Apple iPod 20 GB White M9282LL/A (4th Generation) Reviews

• Take The Plunge

  
  By AD7BMTFIWSISW on 2004-11-06
  First, let me start off by saying, I know this is a lot of money. But if you've tried the other 20 Gig players, you'll know that none compare to this. I can run with mine on an armband and still screw around with the songs and volume while running.
  
  iTunes kicks major ass over any other download service with free videos, iMixes, and 30 seconds intros to over a million songs. It also has a billboard feature where you can go to any city over about 50,000 and see what songs are on the top playlists for that area. It also shows the top downloaded songs in each genre updated constantly.
  
  But back to the iPod -- I really can't find a bad thing with mine yet. Batteries still going strong...one charge lasts twelve hours. I did get the plan to replace my batteries if they ever die from Best Buy. Recharge takes about 2 hours to 80% then another 2 hours to 100% and then you are good for 12 hours. I just plug in every night. Comes with earbuds, charger, Firewire connector, and USB2 connector. Only thing you really should buy is an armband neoprene protector since back stainless steel can scratch. Have 11 hours on now and only about 695 meg used on the hard drive. I'd tell you more, but just trust me, you'll love it.
  
  

• Incredibly pleased with my 20gb iPod

  
  By A2EUETJ1DA8DET on 2004-11-12
  First I'll preface this review by saying that I have gone through several MP3 players and CD players, and I have no bias towards specific companies. Next I'll present you with a list of Pros and Cons:
  
  Pros:
  - very sexy and clean look.
  - incredible sound quality, even mp3's almost sound CD quality, those little earbuds are incredible.
  - good battery life, the 12 hours suggested by Apple is a little bit optimistic. I usually get about 11-ish hours after a full recharge and without the backlight on and at medium volume.
  - very fast battery recharge.
  - seamless and fast transfers, and although Apple says that it won't work with USB 1.0, it does work (albeit at a slower transfer rate).
  - comes with everything you need
  - the click wheel is very functional and I have yet to have any problems with it.
  - very very slim and lite, I keep it in my pocket all day at school and don't notice it being there at all.
  - very easy to conceal, watching a boring movie in Biology? Just pull out the 'pod and run the earbuds up the back of your shirt, it works very well actually ;). Yeah that's right Ms. Grotewiel, I don't watch your pathetic films, you dolt.
  - easy to navigate menus.
  - the games are a nice addition, but I never really play them.
  - if you hold the menu button, the backlight will come on. This is an incredibly handy feature.
  - if you order online from apple.com you can have 2 lines of text with 27 characters each laser engraved on the back, as well for a limited time their is free/one day shipping.
  
  Cons:
  - it scratches pretty easily (I personally don't have a problem with it, but some perfectionists might).
  - yes it does have a high price.
  - although the internal batteries only last 18 months, you can buy a warrantee from Best Buy and just say that the batteries are not functioning correctly, and they'll give you a new one. As well Apple is in the middle of a lawsuit for it, so you can count on a refund from them pretty soon if your batteries are worn out.
  - as the saying goes 'white earbuds = mug me'. I've never heard any stories about having an iPod stolen, but I'm sure they're fairly desirable.
  - iTunes is a little bit clumsy, but you don't have to use it to listen to music on your computer, I just use it to transfer music to my iPod. Also you can download a free plug-in for Winamp 5.0 (also free, and a better music playing program) that allows winamp to sync with your iPod. I have yet to use the plug-in for winamp, but I've heard positive things about it.
  
  
  So when it comes down to it, the Pros far outweigh the Cons (some of the cons aren't cons at all!). Sure it is fairly pricey, but almost all 20gb mp3 players are around this price range, and the extra money is worth all of the advantages. If you're considering buying an iPod Mini, I would recommend the 20gb fourth generation over it any day. 16 more gigabytes for only $50 more is definitely worth it (and the 20gb is a better shape and isn't a lame metallic color). In conclusion, I strongly urge anybody in the market for a good mp3 player to buy a 20gb iPod, you WILL be pleased.
  
  

• pretty but flawed. overpriced.

  
  By A2RW587355CMVA on 2004-10-19
  I've never been a fan of Apple's - a whiny wannabe monopoly beleaguered with a culture of pretentiousness and indifference to customer service. But I couldn't resist an iPod: in term of aesthetics, the iPods are almost flawless. So I got myself a 4G 20GB model. Once I actually started to play around with it, I've uncovered many serious issues with this VERY PRICY player that cannot be compensated merely by its pretty appearance.
  
  1.The navigational system on the player itself is very easy to use and extremely intuitive. But the intuitiveness stops there. Setting it up to work with my Wintel XP machine was a headache. After installing all the required software, I was stuck with a "Do not disconnect" screen for several hours, before I finally figured out the incompatibilities. I had to reformat, download the latest iTune and iPod updater from Apple (the included CDROM is completely useless). The provided documentation and the Apple support website are jokes. I had to spend a great amount of time scouring the online forums to find the information I was looking for.
  
