Electronics : New Apple iPod classic 80GB black

Rating: - Happy
Ok so i got my iPod for christmas like others and this was my first iPod (infact Apple product!) So i can happily say i have not had a major problem yet. Ok so iTunes does suck but you can deal with it, its not hard to use just import your music etc. & then drag it to your iPod. Simple as that!
The only cons i have towards it are that the click wheel is slightly unresponsive (i dont know if thats just mine?) and the when i put my music on it only about 90% of the cover art when on YET it was all tagged to the albums etc. So i had to do that again. In conclusion i think for £150 80GB is a bargin and worth every penny. Of course i would read up about it before buying (not here) apple forums are a good place as there are certain problems that might occur (luckly i havent had any) but you might not be as lucky. Good Luck!

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Rating: - I was Wrong. Thanks to one of the people who made a comment on this.
5 out of 5 and an extra one for getting me to think different. The Road to Damascus!!
(I got an ipod classic for christmas. It works and looks great. But the software that puts music on the player the worst rubbish and most difficult program I have ever had the misfortune to use. So be aware when buying into the apple ad showing it so easy to work with. Itunes is terrible. I like the ipod and have even put some movie files on it. But using itunes takes all the pleasure out of this item.)
The above was my review until Tony in a very helpful e-mail and comment below helped remove the blinkers.

I've just had a religious conversion. Or like Darth Vader as a member of the evil empire of Microsoft users, Luke(Steve Jobs) is holding me and I'm telling him you were right, you were right. The light has dawned and the Apple philosophy has been understood. There was some apple understanding in me after all. I have turned from the dark side!
I have my ipod kicking ass at the minute. The break through came in understanding Apples filing system as opposed to the way I have been used to doing it. Microsoft/Windows sees folders and works from those. The files can and could be in any state and it will still probably work on the surface anyway. Apple work from the Proprietary Tags. Once this is understood then the filing system has to be really tidy with all the proper mark ups. The proprietary tags can be found by right clicking on the music track and then clicking on summary. The ipod will be a mess and not work at it's best unless these are all clearly marked up. Album name, Artist name, track number. The cover flow system and albums will be an absolute mess with out these tags filled in. It really boils down to good computer housekeeping and the only way the click wheel on the ipod and cover flow system will store your music and sort your music. It is also why the ipod is really easy to use and when it works, it works so very well.
I have to absolutely apologise to apple, ipod and everything that the think different philosophy really means. The ipod is a quality product and is meant to work with files properly looked after and marked up neatly from the inside out. I have a lot of ripped music here. I've been buying cd's for years so it's not illegal. I imagine if your buying music from itunes or where ever this is all done for you and the problem only with music you have ripped or music you have to try before you buy;-).
But the filing system I've used based on windows and it really, really was a mess. Spent the last few days cleaning up the Proprietary Tags and adding in Album art using a free program called Album Cover Art Downloader and my ipod has just become everything it was meant to be. It means a little work on the music I've bought over the years. It is a hassle of trying to fix up the filing system that really is the problem of using Billy Gates OS and not one that keeps everything neat and tidy like the Mac Os in the first place.
My only advice to Apple is you really should make this clearer. I had to fight a battle to understand this and now I do it all makes sense. So for me coming from a windows experience of computers I felt like I'd hit a brick wall. But now after understanding what just was going on I can appreciate where the ipod, apple are coming from and the difference between windows and apple.
The ergonomic and ashetic of the ipod really, really impressive. Apple are not just saying here is a music device, stick your tunes on it and away you go. It's like an evolution of sorts. Look remember all those lp's and cd's you prided yourself on at a time, well here is away of doing it in the digital age.
It really, really does that. The ipod is asking you to build a music collection that you can value and can be proud of, take care of. That's the philosopy behind it anyway. Digital music is not seen as valueable and apple I feel have readdressed that feeling with the ipod. Why am I ranting on about it is because I feel good. It has made me feel good about music, about the music I have and had forgotten about because it was on cd's and all over the place. Now just run through the cover flow when your looking for an album and it feels so very very good. The images of the albums as you flow through them such a really nice thing to look at. It brings back to me all the value music once held for me when I was younger and one flipped through real albums in a record store.
When they boast "Think Differently", they are stating a fact.
Once the basics are worked out it's easy. I've even got a program that with the click of a button it renames all the Proprietary Tags automatically for you. Manually doing this is a chore but finding that out kills any work that I was doing and thought had to be done.
Then the album cover finder is as simple as dragging the folder of music into the program and it sits there. You right click it to go find the album art. It searchs Amazon and a few other places on the net and if it gets it, it adds it to your folder and makes it associate it's self with the music tracks. 9/10 it gets it perfectly right. The other one time you might have to find the cover and drop it into the program where it does the work. Or you can make your own. I did for a collection of songs that didn't belong anyplace.
The hardest part is finding all this out.
Now I have one really cool music device and an organised music collection that I've tidied up, sorted, added covers to and reburned and archieved in a more ordered and valued way.
The video function on the ipod really good too. But this about the music as understanding and converting all video files to mp4 was easy to understand from the off set.
The defeat of chaos, just what evolution pushes us for.
And why I've changed my mind on the ipod.
In saying all this I now just use itunes to drag and drop my music into my ipod and in a way it has lost all the teeth that I got bitten with the first time I used it.
Now it took me exactly two weeks to get to this point but hopefully this review will help you in less time get the best out of your ipod.

