What GI Joes and 4th Generation iPod Nanos Have in Common

Those who have either studied marketing or were kids in the '60's and '70's are likely aware of the marketing model that made toys such as GI Joe and Barbie a success: The base toy -- the doll (or, in Joe's case, the *ahem* action figure) -- is relatively inexpensive; where the company makes its money is in the accessories: clothes, vehicles, townhouses, space capsules, etc.

That came to mind recently as I was trying out my newest tech toy: a 16 gig silver iPod Nano, the replacement for my 30 gig iPod video which went belly-up after 2 1/2 years of usage.

Now, I'm delighted with the Nano. It's truly beautiful, with its razor-thin profile (I think I could shave with it) and bright curved glass screen. Plus, it's the same color as my car. And it has the cool coverflow feature when you turn it on its side, and it scrolls the covers of your albums under the music menu. Not to mention the increased battery life.

But there've been some negative changes. We have some iPod docks scattered through the house, made by third-party vendors such as Logitech and Onkyo. When I stick the Nano onto these docks, the screen announces that the accessory will not charge the Nano. Turns out these devices use Firewire charging technology; and this little guy just won't eat Firewire. At least the Logitech dock will play the nano; the Onkyo won't

Further, with previous video iPod, users (like me) have been able to hook it up to a TV with a cheap cable from Radio Shack, and enjoy a DVD-quality picture without springing for a multi-hundred-dollar Apple TV device. Considering the vast array of inexpensive TV episodes on iTunes, that's been a great resource.

But when I tried to hook up the Nano to the TV that way, the Nano's screen told me where to go. Specifically, it told me to go to the Apple store, because Apple has reworked the TV connection on its video iPods so that only cables with Apple's proprietary technology will convey video from the iPod to a TV.

Yes, Apple is apparently cracking down on the third-party devices sold out there, and driving iPod consumers to buy Apple and officially Apple licensed stuff.

I wonder if they'll put out a space capsule.