My 'Ipod Classic' Impressions

[SickBeast]

So...I just got the new 80GB iPod Classic 2 days ago after I managed to break my old 5G iPod...long story...

The new iPod is great so far. The finish is very nice and extremely durable. It looks and feels very similar to my silver/titanium Razr cellphone.

The interface is very nice, and cover flow is not 'sluggish' as others have stated. It's quick and fun.

My personal favorite thing about the new interface is the ability to browse by album with a small thumbnail of each album cover as you go along. Itunes will get 80% of your covers for you so long as you have an account for the music store.

Problems so far have included:

- itunes did not install properly, and it keeps nagging me with a warning message every time I run it (although the iPod seems to work fine regardless)

- I got a BSOD from the new iTunes while tranferring files to the iPod (before the update)

- I had to update the iPod to new firmware right away due to the above issue

Everything else has been great. All of my old iPod accesories work, including the cases.

Apple seems to have improved the sensitivity of the click wheel significantly; it just works better.

They have also greatly improved the graphics in the included games. The included 'arkanoid' clone is very good, highly addictive, and has SNES-quality graphics (IMO).

I'm very happy with mine so far, especially at only $249. To me the touch is a gimmick. You never look at this thing while it's in your pocket playing music. :light:

 

[Noema]

Originally posted by: SickBeast



- itunes did not install properly, and it keeps nagging me with a warning message every time I run it (although the iPod seems to work fine regardless)

Are you using a 64-bit version of Windows?

You never look at this thing while it's in your pocket playing music. :light:

Agree. I bought my 5G iPod used with a slightly cracked LCD. It doesn't really bother me at all. Sure, I can't watch Videos, but I can navigate the menus just fine and I bought exclusively for music anyway. It was a great deal at $80 (1.5 years ago).

 

[jpetermann]

I am looking at getting one of these as well. I just do not see the sense in paying $200 for a new Nano (asmuch as I love the design) when I can pay $250 and get an 80GB ipod.

 

[randomlinh]

i found the menu system quite sluggish. But the new firmware supposedly fixes that. I don't think they've been loaded onto the apple store models yet, because when I checked, going through was not as "instant" as it used to be.

I disagree that the touch is a gimmick though. It's a media device, not an iPod. screen more fitting for viewing.. eg, sharing photos and watching videos. The only problem of course is the tiny capacity (relative for movies). At least for now. I honestly hope that the classic is not the last of the "ipods" as some have claimed. It is a wonderful design that is damn hard to beat. One handed use > ipod touch. I could only wish they add raised symbols on the wheel.. just ever so slightly.

 

[Noema]

I don't think the iPod touch is a gimmick, but I do dislike the fact that it doesn't have a HDD.

 

[SickBeast]

Yeah I'm on 64-bit Vista.

The menus are nowhere near sluggish and in fact feel faster than on my old 5G iPod. I did not use the old firmware to compare. I do notice a slight lag in cover flow; it can't seem to update the album artwork fast enough if you blaze through the covers.

Just as a note, the EQ actually works nicely on this model and does not distort the sound whatsoever.

The touch would be nice just as a backup device for when my gf hogs the computer (which isn't all that much). To me, 8GB (maybe 7GB seeing as the MacOS and that takes up room) is simply atrocious. I have 7GB of photos, nevermind music! The 16GB player is wildly overpriced.

The iPhone is more interesting to me than the iPod touch. Both need more memory though. It will be a few more years until the flash-based players can boast a good capacity for media players.

 

[BabaBooey]

Originally posted by: Noema
I don't think the iPod touch is a gimmick, but I do dislike the fact that it doesn't have a HDD.

Flash > HDD for MP3 players,no lag,no waiting,instant satisfaction baby...


Now when the 20-30 GB flash comes out life will be complete...

 

[Ichigo]

No such thing as instant satisfaction when you want a song in a huge collection that you didn't have room for to put on your dinky flash player. Then it's "wait until you get home" satisfaction.

 

[SickBeast]

Yeah if the iPhone/iPod touch held 80GB, I would have paid $100 extra for it. The problem is, they don't.

As for 'instant satisfaction', I consider <1s seek times 'instant' compared to flipping through a CD collection to find the song I want. You're also forgetting that iPods have around 100mb of flash memory in them as a buffer. Once you load the first song in a playlist or album, the rest load 'instantly' (by your definition).

I'm waiting for a 64GB flash player to come out. My only fear is QC with that many transistors.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: bababooey

Originally posted by: Noema
I don't think the iPod touch is a gimmick, but I do dislike the fact that it doesn't have a HDD.

Flash > HDD for MP3 players,no lag,no waiting,instant satisfaction baby...


Now when the 20-30 GB flash comes out life will be complete...

What does instant satisfaction have anything to do w/ HDD vs Flash for ipods? If anything, I'd say it'd favor HDD's because, as already stated, you have everything at the tip of your hands (unless you're one of those crazy people that have ungodly amounts of music).