iPod nano (2nd generation)
Anodized aluminum in six colors with a finish that answered the first nano's scratching complaints, and 24 hours of battery.
Released September 12, 2006 · Discontinued September 5, 2007 · From $149 (2 GB)
Apple took the nano's material language from the mini and put it in a thinner body. Anodized aluminum in six colors, 2, 4 or 8GB, and a scratch-resistant finish that answered the first generation's class action directly. Battery life went to 24 hours. It is the nano most people remember, partly because it was the one that stopped breaking and partly because the color range was the widest Apple had offered on anything. A red model raised money for the Global Fund under Product Red, which Apple has kept doing on and off ever since. Nothing about it was ambitious. It just worked, which after the first generation was the point.
Reviews & Reception
Anodized aluminum answered the first nano's scratching problem, and the mini's colors came back with it.
Apple's new iPod nano is basically a remixed evolution of both of these products, building upon the best obvious features of iPod mini and nano to create a more resilient and powerful music player that's also less expensive than the prior nano.
Overall, the second-generation iPod nano's body is decidedly superior to the one it replaces, answering basically all the requests that iPod fans (and detractors) have lodged since the iPod mini was discontinued last year.