Sure, Apple was expected to introduce some form of new "Flash Memory" iPod music player - a follow-on the the Shuffle series. What no one was expecting was a new jewel of a music player design, one combining color screen graphics, power-miserly Flash memory and yet sacrificing none of what has made a dozen iterations of previous iPods fantastic products - intuitively easy click-wheel access to your favorite music.

What shipped this week is a consumer entertainment product whose design, comfort in the hand and "gotta have it" and "wow" factors will once again reset the consumer electronics product category to an even higher bar than Apple has before.

The "specs" do not do justice to the Nano's design refinement and performance. More than 14 hours of battery charge, a crystal-clear color LCD readout for song info, album art and photos, all in a 1.5 ounce package more like a wide-screen business card case than"music player." All combine to deliver more than the sum of the parts. Until you flip and toss a Nano around in your fingers, with no worries (or vibration) as there is no hard drive inside, you are not likely to fully appreciate its balance and design. Indeed, the web page, TV ad and print ads do not come close to doing Nano justice.

Whether purchased as a fashion or design statement, expensed for business (it does host oodles of text and business contact info) or given as "the" 2005 gift of choice, Nano is likely to remain one of the defining products of the mid-decade. Even after Apple likely turns our heads once again with even more clever sibling iPod products in the months and years to come.