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Apple ponders 1GB iPod Nano

Shuffle sweet spot

Apple is wondering whether to offer a 1GB iPod Nano early next year, even as it prepares a redesigned iPod Shuffle with the same song-storage capacity.

Certainly, the current 1GB Shuffle has proved popular, with not only Apple's own online store running out of stock, as reported by numerous websites, but also a number of third-party dealerships finding themselves without 1GB Shuffles to sell, The Register can confirm.

The 1GB capacity appears to have hit something of a sweet spot with consumers, though we shouldn't discount the Shuffle's neat styling and low price, too. But with the AppleStore pointing to a mid-January re-stock date for the 1GB Shuffle, Apple may want to target that market segment with a lower capacity Nano in the meantime.

According to an AppleInsider report, Apple marketing staff have been showing off a 1GB Nano as a possible future product. Some say the company should, others that it's too close to the Shuffle. Of course, there's no reason why the Shuffle and Nano lines shouldn't overlap, providing the mark-up Apple charges for the display and click-wheel isn't higher than the market will stand.

Little is known about the redesigned Shuffle, at this stage, beyond its anticipated Macworld Expo debut - a year after the original screen-less player was unveiled. ®

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