In an interview with the New York Times following Apple’s special event on Wednesday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs called the new iPod nano a “bold gamble.” Jobs said that because the new device replaces the iPod mini, which accounts for more than half of all iPods sold, Apple risked losing a large portion of its revenue had the nano been delayed.
Jobs also discussed the shift away from using small hard disk drives to flash memory, and said that the nano’s custom chips and tiny circuit board had also been potential stumbling blocks. “Entire factories were created to make this device,” Jobs said. “Overnight we have become the largest consumer of flash memory in the world.”
Finally, Jobs said he was very happy details about the nano did not make their way onto the web before the device was introduced. “It would have broken my heart,” he said.
