Apple iPod 20GB MP3 Player

When looking for an Mp3 player, I...

Strengths: Solid construction, excellent design, click wheel a big improvement over the past touch-sensitive buttons, sound quality definitely good, small and slim.

Weakness: No FM radio, no built-in microphone for recording (have to purchase it separately, must pay $99 for new battery from Apple when old one loses its charge, only supports iTunes; NO WMA MUSIC!

When looking for an Mp3 player, I researched all the possible models to purchase. Since most of my Mp3's are CD based, not from an online store, I had no problem with gettting a WMA-only or iTunes-only player. After reading all the reviews possible, I came to the conclusion to purchase the #1 Mp3 player of all: ipod. When I got it, it came in very nice packaging: a cube-shaped box, NOT one of...
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When looking for an Mp3 player, I researched all the possible models to purchase. Since most of my Mp3's are CD based, not from an online store, I had no problem with gettting a WMA-only or iTunes-only player. After reading all the reviews possible, I came to the conclusion to purchase the #1 Mp3 player of all: ipod. When I got it, it came in very nice packaging: a cube-shaped box, NOT one of those plastic packaging which requires a jackhammer to open. Upon opening the box, I quickly transferred the ipod into a silicone case that I bought separately. I highly recommend buying a case in which you can still have access to the screen and controls without taking out the ipod, because the silver back is very prone for fingerprints and scratches. After popping the ipod into the case, I plugged it into the wall charger for its initial charge. Apple has come up with the neatest idea: simply use the same firewire cable that you use to hook ipod to your computer and plug that into the small block that goes into your wall outlet. It is really neat. (In fact, you don't need the wall charger at all to charge ipod. It charges when you plug it into your computer too.) Upon charging, I plugged it into my pc. iTunes recognized it immediately and set about to move my music collection over to it. Once done, I plugged in my Sony earphones (I've yet to touch the included Apple ones) and turned on the device. VOILA! I couldn't believe the music quality. It was unbelievable. I tinkered with the equalizer settings and found that the "Hip Hop" setting works best for me, as it brings out the bass sound nicely. I really didn't want to go to bed that night, since I was having so much fun with the ipod.

A quick thing to beware: Although you are buying the "20 GB" version, you only get about 18.5 GB of space on the iPod itself.

My Bottom Line: After using ipod, now I know why it is so immensely popular. You will definitely not regret buying one.

EDIT: I realized that I should mention that the battery life on the iPod is DEFINITELY NOT CLOSE TO THE ESTIMATED 12 HOURS! The most I get (usually on continuous play w/o the use of the backlight) is approximately 7-8 hours.

By bezboruah - Nov 27, 2004

I purchased the new 4G iPod, after...

Strengths: Sleek design, easy to use interface, lots of storage, can be used like a hard drive, now with longer battery life

Weakness: Scratches too easily. No user servicable battery. More expensive then the competition, but simple interface more than makes up for it, especially with the $100 price drop for the 4G models.

I purchased the new 4G iPod, after getting sick and tired of waiting for the iPod mini to be delivered. The wait times for that are just way too long. iPods are primarily an impulse luxury buy (especially given their price!). It is frustrating that you have to wait, and some people may not be willing to do so. I was one of them - and I switched and purchased the larger 4G 20 gig iPod instead. The...
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By Gandhim3 - Aug 4, 2004

Someone who has had one longer than a few days has to write a review

Strengths: Plenty of space, excellent sound quality, cute click wheel.

Weakness: Crashes, Battery life is not 12 hours, Scratches, headphones, very slow loading at times.

After having the iPod for 6 months I have extremely mixed feelings on the product. Yea, like many of the other reviewers, I LOVED it when I first got it. It was easy to load CDs and mp3s onto it and even store files from my computer. But now that the "newness" has worn off I can give a clearer review. Recently my iPod has begun to crash randomly and not play songs all of the way through. The...
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After having the iPod for 6 months I have extremely mixed feelings on the product. Yea, like many of the other reviewers, I LOVED it when I first got it. It was easy to load CDs and mp3s onto it and even store files from my computer. But now that the "newness" has worn off I can give a clearer review.

Recently my iPod has begun to crash randomly and not play songs all of the way through. The battery life for me has decreased to about 5 hours. The crashes have a simple remedy by restoring it to factory settings with iPod restore. BUT BEWARE everything is erased when you do this, files, contacts, calendar and music. The music isn't such a big deal losing since everything I have is also kept on my computer, but if I want to store files on it and it decides to crash, I end up with nothing. BE WARNED if you want to use it as a drive only store things on it of which you, for whatever reason, need two copies.

Also when you are listening to music on your iPod, you use the playlists from iTunes or you can just scroll through your library or create an "On-the-go" playlist (such a misnomer--it takes TIME to make these). There is nothing wrong with that, but if you have at least 2,000 songs, it's annoying to scroll through all of them to find one, then scroll through it again 3 min later to find another (this method also doubles the loading time between songs). Playlists you create at home are best.

TAKE NOTE: In order to replace the battery you have to spend $100. The headphones that come with the iPod are not only of low quality, but if you live in a large city they mark you as a target for mugging.

Your best bet in the long term is to buy an iPod mini and selectivly load playlists onto it. I'll probably max out at about 5,000 songs leaving half of the drive empty and wasting space and money. 20 GB is too much space just for music, and the iPod isn't too useful for much else. But if you think you can fill an iPod with 20 GB AND you don't mind using a click wheel to scroll through it all ONE SONG/ALBUM/ARTIST at a time, go ahead, it does the job.

By ajanifer - Jul 14, 2005

once you get over the fact that...

Strengths: small, stylish, unique, functionality, improved battery life over previous generations, click wheel easy to use, beautiful backlight, fast file transfers, good sound

Weakness: lacks case, almost impossible to avoid scratches, dock is extra $$$, click wheel doesn't light up, cost of accessories adds up

once you get over the fact that this precious little machine cannot avoid being scratched, the true enjoyment begins. there's no feeling quite like having your entire music collection in the palm of your hand. after a few days of use, everything feels solid and worth the hefty price tag. the click wheel works intuitively and the menus are quite easy to navigate. the on-the-go playlist feature is...
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By roomwithaview - Sep 15, 2004

My iPod stopped responding after...

Strengths: Simple but powerful interface, lots of accessories, elegant design, lots of storage for more than just songs

Weakness: Still poor battery life compared to competitor offerings, mine stopped working after 6 weeks

My iPod stopped responding after just 6 weeks of use. It suffered from flaky performance from the minute I got it - poor batter performance (max 2 hours, even with conservative use), sometimes would stop responding completely, hard disc whine, etc. I have sent it back to AppleCar - hopefully they will send out a replacement - I would not want to spend all this money and receive the same defective...
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By dmjseller - Sep 30, 2004