amandaw99's Full Review: Apple iPod photo 4th Generation (60 GB) MP3 Player
You know what they say about men with big iPods...
Quick summary
In many ways, the newest 60 gig iPod photo is a gadget lovers dream. It offers maximum storage space for music and photos in a fun portable device. I spent nearly a day and a half loading every CD I could find and about 100 pictures off of my powerbook -- and still have over 50 gigs free. It's in a nice self powered, recharging case that is easy to take along -- and the unit not only comes with a docking station but a carrying case, so out of the box it's truly ready to go.
I think the upside of the iPod is pretty clear. On the downside, I think it's pricey for what it is -- and I don't particularly like being "forced" to use Apple's iTunes.
Tech Specs important to me
Battery life - up to 15 hours music or 5 music slideshow
Screen - very nice 2 inch color screen
Included accessories - charging dock, earbuds, composite A/V cables
Connections - USB 2.0 and Firewire
Supports most picture files
Weight - 6.4 ounces
Size - 4.1 x 2.4 x .75
For more info, please see http://www.apple.com/ipodphoto/
Stuff I really like about my new iPod The storage space is amazing.
It's hard to believe how hard drives have progressed over the last decade. This thing holds twice as much as my 3 year old Dell computer. As I already mentioned, with all of my CDs, 100 of my favorite pictures, I still have 50 gigs free & I can't wait to import more. It's almost an addiction.
The overall feel of the iPod is great.
The color screen is beautiful, and the menus are easily navigated. The wheel scroller is intuitive and easy to use out of the box. The back of the iPod even doubles for a mirror (just kidding) -- but it is shiney enough to. It does have some weight to it -- but it's not overwhelming.
Install on a Mac
Install on my new Powerbook was flawless and easy. Install on my Dell -- not so flawless, but more on that later. I followed the directions, put the disc in my Mac before connecting the iPod, then when instructed connected the iPod. iTunes needed an update, but it was painless overall.
iTunes overall
iTunes was easy to use. I imported all of my old college music via a data CD, and it worked fine. I also imported every CD I could find, and also threw about 100 photos into my Photo folder which sync'd over automatically. Importing all of my CDs took a lot of time -- but the database recognized all of my song titles, and I had no problems. As expected, it was easy to use & intuitive. Now I have about 2000 songs -- and have to work on creating some usable playlists.
Photos
Importing photos was easy, just dump files into your Photo folder and they automatically sync over. The iPod offers several options for its slideshow settings -- and you can also organize these files into folders to better organize them on your iPod. The pictures appeared clear on the nice 2 inch color screen.
Portability
The iPod is self powered (no buying batteries) & lightweight. It's great to take not only your entire music collection, but all of your photos along with you. While downloading music, it will also try to get album art -- another neat feature.
The Cons of the Pod Pricey
I was given the iPod through work. I think that $600 is a lot to pay for a portable music device, even with the photo integration. That being said, I think that if you're looking for the king of MP3 players, and money is the most important factor for you, then you don't have to look any further.
The player itself
The back of the case is polished and easily scratched. Apparently the screen is easily scratchable as well from what I've read -- in which case I would suggest a case of some sort. It does come with a case, but I think it's very annoying the case it comes in doesn't allow you to use the controls on the wheel of the unit. I am looking for another case now, but for a $600 player, I wish it came with a case that allowed you to control playback of photos and music. I also noticed while charging the iPod via my powerbook (I forgot the AC Adapter for the iPod), it really drained my powerbook battery.
PC installation / iTunes
I initially took the iPod out of the box, plugged into my Dell via USB following their directions to a tee. It told me it had to format. 12 hours later it was still formatting. A co worker experienced the same thing. Needless to say, I never got it working on the PC and hooked it up to my powerbook instead. It works great from the Mac, but they should get it working as flawless as it is on the Mac.
I also wish I wasn't forced to use iTunes. I wish I could use a software package that defaulted to MP3 encoding. iTunes does the job, but I would prefer other options.
Final thoughts
This iPod is the best at what it claims to be. It's a great MP3 player that does a great job at integrating photo displays. It's pricey, to say the least, but it may be worth it if you have the money to spend. I think Apple could have added some other features making this priceless, namely I don't see why a digital camera wasn't built in -- similar to what is in so many camera phones. It seems like a natural "want" to me -- I am not sure why Apple didn't think of this -- but I'm sure Belkin or someone else will come out with a similar accessory soon.
If you have the cash, and want a fun toy, this is a fun one to have!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 599 Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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