My iPod Classic Review
By Max on Dec 5, 2007 in Featured, MP3 Players
From the originally introduced iPod back in 2001, that featured a 5 GB hard drive capability, Apple has come a long way with the entrance of the 80 GB and 160 GB iPod Classic. The sixth generation iPod release was announced on September 5th, 2007, while also adding the distinction that this iPod is now “Classic.” There are many beneficial changes in the iPod classic, however, if you were hoping that it was going to be the next big thing, the iPod Classic may disappoint you.
The packaging was stylish just like previous Apple products, including a USB charging cable, a docking station adapter, (although no docking station is included), a wall adapter and the same old, familiar white ear bud headphones. The signature white has been replaced by silver and is also still available in black. I personally would have liked to have seen Apple release black ear buds, however this is a minor preference of my own.
The enormous amount of storage with the thin iPod classics is more than I could ever fully utilize, with the low end being 80 GB and the high end giving 160 GB. That is a huge step up from the iPod Touch that has just 16 GB of storage. The battery life has improved tremendously also, with a full 30 hours for audio and 5 hours for videos on the 80 GB model. The 160 GB model can last 40 hours for audio and 7 hours for video. These are the two biggest improvements, in my opinion. This sixth generation iPod classic can hold 20,000 and 40,000 songs on the 80 GB and the 160 GB, respectively.
The iPod Classic is made of all aluminum with very slight differences in the overall shape. The corners are more rounded now, and this makes it easier to hold while using the click wheel to select menu items. The click wheel returns with menu, fast forward, rewind and play being marked on the wheel for easy navigation. There is a hold button and the headphone jack on the top, as well as the proprietary connector, is located on the bottom.
Another addition is the split menu, which functions by having the menu items on the left as descriptive pictures are displayed on the right. There is also an improved interface that has incorporated the new Cover Flow into this iPod Classic. It was enjoyable at first to see the covers of my music albums while flipping through them, but truly many do not have cover artwork, so some of my rotating art is blank. It really does work well and I did not notice a significant lagging. With that said, I do not have 120 GB of songs on mine yet, so I’ll have to see if it gets slower with more music.
The images are beautiful, sharp and bright on the 2.5-inch screen, and video looks crisp with a 320×240 resolution. The playback is about the same as TV signals, 30 frames a second. The image quality left a little to be desired, caused by the reflective faceplate when watching darker scenes. Overall this was not too much of a hindrance. However, I purchased a component AV cable so I could watch my movies on my television.
For your entertainment, the iPod classic includes three games, Klondike, Vortex, and iQuiz. They have been specifically designed for the interface of the iPod and show improved graphics. In the iTunes store, there are many more games available to download at $4.99 per game. You can also buy your favorite television show for $1.99 at the store.
With all of those songs that the iPod Classic is able to hold, there was a dramatic need for an easy way to search through the masses to find what you are looking for. Apple added a built in function that was pretty powerful and very useful. The search function finds the artist, title, album, podcast, or audio book that you type in using the click wheel. This was an excellent idea and I think Apple did the right thing by adding this type of search functionality.
In my final conclusion of the iPod Classic, it really can hold a large amount of songs, movies and videos. However, the small screen doesn’t appeal to me when watching videos, unless connected to my TV. I would recommend this iPod Classic to users that need extra storage, because that is what I feel is the biggest benefit to this 6th generation of iPod.
