iPod Rules!
Written: Oct 18 '02 (Updated Oct 20 '02)
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Pros: High storage capacity, good sound quality, outstanding user interface, looks great
Cons: Musicmatch Jukebox is annoying ad-ware, shiny surface shows fingerprints and scratches, doesn't play WMA files
The Bottom Line: Storage capacity, ease-of-use, sound quality and overall design make the iPod the Rolls Royce of portable MP3 players.
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| mdogz's Full Review: Apple iPod 2nd Generation 10 GB (PC) MP3 Player |
The iPod is my fourth portable MP3 player. I bought the Rio PMP300, the first portable MP3 player, when it was released several years ago. I also own the Intel Pocket Concert and a no-name MP3-compatible portable CD player. Of all these, the iPod is by far the best.
I bought my 10 gigabyte iPod at Best Buy. It was priced at the suggested retail price of $399.99, but I had a 10-percent off coupon. I haven't seen many retailers offering prices much below Apple's SRP.
The design is superb. I'm sure you've seen the pictures of the cool-looking white acrylic face and polished metal case. They've replaced the dial wheel in the early versions with a touch-pad wheel. Fewer moving parts means better reliability. The iPod feels heavier than it looks in pictures. It's almost--but not quite--too heavy to carry around in a shirt pocket. It's definitely not too heavy for the included belt-clip holder. The packaging is outstanding and makes for a great "out-of-the-box experience," as marketing types say.
The user interface is outstanding. Menus are intuitive and easy to navigate. I didn't need to refer to the manual once to use the iPod itself.
I don't have the most sensitive ears. I have friends who can distinguish between MP3s encoded at 128, 192 and 256 kbps rates. I can't. With that in mind, the iPod sounds great. There is no background hiss or hum, and the sound is clear and crisp. I'm not really a fan of ear-bud type headphones, but the ear-buds that come with the iPod are fairly comfortable.
I use my iPod while walking fast on my treadmill, and I have yet to experience a skip. I have also tried gently shaking the iPod while playing a song to see if I could get it to skip, but it performed flawlessly. I didn't try shaking it hard or dropping it. If anyone does, please let us know how it performed.
One of the best features of the iPod is the disk capacity. I don't think I'll ever run out of storage space on my 10 gigabyte iPod. And the firewire interface is fantastic. I transfered over 5 gigabytes of MP3s in just a few minutes.
Now to what I don't like. Musicmatch Jukebox, the software that comes bundled with the Windows version of the iPod, stinks. It has a clunky interface, and it keeps wanting to connect to the Internet, even though all I want to use it for is to load songs on my iPod. It also tries to get you to pay extra for the "pro" version. I prefer Winamp for listening to MP3s, CDEX for ripping them and Nero Burning ROM for burning CDs, and I don't plan to switch to Musicmatch Jukebox for any of that stuff. And I don't listen to Internet radio.
I wish Apple would have created a simple, bare-bones Windows program for transferring songs to the iPod. Better yet, it would be nice if the iPod were a mountable hard disk drive. Even better, they should have made a Windows version of iTunes, but I guess that's wishful thinking. There is at least one alternative to Musicmatch Jukebox. Mediafour makes XPlay, dedicated Windows iPod management software. I may try it, but the thought of spending another $30 after I just spent almost $400 for the iPod isn't appealing.
My other complaints are minor. The polished metal case shows lots of fingerprints. The iPod doesn't play Windows Media audio (WMA) files, which actually offer better sound quality for the same file size. Both of these issues are easy to overlook. The iPod is also pricey, but my attitude is, you get what you pay for.
If you're looking for a high-capacity MP3 player, this should definitely be at the top of your list.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 359.99
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Epinions.com ID:
mdogz
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 2 members
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