Holy Grail of MP3 Players -- But pay the Apple Tax!
Written: Aug 10 '04 (Updated Aug 10 '04)
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Pros: Sounds great, fantastic interface, elegant, reliable, durable, portable, nice integration with Macs
Cons: Cost (purchase & support), lame case (buy a different one)
The Bottom Line: Well worth it if you're willing to pay the Apple Tax!
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| mrmach's Full Review: Apple iPod 40 GB White MP3 Player |
Now that the fourth generation iPods are out, you'll probably only consider getting one of these if you're looking for a good deal. The battery life may not be as good on the third generation -- but if that's not as important to you -- you might want to consider the third generation for the better controls! (But you never know -- some people like the controls of the 4G. Take a look.)
The controls on this thing are great. A light touch is all it takes to work it -- it's simply a pleasure to use.
It's sound is great, and you're never low on space (unless you have a much larger music collection than mine). I even used my iPod to back up some of my files, and had lots of space left for future growth.
The integration with iTunes (and even my calender and contacts) is seamless. (I used it with my Mac.) I'd plug in my iPod to charge at night, and eject it in the morning to take with me. I never had to fuss with anything (unless I wanted to -- but I like messing with tech toys.)
Overall, I loved my iPod. "Past tense?" you're probably wondering? Yes, it's broken. I have dropped my iPod down stairs and it survived (while in the case). It fell off my belt and rolled across pavement (again in the case), and survived then, too. It held up on mountain biking trips over very rough terrain without skipping. I lent it to my kids, and they never broke it. (The true test!) It has taken considerable abuse, and just kept going. Even when the display became scratched, I polished it up with Brasso and it looked like new again. (No kidding! It works!)
What a great product! I figured it had better be for the $500 I shelled out for it.
Finally, when going around a fast turn on my bike, I got a flat and landed on my side, with most of my weight on the iPod which was in its case on my belt. It never even skipped! (At least not that I noticed -- when you're impacting asphalt, you don't usually think much about the music you're listening to.) Shortly after I got home, it stopped playing. When I removed it from its case on my belt, the hard drive was making a horrible grinding noise. The remote was clipped on the front of the case which resulted in a lot of weight (my weight) over a small surface area (the remote) which dented the back of the case and damaged the hard drive. The music only played as long as some was left cached in memory -- once it tried to read the hard disk, it stopped.
I took it to the Apple store and was overwhelmed by the repair cost: $330 just for the parts (minimum of the hard drive). Labor would be another $80 (minimum). You don't have to be a genius to know that this is more than a 4th Generation 40GB iPod runs for now.
Now, it is admittedly my fault that it broke -- and I'm not sore at Apple about that like other reviewers were. However, I thought that their repair price was a bit high for what I was getting out of it. eCost sells the exact model of hard drive for ~$175. The case is easy to crack once you know how, and replacing the hard drive is fairly simple. How does that justify over $400 to repair?
It must be that Apple Tax...
I can understand charging a premium for a great product -- but once I bought it, they should stop gouging me. I'm bleeding enough already!
If you can afford it, and you can afford the replacement (and replacing is the only solution for just about any non-warranty repair other than battery replacement) -- I'd strongly recommend this product. If you can afford it but would simply die if you had to replace it out of pocket -- think about something cheaper. Even extended warranty won't save you from an accident. (In fact, if you destroy your iPod before your extended warranty expires, I suppose you're out the cost of your extended warranty, too. I assume it's non-transferrable and non-refundable in the event your iPod breaks.)
The free case that it comes with this product isn't something I'd trust keeping my iPod in. I'd definately not plan on using it. Buy a replacement to protect your investment.
(WARNING: Replacing the hard drive with one you order from eCost is an *extremely* technical process and will void your warranty completely. Non-Apple drives do NOT have everything installed that your iPod needs to run, and running a software restore is insufficient to rectify this problem. Do not attempt to do this unless you *really* know what you're doing. Chances are you won't be able to accomplish this. It's also worth mentioning that Apple will not sell just parts. They insist on performing the labor as well.)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 500
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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Epinions.com ID:
mrmach
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Reviews written: 1
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