From the history of Apple: How Apple dressed the iPod in colored aluminum

In 2006, Apple launched the second generation of its iPod nano multimedia player. It offered users a number of great improvements, both inside and out. These also included a thinner, aluminum body, a brighter display, longer battery life and a wide range of color options.

The iPod nano was one of the Apple products whose design went through really big changes. Its shape was rectangular, then a bit more square, then square again, perfectly square, and finally settled back to square. It was mostly a cheaper version of the iPod, but that didn't mean Apple didn't care about its features. A feature that runs like a red thread through the history of this model is its compactness. The iPod nano lived up to its "last name" and was a pocket player with everything. During its existence, it managed to become not only the best-selling iPod, but also the best-selling music player in the world for a while.

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Source: Stevensonian

iPod nano 2 gen 1

Source: Stevensonian

iPod nano 2 gen 4

Source: Stevensonian

iPod nano 2 gen 3

Source: Stevensonian

iPod nano 2 gen 2

Source: Stevensonian

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iPod nano 2 gen 12

iPod nano 2 gen 10

iPod nano 2 gen 11

iPod nano 2 gen 5

iPod nano 2 gen 6

iPod nano 2 gen 7

iPod nano 2 gen 8

iPod nano 2 gen 9

By the time the second generation iPod nano was released, the Apple multimedia player had a completely different meaning for its users and for Apple. At that time, there was no iPhone yet, and it wasn't supposed to exist for some time, so the iPod was a product that contributed a lot to the popularity of the Apple company and garnered a lot of public attention. The first iPod nano model was introduced to the world in September 2005, when it replaced the iPod mini in the spotlight of players.

As is usual (and not only) with Apple, the second generation iPod nano represented a significant improvement. The aluminum in which Apple clad the second iPod nano was resistant to scratches. The original model was only available in black or white, but its successor offered six different color variants including black, green, blue, silver, pink, and limited (Product) Red. 

But it didn't stop at a nicer exterior. The second generation iPod nano also offered an 2GB version in addition to the already existing 4GB and 8GB variants. From today's point of view, this may seem ridiculous, but at the time it was a significant increase. Battery life has also been improved, extending from 14 to 24 hours, and the user interface has been enriched with a search function. Other welcome additions were gap-free song playback, a 40% brighter display and – in the spirit of Apple's efforts to be more environmentally friendly – ​​a less bulky packaging.

Sources: Cult of Mac, The Verge, AppleInsider