compact, must-have device that retains the ease of use iPods have always been known for.

What do you think?