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Rating: - Sound
Let me first say that I have not heard nor even held this model. I am also in no way wanting to discredit Apple's reputation; I was converted into an ipod fan a year ago and think that the 5g Video ipod is absolutely amazing. I also realise that a lot of people love this ipod, but I do have some information for those wondering why the sound quality is receiving such a bad press. It isn't down to individual players or earphones (although better ones may help) but instead down to the fact that Apple have changed the chip inside from the superior Wolfson chip (used in previous models, including the 5g Video ipod) to the not so superior and ultimately cheaper Cirrus chip. Whether or not the questionable quality could be fixed through firmware upgrades is yet to be revealed, although some argue that this isn't possible.

My 5g ipod recently broke and I was looking for a new ipod. After reading so many disappointed reviews, I searched the internet for another 5g ipod. Amazingly they've been discontinued, although I did find one.

Interestingly, the iTouch and iPhone both have the Wolfson chip; this, I'm sure, is reflected in the price.

On the one hand it's amazing to think that an 80gb player with video is available at £143.00, but to remember only a year ago my 30gb video ipod was £160.00 really does beg the question, what is the true cost to the ipod?
I really hope that this isn't the end of good sound quality from Apple.

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Rating: - Too Quiet
Pros:
1. It looks nice.
2. It's cheap.
3. It has a large memory.
4. It plays mp3s.
5. They finally sorted out the battery.

Cons:
1. Its the quietest mp3 player in the World and no programs to unlock it. gopod, eupod, none of them work. You cannot hear the iPod on the train or near a road. The worse thing is plugging them into speakers, it makes the most feable noice that is barely audible over a whisper.
2. The sound is VERY noticeably distorted even on the very low volumes because of this new sound chip.
3. iTunes is a pile of rubbish, as soon as you plug your iPod in, it takes 2 minutes to recognise it and iTunes and your iPod become unuable during this process. The transfer rates are great when you are transferring large amounts. 40GB took less than 2 hours. But, when you want to transfer one album (50mb), it will take 5-10 mins from plugging iPod in until when it allows you to disconnect it.

Summary:
Dont buy one. If you are keen enough to read the reviews, take my word on it, until they sort the volume problem out, its a waste of money.

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Rating: - iPod - A True Classic
I got my iPod for christmas and i have not put it down since. When I opened it on christmas morning I plugged it straight into the computer and i was away. I have had iPods in the past so i already had a pretty big iTunes libriary 2 minutes and it was ready and fully updated. The battery Life is so much better than the 5g my sister has. The picture is Brilliant and the memory is amazing for the price. My sister bought her 30gb 5g ipod video in october last year and it was about £180 so 80gb for £145 is amazing.

**PROS**
More Battery life
New covering so it looks more luxurious
New interface
Its an iPod

**Cons**
The back scratches too easyly



Well worth the money