The Death of an iPod Nano
Posted on September 11, 2017 Posted by John Scalzi 25 Comments
Folks, let’s have a moment of silence for my wife’s iPod Nano, a fourth generation version of the machine, which finally called it a day after nearly nine years of service, which in this age of planned obsolescence, is an impressively long run. Krissy went to wake it up this morning to run on the treadmill and it just wouldn’t turn on, despite being fully charged. This was a very sad day for Krissy. All her favorite playlists were in there.
The iPod Nano is survived by Krissy’s Samsung Galaxy S7, which has access to Spotify and Google Music and of course YouTube Red. But it’s just not the same.
Farewell, little blue iPod Nano. You were too beautiful for this world. May you scroll freely in the dimensions beyond this, playing Blondie and Concrete Blonde in eternity.
I love my iPod Nano 4th Generation (PRODUCT) RED. It’s just perfect for running and walking. I will miss this iPod when it is gone. I don’t care that my phone can do “all that and more.” :)
I dread the day when my silver iPod Classic gives up the ghost. I have copied my playlists into document form, so I can set them up again on whatever music streamer I decide to use, but it won’t be the same …
John – there’s an issue with all models of the Nano that causes the power button stop working. If that’s the case, you can wake it by unplugging it then plugging it in then unplugging it again. It works on my wife’s that did the same thing.
Email me off the list & I’ll be happy to send you 2 of them
I even have an original shuffle that still works if you want that too
Generally, I’m not a huge fan of Apple’s devices (love Macs, though) but may my iPod shuffle live forever. I love that thing.
Tell us its name, so that we may mourn its passing properly.
Concrete Blonde? Your wife has good taste. RIP little Nano.
RIP little blue iPod nano.
Could just be a dead battery that won’t take a charge any more. It happens. But unless you’re handy with repairing electronics or know somebody who will do it for you as a favor, it’s hard to justify the cost of fixing it.
Ya know, one thing that is always in the back of my head while watching “Guardians of the Galaxy” is the thought that says “theres no way any cassette deck would last that long being used every day.”
But Quill just got a zune, so he should be good for a couple sequels.
Guy has a matter-spray-gun that reconstructs missing parts of his ship just by pointing it at the damage and squeezing the trigger, but he doesnt have a decent music player?
Something isnt lining up here.
RIP little blue tune-box (though I hope the suggestion above in the comments can revive you!)
Mine is a 2nd generation silver nano, and I do love it. I love that it doesn’t connect to the internet, and that I manage its contents on my ancient WinXP laptop (which works suprisingly well, once I deleted everything but a few programs and stopped connecting it to the internet altogether). This strategy works great for classical music; probably wouldn’t for top-40 songs today.
Hopefully the “free market” will bring us new tiny music players that are not smart phones. Judging by Krissy, myself, and the other commenters here, and also what I’ve hear elsewhere regarding Apple’s abandonment of the iPod format, there’s a strong market (i.e., money to be made) for this type of product.
I love my iPod nano. I bought it 1st-gen, and after a few years a problem was discovered and so they replaced it. A few years later something went wrong with the replacement and they replaced it again.
Sorry, a tablet doesn’t cut it. My cell phone doesn’t cut it. When my tiny iPod nano gives up the ghost it will truly be a sad day. The market hasn’t made anything else to really replace it. I feel ya pain Krissy.
Mine’s a black click wheel 80 GB that’s battered but performs perfect. I listened to Zoe’s World (I think that’s the title of John’s book) on it which was my intro to his fiction.
RIP. Although I have an iPod Classic loaded with 120Gb of music, I still use my little purple Nano for audiobooks and podcasts. I spilled a cup of coffee on it several months ago which gave me a scare but it still works even though there’s a little yellow stain inside the screen cover where the liquid seeped in. Fortunately it didn’t damage the circuit board or battery. I prefer the user interface controls of these original iPods over those of the iTouch or iPhone as they can be operated by feel without looking at them. I don’t have any music on my iPhone but I use it to Bluetooth my Sirius/XM app to a set of studio monitors which sound quite excellent.
I feel her pain – I just powered down my faithful flip phone for the last time. I’ve replaced it with a Galaxy S7, as fate would have it. My sympathies, Krissy!
Krissy, I am so sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you. My 4th gen didn’t last as long because it was STOLEN from the glove box of my car. It also had all of my favorite playlists. Eventually, I was able to move on with a 7th gen, while I do love it, it hasn’t been the same. My thoughts will be with you as I listen to the Hamilton soundtrack on my iPod while picking up my daughter from school today.
My deepest sympathies on the passing of your iPod Nano. I’m still rocking two iPod Classic 160gb – one for music, one for audiobooks and podcasts. I’ve got a third that died not long ago that I’m looking into getting fixed, but I dread the day that will no longer be an option.
Also glad to hear I’m not the last person in the world running a Windows XP machine, too.
Sure, I’ve got a Galaxy S8 and a Kindle, both of which I’m immensely fond of, but listening to music on them isn’t quite the same somehow.
I had the same thing happen with my iPod classic a few months ago. But it turns out it wasn’t dead and is still working today. You may just have to force restart it.
From :https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204307
iPod nano (5th generation or earlier)
Put the Hold switch firmly in the unlocked position. Then press and hold the Menu and Center (or Select) buttons for 8 seconds, or until you see the Apple logo.
If that doesn’t do it, then https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WChTqYlDjtI
***salute***
Say what you want about Apple, but they just don’t do “Planned Obsolescence”
My (I thnk) 1st gen white iPod Nano finally stopped accepting a charge and wouldn’t start after 12 years, just last month. I now have a shiny new one with 8x the memory, and I am listening to songs I forgot I owned, because for 12 years there wasn’t room on my iPod for them.
Did you ever write obituaries for humans in the newspaper, John?
Concrete Blonde! I used to absolutely love them. Saw them three times. Once I even managed to get a letter back from Johnette. Yet another way in which Krissy is awesome.
My condolences, Krissy. I have a little blue Shuffle that I love that does exactly what I want it to do, and I will cry if it ever gives up the ghost.
@Psychopomp- I did! As an intern in high school. It wasn’t as much fun as you’d think…
Ah, Blondie. Possibly my first musical crush as a kid.
(Followed by Dolores O’Riorden and Ann Wilson from Heart.)