Small, compact. Good for backpackers.
Written: Jan 18 '03 (Updated Mar 08 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Portability: |
|
|
| Battery Life: |
|
|
|
Pros: Small and compact. Holds tons of music for the average user. Doubles as Firewire Drive.
Cons: Software may not be intuitive for beginners. Battery indicator is sometimes shoddy.
The Bottom Line: The 10GB model is perfect for someone who wants to carry a ton of their CDs with them in a compact and portable music device.
|
|
|
| JamesWong's Full Review: Apple iPod 2nd Generation 10 GB (PC) MP3 Player |
In essence, Apple got a firewire drive and packed in components to make it a music player. As simple as that seems, they’ve come out with a cute, portable music player that, although pricey, is worth checking out.
I’m a Windows user. Naturally then, I picked up the Windows version of the iPod. As of this writing, there are three models based on size: 5gigabytes (GB), 10GB and 20GB models. I currently own the 10GB which is supposedly the slimmest of the three.
Apple claims that the 10GB iPod can hold an average of 1,000 songs depending on how the files are encoded. For general users this is definitely more than enough – I have yet to maximize mine out and I’ve put on at least twelve CDs on it with tons of space left for many more.
Here’s what came with my iPod:
IPod unit
Remote
Earphones (buds)
Earbud covers (two pairs, one pair being a spare I figure)
Firewire cable
6 to 4 pin Firewire converter
(for computers with the “tiny” ports)
AC adapter
Software/thin user guide
CD-ROM with iPod drivers and MusicMatch Jukebox software
The unit itself is compact and convenient. It fits in my pocket and doesn’t weigh me down. Cosmetically, as with any Apple product, the iPod looks smooth. The front features the expected buttons (play/pause, previous track (rewind), next track (fast forward), menu, and a button in the center of the touch-sensitive scroll wheel to select/toggle whatever is on the menu.
The top of the iPod houses the Firewire port (with a loose-latch cover for lint protection), female connector for the remote or any pair of RCA jacked headphones and a “hold” switch that prevents any of the buttons from actually being used – good if you’re on the go and move around a bit/bump into people, etc.
The rear, though, is super-shiny, which also means that it is easily susceptible to scratching within days of initial use if one isn’t careful. The front of the iPod appears to be a see through-plastic casing. And unlike the 5GB model which Apple is trying to phase out, the 10GB or 20GB models do not have a moving scroll wheel on the front: it’s touch sensitive.
One thing people may not easily find is that the unit does have backlighting. By holding the menu button for three seconds, the unit’s backlighting came in. It’s definitely bright and works great in the dark. It’s also possible to customize the backlight timing - I could set the iPod so that the backlight would kick in for a few seconds every time I hit a button.
Sound quality is very good, but once again that all depends on how you encoded your files. A full copy of Musicmatch Jukebox 7.1 is included with the iPod, which allows you to rip (copy) your CD to your hard drive. For beginning users this software might be slightly unintuitive. For advanced users, it works just fine though they’ll want to tweak it so it doesn’t take over all file associations.
iPod connects to a Windows PC just like its Macintosh cousin – via Firewire. If you don’t have a Firewire port on your computer, you can’t use the iPod. Firewire allows for very fast file transfers from one device for another. I usually upload one CD (say, eleven MP3 files) within twenty seconds if not less. So transferring several albums of MP3s to the iPod is fast.
I've actually installed the drivers and software on both a Windows ME system and a Windows XP Pro system - both found the iPod as an external device without problems.
One quibble I do have with the iPod is the inability to simply drag and drop files – as far as I know, you have to use software such as Musicmatch Jukebox or the free “Ephpod” (www.ephpod.com) in order to upload – the file/directory structure is a little strange.
The earphones connect to the remote, which obviously connects to the iPod. The soft buds that cover each earphone kept falling off, so I stopped using them completely. Sound is good but obviously there is better, especially with songs that push the limits on bass – distortion is perceptible on more “bumpy” tracks (dance, techno, rap).
Recharging the iPod is a piece of cake. If it’s connected to the computer via the included Firewire cable, it’s charging. BUT, if the end connected to the computer uses the included 6 to 4 pin converter, the unit won't charge. In other words, if it's connected to a 6 pin (standard large end) port on the PC, it'll charge. Otherwise it's not.
The iPod can also be hooked up via Firewire cable to the also included AC adapter. The unit charges in an hour or can be fully charged in three. I usually have it plugged in overnight so when I wake up the unit is fully charged and good to go.
Something that Apple needs to work on, though, is the battery indicator – usually it’s accurate but, occasionally, the battery meter indicates no power (no bars displayed) then jumps back to actual power remaining (four bars being a full charge). This happens more often than not and is, simply put, a little scary. I’ve actually gotten used to it, expecting the power meter to display the correct reading a few moments later. Still, I worry about the day it’ll actually read “zero power” and it actually does happen. This issue has been springing up in the Apple iPod discussion boards on Apple’s own web site. Hopefully they will correct this issue.
There are cheaper alternatives that I have yet to try out – friends are claiming that the Arcos player, which can handle not only MP3s but image files, video files and more, is a better buy. I also eye’d MP3/CD players for awhile, like a Sony model which reads audio discs and CD-Rs/CD-RWs with MP3s in it.
In the end I chose the iPod for its compact size. At the moment I’m living in Japan and I take public transportation everywhere, bringing the iPod to lighten up my walks and bus rides. So far I’ve found it to be very convenient and reliable. It’s the perfect companion for someone on the go who needs something small and light. People wonder why my earphones lead into a small pocket. I don’t see why someone would need the 20GB model (4,000 songs), but more “creative” users might want to upload files to the iPod – it doubles as a portable Firewire hard drive.
Give the iPod a spin you have the money to spare. It’s made for those who are on foot or just on the go and want to carry lots of music with them.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 399.99
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
JamesWong
|
|
Location: California
Reviews written: 60
Trusted by: 40 members
About Me:
Video/PC gamer, video editor.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.