charolien's Full Review: Apple iPod classic 4th Generation (20 GB) MP3 Play...
I love music. Over many years I have bought thousands of cassettes, vinyl records, and loads of cds. After finally building my digital collection (it was a *lot* of work), I have an amazing 17 GB of music. That is a lot of tunes. I had thought about buying an MP3 player for years, but I wanted to wait for the technology to develop. I decided the time and technology were right for me to bond with a music machine. My recent decision to buy a fourth generation Ipod has changed my relationship with music in a fundamental way. I am not trying to overly dramatize the effect of the Ipod. Think about what it does. It allows the user to have their entire music collection with them at **all** times, ready for listening. That is amazing. Sure there are other monster players out there, but Apple has not only made a good player, it has mastered the art of making machines more usable. More about that in a bit.
Making the Buying Decision
I had considered many different MP3 players: the Ipod Mini, the Ipod 40 GB, the Ipod 20 GB, as well as competitors from Rio and Creative. The final decision was indeed very difficult. Battery life made me consider some of the smaller other brand players. I live in Belgium and must commute weekly to Germany by high-speed train for work (1600 + km/week), so I needed a player that would definitely have enough juice to get me through those endless hours on the flat plains of Northern Germany. My battery needs pretty much put the third generation Ipod out of the running, as the battery is its weakest point. I finally chose the 20 GB fourth generation Ipod. My hands are too big to comfortably work with the mini, and I wanted more space for my MP3 collection. The 20 GB model was big enough (with room to grow). The 40 GB model is a monster (especially in price) so for what I needed, the 20 Gb model was the best choice. If you want more capacity, go with the 40 GB model. If you want a less expensive, smaller (more portable?) model then grab the mini.
Ipod 20 GB model Specs:
PC interface(s) supported FireWire, Hi-Speed USB 2.0
Digital storage Built-in 20 GB Hard disk drive
Weight 5.6 oz
Dimensions (W x D x H) 2.4 in x .57 nm x 4.1 in
Body color White
Available body colors Silver
Included accessories Earbud headphones, AC adapter, FireWire cable, USB 2.0 cable, Carrying Case
Recorder Digital formats supported MP3, AAC, AIFF, WAV
Playback modes Random play, One track repeat, All tracks repeat
Supported bit rates 32 - 320Kb
Shockproof memory 1500 seconds
External hard drive function Yes
LCD Diagonal size 2"
Resolution 160 x 128
Backlight display Yes
Backlight color White
Display menu language Dutch, Danish, French, German, Korean, English, Finnish, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Japanese, Norwegian, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional)
Features: Adjustable contrast Audio Features Sound output mode Stereo
Timer Wake, Sleep, Built-in clock Timer, Digital Clock, Calendar, Phone book, Hold button, Upgradeable firmware, Playback speed control, Rechargeable capability, Battery level indication
Battery / Power Battery: Lithium ion Rechargeable (Mfr estimated battery life 12 hours)
Recharge time: 4 hours (80 percent in one hour)
Min operating systems: Apple MacOS X 10.1.5 or later, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional Warranty Service / Support: 1 year warranty
One Very Intuitive Device
Immediately upon turning the product on, I was instantly aware of the logic of the device. The interface is simply amazing. You simply turn it on and you naturally know how to navigate the menus. The click wheel is just so cool, it is so much easier to navigate through playlists with this kind of wheel than a track stick or with buttons, for example. I have seen the third generation Ipod, and this new click wheel (which originated with the debut of the mini) is a monster new feature. I would not be surprised to see competitors soon attempt to copy the click wheel. It is very slick. The logical controls are stunning in their simple functionality. **Now** I know what all of the Ipod talk is about. I seriously wonder if Apple got together with some ergonomic experts when they designed the Ipod – that is how easy and comfortable the Ipod is to use. Other machines offer similar storage, but the Ipod is just so darn easy to use.
MP3, AAC, Real – What about the Format Wars?
The Ipod plays MP3 and AAC files natively. You fill the machine up with your own digital computer files. You can use either a Firewire or USB 2.0 connection to your computer to do this (cables are included). Transferring the files is a fairly painless process – you can use Apple Itunes (a free application with a large footprint) or other players like Winamp with special plugins. When you install Itunes (not needed – I use Winamp), you can convert any WMA files to Apple’s propriety AAC format. That covers it – you probably don’t have music that can’t be played on the Ipod, though it is difficult to play native AAC files on other players, for example. Keep that in mind. Apple has done this to minimize piracy, and while a bit annoying it is totally understandable. There has been talk recently that Real has made their music format work with the Ipod as well. You should at least be aware of the competing music formats, as competition between legitimate online music stores will continue and likely escalate. I avoid the competing wars (for now) by using the ubiquitous MP3 format (the standard in digital music). If you want to compress your music files to allow more space for more music on your Ipod, then you might want to consider an alternative format like AAC.
The Sound Quality
The sound quality of the Ipod is very good, though I wish the included earbuds were of a little higher quality. The earbuds are good – but they don’t do the Ipod justice. I would recommend spending a few bucks on a good pair of headphones – that is when you will hear just how well the Ipod sounds. It plays the entire range – from deep and heavy bass to light treble. When I am at home I patch my Ipod through the stereo. It sounds that good. I like the battery of the Ipod – I never am too far from an outlet to be without music. Like I mentioned, I travel a lot so I have had plenty of time to test the Ipod’s constitution. I can generally get between 9 – 12 full hours of music before having to recharge. I feared that the battery would be an issue with me, but as long as you don’t use the device with the maximum volume setting and as long as you don’t always have the backlight on, you will have enough battery power to jam.
The Ipod as a High-speed External Drive
One of the best functions of the Ipod is the ability to use it as an external and portable high-speed hard disk drive. An addition to music, the Ipod can also be filled with all kinds of data files – Word Documents, Excel Files, and PowerPoint presentations for the road, for example. While not everyone will use this capability – I sure will. It will allow me to keep my laptop at home – which is indeed a *big* plus when traveling as much as I do. When I get to my office in Germany, I simply plug my Ipod into my desktop there, and voila! All the files I needed without the bulk of having to travel with my laptop!
Warranty
Apple is well known for having good customer service, and this model includes a 1 year warranty. It feels good to know that the device has a good warranty. It provides the user with confidence in the construction and quality of the Ipod’s components.
Gripes and Complaints
This version of the Ipod (while brilliant) can do with some minor improvements. The price is about 30 percent higher than I would like to have paid – which says a lot about the demand for this excellent product. The battery is not user replaceable. The battery can be replaced – though you have to pay Apple to do it. If you want to record audio you have to buy another kit. I think these issues are kind of tacky, but are also to be expected in the corporate age. The price of the Ipod has dropped about 100 dollars – but that is not as great of a deal as you might expect. The Ipod no longer comes with all the external goodies like a charging stand or inline remote, which is a bit of a bummer. These are small issues, and do not prevent me from fully recommending this incredible MP3 player.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299 Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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