iPod enhancements withheld from previous hardware

Apple's new "enhanced fifth-generation" iPod (with video) comes with some pretty interesting new features and I want to take a look at which of them you can expect to work on the previous iPods.

The new iPod e5g comes with several software-based features including searching (pictured) via virtual keyboard, smart scrolling which allows you to scroll through your library at lightning speed, games and a brightness control.

The problem I have is that half one of these new software features are isn't available on previous iPods - including the just-discontinued iPod 5g - despite the fact that the hardware is almost exactly the same.

If Apple can make the games and brightness control work on the prior iPod 5g, then they should be able to port the search and smart scroll feature as well. I hope that Apple releases a software or firmware update so that iPod 5g owners can enjoy the new feature. And while they're at it, there's no reason why search and smart scroll can't migrate to the iPod nano 2g as well.

Granted, the iPod e5g has some new features that are based in hardware, most notably the 60 percent brighter screen and longer battery life, and we can't expect to see them in older iPods. But c'mon, the rest is just software.

UPDATE 2006-0917: As it turns out, the previous iPod 5g does, in fact, get the smart scroll feature after the latest software update, but it doesn't get the smart search feature.