Apple Computer has begun assembling plans and aligning suppliers for a redesign of its iPod nano digital music player that will go on sale this fall, AppleInsider has learned.
Of course the notion of a new flash memory-based iPod nano making its debut in time for the holiday season is nothing new, especially with PortalPlayer all but blowing the whistle on the subject last week.
In a message to its shareholders, the current iPod nano system-on-a-chip (SoC) supplier announced that it had not been selected to supply its chips for new flash-based iPods due in the second half of the year.
The news has re-ignited an industry-wide debate (or dilemma) over where Apple has or has not turned in its quest to select a more amicable replacement supplier. As ironic as it sounds, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company, which constantly seeks the tightest control of its intellectual property, could once again find itself in bed with Intel Corp.
Although Deborah Conrad, head of Intel's "Apple Group," recently implied that an Intel chip is unlikely to turn up in an iPod any time soon, she did tease of the potential for the two companies to collaborate on other products outside of Macintosh systems.
Still, that hasn't stopped Apple from evaluating Intel's chips, according to Wall Street analyst Shaw Wu, who last August noted that Apple was exploring the use of Intel's XScale embedded processors for future mobile devices like the iPod, along with SoCs from Broadcom and Sharp.
With the jury out on whether an Intel chip will make its way into a future iPod nano, analysts from WR Hambrecht have said that components from Synaptics appear to be a lock. In a report sent to clients earlier this month, analyst Daniel Amir said channel checks showed Synaptics beating out Cypress Semiconductor to supply click-wheel components for a new nano that is "likely to be released this fall."
In his report, Amir estimated the deal could add as much as $10 million to Synaptics' revenue in the second half of the year — suggesting Apple plans to ramp nano production to all-time highs. The report sent shares of Synaptics up $1.14, or some 4.7 percent.
Last year Apple battled component supply woes after dropping Synaptics as a supplier of the nano's click-wheel technology in favor of going its own route. The decision reportedly played a large roll in a shortage of iPods that hit resellers and customers during the end of the 2005 holiday shopping blitz.
After reinstating Synaptics to help supply components in mid-December, Apple eventually caught up with its iPod nano backlog in January. This year, sources say, the company is hoping to avoid even the slightest of debacles.
12 Comments
One warning, Synaptics... just don't piss off The Steve.
"debacle" I like that word. Entire Nano redesign....hmm interesting.
A change of an iPod product about a year after its debut isn't a surprising idea. The main iPod has been updated with tech improvements and design changes on an approximately annual cycle. The mini was capacity bumped (or price dropped for same size) & battery bumped about a year after it was introduced.
I like how thin the nano is but it could have been wider and shorter, to allow for a larger screen and wheel.
Time for people's new concept designs to roll in!
At the moment it does look too tall and thin, it would be better if it was the width and height of a credit card, like this phone -
But not as ugly, obviously!