Apple Computer Inc., in a press conference held on San Fransisco on Wednesday, unveiled the new iPod, iPod Nano. This pencil-thin iPod has two models: one with 2GB storage size ($199) which can hold up to 500 songs; and the other one with 4GB storage size ($249) which can hold up to 1,000 songs.

As an iPod, you can take your favourite songs on iPod Nano, along with your photos, podcasts, and audiobooks. Upon playing the song, it will display the color album art for that song. iPod Nano also syncs seamlessly with iTunes (now iTunes 5, see my other post). Not enough? The Nano offers games and a calendar. And with a “screen lock” feature, you can make sure no one except you will be able to access your iPod.

One the feature of iPod Nano is the Click Wheel. iPod Nano’s Click Wheel puts music under your thumb. You can click to fast-forward, rewind, play, pause or access menus. You can also use the touch-sensitive surface to control volume or browse music.

iPod Nano is planned to replace the iPod Mini. Unlike the iPod Mini which is hard drive-based, the Nano relies on flash memory, making it lighter and more energy-efficient. As you can see from the image above, the size is only about one-third of the iPod Mini and it only weights about 1.5 ounces.

Apple said that the devices will be in stores as soon as Thursday and are likely to be widely available by the weekend.

iPod Nano Features:

• Holds up to 1,000 songs and full-color album art
• Only 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.27 inches and 1.5 ounces
• Bright 1.5-inch color LCD display
• Up to 14 hours of battery life(1)
• Apple Click Wheel
• Charges and syncs via USB
• Accessory-compatible Dock connector
• Completely skip-free playback
• Works with Mac OS X or Windows 2000/XP
• Plays music, podcasts and audiobooks
• Holds up to 25,000 photos
• Syncs contacts, calendars and to-do lists