As hard-drive-based players have gotten smaller and the price of flash-based players has dropped, Apple seized on the opportunity to dive into the flash-based market with the iPod shuffle. It was a wildly successful move for Apple, which has grabbed close to 46 percent of the flash-based player market since its inception. However, there were still many reasons for users not to get the shuffle"namely, the lack of a screen and sophisticated controls.

The task for Apple was to create a music player that was somehow a marriage between the minute size of the iPod shuffle and the versatility of a regular iPod.

THIN IS IN

At 0.27 inches from back to front, the nano was about as deep as six stacked credit cards. Bearing dimensions of 3.5 by 1.6 inches, you could hide it beneath a business card (it will, in fact, fit neatly inside a business card wallet). Yet, even with its small size and scant weight of 1.5 ounces, the nano didn't feel flimsy or delicate. The stainless steel back and polymer front don't flex.

Choose the iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition and Apple will give $10 of its purchase price to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa.

VOLUME, MEET VIRTUE

Or as Apple says, You make choices every day, from the clothes you wear to the music you play. Now making a choice means making a difference.

The iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED holds up to 1,000 songs, 25,000 photos(1), and a little hope. That's because $10 from every iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED sold goes directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Which means your iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED sounds good and does good at the same time.

The new iPod nano features a brilliant, 1.5-inch color display. Up to 24 hours of battery life. And seamless iTunes integration. All in a durable aluminum enclosure that tells the world you've chosen to join (RED).