For its top generation of iPods, Apple may be considering letting go of hard disk based storage and moving on to NAND flash memories, before the end of this year. This is Jesse Tortora's opinion about the evolution of video iPod technology for 2007.

The Prudential Equity Group analyst feels this would bring the iPod many benefits, such as a fresh, smaller sized design, a more diverse model mix, better battery durability and improved battery life. "We believe that the video iPod transition from 1.8-inch hard disk drives to NAND flash memory may occur as soon as late 2007", says the analyst.

There is a precedent that stands to confirm Tortora's hypothesis. I'm talking about Apple's transition from iPod minis, 1-inch HDD-based devices, to the NAND flash memory based iPod nano, in 2005. Such a transition means higher production costs, since flash memory is significantly more expensive than HDD memory, especially with greater sizes.

The analyst thinks the costs are justified by a better user experience. Battery life will be increased by approximately 60 percent, were they to use flash memory instead of HDD, estimates Tortora. Also, flash memories allow faster access and are more reliable, thus improving user experience.

Apart from the storage aspect, Tortora also predicts that future video iPods will have larger touch-screens, like in the iPhone, GPS functionality and Wi-Fi technology to allow the transfer of media content from Apple TV. The company has stated in the past that they are considering using GPS technology for tracking down stolen Apple devices.

Looks like the next generation of video iPods will give users quite a thrill, doesn't it? Well, we've only got to wait and see.