Apple iPod 10 GB

...the thing to it’s capacity. Apple claim that the 10GB version can store 2000 near-CD quality songs but it should be able to store more than this if your using lesser quality tracks.
After deciding that I wanted one (and that didn’t take too long!) I set about finding places that sell them. PcWorld did stock them but had sold out and I tried John Lewis which had the 5Gb version available but had sold out of the 10Gb and 20GB versions. So I ...
...accessories. It just appeared that Apple had gone that extra mile to add some class to what could have been dull packaging.
The contents the box was as follows:
The iPod
Installation and software disk
User guide and ‘At a glance’ leaflet
Apple warranty information
Black plastic protective holder with belt clip
Firewire cable and adapter plug
Plug adapter for charging
Earphones with spare ... more

I wanted a personal music player that could hold vast amounts of tracks that I could carry around in a compact device. After researching different players, i.e., cd walkmans that can play Mp3 tracks off disk and portable Mp3 players, some of which could only stores as little as 30 tracks at a time. I eventually came across Apple’s iPod. An innovation in music technology if there ever was one.
The first things that caught my eye when I saw the iPod was it’s size, which is little bigger than a cigarette box and the fact that with it’s LCD display, scroll wheel for browsing the menu and it’s shiny metal back. This thing looked a very sexy gadget indeed!
I bought my iPod 10Gb verson for windows (Apple Mac version also available) in Feb 2003 and since then it has been updated to the current version available, which has changed a little in how it looks but maintains that classy appearance.
One of the main differences between this product and other Mp3 players it that the iPod contains a hard disk just like the one that you would have on a computer, although small enough to enable the ipod to be so compact. This is what allows it store so much music. I have loaded my entire CD collection onto it and it’s still only ¼ full so it would take some going to fill the thing to it’s capacity. Apple claim that the 10GB version can store 2000 near-CD quality songs but it should be able to store more than this if your using lesser quality tracks.
After deciding that I wanted one (and that didn’t take too long!) I set about finding places that sell them. PcWorld did stock them but had sold out and I tried John Lewis which had the 5Gb version available but had sold out of the 10Gb and 20GB versions. So I finally bought mine through the Apple website (see below).
Ordering through them was a very pain-less and simple process and I received my new iPod very quickly. You are also able to track the order through various stages of dispatch.
When it arrived what struck me was how cool and attractive the packaging was and reinforced to me that this was a quality product. It comes in a small cube box that opens out into two halves. On one side is the iPod and the other the accessories. It just appeared that Apple had gone that extra mile to add some class to what could have been dull packaging.
The contents the box was as follows:
The iPod
Installation and software disk
User guide and ‘At a glance’ leaflet
Apple warranty information
Black plastic protective holder with belt clip
Firewire cable and adapter plug
Plug adapter for charging
Earphones with spare set of foam ear-piece covers
Remote control (not standard for the 5Gb version and now only standard for the newer 20GB & 40GB formats)
Grey fabric pouch for carrying the iPod

First of all I had to charge up the iPod which takes about 4 hours to charge fully, although Apple claims that it is 90% charged in an hour. Charging is carried out by one of two methods. Either just plug it into your standard wall socket with the supplied plug adapter or plug it into your computer through a lead (also supplied) that attaches to your computer’s firewire card. Not all computers come with firewire cards as standards. I had to purchase one for my computer especially to use the iPod but it’s an essential piece of equipment to be able to use the iPod as you’ll see later. I picked mine up from PCWorld for approx. £30.00. I have found that charging it through via a wall socket is quicker although I don’t know why this is the case.

After charging I was ready to rock and roll and get some tunes onto it. At this point I needed to load the installation disk that came with it onto my computer. This was a pretty straight forward task. The disk also contains a program called ‘MusicMatch’ which is the software for uploading and downloading songs onto the iPod. However prior to buying the iPod I had discovered from other users that this was not the most easiest software to use with it and others were recommending the use of a program called ‘EphPod’ which is freely available to download. Just search for it on ‘Google’ and you’ll find it. This is the program that I use and it’s dead simple and straightforward.
To enable the uploading and downloading of songs you need to connect the iPod to your computer via the firewire card. The card allows lightning fast transfer of songs between the two devices and you’ll be able to transfer the equivalent of a standard CD in about 14 seconds.
The iPod itself is very simple to navigate. The buttons are comfortable to use but do take a while to remember which buttons take you where around the screen. The touch sensitive scroll wheel is a great addition making it very quick to scroll through list of songs, however it is very sensitive and sometimes you can go past the song you want to play. The LCD screen is ample big enough to easily see what your doing and it’s of excellent quality. It even has a back-lit facility so you can see it in the dark if you need to.
When arranging your tracks you’ll be able to groups songs into any kind of order you like i.e., by genre, artist, album, alphabetically. You can choose to name folders and you can compile playlists, which might, for example contain your most favourite songs of the moment. All this is achieved through the software and then you just transfer it to the iPod.
I have been very impressed with the iPod in terms of my expectations, it’s ease of use and it’s functionality. However that’s not to say I haven’t got negative things to say about it.
Firstly I have been very frustrated that when not in use for some time it doesn’t seem to retain it’s power and there have been many times where I have gone to use it only to find the battery flat.
Secondly on several occasions it has stopped working and ‘frozen’ with none of the buttons working. Plugging it into the wall socket for re-charging didn’t make any difference and the only way I could get it working again was to plug it into the computer which seemed to free it up again, not very convenient if your away from your compuer. This has happened quite frequently and I had thought that it was a fault, but having had a look at Apple’s online help pages it would appear that this is a recognised problem that can occur and it does give you a solution to this which is a combination of button pushing.
It might also be worth mentioning that it is widely known that the metal back to the iPod is extremely susceptible to scratching, so you need to take good care of it.
All things considered I am glad that I bought the iPod. It’s a great device, it looks cool and it does it’s job. It was expensive at £330 I agree, but you get what you pay for!

Here is a list of specifications as described by Apple:
Holds over 2000 songs at near-CD quality on 10GB hard drive
Up to 10 hours of continuous playback with lithium polymer battery
Super portable at 6.5 ounces and only 0.72 inch thick, 2.4 inches wide and 4.0 inches tall
Unique tough wheel for simple, one-handed navigation
Plays MP3, WAV and AIFF formats
Skip Protection for up to 20 minutes
High-resolution backlit LCD display

Requirements:
PC with Firewire Port
Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP Home or Professional (Windows model only).

As mentioned earlier, Apple have released a newer version of the iPod which can be viewed at their website (store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore). It’s slightly smaller and the buttons on the front have changed appearance. It’s available in 10Mb, 20Mb or a whopping 40Mb format. Made for use with both Macintosh and Windows Pc’s.
A new addition is the ‘iPod Dock’ which is a docking station in which you stand the iPod in for charging. This is included in only the 20MB & 40 MB models. There are also a variety of accessories to purchase separately. 

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