Like many Apple fans, I love the idea of the an iPod nano watch. I adore the fact that an idle comment from Steve Jobs about how the new nano is so small it can be worn as a watch got turned into a cottage industry of Kickstarters fashioning a multitude of hip new watchbands.
The only thing is I don’t want to wear the damn thing. I’m not a wristwatch kind of guy: I’m the sort of person who prefers pulling something out of his pocket, like my iPhone. So I wonder why it took someone so long to think of this incredible idea. Instead of a wristwatch, why not turn the iPod nano into a pocket watch?
That’s the ingenious thinking of Edwin Conan, a young industrial designer in Melbourne who is trying to get the iPW, or iPocketWatch, off the ground on Kickstarter-like crowdfunding site Pozible. Here’s the pitch:
Last year Apple updated the iPod Nano 6th generation with additional watch faces in its watch function. One of which is the classic roman numerals. Such a classic watch face needs a classic watch case to match and celebrate, and the most classic watch of all time is, of course, the pocket watch. The idea of turning the iPod Nano into a multi-touch, multi-function, high tech, modern day pocket watch was born.
The classic men’s watch will always be the pocket watch. While everyone else wears the iPod Nano as a wrist watch, why not bring a bit of yesterday to your style and distinguish yourself from the rest of the world by fashioning this admirable iPW (iPocketWatch)?
This looks great, and the enclosure is both classy, modern and in-keeping with an Apple-esque aesthetic. I’d be tempted to buy one of these.
Right now, Conan is looking for donors to make the project a reality. He only needs to get $6000 AUD to get the project off the ground, with a March 19th deadline. A $39 donation will get you an iPocketWatch when they are released, which is a pretty good deal considering Conan intends on selling these for $59.99 when manufacturing is off the ground. If you’d like to boast a more classical, elegant iPod nano watch solution more appropriate to pulling out of your dinner vest at the Drone’s Club, consider giving Conan some of your loot.
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
7 responses to “The Gentleman’s iPod Nano Is This Elegant iPocketWatch”
Looks more Ghetto than “elegant.”
This is just a play off the “iPod Nano as a watch” idea that’s already been around forever. and elegant? Hardly.
The word ugly comes to mind ….
i would rock that as a necklace, but maybe thats because I’m black
Man, what a bunch of grinches. I’ve got a real pocket watch, made of English silver, and almost 200 years old, with the traditional face with the IIII instead of the IV. I don’t know, but from where I stand, it looks like the iPW is a fine “homage.” No, it’s not round, it’s got screws on its face, and it may not be beautiful in some sort of traditional way. But it’s based on an iPod for crying out loud!
Well, whatever… go to the UK, find yourself a friendly jeweller who specializes in Georgian silver pocket watches, and see what happens. Methinks it will be more than $39.
Now, I’m no owner of Apple products but I have to say, despite what people say about the size, I actually like the size of the Nano and the uses people have given it is quite nice.
Maybe if this case/pocketwatch looked more like a classic style pocket-watch, old timers might possibly be enticed to get one
This is a fairly industrial minimalist style that not everyone’s a fan of. Here’s a new design for a pocket watch case for iPod nano that attempts something more decorative and hopefully more elegant. And by the way, it’s my first solo product design effort just launched on Kickstarter: http://kck.st/OIMag4
PodKit Watch is an elegant pocket watch style case for iPod nano.
Clip Clok is a nano replacement analog timepiece that is compatible with PodKit Watch and all other iPod nano watch kits!
Both are made from aerospace aluminum and available to pre-order on Kickstarter (http://kck.st/OIMag4) at savings of 30% or more compared with estimated retail prices.
Please check it out and let me know what you think! Thanks!