Should I buy the iPod Nano 7th Gen in 2021? | From a regular user's perspective.
"Should I buy the iPod Nano 7th Gen in 2021 (and beyond)?"
Essential Detail
Yes, you should buy it if you...
- Don't like notifications/distractions, but also want to listen to music. I understand iOS/iPadOS now has some better "do not disturb"/focus features, but I still get notifications from time to time even utilizing this. It's nice staying in your flow.
- Want something light and elegant. The convenience of the portability is amazing. It can even fit in that tiny pocket you have on your pants, which is quite satisfying. The Nano 7 aesthetically pleasing too.
- Have a large library of locally saved music and want a dedicated (and portable) device to store them on.
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Be aware that...
If you're intending for more use-cases (than above), you should invest in something else.
Maybe an iPod Nano 5 would be good, and has the nostalgic click wheel and some games. Maybe an iPod Classic or iPod Touch could work for ya, though app compatibility would be an issue with older iPod Touch models. Maybe you could find a great deal somewhere if you're looking for more power-use. ♥
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My Use and Handling of the Nano 7
For me, the Nano in 2021 is a perfect device at work. I really listen to my music (as intended), but also the photo's app so I have important image documents on-hand. I was able to convince my boss to let me use the Nano on the job, even though there's a "no phone policy". I'm almost never near customers, so they were especially okay with it.
It's also nice if you want to go work out or take a walk. The form factor really supports this. Sometimes slightly past midnight, I walk to 7-Eleven to get some snacks before I play games or work on my code & other projects. Having the iPod Nano 7 is really nice during my route.
For owning a Nano 7th Gen for a few months, I'm already attached to it. I use it semi-daily. The sleek and small design is honestly really cool~
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About the Software & Final Thoughts
The Nano 7th gen is quite barebones. The team designing the device at Apple moved onto iPhone/iPod Touch, ending it's software focus and inevitably bringing forth the iPod Nano's doom. I certainly wish they could've added some more features to really bring the device to life before ending it's software production.
It would also really be nice if Apple just resumed the iPod Nano product line with how much better it could be, especially in 2021. It still could have so much potential. Maybe a secondary accessory, among the Airtag or other accessories.
Maybe the community will stand up. Maybe someone will reverse engineer the firmware for the iPod Nano 7th Generation in the future (w/o voiding Apple's Terms & policies). The iPod Nano 6th gen already had it's LCD firmware reverse engineered, so there could be something for the 7th gen in the future. I'm tempted to attempt this myself if I feel like learning how to reverse engineer OS firmware.
Maybe someone could possibly find some neat exploits to re-open the possibility of more for the little thing. It's not rare that people discover bugs in firmware for old devices.
Until then (if ever), all you have is what small features Apple provided on the current and final supported version. Me personally, I'm okay with that for how I use the Nano 7. But still would be very nice to have more.🥰