A review of the 3rd generation 20GB iPod (Windows) =======================================
I have had the Apple iPod for a few weeks now; that is not a long time in the slightest, but it has served me exceptionally so far.
Let me start from receiving the package.
Opening the package _______________
Apple have done an amazong job with the packaging. Unacking the iPod is an experience in itself. The box has two compartments, which flip open like a book. Every part is packing in shiny silver too!
At first glance the iPod appears tiny - after a while, it wears off though. You will also notice how shiny the back of the iPod is.Beleive me, it is incredibly shiny! Yes the iPod doubles up as a miror! Except that this area is extremely susceptable to fingerprints. After it has been touched once, you will never get it back clean again.
Also a word of warning - if you clean the back of the iPod, be careful what you clen it with. Some linted tissues can scratch it. Have said that, some people like to modify their iPod, by scratching the back to create a "brushed" effect. Its worthwhile, if you have the money to waste..
Installation _________
Before you connect the iPod to the computer for the first time, the manual says you should charge the iPod under Windows.
In reality, if connected by 6-pin firewire (standard for desktops, notebooks use 4-pin), the iPod will charge through the computer. However, it is probably a good idea to charge beforehand to avoid problems.
What some people find at this point is that they do not
have a firewire port on their computer. I feel that it would have been appropraite for Apple to have included a USB cable also, as many computers do not ship with a firewire port, even today. The USB cable costs £15 from the Apple Store (UK). Furthermore, the iPod does not charge itself through the USB connection - I see no reason why Apple could not have made this work, however, you can instead connect it to the mains to charge at the same time.
Whilst the iPod is charging, you can install the iPod software. This does not take long, and is fairly pain-free. During this process you will be asked for your iPod serial number, and Apple will try to make you fill in a market research survey. Whilst you can skip through this, I still feel it is inappropraite for a retail product.
After installation, you will notice you now have a quicktime icon in your system tray. This again is unnecessary from Apple, it can be removed with some minor clicks however.
My iPod came with the current frmware 2.1 so there was no need to update the firmware, and so as yet I have not expereinced this.
iTunes ___
iTunes is Apple's program to - organise and play music on your pc - purchase music from the iTunes music store - transfer songs to your iPod
Personally, I do not like iTunes. I feel it tries to be too clever, and things like scrolling with the wheel mouse really don't work properly.
But generally, the program works well. It has use features like smart playlists, which you can use, for example, to create a playlist of your favourite tracks.
If you use automatic synronisation, syncronisation between your iPod and computer is easy. All you actually have to do is connect your iPod to the computer. If you choose to only update specific playlists or one of the advanced syncronisation options make sure you know what you are doing. I chose to only update a specific playlist, which I had not added any tracks to yet. All my songs where deleted from the iPod and I had to re-add them again; it takes some time. On my computer, by firewire, one song takes about two thirsd of a second to transfer. A word of warning: if you have USB 1.1 only, no firewire or USB2, transfers will be extreme crippled and slow. Also, if you are using 4-pin firewire, you may find battery often runs out whilst syncronising, as the iPod is not charged through 4-pin firewire (due to the nature of 4-pin firewire).
iTunes also contains a music store using the somewhat new AAC audio format; the music store has a wide variety of music, but the prices could be lower. Purchased music can be transfered to your iPod for your listening.
Something you may notice after connectting your iPod to your computer is the disk space. You may have been expected 20GB as you commonly know it, in fact it has 18.5GB. This is mainly due to Apple using different units of measure; Apple is in fact using the correct unit, but it is not the common one, used by Windows etc.
A tip: you do not have to load up iTunes to eject your iPod under Windows XP, and probably Windows 2000 also. In your system tray, you can left click on the safely remove hardware icon to remove the iPod.
Finally, you do not have to use iTunes to transfer files to your iPod. There are a number of alternatives, such as Anapod and Ephpod, and some popular media paleys have plugins. However, some of these programs are not free.
