Apple iPod nano
Hacker ApprovedRanked 5 of 11 portable music players by recommenders
People recommend it for its small size, responsive feel and the way it handled a music library, with many saying nothing since has matched it. One critic notes weak audiobook support.
People recommend it for its small size, responsive feel and the way it handled a music library, with many saying nothing since has matched it. One critic notes weak audiobook support.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 94%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 15 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Small, responsive, and well built
“Still haven't yet owned another device in that size / form factor that can do as much as that little thing did.”
Comment from 21 Mar 2026 in “Building a Reader for the Smallest Hard Drive” “it feels mind blowing, state of the art with how small and responsive it is”
Comment from 2 Jan 2026 in “Punkt. Unveils MC03 Smartphone” “the iPods are very sturdy devices, which many competitors were not”
Comment from 9 Dec 2025 in “Modern Walkmans” Replaced the iPod mini as best seller
“launched a complete replacement for the iPod mini, at the time the best-selling portable music player and it wasn't even close”
Comment from 6 Jan 2026 in “Volkswagen Brings Back Physical Buttons” “The iPod nano effectively wiped out the competing music player market.”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “Apple Says Mac Studio and Mac Mini Will Be in Short Supply for Months” “the ipod mini and nano were, at the time, a lot of value for money”
Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “Tech Is Fun Again: The Tech Monoculture Is Finally Breaking” Simple playlists and curated music
“It has the playlist which was perfect that one time over ten years ago.”
Comment from 27 Sep 2026 in “16GB iPod Nano 3G Upgrade” “it was the only ipod i ever had or needed”
Comment from 26 Sep 2026 in “16GB iPod Nano 3G Upgrade” “love curating my songs to fit the 8GB”
Comment from 2 Oct 2026 in “Why media fans want to escape algorithms with CDs, DVDs and vinyl” Still the best player people owned
“the best player I ever had”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra” “was so proud of that thing”
Comment from 26 Sep 2026 in “16GB iPod Nano 3G Upgrade” “the perfect device for me”
Comment from 22 Aug 2026 in “Using an old Android phone as a music player”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Weak audiobook support
“the iPod Nano 3rd gen lacks first class support for audio books”
Comment from 27 Sep 2026 in “16GB iPod Nano 3G Upgrade”
Other portable music players people recommend
The four most recommended other portable music players, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPod | 102 | 32 | 76% | 12 | 6 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Sony MiniDisc player | 40 | 12 | 77% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Sony Walkman | 20 | 20 | 50% | 6 | — | — |
| Apple iPod Classic | 18 | 5 | 78% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Apple iPod nanoThis page | 15 | 1 | 94% | 7 | — | Approved |
What people said
All 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“love curating my songs to fit the 8GB”
“If I had seen this earlier I would have bought it.”
“the iPod Nano 3rd gen lacks first class support for audio books”
“It has the playlist which was perfect that one time over ten years ago.”
“was so proud of that thing”
“it was the only ipod i ever had or needed”
“the best player I ever had”
“which were excellent, save for windows iTunes”
“by then Apple came out with the iPod Nano 2nd gen and that took the cake”
“the perfect device for me”
“The iPod nano effectively wiped out the competing music player market.”
“Still haven't yet owned another device in that size / form factor that can do as much as that little thing did.”
“the ipod mini and nano were, at the time, a lot of value for money”
“launched a complete replacement for the iPod mini, at the time the best-selling portable music player and it wasn't even close”
“it feels mind blowing, state of the art with how small and responsive it is”
“the iPods are very sturdy devices, which many competitors were not”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.