Form and Function do beat Price - well, sometimes
Written: Jan 02 '04
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Pros: GREAT SOUND - did I mention great sound? Uber-stylish, user-friendly and totally cool too!
Cons: Perhaps the battery
The Bottom Line: Sound, style, functionality, iTunes Store and great software make this the absolute best - well worth the $$
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| scott3's Full Review: Apple iPod 3rd Generation White (20 GB) MP3 Player |
Overview
Way back when, when the mp3 craze first started, I received a Diamond Rio for a Christmas present, my first entry into portable mp3 players and the like. I had previously been an aficionado of Sony products, first owning an awesome Sony cassette player, then moving into the portable CD line. Well, I got the Rio… and absolutely hated it. In fact, I hated it so much I went back to the Sony CD player, then moved to digital mini-disc format a couple of years ago. iPod was introduced by Apple, I’ve watched and waited for awhile, then, after exhaustive research (yeah, I’m an air traffic controller and tech junkie…), I asked for and got my 20GB iPod this Christmas. It’s the best thing I ever did!
Firstly, when considering a player purchase, think about – real hard – which music service you’ll use if you do use one online. I visited them all – Musicmatch, Rhapsody, Napster – and ended up with Apple’s iTunes service and software. Firstly, you’ll need iTunes to manage your music library for your iPod, but secondly, it’s the absolute best, most intuitive and easy to use service out there right now (see my separate iTunes review..). I say this because iPod, whether by design or no, appears to be not as Windows-friendly as it could be, and I’ve heard/seen comments about Musicmatch and other interfacing issues with the iPod. So, having done my homework, I waited for Mr. Jobs to release iTunes for Windows, downloaded it and played with it for awhile, and became convinced it is the best online music service and the perfect match of it is iPod. Besides, in keeping with Steve’s incredible attention to design, who could possibly beat the cool packaging – both the box iPod comes in and the iPod itself. I looked at other systems, notably Dell’s and iRiver’s, but Apple just simply oozes cool….. and while it may be a little shallow on my part, I do appreciate cool. Sometimes, Mr. Dell, it’s not all about the money.
Why the 20GB? I wanted a system that could suck up a considerable amount of my music collection with room to expand to music purchases in the future. 10GB seemed too little for the money, and honestly 40GB seemed way too excessive. 20GB seemed to be the Goldilocks resolution – just right. As of this writing, to date I’ve added 507 songs and still have 16.6 gigs available (iPod has 18.5GB available; apparently the remainder is for the OS). My heart told me I wanted the 40GB, but my head told me that was stupid and my wallet agreed! 20GB seems a great choice.
Under The Hood: Briefly, let me get through the specs of my iPod: 20GB hard drive; back-lit, customizable 2-inch greyscale LCD screen; over eight (8) hours battery life (advertised); 25-minute skip protection (haven’t taken it running yet…); FireWire or USB 2.0 connectivity (USB requires an adaptor that must be purchased separately); 3 hours charge time/1 hour to 80% capacity (battery issues addressed below); 5.6 ounces in weight; OS requirements for Mac are FireWire, Mac OS X v10.5 or later (X 10.2.8 recommended) and for Windows are USB 2.0 or FireWire, Windows 2000 SP4 or XP; Audio formats supported include AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, WAV, Audible, AIFF.
One point here about audio formats; Apple’s iTunes software, which is great, converts your music to Apple’s AAC format, which stands for Advanced Audio Coding, Apple’s way of addressing the music industry’s file-sharing concerns. AAC is supposedly a higher fidelity compression technology than MP3, and relies on the MPEG-4 codec for CD rip/conversion. iPod, as far as I know, is the only portable player that supports the AAC format, and this is how your music downloads from iTunes are formatted.
Included in Package:With the 20GB iPod (at least the new one, part no. M9244LL/A), you of course get the 20GB iPod, dock, wired remote, carrying case, earbud headphones with 2 sets of soft coverlets, AC adaptor, dock connector to FireWire cable, 4-to-6 pin FireWire adaptor, iTunes for Mac and Windows software, Quick reference Guide, User’s Guide, License Agreement and Warranty (more later).
Features: The ability to store you entire CD collection on one little, tres-cool, handheld jukebox you can take everywhere with you! You can play music, games, view your Outlook calendar and contact information, store photos and other files, record voice notes or other messages, listen to a good audiobook… all on your little iPod that fits so very nicely in the palm of your hand! My only complaint is that Apple didn’t get cool with the color… white is kinda boring and I’d have loved to have gotten my iPod in lime green, something Apple is apparently addressing this year. Also, another minor gripe is the case; as with all included cases I’ve encountered, it’s ok for basic use but not overly functional or Apple-cool. I’ve ordered one from a third-party maker that adds features like the ability to stow the earbuds in the case and also access the controls while encased – why Apple didn’t think of this, I don’t know.
Music Transfer: made incredibly easy with iTunes software. I have read in places that people are having problems with Windows systems, but I haven’t had a single concern at all. I use iTunes for my music management system and for online purchases, and all I do is attach iPod to my Inspiron 5100 via FireWire and – wham – database matching occurs and new music/playlists/etc… are downloaded automatically. I even downloaded the latest iPod software patch, and when I first synched my iPod, it caught it and updated without prompting. With previous players, getting the systems to talk to each other was a major hassle; not with my iPod.
Use:Using your iPod is sooooo easy. Just push menu button to select some music you’d like to listen to or the play button and listen along. Volume controls and menu selection is so cool with the control wheel; just slide up or down to adjust volume or your selection, kinda like being a rapper blending songs on the turntable! Menus are very intuitive and easily navigable, and there’s lots of selection for songs… playlists of all kinds, you can even create an on-the-go playlist of music on directly on your iPod. You can set day/date functions, then use your iPod as a traveling alarm clock, which I intend to test on my next business trip. I’ve created playlists based on genres for now… classical, 70s-80s, punk, alternative. I’ve also created favorite playlists, incorporating newer stuff like Linkin Park, Finch and others.
The functionality is awesome, the sound even more so. Playing tracks from Smashing Pumpkins’ Melancholy, I heard underlying richness I never experienced in either the CD or mini-disc systems. And it just simply totally blows away digital mini-disc fidelity. The supplied earbuds work great, sound great, and really do not need to be replaced for great acoustics.
Issues:Battery life seems to be the only big one. Not only do people report that the battery doesn’t seem to last as long as advertised, there’s concerns with the absolute life of the battery. One much-publicized case – they developed their own website and movie – highlighted the little-known fact that battery replacement for an iPod would be $255. In response to this, Apple introduced a battery-replacement service for $106 with a 90-day guarantee. One way I am attempting to mitigate this is by spending an additional $59 for an AppleCare Protection Plan for my iPod, which doubles the warranty from one to two years for the iPod, battery, earbuds, dock, wired remote and iTunes support. The extended warranty also provides for two years of AppleCare telephone support, versus the standard 90 days. And, the warranty can be transferred to another owner should you sell your iPod.
Apple’s AppleCare website also seems to be pretty comprehensive, offering lots of faqs and other advice for any problem you may encounter. Fortunately, I’ve encountered none with my iPod, have just bought my first album on iTunes, and am listening to totally great, butt-kicking music as I write this review!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 373
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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Epinions.com ID:
scott3
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Member: Scott Boucher
Location: Long Island, NY
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Air Traffic Controller at the best - New York ARTCC. Need I say more?
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