MP3 Players : Apple iPod 40GB

As a stand-alone music source, the iPod is absolutely best of class. The User Interface is a paradigm that all other hardware/ software vendors should emulate - very intuitive after the first ten seconds of use. Using iTunes to either buy music or import songs from existing CDs is also well thought-out; very easy to use, and with the FireWire connection, extremely fast to sync with the iPod. Smart Playlists are another great idea. My one gripe is that the iPod will probably wind up costing me money, because my 40Gb model holds *too much* music - even at 224 sampling rate, I've only used up about 10Gb for about 200 CDs. Time to buy some more music!

One issue I'm experiencing now is a driver incompatibility - apparently when the iPod is docked and powers down, it causes some instability in Windows XP. Still some troubleshooting to do here, but only a minor annoyance, and one probably more due to XP than anything else. Hide Full Review

LOVE IT! It's sleek and functional and has an excellent array of accessories. The sound from the headphones is crystal clear.

The cons: The battery doesn't last as long as it states - but there is a battery pack that offers 15 hours of time, even though it's a bit bulky. Also, it's shiny silver back scratches almost instantly so it doesn't feel like a new toy for long!

The software I use with it (I-tunes) is so-so. I originally used MusicMatch Jukebox which was faster to convert music onto the I-Pod and super-easy to make playlists but it mysteriously stopped recognizing my I-Pod.

The big issue - and hopefully it's not a common one - is the strange PC issues. For unexplained reasons, I-tunes will disconnect my I-Pod and I'm forced to reboot my computer frequently in order for it to see the I-Pod again. I've tried the suggestion in tech support to no avail.

Overall, it's money well spent! Hide Full Review

Just recieved this little wonder. Easy to use. I didn't bother downloading the musicmatch program that came with it. I downloaded the new itunes for windows form the web. Like it much better. Need more helpful hints for new windows users. Hide Full Review

I have had my 40 gig ipod for about two weeks now. What can i say? It is absolutly perfect. I am biased about mac now, but I did alot of research as far as mp3 players go. I decided to spend the extra money and get the best. I mean this beast can hold up to 10,000 songs and other things (games, audio books, anything). It is easy to organize, the software is great also. It uploads everything so fast. The sound is crystal clear and the product itself is really durable. The 40 gig comes with most of the important accessories. The only extra I would recommend buying would be an iSkin or some kind of protective case to prevent scratching of the screen and keep dirt out. I know that I am going to have this for years to come, and after doing some product background research, I know this will hold its value. It really is worth every penny. Hide Full Review

I bought the 40 gig IPOD for $500 - what a piece of crap.
Music is hard to move, categorize and hard to flip through.
Firewire is incapatable with my firewire card (and I spoke w/ a few other people that had the exact same problem)that came w/ my PC so I had to buy a USB cable for another $20. Battery life sucks. Don't buy this unless you have a lot of time on your hands to waste figuring out this overcomplicated pies of garbage. Apple is all hype and this is not worth the time, effort and $. Instead I recommend the Archos Jukebox Recorder or other Archos brand MP3 players-these are very easy and brainless to navigate and to load your mp3s on to, battery life actually is 8 hours & this is half the price of the Apple IPOD.

Steve Hide Full Review