You may find yourself groaning every time some fancy new nanotechnology product hits the market, wondering, "Do I really need to upgrade already?" Cell phones, computer systems and music players have become very much like video game systems, where new products are being released each year, rendering last year's purchases "old news." Unfortunately, the iPod Nano is no exception. With five upgrades in just 4 years, consumers are wondering whether they should invest in the newest Nano or wait until next year.

If you're in the dark when it comes to the iPod Nano, you are not alone. The first music nanosystems emerged in September of 2005, bringing 1-4 gigabytes of space, black or white casings, Mac or Windows 2000 compatibility, 14 hours of audio battery life, a 176 x 132 size screen, 32 MB of onboard RAM and 1.5 oz. weight. The second generation Apple device held 4 or 8 GB of storage and came with new colors (silver, pink, green, red and blue) in an attractive anodized aluminum casing, with 10 more hours of battery life in fall 2006. The third generation nanotechnology products were released in September 2007, providing 4 or 8 GB of space, a variety of colors (silver, light blue, light green, black, red, pink), double the RAM (64 MB) and worked with XP and Vista — not to mention, it was able to play videos (rather than just photo slide shows). The Generation 4 Nano of September 2008 offered all the usual colors (as well as yellow, orange and purple), 8 or 16 MB of space and included voice and "shake to shuffle" features.

There are some much-anticipated changes made to the new Nano (Generation 5). For one, users can automatically import play-lists based on genre or create play-lists right on their iPod Nano device (rather than creating them on the computer with Itunes and transferring them over). Another one of the neat Nanotechnology applications is the 99-cent to $3 iTunes movie rentals. The addition of a pedometer, built-in speakers, FM Radio, notepad, voice recorder and video camera make this a great all-around device. Despite all its fancy features, most people purchase the iPod Nano solely for the music player. According to reviewers at CNET: "If you have an older iPod and you've been waiting for an excuse to upgrade, then you can rest assured that the fifth-generation Nano is the best Nano yet. That said, with the highly rated 8GB iPod Touch sitting pretty at just $199, you'll need to decide whether the Nano's slim design, FM radio, pedometer, and video camera are more meaningful to you than the touch screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and application capabilities of the iPod Touch. From our perspective, it's hard to go wrong either way, but the bright colors, sturdy construction, and lightweight design of the Nano make it an easy choice for children and athletic types."

The fifth generation iPod Nano was revealed at Apple's September 9, 2009 event with a relatively low price. For $139 - $179, users would get an integrated video camera with effects, microphone, FM radio and built-in speakers. However, this model of iPod Nanos has seen some problems, just as previous models. Granted, these Nano MP3 players are not starting people on fire (like Generation 1) and some consumers report "static" with their radio playback and disappointment with the video playback and video camera pictures.

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