Apple iPod (Fifth Generation) Review

If you’ve read yesterday’s review of the Creative Zen Vision: M you would probably have noticed that a certain other product was name checked once or twice. This was of course the iPod. And having actually got hold of the latest one we thought we might as well review it.
We’ve actually looked at a quite a few iPods in the past. The third generation model, the mini, the shuffle, the photoand most recently the nano.
The headline story for the latest iPod is its ability to play video, which I’ll get to later. However, Apple has kept the naming convention simple with no video appendage – just iPod. I guess that leaves a handy naming space should Apple release a truly video dedicated device in the future.
This model we have here is a 60GB version of the fifth generation iPod. This improves on the iPod photo offering the same 60GB capacity in a case that’s only 1.4cm thick and weighs only 157g – that’s a ‘wafer thin mint’ thinner and lighter than the original third generation iPod, which held only a quarter of the capacity. That’s progress for you.
If you go for the 30GB version though, you’ll get a deliciously thin device that’s only 1.1cm thick and a flyweight 136g, which is amazing for a 30GB player. By contrast, Creative’s 30GB Zen Vision M is a lardy 1.8cm thick and 160g.

There’s also a fairly strong consensus that the iPod is still the best looking MP3 player out there. It’s just beautiful to look at. With its sleek frontage and the silver back it’s a desirable piece of tech jewellery. However, it is susceptible to scratches and finger prints so I’d recommend buying a protective case at the time of purchase – there’s certainly a wide choice available. As with the nano, it’s available in black or white. Personally I think the black is cooler. The click wheel sits in the centre and the screen size is 2.5in to better accomodate video playback. It's not however, widescreen. Like the nano, the slot next to the headphone socket has been removed so your previous generation headphone remotes won’t work. The headphone socket has been moved to the right and the hold switch in now on the left.
While £300 will buy you four times the capacity that you got nearly three years ago, Apple is certainly stingier with the accessories. Way back in early 2003 my 15GB iPod box contained a dock, a Firewire cable, a wired remote and a wall charger. None of that is now included. Where will this end? Will the box for the sixth generation iPod even include an iPod?

Apple iPod nano 8GB 4th Gen Review

I wasn’t really a fan of the third generation iPod nano. Apple’s decision to make its svelte player look like a traditional iPod was misguided in my opinion, and made it aesthetically less appealing, while also making it far less usable. The thin, but rather wide design made it hard for me to hold comfortably in my hand, especially when I was using the Clickwheel to navigate the device. Whereas the first and second generation nanos were long, so you could keep a good grip on them while navigating, the third generation device always felt precariously balanced in my hand while I scanned through my music library.

The history of the nano, including the 3rd gen design hiccup.Clearly I wasn’t the only one who disliked the third generation nano with its larger screen in a landscape orientation, because the fourth generation device has returned to the thin, longer design of the original.
General consensus in the office is that this is the best looking incarnation since the original iPod nano, and I agree wholeheartedly. The original device had a very distinctive look, but unfortunately many consumers complained about the screens and fascias scratching too easily. Strangely, even after years of use, the screen on my nano hasn’t scratched, but then I’ve never been stupid enough to put it in a pocket with my keys or a bunch of loose change!
As you can see from the picture on this page, the new nano continues Apple’s trend of using aluminium for the case, and in this instance it really does look stunning. The case is constructed from a single billet of aluminium, so there are no seams or joins to spoil the lines. In essence the case is a very slim cylinder, into which the workings of the iPod have been inserted. The case is also tapered at the edges, making the nano ellipsoid in shape. This makes the device very comfortable to hold in the hand and has the added advantages of making it look far slimmer than the first and second gen units, while also being lighter.

The new nano is available in a veritable plethora of colours, although the orange version that Apple sent me is clearly the pick of the bunch! I’m also happy to say that the finish is pretty robust, with my review sample picking up no scratches whatsoever, despite being my constant companion for the past couple of weeks. And, unlike my iPhone, the nano doesn’t feel like it will slip out of my hand every time I take it out of my pocket.

Apple iPod touch 16GB Review

A few years back anyone who took even the slightest interest in computers was regarded with sniggering suspicion and treated as a figure of fun. To employ a much-overused term, they were seen as 'geeks': a group of hairy, unwashed, pimply, young and middle-aged men indulging in a minority hobby.
Now it's cool to be geeky and know a thing or two about technology, and one of the key reasons for this revolution has been the rise of fashion tech. Driven principally by Apple's phenomenally successful iPod music players, and to a lesser extent its range of iMacs and notebooks, computing has gone from being kept at arm's length to all touchy-feely.

And in the company's latest gadget - the iPod touch - Apple has taken that metaphor and turned it into reality. For its flagship flash-based media player it has dumped the click wheel in favour of a touchscreen-drive user interface. It's the one you've read so much about on the iPhone, but here without the hamstrung non-3G phone stuff.
Great, but isn't £279 a lot of cash to spend on a 16GB media player? Wouldn't you be better off with an iPod Classic? Well, there's not much in terms of raw specifications to distinguish it from the rest of the iPod range. You get the usual limited range of music file format support - just AAC, Apple Lossless and MP3 for music and H.264 and MPEG4 files for video. There's no FLAC, Ogg Vorbis or WMA support, nor any for DivX or WMV, MPEG1 or 2. Although very beautifully designed and fantastically thin at just 8mm, its pocket footprint is actually a little larger than a standard iPod, measuring 62mm wide by 110mm tall. And battery life is nothing to write home about either, weighing in at up to 22 hours for audio and a par-score five hours for video.

So can a simple touch screen really be worth paying this much for? The short answer is yes, but you don't want the short answer, so here's why... The touch's touch-sensitive control system really is a revolution in user interfaces - I can think of no other way of describing it. In the same way that Apple's clickwheel has never really been bettered, I can't see any other manufacturer coming up with anything superior to this for years either. It's the best touch sensitive interface I've ever used on any device and the software behind it is some of the best put-together on any pocket device I've used too.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/mp3/review/2007/10/10/Apple-iPod-touch-16GB/p1