Electronics : New Apple iPod classic 80GB silver

Rating: - Great - but EU volume limited
Hi,
I agree in the most part with the majority of reviews posted here. However there is a MAJOR flaw in the Classic iPod...it's not loud enough!
I upgraded from 5.5Gen 80GB iPod to a 160GB Classic as I needed the extra storage (sad but true).
Apple has capped the maximum output level on the new generation of players to comply with new EU legislation & it really shows. It's a lot quieter than the model it replaces. I'd say about 2/3rds of what it is on my other iPod when listening to the same synced iTunes library on the same headphones.
It is fine when at home or on the beach where it's usually nice & quiet, but when on a noisy train or in a noisy environment, it simply isn't loud enough to be heard clearly - especially when viewing movies & listening to dialogue.Posts detailing the problem can be found all over the web.
In every other respect they are excellent. Storage capacity is massive, screen is clear & bright, software works well to (once updated), but unfortunately I'm returning mine & sticking with my old one. It might no be an issue for everyone, but I'd check one out in person before making a purchase if at all possible & then come back to Amazon to purchase as they are the cheapest around.

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Rating: - How to revolutionise the way you listen to music...
There's a very good reason why the iPod is the market leader... it's a quite brilliant piece of technology. Beautifully designed, simple to use and incredibly powerful it's the only sensible choice for anyone who wants to carry their music collection with them wherever they go. And, of course, you can also add huge numbers of photos, your address book & diary and even compressed videos.

But to get the best out of this wonderful piece of kit requires thought, effort and expense. Thought, in that the creation of your iTunes database on your PC (which drives what's on your iPod) is something you'll use for years, probably decades. iTunes' and its MP4 format for music storage ain't going away but technologies (and music player hard disk sizes) will change and to keep pace with this in the future you need to ensure two things: firstly that your music is transferred into iTunes at the highest quality level - i.e. 320 kbps wherever possible (sounds over the top today, but it won't be in a few years' time... witness Apple's recent move from 128 to 256 kbps for its music store downloads) - and, secondly, that your iTunes database is organised logically, with consistent and relevant genres etc.

Effort, in that importing your tracks into iTunes needs real work to ensure that your music collection can be accessed quickly and effectively. In particular, you'll need to categorise your tracks into their correct genres & release dates and, ideally, into some sort of star rating system - all of which can take an enormous amount of time. But, if you're prepared to spend the time, iTunes will then produce as many customised playlists as you want, either automatically or manually, based on a huge number of possible criteria. Want to hear all your favourite rock tracks released in the past 5 years, or the best tracks from one or more artists etc. etc.?... iTunes will produce playlists for them and will automatically update them as you add more tracks. Not just incredibly clever but the key to a total transformation in the way you access your music collection.

Expense, because once you've done this and then had the fun of creating dozens of playlists that deliver exactly what you want, your iPod will very rapidly become your main means of listening to music and, as a result, you'll need additional kit. First off, you'll need some form of protective cover to avoid damaging it while you carry it around; next you'll need connections into your hi-fi & stereo units, ideally through one or more chargeable iPod docks, so that you can listen to it around the house; then you'll need an FM transmitter so that you can listen to it in your car plus a set of portable speakers so that you can listen to it in hotel rooms etc.; then, you'll probably want to upgrade Apple's bundled headphones to hear your collection in all its glory while walking, jogging or on the train or plane; and, finally, if you don't own one already, you MUST invest in some sort of back-up device to keep your precious iTunes collection safe from the vagaries of your PC's hard drive because, after all that time spent inputting and categorising your music, you most certainly don't want to go through it all again.

Sounds daunting? Well, the pay-offs for all this effort and expense are nothing short of sensational... you'll be able to listen to exactly what you want, how you want, virtually anywhere you go, forever... and all at the touch of your iPod's gloriously easy to use click wheel.

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Rating: - Great, but...
This new version of the iPod video is much better than the previous 5th generation one. It has much better battery life (30 hours for the 80Gb and 40 hours for the 160Gb), much more memory for an affordable price.

It is however the little things that apple do that annoy me. There is no case with it, so i have to buy one myself. But oh well, not much of a bit deal. The usual rubbish earphones, but we all knew that anyway.

The new matt aluminium finish is great, it means less scratching that the old version. But why??!! oh why!?! did they leave the mirror finish on the back? I can't put the thing down anywhere without it scratching. So it stays in the case all the time, where you can't show it off! hehe

But other than this, A great piece of kit with the best music interface there is (iTunes). There are also new improved games!!

