Apple iPod Nano 4G Review And An Open Letter To Steve Jobs

Dear Steve Jobs, hello and a fark you very much.

Exactly three years ago, I bought from you the first iPod Nano not long after you released it.
That being the first Apple product I bought, I was naturally very excited over it.
It didn’t matter that your overpriced piece of shit carried an obscene price tag of RM1,269 and yet could only hold at most 4GB of music and photos.
It didn’t matter also that your tiny screen was too small to be useful and that it couldn’t play videos when all the other cheapo players on the market (eg Creative) can do so, and more.
All I knew is that I wanted it and I wanted it BAD.

Mind you, I was not your typical Apple fanboi who upon seeing you, would drop to their knees at the drop of the hat, then stroke your shaft and swallow the gravy faster than you could say “BOOM!”
No, I was not.
I bought it because it was a revolutionary piece of gadget at that time because it came in a design slimmer than Mary-Kate Olsen on a diet.

Fast forward to today, 27th October 2008.
My first generation iPod nano had served me well for three years. The hardware felt like it’s coming apart and the battery no longer lasted as long as before, but those were no reasons for me to change my iPod.
Sometimes I get annoyed when my iPod nano ran out of juice during a long flight journey, but I still see no reason for me to change my iPod. The Nuffnang’s Silent Disco Halloween Party this Saturday requires everyone to bring along an MP3 player, still I see no reason to change my iPod.
That was until my good friend Moorey, owner of the best Apple store in Kuching, called me up telling me to check out the new range of iPod nanos he has in store.

One look at it, and immediately I was sold.
Steve Jobs, you bloody bastard.
Why the hell did you manage to make the original iPod nano, already such an excellent gadget, so much better?

First you put in the video playback feature, which I find extremely useful. Imagine how much p0rn I can put inside.
Then, you also have the foresight to build the iPod nano using aluminium casing, which is excellent against resisting smudge.

You must’ve predicted that as soon as people find out they could watch videos on their iPods, they’re gonna put p0rn in it. And as soon as they put p0rn in it, people are gonna have very sticky hands.
That must be the reason why you made the iPod nano smudge-resitant right?
RIGHT?

You took away the boxy design of the original nano, doubled the screen size, made the screen brighter, double the battery life, and made the whole thing lighter than ever.
Then as if sculpting a sexy lady, not only did you made the iPod nano slimmer, you also gave her sweet curves in all the right places.

It is such a beauty I couldn’t wait to bring her home and plug my USB cable into her hole.
But Steve Jobs, you ass, do you know what your worst crime is?

Three years ago, you sold your 4GB iPod nanos at RM1,269 per piece. I was among your first Malaysian customers.
Today, your new iPod nanos has not only improved leaps and bounds, it has FOUR TIMES the storage capacity and yet you’re selling it at RM799.
A freaking RM470 cheaper than the original.
You made me officially iTulan.

Screw you Steve Jobs. You suck!


I’m surprised people actually flying into Kuching purely to have a food tour.
Mel and Jane are in Kuching now and I am showing them around. In three days, we covered kolo mee, laksa, belacan beehoon, tomato kueh teow, taugeh mee, oyster omelette, kueh chap, teh c special, white lady and matterhorn in six meals, and an extra two kilograms around the waist.

116 Replies to “Apple iPod Nano 4G Review And An Open Letter To Steve Jobs”

  1. Well…. thats Apple~ haha, i m sure the 5th generation will b coming out soon, n the price will be even lower than this, maybe with loud speaker? who knows? haha, orange color nice~

  2. Hi Kenny, wow nice ipod there 😀 i’m getting 1 mp3 player too for my standard charted run, so i guess is i can see u tat day, u will b carrying ur new ipod 🙂
    cheers!

  3. Talk about a Nano, imagine how a Iphone owner like me feels. Sigh. Overrated, overpriced, overhyped. But then again, I love the concept of everything in one gadget. Serves its purpose for the time being, but not recommended unless you’re a person with too much time and too little sense to get one. :p

  4. Hahahaha …. This thread reminds me of my sister’s rotten ipod ! She bought it for a year and stop functioning right after the warranty expired ! !!

  5. But that’s the normal process of life??
    Back then, we could have a computer but it was HUGE, BULKY AND COST 5 figures..
    Today, Everyone can have one in a few thousands. It’s normal for Ipod I guess….

  6. I think u kena tipu. my fren bought it from Ikano for only RM 699! on the day it was released.
    and it is so so cool

  7. overhyped and overpriced. there’s so many portable media players that can do an even better job at around the same price. not to mention the limited format compatibility of iTunes and the iPod itself.

  8. The 4th gen Ipod Nano 8Gb is on sale for AUD199 now..Looking at the rate of Australia dollar dropping, it cost around rm 438 each! and if u purchase online u get the free laser engraving..Woot!

