This hasn't been a good week for Apple. First there were questions about whether the latest iOS update really fixed the iPhone 4S' battery life problems, and now it looks like they're going to be giving away a whole bunch of shiny new iPod Nanos.

Again it's battery problems, and this time it involves an unspecified number of first generation iPod Nanos. Those models are now five to six years old, so it could be a pretty sweet deal if you happen have one gathering dust in your old used tech drawer.

Apparently some of the affected models have a battery that can overheat once it reaches a certain age, so Apple doesn't want you to use it until you check whether it falls under the recall.

The first gen iPod Nanos look like those in the picture, and all have either a black or white plastic front panel. If yours has a metal front, sorry, no new iPod for you. If you have the right generation, go to Apple's recall page and enter your serial number to see if you hit the jackpot.

If the numbers match up, first make sure you back up the iPod's files to iTunes, then send it in and wait six weeks for a replacement. Apple isn't saying what that replacement will be, but it can only be good news. Those first Nano models ranged from 1GB to 4GB, while the current model starts at 8GB.

One word to the wise. Before you go surfing over to Ebay looking for an old $20 used Nano to trade in for a sweet new gen 6 version, bear in mind that Apple says that only certain serial numbers will be eligible for the recall.

Apple, via Slashgear