By ruthlessly discounting earlier iPod models even when they were selling strongly, apple has made the process of choosing among the different iPods pretty straightforward:

• If you need a mobile phone that includes an iPod(or vice versa), buy an iPhone.
• If you need the smallest player possible, or a player for active pursuits, get an iPod shuffle.
• If you want the cutest medium-capacity player, go for an iPod nano. The iPod nano is great for smaller libraries, or for carrying only the newest or most exciting songs and videos in your colossal library with you, but its lower capacity makes it a poor value alongside the iPod classic.
• If you want to carry as many songs and videos as possible with you, buy the iPod classic model.
• If you want to watch videos, send mail, surf the web, and run applications on the iPod, but you don’t want to pay for an iPhone contract, get an iPod touch.