  2.iTunes is possibly the worst playlist/player management software in the world. The iTune has no concept of multiple users, which is causing a huge problem for people who has multiple iPods. iTune should work just like Palm Desktop. Unfortunately, in term of design, it's a piece of software that resembles something hacked up by a developer with only CS100 on his CV.
  
  3.I use iPod both in the office and at home. Juggling between two iTune is almost as fun as getting a prostate exam. I spent hours of building up a library at home. I took the iPod to office, and bam, all my music are gone after an auto sync.
  
  4. iPod can be used as a hard drive. Great. But when I explore the iPod through Windows Explorer, where the heck are my music? I understand that iPod is probably under pressure from the music industry (and possibly internally from its iTune store division) to hide direct access to music data. This major-label friendly design decision is a great incovenience to users. An iPod should work just like a digital camera: the data can be accessed through a UI, like iTune, but it should also be directly accessible - even from txt-based DOS if I feel like it.
  
  5.Battery. If you're pessimistic and always worry about the future, like me, the you should start worrying. In about a year or two, you pretty iPod will be a three hundred dollar paper weight. Unless you are willing to shell out another 99 dollars for the Apple battery replacement, which, according to the warranty, may be an USED component.
  
  In conclusion, if you could resist the temptation of a pretty shell, there are much cheaper and more robust models out there; otherwise welcome to an ambivalent love affair with a seriously flawed beauty.
  
  

• Apple will not repair after warranty is over!

  
  By A342IZEQ81M09O on 2005-02-08
  If your hard-drive breaks just like mine after one year, you will get to hear this for the first time. Two of the apple reps told me "You'd better buy our protection plan for your new one!" On top of that they said "Or you can REPLACE yours by another "refurbished" unit for $250!" After all an iPod is a circuitry with a hard-drive. By having NO repair service after the warranty, does it mean that their fancy circuitry has no value at all?
  
  Battery is another problem. Just like many Li-ion batteries of cellphones, the battery is going to lose its capacity by almost half after a year or two with almost certainty regardless of how careful you have been handling it. Unlike cellphones, you can not just buy a replacement for $15-20. The iPod battery replacement cost is around $110+ after shipping and all.
  
  Have you read the fine prints before the purchase? I sure did not. The beauty of the iPod blinded me. Now that mine is dead, I'm now reading them... They clearly say... Apple does not repair.. battery...hard-drive...whatever. Of course, their replacement prices are madly expensive.
  
  Though iPod has been in the market for some time, it just became popular quite recently. Yet, there are many flaws that may eventualy drive iPod from its huge market share in the near future. I wanted to see when most people have lived out their warranty.
  
  After 14 months with it, Apple simply told me to shrug at my iPod's death... and buy and a new one.
  
  

• BEST THING EVER!

  
  By A38K6CNHA4RB1B on 2004-09-10
  this ipod is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and the 4th generation ipod will revolutionize the music buisness. Not only is the ipod easy to use, but so is itunes and apple even made it for windows now. (yippy!). The click wheel they added on the new ipod just blew me away. At first it looked at it and thought, "how could this possibly work?" Then i tried it out and let me tell you, don't be fooled. The click wheel makes it easier and more elegant! And of course to top it all off, the sound quality is great.
  
  The only down side to the ipod, (and that actually goes for all ipods) is that they scratch very easily, and they have yet to come up with a neo preme for the ipod click wheel. Just on my first day of having the ipod i stuck it in my breef case. when i took it out, the click wheel had been scratched and my screen had a huge scratch running all the way through it. So in the mean time, i am using the palm pilot screen covers to protect it. It works for now.
  
  Overall, it is a great product. but if you already have a mini or the third generation, no need to get this one (unless your out of memery).
  
  
• Weak. Very weak.
  By AOCYSCYWTDX6T on 2005-06-18
  In life, there are fads and crazes. Everyone has to have the hot new thing; quality falls by the wayside. Millions sell, but you can't help wondering what the fuss is all about. If you who lived through the Bee Gees, the Eagles, 90s boy bands, or acid-wash jeans, you know what I'm talking about.
  
  In its day, the iPod was the best and brightest. Mostly, that had to do with a small, underdeveloped market; Apple, like it did with its first personal computers, found a niche and mined it for all it was worth, with brilliant ad campaigns to boot.
  
  But, as those of you who lived through the early PC days know, Apple didn't stay on top. Apple refused to fix glaring problems until people decided they'd had enough.
  
  And today, Apple is doing it all over again. Although the iPod has glaring problems (reliability, build quality, and those batteries), they just won't fix the darn things.
  
  And even worse, Steve Jobs has decided to copy the man who whipped his tail in the marketplace: Bill Gates. Realizing how beneficial a vertical monopoly can be for a company, Apple is trying to force iPod users to use iTunes and iTunes users to use iPods. When RealNetworks tried to legally circumvent the problem, Apple quietly made all products incompatible. So, apparently, 2005 actually will be like 1984.
  
  Anyway, back to the real issues:
  DESIGN/RELIABILITY: Shoddy.
  
