For starters, the Ipod is for the person who loves music. Maybe you have a huge CD collection, but you can?t keep track of all your CDs. With the Ipod, you can put your whole CD collection in a tiny device. Maybe you go to the gym everyday, and you?d like a bunch of songs for working out. The Ipod is for you!
I?ve had my 15 GB Ipod for a half a year now, so I feel I will be able to give you a straightforward, honest review. To tell you the truth, I really haven?t had much trouble with it. In fact, I LOVE it.
I ordered it off apple.com for 299.99 with free engraving. The package came within days. I remember receiving it. How excited I was. It came in a cube shaped black box that kind of sparkled in the light. Fashionable. I could have looked at it all day, forget about the Ipod. But eventually, my excitement was too much, and I forced myself to tear open the nice pretty box.
Inside the box, Apple provided me with:
-The Ipod
-Ear bud style Earphones, with 2 sets of ear bud foams
-User Manual
-Itunes download CD
-Mini Firewire Adapter
-Charger
The Look and Feel of the Ipod
The Ipod is in my left hand as I type this review. It fits so comfortably. With just one hand, I am able to touch all four of the buttons, including the scroll wheel. The buttons are extremely cool. Instead of actual buttons, they?re like little thin circular cutouts into the Ipod. This totally adds to the overall appearance and feel. However, these buttons?or should I say cutouts--have a downside to them as well. First and foremost, they are incredibly sensitive.
If the Ipod is in your pocket by itself?no case, not on hold, nothing?and you are moving around, the Ipod is moving from side to side in your pocket, there is a very good chance those buttons will sense that something is touching them. My advice to you if that happens, get a case. It will prevent the button sensitivity and will prevent scratches. Or, just put on the hold button. Secondly, sometimes the buttons will not respond to your commands. I tend to notice this when I?ll be jabbing down at them. When you touch it, apply some pressure. It will usually respond.
The Ipod is so small. It?s unbelievable. It weighs only .56 ounces, and has a width of only 0.62 inches. It can be compared to the size of a cigarette box. A deck of cards.
In terms of overall appearance, the Ipod is beaming. The back side is chrome mirror like material while the front is a bright, creamy white. A combination pleasant to the eye. The top ½ of the front side is where the Ipod?s big beautiful display screen is. The wording is easy to read, and when it gets dark out, the screen turns into a brilliant bright blue color. At the same time, the Ipod?s buttons turn a nice reddish color. Amazing.
Capacity and Itunes
The Ipod stores approximately 3700 songs at CD quality, considering the average song is 4 minutes.
To download this music, you use a program called Itunes. Itunes is a wonderful music-downloading program for Ipod users. It is an Apple program that allows you to buy songs for 99 cents a piece, and albums for no more than $9.99. That seems a little much though, huh? Well, you can transfer your very own CDs to Itunes for free, and it?s really simple too.
In this music store of Itunes, they give a free song out every week to you, always list the top 100 songs/albums of the day, display different mixes you can purchase, and much more. It?s a great program.
Using the Ipod
With your music all on your Ipod, it?s time to use it. So?go for a jog, take a nap, whatever floats your boat. Enjoy your music. You may be wondering something, though?
With 3700 songs on my Ipod, how will I possibly find the song I want to hear?
Piece of cake. You see, the Ipod is made with an accelerated scroll wheel?with this, I can scroll though my 2500+ songs in less than 5 seconds! That?s something, huh?
Well anyway, on the display screen of the Ipod, on the top line, it says the battery life, the name of the current menu, and the song status.
The main menu of the Ipod consists of the following: Playlists, Browse, Extras, and Settings. Playlists are pretty much your own personal music mixes. You can make these on Itunes. For instance, I have a nice soothing playlist on my Ipod. This is great when I?m sleeping on a plane, or reading. And then, I have a more upbeat playlist for times at the gym. You can do anything. Go crazy. Also, there is the ?On the Go? Playlist?a playlist which can be formed right on the Ipod, wherever you are. Just hold down the song you?d like added and before you know it, it?s on your On The Go.
The Browse menu lets you view all of your music, by artists, albums, songs, genres, or composers. In extras, there are a few games you can play, along with a clock and alarm clock.
Select a song, and the display instantaneously changes to the Now Playing screen. Here, the song name, the artist, and the album are displayed. Your songs progress is represented by a horizontal bar on the bottom of the screen filling up with a dark grey color as the song moves on. Next to this bar is the time that has gone by in the song, and the time that is left of the song. You can control the volume with the scroll wheel. In terms of overall sound, I really couldn?t complain.
Power and Battery Life
You can charge the Ipod?s battery two ways. One way is to hook the Ipod into the computer via firewire port. This is extremely efficient, since you can add songs and charge your Ipod at the exact same time. Secondly, you can simply just hook it into the wall via AC adapter. The AC adapter for the Ipod is nice and sleak. Portable too, which makes it good for trips.
In terms of battery, I?d have to say this is the biggest downfall. Apple advertises it as having 8 hours of battery life. No way. If you got 5 hours, I?d consider you lucky.
Final Words
The Ipod is really something. It?s great for the average music lover, the person who goes to the gym, or the frequent traveler. It?s a full CD collection in a tiny, chic device by a reliable company. What could possibly be better? However, if the Ipod?s poor battery life is going to be a problem with you, I think you may be better off checking out the Dell DJ, which has a 16-hour battery. But if it doesn?t make a difference to you, the Ipod can?t be beat. I highly recommend it to you.