Black is Better (Apple iPod (5G) 30 GB)

Member Name: smooth_criminal_

Product:	Apple iPod (5G) 30 GB
Date:	21/07/07 (358 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb variety of functions, great design

Disadvantages: Still some reliability issues, still quite expensive

Apple must have known it was onto a winner from the start. This extraordinary innovation has become one of the most successful consumer products of recent years. It has led the way in the legal online downloads market, pioneered the use of hard-drive based devices in storing and listening to music on the move, and even become an essential fashion accessory. The iPod, a portable MP3 player, is something very special, and Apple have continued to innovate as time has gone by, ensuring that the 5th generation iPod on the whole outmatches its rivals and maintains its dominant position in the portable music market.

The black 30GB iPod retains the subtle and seductive minimalist design of its predecessors, giving it a darker but attractive and simple aesthetic finish, while managing to reduce the bulk of previous models. The audio quality remains superb, and the video and photo quality are excellent considering that they are not the device's main function. Furthermore, the 30GB storage capacity allows for quantity as well quality, and it is a testament to Apple that, in the 5th generation, they have provided so well for both. With a good battery life, at least initially, and a superb method for downloading music to boot, the iPod is a brilliant piece of kit. Much was made of the unreliability of the 4th generation model, and I myself experienced much frustration when mine self-destructed on a number of occasions, but the new model does a lot better here, and, despite still having some reliability issues, is overall a big improvement.

Aesthetics

The 5th generation iPod boasts a smaller and sleeker design than its somewhat more bulky predecessors. This is especially true of the 30GB version, which is much slimmer than even the 4th generation 20GB model, ensuring that it can fit nicely into your pocket as you brave the outside world. It is the iPod's minimalism - its simplicity - that gives it its good looks. The screen and touchpad (or click-wheel) are well positioned on the front of the device, easy to use and view but not obtrusive. There are no irritating buttons dotted all over, like on the rival iriver; everything is subtle and kept to a minimum, with the user able to navigate through the menus using only the basic touchpad.

The black version of the 30GB model is, it should be pointed out, the sexier and more stylish of the two. While white is the original and distinctive iPod colour, the black model is more classy, adding something new and exciting while retaining the iPod's attractive simplicity.

Quality

The audio quality of the iPod, with a good set of included headphones, is very high, though playback quality often depends far more on the song itself than the device upon which it is being played. Video and photo quality are, for this reason, more notable. While it is certainly true that one shouldn't expect an overwhelming cinematic experience while watching a movie on the iPod, given, at just 2.5 inches diagonally, the small size of the colour LCD screen, it is far more convenient than a portable DVD player, and has a reasonable 320 x 240 resolution, providing for decent quality photos as well as movies or music videos.

Functions

The iPod has multiple functions, making it an attractive device for a variety of reasons. Its primary function is as a portable MP3 music player, and this is, for most people, its main use. With an enormous storage capacity of 30GB, the iPod can store about 20,000 individual songs, making it instantly superior to the far more limited, and now redundant, portable CD player, although the rival Zen and iriver boast a similar capacity. Small and sleek as well as boasting large storage, the iPod more than lives up to its high reputation in allowing people to listen to their music on the move while remaining cool at all times.

Other functions include the ability to view photos, play videos, listen to podcasts, audiobooks, and play games, as well as being able to use the device as a calendar, clock, and even stopwatch. About 100 hours of music videos and movies can be stored, though converting them to an acceptable format for the iPod can often be an arduous task; on a few occasions, I've had to use conversion software, available for free download on the internet, to transfer files from my computer to my iPod. Once done, however, it is certainly worth it, and the iPod carries out this function admirably. Roughly 25,000 photos can also be stored, making it an ideal medium for showing pictures to friends without having to drag a photo-album around.

The option to play audiobooks and podcasts also contributes significantly to the iPod's functional variety, and is indeed a useful addition both for ordinary users and for people looking for a specific way to listen to such things. On the whole, the iPod, though lacking the iriver's ability to play radio, boasts a vast array of different functions for a variety of different users, making it a superb option in this regard, and well worth the still fairly high price (about £160-70) that Apple demand.

Downloading Music

The iPod comes together with software, iTunes, for downloading music, among other things, legally from the internet. It is a notably user-friendly tool, and music comes at a reasonable price: 79p per song, and usually about £7.99 per album. Music videos and games can also be downloaded, and a variety of payment options, including via gift voucher and credit or debit card, are available. A testament to its simple design and variety of music available, iTunes enjoys a significant share of the online downloads market, and will download your music, podcasts, audiobooks, and videos, from its library directly onto your iPod, making, video conversion aside, for excellent compatibility.

Battery-life

Using a lithium ion battery, Apple boast a 14 hour battery-life for the 5th generation iPod. This, however, is enormously misleadingly for the majority of users, who, using the device rigorously, will probably only get about 8 hours out of it at a time. This will also inevitably deteriorate over time. As the months go by, one can expect to see their battery-life reduced to 3 or 4 hours, depending upon how responsibly they recharge. On the whole, the battery-life is reasonably good, despite Apple's considerable overestimation, but it should be kept in mind that the eventual reduction in battery capacity over time will make the battery life less acceptable after a couple of years.

Reliability

Much was made of the unreliability of Apple's 4th generation iPods, with constant reports of malfunction, overheated hard-drives, broken screens, and a variety of other problems. The 5th generation has seen great improvement in this regard. Speaking from personal experience, my 4th generation model malfunctioned twice over the year and a half that I had it, but my current 5th generation version is, after several months, yet to cause me any trouble.

Having said this, surveys have shown an average failure rate of about 14%, though it is important to recognise that hard-drives are prone to malfunction more easily than other storage devices, and this is not, therefore, necessarily Apple's fault. But this should not put you off; most people have no trouble at all, and investing in a fairly inexpensive extended warranty ensures that the iPod will be replaced free of charge should it let you down.

Overall

Overall, the iPod is a fantastic and innovative device. Despite still retaining some reliability issues, it is a highly attractive, functional, entertaining, and thoroughly cool gadget. With a variety of different uses, a small size and sleek design, high quality, enormous storage capacity, and a reasonable battery life, the iPod deserves its reputation as the leading portable MP3 player, and should be the preferred option of anyone looking to invest in such a device.


Key Facts:

Price: £164 (Amazon, February 07)

Storage: 30GB

Battery: Lithium-ion

Battery-life: About 8 hours (though officially 14)

Recharge Time: About 3 or 4 hours

Product Type: MP3 player

Digital Player Type: Hard drive based

Width: 6.1 cm

Depth: 1.1 cm

Height: 10.4 cm

Weight: 136 g

Built-in Display: LCD - colour

Screen Resolution: Resolution: 320 x 240

Diagonal Size: 2.5"

System Requirements: OS Required: Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 or later, Apple MacOS X 10.3.9 or later, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2 or later

Included: iTunes, battery recharger, USB cables, instruction manual

Summary: The iPod deserves its reputation as the leading portable MP3 player

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Features:
Sound quality:
Download speed: