Our First Apple
Written: May 14 '03 (Updated May 15 '03)
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Pros: Loud and clear, easy to navigate, fast file transfers, lots of extras, great price
Cons: No FM tuner, no USB 2.0, bad MP3 file management
The Bottom Line: Automakers should take cue from Apple's attention to detail and quality control. Tight fit and finish all around.
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| nad_masters's Full Review: Apple iPod 2nd Generation 10 GB (PC) MP3 Player |
I never would have thought about buying or recommending an Apple product to ANYONE, but when my brother was looking for a solid state player for under $200, he asked about the iPod, and I actually recommended it. It never even crossed our mind until we saw it at Best Buy. Digital River made a 256 MB player for $199, and was right up my brother's alley. We then asked about the 10 GB iPod, and found that the new model (Mac & Windows version) was $299.99, while the older Windows version was only $199.99! It was no contest.
Of course, being my brother's toy, I get to use it, and he wants me to find out HOW to use it. :D Makes me very happy to say the least. After playing with it, I found that he paid a great price for it (seen them all over the place for $300 and sometimes $250), and it doubles as a hard drive! And a very hackable toy, indeed. Either case, I don’t get to use it normally, but I didn't have to shell out the cash. :)
The package itself shows that Apple cares about little details. Everything was impressive - the box, the way the cables were arranged and packaged, how they were in a anti-static bag, and the hefty slick and smooth iPod unit. Even the headphones are very high in quality.
The AC adaptor was thoughtfully designed. It provides power thru the same Firewire cable (so no need for an extra power connector). The blades are retractable, and actually slides off for a different set (for foreign users).
The firewire cables have cute connectors that are very unlike any firewire cables you would find in a typical computer store. The remote uses the same connector as the headphones jack, and is made of hefty metal. It feels very solid. No doubt that the entire package oozes of detail and quality.
Interface
The darn thing works thru menus that you can navigate thru using the circular touch pad (which used to be a rotating disc) and the center button. Think of it as a mouse (or a touchpad) and a clicking mouse button. You can search by Artist, Album, Genre, and more! This only works when you have all the MP3's id tag filled out correctly, which most of us who download MP3s will rarely have.
Is that it for interface? YES! It's very simplistic, but allows access to all the features of the iPod. From Alarms, Calendar, even a video game where you bounce a ball to break bricks (forgot the name of this game on the Atari 2600 system). It's a natural game to play with a circular touchpad!
You can also create playlists to play certain songs you want. Make one for a certain artist, genre, or even as full albums. It takes a little more time to do (in MusicMatch).
File Transfers
File transfers are quick and easy using the included full version MusicMatch Jukebox 7.1. A better alternative is a free software called EphPod. EphPod also makes great mass id tag editor. The only thing is that EphPod does not rip CDs. MusicMatch is great for ripping CDs (though I rather use AudioCatalyst), but it can only encode at 160 kbps (while others allow you to do it at 192 kbps and beyond).
The only thing I wish Apple allowed was an obvious directory/folder in the 10 GB hard drive where MP3s goes, and text-based playlist files (such as WinAmp's .MPU). Instead, all MP3s are scattered in the hidden folder called "Music" and in subfolders from "F01" to "F19". The entire table of contents (database of mp3 songs) is located in a file named itunesdb. If you added a mp3 file in any of these folders (or anywhere in the hard drive for that matter), the iPod will not find it or even play it. You must transfer mp3 files on MusicMatch to allow the iPod to recognize and play the files.
That also means no quick drag and drop via Windows Explorer, and no way of organizing by Artist and Album folder names (like you probably have on your hard drive on your PC already anyways).
File transfers were quick! According to EphPod (MusicMatch does not report data transfer rates), the iPod was gulping down MP3s from my local hard drive at speeds at a little over 6 MB/sec. That's about a song or two a second!
How it Sounds?
The iPod is one impressive sounding machine! Even with the EQ set flat (default), the music pounds with enough bass, and tingle with treble that matches it's bass. When volume is pumped to the max, the headphones did not even flinch! There was no distortion whatsoever! Also, when piping the iPod to a separate amplifier, no distortion was heard even when the iPod was at it's max volume! Which means the unit itself is kicking out crystal clear signals using it's own amp. Dual amping won't be a problem.
MP3s switches from one file to another without delay most of the time. Having 32 MB helps out a lot in this area, as well as the battery, which does in fact lasts for 10 hours! However, some are complaining that after a while, battery life suffers. Hopefully, Apple have fixed this in our unit.
The hard disk actually stops after the buffer is filled, saving battery life, and improves durability. However, when playing larger files, randomize, or if you switch mp3s frequently, the hard drive will constantly spin, and mp3s will take a second or two to load and play.
External Storage
No long explanations here! Once plugged into the firewire card, the iPod shows up as just another removable drive! Device Manager sees an iPod, as well. You can actually store files right there and then without installing any software or drivers!
My brother used only 1 GB of MP3s on his iPod, and feels that it is already too much (200 songs). The rest of the space can be used for his homework, and if I get my hands on it, it will have full movies and hard drive backups as well!
Using it as a hard drive, the performance was faster than the MP3 transfers. As stated before, EphPod says it was transfering at a little over 6 MB/sec. With HDTach 2.61, reads were much quicker. The maximum of 15 MB/sec and a minimum of 8 MB/sec was a result. 22 ms random access time, and a very nice 12 MB/sec average throughput. The burst rate was 21 MB/sec. Hmph... Firewire. :)
In The Box
The iPod comes with a lot of goodies from the box. The AC Adaptor, a 6-ping to 6-pin Firewire cable, a 6-pin to 4-pin adapter, a very high quality pair of headphones, a in-line headphones remote, a carry case, and a soft carry bag. Several manuals and iPod/MusicMatch software CD in an attractive case of it's own.
The Verdict
If you can find it for $200, I'd definitely recommend it! The only real beef I have is that the iPod does not come with an FM tuner and recorder (live mic, line in, and record from radio) to complete it's portable audio solution.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199
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