Under the spotlight: Applie iPod review

Written by tinfoil on Tuesday, 03 December 2002 02:55

When Apple released the iPod 5GB back on October of last year, it was met with mixed reviews. Nobody panned the units diminutive dimensions or its drop dead looks but many were shocked at the sticker price, and disappointed that it was only available for Mac owners. The iPod 5GB was set with an ESRP of $399, which was considerably more than Creatives 6GB Nomad at $249.

There are clear differences that elevate the iPod to a much higher level than the competition. For one, its size makes it the smallest hard-drive based MP3 player on the market, a title that is over a year old. Secondly, its controls are well laid out and menus are easily laid out. Lastly, the iPod snubbed USB, instead using FireWire.

It has been over a year since the unit was first debuted and it is still selling very well. Apple has finally released a Windows version of the player which will open it up to a much broader market for sure. It has gotten a couple face-lifts as well with 10GB and 20GB models on the shelves now. The unit I am reviewing is the 5GB Mac version.

The unit measures 2.5 wide, 4 high and .75 deep, not much larger than my old LG MP3 player that uses MMC cards and A LOT smaller than the MPTrip CD based player I have. It weighs very little, about as much as my wallet (after I parted with the cash to buy it) and far less than the Jornada 680 I carry around.

My first step once opening the package was to plug it into my TiBook. There is about 660 MP3s on there in two play lists. ITunes immediately popped up after I named my iPod and started transferring all the songs over to the iPod. I didnt even think to start a timer until half way through, but the last half easily took less than 4 minutes. DAMN! The unit also charges from the FireWire port. Thankfully Apple included a wall-wart so I wouldnt have to cannibalize the powerbooks battery to charge the iPod.

I could only wait 30 minutes before giving it a listen (hitting any button on the iPod will bring it to life). For an HD based MP3 player, it comes to life remarkably fast. Its up and running long before my MPtrip is. I plugged in my old set of Koss portaPro phones rather than subjecting myself to yet another lousy set of earphones. With the default settings, listening to System Of A Downs Innervision, it sounded amazing. Even at full tilt, which is quite sufficiently loud thank you, there is no perceivable distortion, but your mileage may very depending on the phones you use with it.

The battery in the iPod is Lithium Polymer, a sort of plastic and lithium conglomeration that allows the batter to be molded to fit into every little nook and cranny available. It quick charges to about 80% in an hour with the remaining 20% taking another 3 hours. It is advertised as being capable of 10 hours of sustained listening. I have yet to test this.

The menu system is navigated with the wheel and center button, with the Menu button moving you backwards. While it is a little confusing at first, it is easily mastered without resorting to the manual.

The screen is very clear without the backlight. The white backlight is very bright on this unit causing the display to wash out if viewed in regular settings, but is very useable in the dark. I would have liked to have seen the buttons light up or glow as well, but after a little while with it I am sure I will be able to navigate without needing to see what I am doing.

Locating a particular song on the iPod is simple if your MP3s are already well organized. You can browse by Artist or Album. Highlight the song you want to play and hit the middle button.

The specs say that the iPod has 32 megs o RAM to give the listener some 20 minutes of skip free music. This also aids in power saving as the HD can spin down during that time.

Conclusion:

The iPod has lived up to the Apple name. A quality piece of equipment that is a notch above the rest in terms of quality, innovation and price. While it costs somewhat more than competing products, it gives ample value. It is smaller, lighter, louder and better sounding. And it has that Cooooool, an iPod! aura to it. My co-workers huddled into my office when it first arrived and we all gawked at it for five minutes before plugging it in.