I purchased this iPod for my wife, to replace a much lesser quality 128MB MP3 player. I should have spent the cash and got the iPod the first time.

This iPod puts all the others to shame. There is nothing I have seen that meets this unit in the road. It has it all, not to mention 20GB of hard drive space to store up to 5,000 songs! That is more than most people's entire CD collection. And now, with the iTunes website, we can legally download songs and put them on the iPod for future enjoyment.

I love this little hot white box - basically a hard drive with a sexy backlit display that plays music exceptionally well, will also serve as a calendar/planner and has a few games on it. I did not purchase this for a calendar or game machine, but these features are nice to have for long car trips or other things where you need to check out for a while and have some mindless pleasure.

There are options when buying an iPod, but I selected the 20GB model because it was middle of the road and had all the features and options of the bigger models, but it also had richer features than the lesser models. I must say it again, it holds up to 5,000 songs. (The other MP3 player we had would hold about 30-40 songs...no match for this monster...)

The only complaint, to this point, we have is the battery life. It is less than advertised and if you let it run completely down, the unit locks up and must be reset. Resetting, although an easy process, is hard on us as the consumer, because we have to reload our music into the iPod and almost start over. We have learned to avoid the battery running out completely now, but something that new or prospective users of this unit needs to know from the start.

Another item that needs to be mentioned. If you do not have Firewire capability on your PC, you have two options. You can go to your local office supply house and get a Firewire card (which is what I did and the installation was painless) or you need to order a USB cord for the iPod from Apple direct. I suggest spending the same amount of cash and getting the Firewire card from your office supply house. This way, you realize the super fast transfer rates available with the Firewire connection and don't rely on the sometimes flaky USB connection to carry you through. A Firewire card can be purchased for around $20-$30. I would think the USB cord from iPod would be at least this much.

Keep in mind also, this unit was built for Apple computers. Until recently, it was not available to the PC users of the world. With that said, the unit sometimes is still a little lacking on the PC side of things, but if you want the best, the largest capacity and also the sexiest MP3 player, the iPod is for you.

The manual provided with the unit is lacking. It does not explain anything very fully, but a full online help support section is available. The manual needs to be redone to include the online information...or there needs to be a reference note in the manual telling you to go online for more information.

I purchased the iPod from Amazon.com - they had the best price at the time and it shipped free - so I won all the way around.

Apple's website is pretty amazing and will give you a full complement of what this unit will do, or not do. www.apple.com - search for iPod and go from there. You can also apply for Apple Credit and buy it with a payment plan if you so choose. I filled out the credit request and was approved, but since I bought it from Amazon...did not need it.

Substantial discounts are given for students or professors...unfortunately, I was neither at the time, but check the website for complete information about this.

My wife's world has changed for the better, just yesterday we went on a road trip to a park about an hour away, and she took her iPod, listening to music and enjoying the scenery. We are going on a cruise in about a month, and she is already preparing her iPod for that journey.... I plan to save a few audiobooks to it as well, so I can listen to some of the world's best fiction while I sail around the Caribbean....that will be another review yet to come!

Buy the iPod - spend the extra cash, its worth it. Sometimes I wonder if spending more is best, but this time it certainly was. I would highly recommend this MP3 player, and more, to all who are interested.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 359
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection