roheblius's Full Review: Apple iPod photo 4th Generation (20 GB) MP3 Player
As someone who obviously doesn't adapt well to new technology, I dismissed the iPod as something that wasn't necessary. I have CD's. I have MP3's. I have a CD player. I have a computer. I have one MP3 player. I have one minidisc player. And until just recently, I hadn't even touched an iPod. Maybe I was scared. Maybe I didn't want to be one of the trendy folks who had an iPod. My minidisc was fine, other than the fact that it's notoriously slow to put MP3's on the discs and doesn't really work all that well as an MP3 player in general. But I was stubborn. Not anymore. While I won't admit to buying an iPod for myself, I will admit to buying one for my father (and probably getting one for myself very soon). Here's a man who doesn't know how to log on to a computer. He knows how to browse the web, but that's after you've opened the browser for him. He's old school. But here's the thing. He's a man without real computer knowledge and it took him maybe 20 minutes to figure out what he had to do to put music on his iPod and listen to it. That's a good product.
Now there are a few things that help separate the iPod from the other MP3 players. First off, iTunes is an absolute joy to use. For music management, it's my favorite software. And putting music on the iPod through a firewire cable is the fastest I've seen in MP3 file transfer. But more on iTunes. To me, what separates iTunes from other music management softwares, is that it was actually made specifically to work with the iPod. Other management softwares might be more appealing to your current taste, but iTunes was designed to work with, and only with, the iPod. The key to iTunes in my opinion is in the playlists. You can download your entire CD collection into your iPod if you like, but who wants to listen to everything? What's good about CD's and minidiscs is that you can hear a mix of whatever you are feeling at the moment. That's where playlists step in. You can put certain songs on a playlist, and simply listen to only those songs. What's even more appealing is that iTunes can do this for you through smart playlists. You can actually program iTunes to create a playlist for you. It's a very creative and intuitive software program. The second thing that separates the iPod from the pack is that it's simply easy to use. Some MP3 players are so bulky with sticky buttons and are just a pain to use. And then it's a chore to learn how to put music on it. You spend the first couple hours figuring out how to use it when all you want to do is put music on it. You're excited, and not really patient. But Apple understands this. If you already have iTunes and plug your iPod into your computer through the firewire (you can also do this through USB), it immediately recognizes it. Automatically. It doesn't ask you to download servers or put in a special CD. It just works. It automatically finds your music too. If you are the type of person who just uploads everything, plug it in and leave it alone for a few minutes and all your music will be there. If not, you can manually add songs, or only add specific playlists. And it doesn't take much longer.
The new fourth generation iPod has a couple new features and one of them is really one of the only things that has been negative about the product in its existence. The battery life. You've heard stories of draining battery life, but in its new iteration, the iPod has a longer battery life that is supposed to last 12 hours in the perfect situation. Also, the click wheel that was on the iPod Mini is now on the new non-mini players. It makes scrolling through music very easy and intuitive. With a few touches, you'll master it and be able to sort through your music as fast, or as scrupulous as you want. The new wheel takes better advantage of the space on the unit, but nothing is really done with the extra space. Where the play and fast forward buttons used to be right above the actual scroll wheel, they are now on the wheel, thus eliminating the need for using most of the face of the player. Pretty nifty idea, and not sure why it took them so long to do it.
While this review has been almost 100% positive, I do have to admit one thing. My dad might have received a lemon from Apple, or just had a bad LCD screen. The iPod dropped from about 5 feet onto the carpet and when I picked it up, I noticed there was something definitely wrong with it. The LCD screen seemed like it had broken from the inside and I immediately called Apple for a replacement. They sent a box over and told me to simply put the iPod in the box and put it right back in the mail. They also said it would take roughly 5-7 days to get it back and that it wouldn't be the same iPod that we sent in. They didn't promise that the unit would have the same parts as I'm guessing they have an already fixed or refurbished LCD screen that they would simply pop in and send it back. I immediately questioned how fragile this unit is, but have been told by friends that their iPod should've had a hard hat on for as many times as they've dropped it and it didn't break. I'm hoping that is the case and it was just an anomaly.
In any case, I can see why iPod's are so popular. It's in the ease. If dad can do it, anyone can.
4.5 stars (would've been 5 if it didn't have to be returned)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299.99 Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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This previously owned item has been quality tested and includes all parts and accessories originally included with the iPod Includes brand-new, unopen...More at Amazon Marketplace
20 GB model holds up to 5,000 songs; supports AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 (32 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible, AIFF, Apple Lossless and WAV Up to 12 hour...More at Amazon Marketplace
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