Cover flow is also a really neat novelty, although if you don't have 100% of the artwork it looks a bit naff. It also eats battery life so i don't tend to use it much, but that is up to you.

And don't buy the 160Gb, it's waaayyy too big. I have 15 or audio books and 5000 odd songs and mine is nowhere full so I wouldn't bother. Don't get the touch either, too small, it's jsut the iphone without the phone.

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Rating: - Amazing!
I bought the iPod classic yesterday and it has already become my baby! As always, Apple have come out on top with the new iPod Classic, especially as it's £30 cheaper than the 30gb iPod video.

Cons
-Apple really should make it less scratchable. The screen and shiny back should be protected.
-Cover flow takes a while to come up with the album art

Pros
-Looks GREAT!
-Long battery life
-Stores as much as you want it to

Definitley the best player on the market. Go buy it!

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Rating: - Not perfect but close.
For a long time I'd steered clear from iPods due mainly to their once limited battery life. A few years ago I opted for a 20GB Sony Walkman which served its purpose well and which is still currently going strong (if a little scuffed and sorry looking now).
I decided that having just topped 40GB of music it was time for something more up to date with a bit more beef. Having been impressed by the Sony player last time (mainly due to the long battery life and excellent sound quality) I was dismayed to find their range looking relatively mediocre and more and more interested in their small capacity players.
I went for the Classic for a number of reasons, mainly:

*Apple have finally properly extended the battery life (even if it only just longer than the walkman I bought years ago). I'm yet to try the reported 5hrs of video playback but it sounds great.
*Though efficient and with practical menus, my last player was just plain boring when it came to the UI. The iPod has always had that wow factor and I'd found using them makes searching for your music almost as satisfying as actually listening to it.
*The massive capacity for the price. I was amazed to see Apple marketing a product like this at only just a mark above the 5G price. People rightly moan that Apple is profiteering with hesitance ot supply periferals as standard but at least they've resisted pricing this iPod higher, at a price people most likely would have paid anyway.

I received the Classic this morning, albeit 9days after ordering. The unboxing is great with the smart looking packaging and the unit immediately on display when the cover comes up.

So far everything is working beautifully.

I've never eally used iTunes on my laptop because I like something without the whole catalogging malarky but after having suffered under SonicStage that Sony persist with iTunes is a dream come true. Some people have complained of crashes or freezes with iTunes but I've experienced nothing major, the first connection took a few minutes to get going as expected.

The iPod itself I'll summarise:

Pros:

*So far the battery has lasted really well considering I've been playing with it for most of the day, video and audio.
*The new touches like album art displayed in an artists album listing and the floating art in the split screen mode add greatly to the ever so satisfying UI.
*The new Shuffle function accesible from the Now Playing screen is really handy if like me you are fussy when you're listening.

Cons:
*Cover flow really IS a little superfluous. You'll soon find yourself removing it from the menu completely. It IS somewhat slow to respond at times due to the hard-drive being slower than flash memory. As a result, getting from A-Z takes quite a while and if you know exactly what you want to listen to this can be frustrating. Also the rigerole of finding all the album art that iTunes itself misses (which is a lot) is painstaking work. At the same time I can imagine that if you have sorted your album art and are just browsing for something to play it's a little nicer than reading all the artist names.

*As most have pointed out, there is no scratch proof plastic on the screen like the iTouch or iPhone because, well...Apple are tight and lazy.

*Still no mains charger and not even a soft case with this one...again I assume because Apple are tight and lazy.

Other:

*Sound quality is acceptable, it's not as good as my old Sony but it really doesn't need to be unless you're exceptionally picky. As always the headphones are naff, invest in something good and you will seriously raise the sound quality anyway.

*Some have complained that the player is sluggish to navigate (due to the glitsy album art etc.). I have no idea what it was like without the firmware update and whether that helps because thats one of the first things I did but I've got no complaint. Yeh sometimes it takes a second to drop back down to the Music menu from the artist menu as it loads some art but its nothing major. Also when you select an artist it's about a second to load the album covers in that menu and this reduces the clickwheel respose a little. (I hope Apple take on baord the problems some people are having and include an option to disable this is future firmware updates)

In short:

By no means is this the be all and end all, still hard drive based means it's not as sharp as flash will be but its the only option for at least the near future. It isnt the best player for sound quality and there are niggles but then again every item on the market has different problems. One thing the iPod has bucket loads of is style and this shouldn't be overlooked. It's incredibly satisfying to use, it looks great both physically and in terms of the UI which is vastly easier to use than anything else I've ever tried.