  9. oh I’m in the same dilemma too. first gen owner tempted to change to the forth gen. dang steve job for making it better and cheaper! so not fair!
    and i had a good kuching-gastronomic experience this weekend. Mr google keep on directing me to your site when I search for places to eat in kch. bravo for your food review, now I’m 1kg heavier!
    pffffffff ! 😛

  10. haha. Are you gonna make your new iPod Nano sticky?
    But it doesn’t matter cause you got your “anti-sticky” casing right? I hope you do get one.

  11. Steve is bright to lower prices…
    Prices have to go down now, so as to drive consumer demand mah.. American economy sinking into recession, and dragging the whole world with it… drive demand! Lower prices!

  12. Hi Kenny Sia.. i’ve been ur follower since when u talked about the DAP stuff..very last time.. anyway.. u edi have new iPOD.. do u plan to sell ur old one? i plan to buy o..coz i dont own any.. i dont need a expensive phone..so i think an ipod would do fine.. so i plan to buy ur old ipod.. u selling?

  13. I actually don’t like this design….. I think it’s ugly!! I have the 3G one and i like it better. it plays videos too plus it’s cuter 🙂

  14. Haha its 799 now but im sure the price will drop down like flies xD
    lol ur such a tech freak xD i noticed that everything u spend money on is either travels/food/tech xD

  15. Thank god the nano back to thin design instead the fat design (3rd gen)
    I juz bought pink 4th gen nano(4Gb),
    which selling at S$198= around RM465
    quite surprise Singapore got sell the 4Gb version so bought immediately. The gadget is OK, juz tat the USB cable not easy to plug in lor, then 1 month already I still donno how to use iTune *&&^%^$$ & me kept accidently duplicate the songs, now my playlist 1 song appear 5 times in my ipod. sien -___-””’
    i hate iTune

  16. I just brought a black Nano 4, 8Gb back from US for my brother as B-day present. I didn’t know they are cheaper there, USD150 including tax.

  17. hey kenny it’s cheaper in australia at a retail price of 196, so thats approximately rm 430 for an 8 GB nano. 🙂

  18. I bought mine from Taiwan, way cheaper than anywhere else. Ipod products always sell cheaper in Taiwan for who-knows-what reason
    Ipod prices have to be lower now if its just an ordinary mp3, mp4 type. Look at the market now and you see brands like Samsung start to pop up gadgets that looks and functions much better than the Ipod.

  19. I’m already a fan of Apple. Now, you’ve successfully made me spend more $$$ and increase Steve Job’s net worth.
    Way to go~

  20. Hey kenny…. I was wondering though, if you could blog about this site, http://www.myhybridzworld.com. I’m sure you’ve stumbled upon this blog before, and of course, it IS too cool to be missed right? Knowing you have tonnes of readers here, so, by blogging bout it, many readers would know bout that blog too. Just a suggestion. hehe.

  21. I never bought any Apples stuff cause Apple Mac = Microsoft. You guys did not benefit Steve Jobs only, but indirectly made Bill Gates pocket grow larger.
    Who needs those overpriced stuffs anyway when i can buy cheaper one from Sony, Samsung, Creative etc. Quality may not be that good, but who cares if you can enjoy it.

  22. You buy it tis time, then nex 3 years, u will start complaining again with another new ipod with twice the capacity sold at RM300-400++

  23. Why u complain so much. If u have money, just buy lah. After all, it is business means both buy and seller agree with the price of transaction. U brain have water lar.

  24. I bought my 4G ipod mini for RM999 back in early 2005… few months later nano 1st gen released…
    my ipod mini died in june this yr as i accidentally dropped it for the first time…
    i waited a while and now new ipods released.. some more new macbooks too!! i bought my itouch 16GB for RM930 and my ipod nano 8GB for only RM440!… coz of the aussie exchange rate…
    it’s actually more expensive to buy it in msia now.. hehe

  25. LOL! I totally get how you feel Kenny. In Perth, they’re only selling the new edition at Aud170+? Somewhere there.

  26. Mine is the same as your new ipod,kenny =D except mine is pinkish-redish and 4GB.Crazy fool,RM 599 is 4GB. =.= The more memory it could hold the more it cost.

  27. Not only ipod. if you are buying 32″ LCD a year ago? You will lagi TULAN!!!
    a year ago : RM3xxx
    a year later: RM2xxx
    That’s the technology game.

  28. Wah Biang, U dunno the law of depreciation meh? Who should I blame for when I first bought Nokia 8250 for RM 1500 and now I can sell back to Seberkas for only RM50? Who should I blame for when I bought Sony PDA PEG-TH55 for RM 2000 and then the product is discontinued?
    Anyway, I dun see benefits of buying mp3 or mp4 from iPod (unless it is iPhone or something else) since other cheaper products in the market can perform the same functions. It is just a sign of showing off for me like some people prefer BMW 520i than Toyota Camry while they can perform the same function.

