The iPod was the catalyst for Apple’s initial transcendence towards becoming the world’s most valuable company, and although the MacBook, iPhone and iPad devices dominate most column (and shelf) space throughout the digital world, we should never forget where each of those aforementioned innovations originated from.

Japanese Apple blog Macotakara – a little hit and miss when it comes to inside information – seems to believe the smaller iPad will definitely receive the “mini” moniker, while the iPod nano will be treated to some Wi-Fi connectivity – allowing users to connect to the cloud in order to access music.

As we approach the final quarter of the year and get ever closer to the holiday shopping season, we are bracing ourselves for the release of some hardware from Apple and although most of the speculation has been lavished onto what the Cupertino giants will bring with their new iPhone, it’s worth remembering that not every Apple device fan immediately goes out to grab the latest smartphone model with some preferring to let the fruit company handle their personal music needs instead.

Amid the talk of the next-generation iPhone and a smaller, “iPad Mini” device, it’s easily forgotten that all of Apple’s iOS devices evolved from the iPod – a long-standing series of music and media players which started off as a basic, yet elegant figure in the cauldron of digital players on the market.

Not so long ago, the iPod range was the focal point of Apple’s product roster, but with the increase in popularity of both the iPhone and more recently, the iPad, has seen the once-popular music player slip into near obscurity.

Although the iPod revolutionized the way we enjoy our tunes on-the-go nearly a decade ago, the introduction of iPhone in 2007 has seen a decline in the popularity of portable media devices in general ever since.

With the constant speculation surrounding the next generations of the iPad and iPhone, the iPod range of devices sometimes get overlooked. The iPod touch specification generally follows along the approximate lines of the newest generation iPhone when it comes to display and internal camera but the iPod nano is entirely different.

The iPod has revolutionized the portable MP3 market bringing beautiful compact designs year after year. The recent iPod nano you have come to know and love has had a lot of success in even becoming a fashion accessory. Many kits are being sold online which allow you to transform your iPod nano into a watch, although many, if not all, are not waterproof.

Aside from the seemingly endless list of superlatives used to describe new products as they are announced, Apple is also building a reputation for filing patents on a regular basis.

It’s Apple announcement day today, and we’ve been treated to a couple of new devices. One of those announcements that might not get that much attention is the new iPod nano 7th-generation, which builds on the already super awesome little iPod that we all know and love.

After playing around with the recent discoveries made by James Whelton, another iPhone developer and hacker Steven Troughton-Smith has found DFU mode in the 6th-gen iPod nano which is similar to the one found in all iPhones and iPod touches.

Developer James Whelton is now back with a complete guide on how to remove apps from the 6th-generation iPod nano, and then add blank spaces by using Springboard hack that he discovered yesterday.