fantasysquare's Full Review: Apple iPod 1st Generation 5 GB (MAC) MP3 Player
First of all, my iPod is a second hand set, which explains why I managed to get it at such a low price. Also, my iPod was originally a mac one, converted to a win ipod. Contrary to the popular belief of the mac version not usable on windows, mine worked almost flawlessly. I don't even need the macopener software to read it. Just download the latest windows firmware 1.2.1 and format your iPod to a windows one, and it'll be usable. I can personally vouch for it.
Now to the serious stuff.
Sound quality
Previously, I owned a Creative MP3 Player II 64 MB, and the sound was definitely worst than what I have. The iPod has the amazing ability to make your music have a higher fidelity and bring more "crisp" to it.
Bass and treble sound very equal, and there are few custom EQs presets that you will be able to use.
Unfortunately, there isn't any EAX environmental efforts or custom EQ for you to set your treble/bass settings. I wished that the iPod had more echo/distant effects such as "Stone Corridor" in many popular sound cards. I like my sound to decompose slowly.
Display
Beatiful white LED backlighting with song title, artist, track time, etc all displayed nice and neatly. Navigation is also sweet and easy to use. You don't need to be a super guru to understand how to use this.
Battery life
The battery can last for you about between 5-10 hours of music on a full charge. The disadvantage of the battery is that the lifespan is about 2 years. After 2 years, your iPod needs to have its battery replaced, and that will cost you money again. Unfortunately, you can't charge the battery youself; only Apple can.
Transfer of music
Firewire is really fast, going about 1.5-6.0 MB/sec, and is generally faster than USB which goes about 300-500 KB/sec. You can have about 5 gb of music in about 20-30 minutes of transfer.
I have heard really bad ratings about music match jukebox, so I never had to install it. I use another freeware known as Ephpod, which is pretty good. I haven't encountered any serious problems with it yet.
The only problem is that most PC users don't have a firewire port, unlike Mac users, and that will cost you about another US$35-100 for another PCI card.
Earphones
It's a little too big for me, so I didn't really like it. Personally I use a Sony Nude EX70LP (White) earplugs and they work fantastically with the iPod. Matching colours and great earphones.
The default earphones aren't that bad too, they just don't really fit well. Heh, I got small ears you know. ;)
Overall
It's a great toy, and it increased my music enjoyment. Treat it as buying a 5 GB firewire hard disk and a superb MP3 player and you'll better for the price. It's a great MP3 player.
The design is really beautiful although it really is easy for it to get scratched. Furthermore, this has high resale value if you protect your iPod well, so it's a good toy to buy.
Discontinued by manufacturer, replaced by model #M8976LL/A FireWire interface for fastest digital transfer available Download audiobooks from Audible....More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.