The Ipod Classic and the newer similair series are the grandaddy of Apple and perhaps the best thing about Apple. I've had an Ipod classic for about 4 years ( i've had 2, one got 'misplaced' by a friend). 120gb is a ridiculous amount of memory considering the size of what it is and I'd be amazed to find anyone that has filled this purely with music (films take a considerably bigger bite on your memory status)

The Ipod classic can hold picture/photos, music and videos and comes with games too if that isn't enough to satisfy your wants and needs. As a modern comparison it is of a similair size to an Iphone/HTC phone.

It comes with a user manual to get started although this is a pretty simple device so really I think you only need this for the 'oldies' out there, some headphones but these are a tad lacking in quality so I'd probably go out and replace these ASAP. Finally it comes with the latest version of Itunes on a CD for you to install aswell as to register your Ipod to that computer.

You can charge your Ipod in other computers and even transfer music to your ipod but you cannot transfer music from the ipod to the computer without the aid of illegal software. This prevents piracy which to me, is a good thing.

Durable is a pretty safe thing to think about Apples Ipod range, I've used this ipod to and from work everyday for about a year and a half and take it with me everywhere I go (cities,mountains,car journeys etc..).

The Ipod is an extremely supported device at the moment. With practically all recent hi-fi products having Ipod docks and cars coming with extremely simple devices you will find you can plug your ipod directly to your radio and play songs that aren't repetitive drones about 'kissing a girl' and 'humps'. I find this a big advantage as to be honest my music taste isn't very radio friendly and I think I can do without hearing over enthused people at 8 in the morning on the way to university.

Now I know you're all wondering 'WHAT CAN'T IT DO!?' (you're probably not) I'd just like to mention it's pitfalls. My first Ipod which i received brand new for christmas was very faithful for the 2 years I had it, however, towards the end it began to 'blip' and 'glitch' and would work extremely slowly with 3,000 songs on it even though it can support tens of thousands more...

The glitches would involve... .Turning it on and the apple logo would not go away
. Extremely slow scrolling or not responsding at all
. Not unlocking even though I have unlocked it manually.

The only thing to do in this scenario is to 'reset' your ipod (which is explained in the manual) This is only a temporary fix though as surely you wanted all those songs on there for a reason right?

But even with this slightly irritating downfall I can not fault this product.
If you go for any ipod then make it this one. This ipod is cheap for what you're getting, durable and extremely adaptive to most environments due to everyone having one!