iPod why no love for clickable control pads?

[dubs83]

My old ipod Nano just broke, which I loved to use for my workouts because I could just use the clickwheel to move to the next song, increase volume etc. so nice easy to have that feedback in my fingers. Any idea, why Apple has largely moved away from this? I know people use their iphones for working out (don't like the bulkiness of doing this and the lack of a clickwheel) but am curious why Apple largely moved away from clickable control pads? They are perfect for working out when you don't want to look down at your ipod. The 'buyer's guide' makes it seem like a new ipod nano and/or shuffle is coming out soon. I'm surprised there isn't more loves for these devices.

 

[Pakaku]

Getting rid of the physical face buttons leaves more room for screen space, which gives you more room for things like multi-touch gestures, and a bigger screen for games and movies.

 

[dubs83]

Getting rid of the physical face buttons leaves more room for screen space, which gives you more room for things like multi-touch gestures, and a bigger screen for games and movies.

I get that, but it is quite a bit harder to navigate music without a clickwheel, especially if you are out running. Hopefully they produce a shuffle with bluetooth. I'm confused why anyone would prefer their iphone or new school nano over a clickwheel when working out.

 

[foobarbaz]

Most people use the headphone clickers for that. I don't think anyone prefers their iPhone for running, but it's "good enough" to not buy another device.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

There's a long list of user interfaces that, while really useful for specific purposes, have fallen by the wayside. For example, the automotive stick shift. You can reach out and immediately know just what gear you're in (once you've memorized the shift pattern). Thing is, most people prefer automatic transmission, since they barely have to give a thought to what gear they're in.

Part of the smartphone's triumph is that it reduces the number of items you need to carry. Cell phone, music player, camera, pager, Blackberry, calculator, laptop, e-reader, stopwatch/timer, GPS.... While each person's particulars will be different, I think the overall versatility of the smartphone severely limits the business prospects of dedicated-purpose devices.

I fully appreciate that some people, while exercising, also want to manipulate the music they're hearing, and that the click wheel is a really good interface for that purpose. The trouble is, the number of people who find that a necessary feature seems to be pretty small.

For the most part, if I'm listening to music when I go for my walks (my choice of exercise), I start a playlist and start walking. End of music manipulations. Meantime, I find it far more useful to have my "Swiss Army knife" in my pocket for activity tracking, communications... even nature photography ("The best camera is the one you have with you"). If I choose to answer a phone call, the music automatically pauses and the conversation takes place in the same EarPods I was already wearing.

 

[musicmachine]

apple wants to replace physical buttons with voice control (siri). ex. instead of breaking your workout rhythm by reaching down or to the side to make changes, you simply just speak it. the apple watch replaces iPod shuffle if you don't want the size of iPhone on your side or in pocket.