MP3 Players : Apple iPod 20GB

Apple did it again. The most impressive thing about this MP3 player is the quick setup. It took me less than 30 mins to install the software and download over 700 songs to my iPod. Every song sounds so great even with the ear bud headphones. The battery last me all day and automatically charges from my laptop battery. I love it! Hide Full Review

Before I address the various Pros and Cons of the 4th Generation Apple iPod, let me say that this is probably the best purchase I have ever made. That being said, let's examine the iPod:

Pros -

High Asthetic Value:
When it comes to mp3 players, the Apple iPod is the "Ferrari" of them all. It's minimalist look is a highly coveted feature that no competetor has even tried to match.

Has Apple's Reputation:
Apple has established itself as a leader in making high-end electronics with superior quality. Not only is the iPod no different, it raises the bar. Apple has set the standard by which all other mp3 players are measured.

Easy to Setup and Use:
The Apple iPod comes with the popular iTunes software. It is extremely easy to use and automatically uploads your entire My Music folder to it's library and transfer it to your iPod without you having to press a button.

High Storage:
The Apple iPod comes with 20GB of storage space or 5000 songs at 128KPS. Unless you have a seriously large music collection, this is more than enough space.


Cons -

Expensive:
The Apple iPod is generally about $50 more expensive than the leading competetors with the same amount of storage.

Scratches Very Easily:
I've noticed several other people hit on this in their reviews. This is probably the worst thing about the iPod. Not that it's a serious problem, it's just that the iPod is pretty close to flawless. The Apple iPod scratches extremely easily. When I bought mine, it had several scratches on it within a day. You might consider purchasing a carrying case or iSkin protectors with your iPod.

Barebones:
The Apple iPod no longer comes with several of the accessories it used to. It comes with the iTunes software, a wall charger, a FireWire cable, a USB 2.0 cable, and a set of earbud headphones. The other accessories you must purchase yourself which can get to be expensive real quick.

Must Use PC to Make Changes to the iPod:
This is more annoying than anything else. To delete, add, or move songs on the iPod, you must use the iTunes software on your computer. The iPod's firmware does not allow you to do this on the actual unit itself. Playlists also have to be moderated through iTunes.

I hope that this review has helped you in your decision to buy or not to buy the Apple iPod. My personal reccomendation is to spend the extra money and get one. It is well worth the extra expense. Hide Full Review

My wife bought this for me for my birthday. I am 49 and semi tech savvy. I thought I would have difficulty navigating the features, downloading music and transferring it to the I-pod. I was wrong, it was very easy to use. I-tunes is a pleasure to play with. Frankly I was obsessed with putting together my libary and playlists for about two weeks, and I still love to tweak it here and there.

The I-pod is well supported on the website, and I was able to figure out how to reset it after it froze while I was on the treadmill. That is annoying, but it is easily taken care of.

It's also highly accessorized. I especially like using the FM transmitter which lets me take 3,500 songs to work to play through my stereo or play them in the car with relative ease. The I-pod is highly recommended. Hide Full Review

So I just got the last of the 4th generation 40 gigs, Apple announced they were going to stop selling them, so the price went down. its a great machine, formatted it allows 37.1 gigs. most of my music is 192kbits/s so it only fits about 7,250 songs which is almost 3 weeks of non-stop music so who's complaining. unfortunately, ive had it a week and the back of it is already getting scratched up and im sure it'll look like my roommates in no time (Apple really could have made a less shiny back but they want to sell more crap to you)...the battery works for 12 hours if u have the following options OFF: backlight OFF, equalier OFF, shuffling OFF, sound turned down, and you press play all and never touch it again. I get 8 hours MAX even with backlight off. IF you have your own system of organization for your MP3s, then MAKE SURE you dont let iTunes work its own system on your files; you end up with artist folders with one song and weird file names. other than those things its great so far ill be using it on my next flight which is the real reason i bought it. Hide Full Review