Why I Don’t Want an iPhone Nano

Rumours of a new iPhone model have been making tracks around the blogosphere - that a iPod Nano based model sporting a circular touch pad as opposed to a touch screen, will be arriving by the end of the year, with a price tag of around $249 to $299 US. Some say that the iPod platform is due for a major upgrade too, that each successive model has just been an evolutionary upgrade in terms of functionality, instead of a something revolutionary.

I sure hope though, that they won’t be combining the two products into one, and that the iPod Nano as a music player will continue to exist. Why? Well firstly, in terms of sheer size and portability, an iPod Nano simply can’t be beat - it’s hard to imagine anything smaller or sexier, yet having the same functionality. Turn it into an iPhone though, and I’m sure the touchscreen and phone hardware will add bulk.

Secondly, the iPod Nano is an excellent music player and I would like it to remain that way. The problem with convergent devices is that the added functionality often adds complexity, at the expense of usability. Take the current slate of Windows Mobile phones for example - if I were to be brutally honest, yes they can do everything and then some, but they don’t excel at any one particular function. There are even reports that the current iPhone isn’t that good as a phone.  As the old adage goes - jack of all trades, but master of none.

By all means, improve it, give it a touchscreen with cool gestures and such.  But please, Apple, please let my iPod Nano remain an iPod Nano. What’s your view?