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Behind The Development Of The iPod nano

Posted by Zonk on from the teeny-tiny-product dept.

bonch writes "A Time Magazine article on the behind-the-scenes development of the iPod nano reveals that development work began just nine months ago, when the iPod mini was still a top-seller. Every internal component was redesigned and packed into every millimeter of the space inside. Famed Apple designer Jonathan Ives spent months on the tiniest of details, like the laser-etching of the logo and the roughness of the clickwheel compared to the smoothness of the rest of the exterior. 'I know you're not going to consciously find these details particularly appealing," says Ives, 'but I think it's the fact that we've worried about all of them that makes the product so precious.'"

7 of 502 comments (clear)

  1. Danger, Slashdot, Danger! by Knight+Thrasher · · Score: 5, Funny
    Incoming "My Preciousss!" jokes!

    At any rate, my bet is that Apple didn't run their prototypes over with cars. Or did they??

    1. Re:Danger, Slashdot, Danger! by Praedon · · Score: 5, Funny

      No... but Creative and Microsoft seem to be stealing them out of trucks and running them over with the big rigs to ensure the sales don't get out.... they just can't quite reproduce the same results of throwing it up in the air a good 40 feet and letting gravity have its chance for distruction...

      --
      Just me
    2. Re:Danger, Slashdot, Danger! by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny
      Incoming "My Preciousss!" jokes!

      What? You think we'd stoop to the level of must ... ree ... zist .... mere punsters? We can't the power ... strong .. too strong ... write something interesting, insightful or even can't hold out ... must hold out informative? You really think that? aaaaarrrggghhh You might have a point.

      one iRing to rule them all
      ahhh...
      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  2. Engineers @ work by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny
    WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

    "It's still not slim enough, give me the BFH.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  3. fingerprints! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I know you're not going to consciously find these details particularly appealing," says Ives, 'but I think it's the fact that we've worried about all of them that makes the product so precious.'

    "At which point in the interview, Ives, began sandpapering his own fingerprints from his fingers in order to leave no smudges on The Precious."

  4. Dual Personality by EdwinBoyd · · Score: 5, Funny

    He's already calling the Nano his precious. Obviously the dual personality displayed by Gollum/Smeagol is beginning as well. "Tricksy little Ballmerses stoles our interfaces!!"

  5. Re:New Units of Measurement by dtfarmer · · Score: 5, Funny

    How many Canadian quarters does the new iPod weigh?

    Well, the exchange rate is .847, so 8 american quarters is $2.36 canadian. Now, $2.36 canadian is obviously 9.44 canadian quarters....

    now I wish I was joking, but reality is actually pretty close to that number right there. The iPod nano is 1.5 ounces, which is around 42.5g. The weight of the statehood quarters is 5.67g (.20 ounces) so the nano is actually the weight of 7.5 quarters (which jives with the statement 'weighs less than 8 quarters.')

    So a quick check of canadian quarters looks like those minted in 1999 and earlier weighed 5.05g and those minted in 2000 and on are 4.4g. So using older pre-y2k quarters it's 8.42 quarters (or less than 9) - and new y2k+ quarters is 9.66 quarters (or less than 10, and pretty close to 9.44, eh?)

    Of course, I really just did all this to amuse myself being that I know you weren't expecting anyone to take your joke seriously...