Using the iPod ____________
The iPod has four buttons on the front and a touch-wheel. All of these are touch sensitive, and work incredibly well. This is truly an innovative feaure from Apple.
The main menu is cateroisd intofour main sections and is veruy easy to navigate, with help from the handy touch-wheel!
The first section in the main menu is "Playlists".
Here you will find your playlists that you have created in iTunes to listen too; also you will find your "On-The-Go" playlist. The On-the-Go playlist is a fantastic feature from Apple, you allows you to quickly build a playlist on the go, and whilst you are listening to your iPod.
The next section on the iPod is the "Browse" section. Here you can browse your collection of files by their metadata (Artist, Genre, Album etc.). This works really well - provided you have correctly tagged your files. The touch-wheel makes browsing really easy. One annoyance I have is that when, for example, going into the Artist selection, and choosing All songs by that artist, they are still sorted by album. This gets really confusing and Apple should at least have a setting to sort by Title in this case.
The next menu is the Extras menu. here you can find clock features (clock, alarm clock, sleep timer), contacts, calendar/todo list, notes, and games.
The contacts and notes features have to be used from your computer; not entirely convientient, but it would hard to type on an iPod (it is not a mobile phone after all). Games are basic, but the Music Quiz is cool for testing if yo know your own songs! You cannot install additional games, however, perhaps Apple will include this feature in a firmware update.
The next section on the iPod is the Settings menu. Configuration is average - could be more extensive. you can also find teh equaliser here to boost bass etc. Other settings inlcude customisble what appears on the iPod's main menu, shuffle, repeat, backlight timer and sound check (equaliising the volume of all of your songs). My main annoyance, is that when playing all songs I want shuffle enabled, but when playling an Album I do not; this is not curently posible.
The iPod has excellent sound quality. You may want to replace the earphones that ship with it however. I would reccomend the Sony EX71SL - they even come in white if you look hard enough!
One problem with the iPod firmare is that it does not correctly display some characters, for example ý. They are just left out!
Also, I have found that sometimes the iPod freezes for a couple seconds, when browsing the databse or when it is switching to a new track. I pressume this may be because I have used nearly all of the space on my iPod :)
An excellent feature of the iPod is the iPod is the ability to serve as a mass storagehard drive. You can store whatever files you require, for back-up or transportation.
The 20GB iPod also comes with a number of excellent accessories. A protective case; it prevents you from using the buttons on the front of the iPod, but does protect your iPod well, especially from scratches. You can also purchase some more stylish cases too. The stylish iPod remote is very useful, it does have a very long cable however (I warp it around the belt click on the iPod case). The iPod dock is useful, not only does it make charging etc. easier, it has a very useful lin-out, to connect to your hi-fi or computer speakers for example. This means you can use your iPod as the main source of music in your home, too.
The iPod, however, could benefit from some additional features. The ability to record on the move would be great. Perhaps a radio tuner would be useful. Longer battery life would have been excellent, iRiver's iHP-120 has 16 hours battery life compared to the iPod's 8 hours. Using features such as the backlight and equaliser will decrease this further. Also, removing single songs from the On-The-Go playlist would be useful.
The iPod could also stand to be slightly lighter.
Finally, the iPod is somewhat expensive in the UK. This model retails for £299 - it can be found for as little is the equivilent of £200 in the USA. I picked up mine for £275 from Carphone Warhouse Online, which was a good deal.
Conclusion _________
The iPod is brilliant at what it does. It looks amazing ands serves as an excellent music player. Any critisms are mostly minor, the pluses largely out weight the benefits and I would reccommend the iPod to anyone.
Alternatives: iRiver iHP-120, Creative Jukebox Zen, Rio Karma.
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Advantages: Massive memory, fast and easy to use menus, colour screen, photo capability, fast transfer between PC and iPod Disadvantages: Very Big in comparison to other models, very heavy, prone to dropping and damage, prone to theft
eggy900 19.09.2005 ·
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