  29. I bought it at $199 at Australia..now the currency exchange rate is less than RM2.5..means RM500 for a new 4th generation Nano here =D =D
    and kenny forgot to review about the shake to shuffle songs function

  30. Typical consumer mentality.. sigh..
    no point whining about iTulan cuz it a known fact that technology gadget or parts will get cheaper over time. Just look at 1 GB flash USB 3 years ago compared to the current price.
    Besides, 3 yrs ago the number Apple Authorised Resellers in Malaysia was way less than what it is now. Of course those Premium Reseller back then would charge you a premium for that iPod. the RM1299 you paid back in the day may have been a mark up.
    It’s also a known fact that Apple products always have Apple Tax , i.e you are bound to pay more compared to other brands. The simple solution is, if you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. Apple’s share wouldn’t go down just because a minority of consumers whine about it.

  31. Well somehow computer electronic usually gets cheaper overtime… You cant just solely blame on Steve Job for the price now that you paying. The first computer I bought back in Kuching 1995 cost me RM 5000 but now you can get it as low as RM 2000 for super good graphics card, large amount of hard disk space, big RAM, a DVD burner and better processing power. Doesnt this bother you for what you paid for your PC computer in the past years compare to now? Beside, Apple are tying to make their product now more affordable for everyone as their general net profit is much more than Microsoft… Steve Job could just have sell Apple stuff more expensive now but he did nt because his vision is now more towards making people able to afford to own an Apple product…So far I owe a Macbook Pro, Ipod 3rd Generation and recently a 3G Iphone with Vodafone. I never regretted buying 3 of this Apple products so far because Apple had a really great design in user interaction interface, fast responsive application and surprising creativity. Plus, their ideas are really originals and it really differentiate Apple product to others computer products in the market.
    Like Ryan said if you cant afford it, dont buy it. If you think you got ripped off then dont buy it too. If you still buying it then well done to Steve Job in convincing you to buy it.
    Well, I am not that rich too. Just that I sacrifice my salary more for electronic stuff rather than other stuff like holidays, food and car. (*I still drive my very old 1995 Toyota Camry)

  32. Kenny, me lagi Tulan, after a month i bought the ipod classic80G, it come out the god damn brand new ipod classic 80G n 160G, and it’s half thinner than mine at the same memory..
    SUPER DUPER TULAN.

  33. Hey dude, electronic product gets cheaper because the manufacturers need to pay for the EMC testing, after they break even, the price goes down because it’s all pure profit after that 🙂

  34. Yeah..I have an Iphone..and i wonder how long it is going to last since the batteries are NOT easily replaceable. and sometimes the Iphone drains alot of juice if you forget to turn off the wireless.

  35. Iphone- when the phone is in idle mode it will automatically turn off the wireless. For the battery, it can be change with Authorized Apple Dealer for NZD 80.00 (RM167.00). I am not sure how much for Malaysia. Yeah the battery performance wasnt that good but if you update your Iphone to the latest firmware it will extent your Iphone battery life plus some of the bug fix.

  36. i got my 1st gen ipod nano 3 years ago for quite a huge amount(i was only a college student back then!). not long after, 2nd generation came out. iTulan. this summer(around august), i got myself an ipod touch. in september, Steve Jobs introduced ipod touch 2nd gen. more features, lower price. my luck with apple products juz cant get any worse. i had the chance to play with an ipod nano 4th gen. speechless! it’s featherweight! an ipod nano with colour screen, able to watch movies, featherweight, PLUS ACCELEROMETER, it’s totally worth the price. and who cares about ipod nano 5th gen? it won’t be out until next september(own assumption, since the 3rd gen was out the same time a year ago)

  37. seruiuosly, if ipod for free, i sure put it to the bin, a lousy mp3 player need another softwaare like itune to put on ur music. ipod sucks! as u see other mp3 player like sony, creative or other china brand, drag and drop, even have a better quality! IPOD SUcks, Mac SUCKS!

  38. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!! That’s what you get for wanting to be ‘hip’ and ‘in’ by buying the first gen stuff!!!
    I held out when the iPhone came out and now I’m gonna get the new iPhone with 3G for less then the 1st Gen iPhone!
    Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!

  39. gotta say the 1st generation is the best on
    mine was in a washing machine and after washing then the dryer still works
    i have all 4 they are sick

  40. Too bad, Steve is a guy who doesnt protect his old products…
    and that made him different 😀
    …unlike other companies who are so sked to come out with new stuffz..afraid of risking their old products

  41. Lester, dont blame yourself because you are too stupid to learn how to use iTunes …. holy cow, even my 60+ aunt knows how to sync her itunes before she hops on to the mrt to shop for durians at geylang.

  42. I don’t think it was steve jobs fault. maybe the economy is went a little higher and they could make it cheaper. By the way, i got 1 too..yipee..

  43. well, who can blame steve, the price of flash drives went down by their hundreds so that is why they can sell large capacity ipods for such low price, i have the same nano and it is the second ipod i have beside a shuffle and lucky thing i decided to wait a little longer cause i was deciding on a 3rd gen

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