Apple has announced its latest techno-toy in the iPod lineup, which would revolutionize portable music players.

"iPod nano is the biggest revolution since the original iPod," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a press release. "iPod nano is a full-featured iPod in an impossibly small size, and it's going to change the rules for the entire portable music market."

Apple says the nano is thinner than a pencil and can hold up to 1000 songs or 25,000 pictures. It comes in two colors, white and black, and two sizes: a $199, 2-gigabyte model and a $249, 4-gigabyte version.

The nano still has all the features included in its bigger brothers, including Apple's Click Wheel and color screen, while adding a bright, sharp color screen and a few extra programs.

Nano is also compatible with the more than 1000 existing iPod accessories including home and car stereo adapters. It works with Mac and PC platforms, has about a 14-hour battery life.

To many consumers who are looking for a player to simply play their music, the nano seems to be a little over-the-top.

If Apple wanted to reach an entirely new customer base, it would lower prices on current models to attract those who refuse to pay high prices for such small items. Especially when models from other companies can be had a less than half of the price of any sized iPod.

Source: Xinhua/agencies