Indeed, you'll be forgiven if you thought the "new" iPod nano looks a lot like ( Macworld rated 3.5 out of 5 mice ). That's because in terms of hardware, the nano hasn't changed at all. What has changed is the price ($129 for 8GB of storage or $149 for 16GB, compared to $149 or $179, respectively, last year) and the software. But if you've already got a sixth-generation iPod nano, the good news is that the hardware similarities mean that you can get all of the new iPod nano features via a simple software update, available when syncing your nano with iTunes.

So what's new in version 1.2 of the software for the sixth-generation iPod nano? Here's a quick rundown.

The original sixth-generation nano debuted a 1.54-inch, 240-by-240-pixel, multitouch screen, with software that, while not actually based on iOS, looked and felt very iPhone-esque. The screen displayed small icons--four at a time--for various features and functions; these icons were essentially analogous to iOS apps for Photos, Music, Settings, and so on. (I'll call them for brevity.) You swiped your finger across the screen to scroll between screens of icons, and tapped on an icon to access the corresponding functions. If a function presented a list of items--for example, music tracks--you swiped up and down to scroll the list.

As I noted in my review of the original sixth-generation nano, this new iOS-like, touchscreen approach was a significant improvement over the traditional Click Wheel interface for many tasks. For example, it was ideal for flicking through and zooming photos, tuning and setting presets for the built-in FM tuner, scrubbing through tracks, rating tracks, and editing playlists. However, the nano's tiny screen meant that, with four tiny icons per screen, it was easy to accidentally tap the wrong icon.