Since the launch of the first iPod nano in 2005, we have seen several versions of this device. And none of them included a notch, by the way. So what one of the versions wanted to look very much like the all-screen iPhone which we have been talking about for a long time.
Exploring all the possibilities is essential when creating a new product
iPod creator Tony Fadell has posted an interesting tweet with six models of what the iPod nano could have been. This follows his most recent book Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making, but allows us to take a look at the device evolution process within Apple.
In the first model on the left, we find the design of the fourth generation iPod nano, released in 2008. Everyone wants to look like the original model, but with variations. The fifth pattern is particularly striking, in which The click wheel is completely gone to display a single large screen.
While the simplicity of not having biometric access or front-facing cameras greatly simplifies the equation, it’s striking that it was almost right after the launch of the original iPhone (maybe even before) that Apple already considered an all-screen device. A design that technology finally seems to materialize in the iPhone 15.
Now, with the evolution of technology and the ever-increasing demands of our devices, achieving this level of simplicity is more difficult than ever. According to Fadel, “These mockups were just for having something in your hands, but that’s what made the project real”, to which several chapters of the book are devoted. An interesting read, of course, to learn a little more about how Apple creates the products we use every day.
