View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/05/12/27/mp3.player.of.the.year/ Tuesday, Dec 27, 2005 2:05pm Nano crowned MP3 player of the year The iPod nano has been crowned the MP3 player of the year by UK's Stuff magazine on gadgets and gear technology. Calling 2005 the "Year of the iPod", Stuff cited the Nano's "iconic mix of style, size and sheer desirability." The tech publication calls 2005 the year that digital music went mainstream, the year that download sales surpassed CD singles, and the year that MP3 players became the year's must-have gadget. Creative and Sony battled to catch Apple, however, it says Apple "stole the budget market" with the debut of the iPod shuffle. In the aftermath Apple released its most popular iPod model, the pencil-thin Nano, which flew off shelves and saw "staggering" demand straight through the holiday shopping frenzy.