The designs of old are the inspirations of the new. Gone is the clumsily wide form factor of the 3G; all hail the return of the candy-bar shape from the 1st and 2nd generations!

While the ergonomics of the 3rd generation nano were intact, any gym buff will tell you that pocket ability took a drastic hit. The 3G wouldn't fit in the slight pockets of gym shorts, arm bands had become too bulky, it was harder to change tracks when running, and of course let's not forget that the image of an athletic person with a fatty isn't chic. Reportedly Apple's marketing division experienced hemorrhages whilst dealing with the backlash from rabid iPod aficionados.

The Apple iPod Nano 4th generation Nano is more or less in line with the 2G Nano of old. There's not a world's difference between the two form factors as Apple would lead you to believe, the new Nano only a tad slimmer at the expense of being a hair taller. What does make a difference though, is the new aesthetics of the device.

The curvature of the screen, wheel, and tapered off edges work together to paint an incredible picture of slenderness. Throw in some two-tone paint -even for the black model- and you now have an iPod that is slender and edgy, possibly even alien in origin. At this rate it won't be too long before the iPod becomes a reality.

Other notable differences from past iPod Nano models include the 3G's 320x240 LCD screen rotated into a portrait layout, a slightly smaller click wheel to accommodate the new screen, and a circular hold switch made out of anodized aluminum.

Oh, and that fingerprint magnet of a backing present on the 1st and 3rd generation Nano? It's been sacked again, hopefully for good this time. With the exception of protecting the silk-screened fruit logo on the back, there is no longer a need to buy a protective case for this generation of iPod.

The iPod mini perfected navigation between menu screens with its click wheel, where scrolling through options is done by moving your thumb around a circular track pad and pressing the center button to select an option. With the play/pause, skip, and menu buttons placed directly under the wheel, just about every function except the hold switch is at the willing command of your thumb without the need for hand contortions.

The Apple iPod Nano 4th retains this configuration, and it holds three key benefits over touch screen MP3 players that get all the hype these days.

It's a lot more durable when it comes to accidental drops on concrete. Second, you can skip tracks easily without looking at the player while performing exercises or driving on the highway. Finally, it keeps the thumb grease on the click wheel and off the display. I can only fault the 4G's click wheel in two areas: it requires more pressure and is a tad more finicky for fine menu selections, and there's still no dedicated volume rocker to prevent accidental eardrum blasts.