  As far as looks are concerned, my opinion isn't particularly relevant; beauty being in the beholder's proverbial eye, you can make what you will of things. (I don't much care for it.)
  
  iPods are notorious for breakdowns, often resulting from normal bumps and jostles. And, of course, the battery is pure insanity. Sixty to a hundred dollars and the temporary loss of the iPod. In case you're wondering, there is an alternative; the Creative Zen Micro has a removable battery for $30. The gist: Half the price and one-twentieth the work.
  
  SOUND QUALITY: Mediocre.
  Sound quality is easily the most important feature of any digital audio player. iPods are not known for auditory superiority, and the included earbuds are terrible. Apple does make better ones for $40, but if you're going to be paying more for and iPod than for other players with more features, shouldn't that sort of thing be included? It's like Bill Gates selling Windows for $150 and Windows Without Bugs for $200. Apple is going down the wrong road here.
  
  FEATURES: Bare-bones.
  Apple has, naturally, discontinued the dock.
  Extras like FM tuner and voice recording (standard on the Creative Zen Micro) are only available as ridiculously expensive extras. The much-hyped scroll wheel isn't particularly intuitive. Outlook compatibility? Don't kid yourself.
  
  COMPATIBILITY: Where do I begin?
  Apple, keeping in mind that over 90% of people use Windows, seems to have gone out of its way to make it incompatible. WMAs can't be played (the tools to convert unprotected WMAs to Apple's proprietary format slash your sound quality.) iTunes is only compatible with iPod, which is even worse than what Microsoft did.
  
  MY GIST:
  iPods break easily and have doomed batteries that users can't replace.
  iPod has marginal sound quality, compounded by weak earbuds.
  iPod is engineered to only be compatible with Apple's products.
  iPod lacks features of better-priced models.
  iPod will be remembered much like disco; that hot thing that we suddenly realized was crap.
  
  
• Don't believe the Hype!
  By A2C6NXKDZSUDLD on 2004-10-14
  I am very disappointed in this product. I trusted the reviews that I read, but the Ipod does not measure up. First, so many controls have been put in place to protect the music industry that it is very difficult to establish the library. Many formats just do not work with Itunes. Secondly, I have a 2nd home and songs that I downloaded and paid for there can't be added to the ipod (even though I log-in under the same email address). Any attempt to add those songs deletes everything on the ipod.
  
  Transferrring an existing library is very difficult if you purchase a new computer. They have the technology to recognize the same user, but refuse to make life easy for the end user. It should work like a palm pilot.
  
  Many people have problems with the battery life and the LCD screen. Apple's attitude is terrible and their help files are a joke. There should be a happy medium to protect the music industry without taking advantage of the consumer.
  
  
• It's only fabulous while it lasts.
  By A3GH2JPEFBDGTT on 2005-06-19
  We bought this iPod in early December as a holiday gift and loved it dearly. Yet, six short months later, it died and Apple has washed its hands of us. The hard drive went. The Apple employee at the Genuis Bar lectured us that the unit is quite "fragile" and we were foolish not to have laid out the money for a hard protective case. The young man explained to us that the hard drive lies just inside a fairly thin shell and that it doesn't take that much pressure from books in a bag or briefcase to destroy the hard drive. And, that's what has happened.
  We had a similar, less disastrous experience with my teenage son's iPod mini. One month after purchase, he apparently dropped it a short distance and, also having no hard cover, the top strip buckled where the earphone plugs in. It still plays but Apple won't fix the outside of the unit for us. Once Apple sees any scratches or dents on the iPod, they refuse to help because they blame all problems on rough use.
  
  So, the iPod is wonderful but it's more expensive than you think because you really need to buy the hard protective case. In the long run it will be worth it. These machines are quite delicate and Apple really should explain these pitfalls up front.
  
  
• Excellent...but 4 stars because of battery life
  By A34MQO268E000K on 2004-09-19
  I have very limited experience with MP3 players and this is the first I have ever purchased, but compared with the other players I researched, I think the interactive experience is excellent and intuitive, and designwise I believe that apple always has the rare priveledge of making very few compromises with planning and layout.
  
  The only striking problems I have with the player is from the first charge I can only get at maximum around 8 hours of battery life as opposed to the 12 advertised. Battery life is significantly diminished if you click through songs and playlists often. The plastic casing is also prone to scratch and blemish easily but there are plenty of protective cases for this.
  
  My best experience from the 4G iPod is with the aftermarket iTunes antenna in my car, at home and at parties without wires. I was especially impressed with the quality of this, as I expected NYC and Long Island to have heavy radio interference!
  
  So buy it, ditch the wires and jump on Apple's case if the battery life is unusually short!
  
  
• If there's anything better, call me!
  By A2TAGH1X0CIC42 on 2004-12-05
  There's no way in the world that any mp3 player compares with the iPod. Just look at how consumers are raving and craving them.
  I have to admit that this seemingly delicate device is tough. I've dropped it a few times and absolutely nothing happened to the music or the components.
  Also, anyone who is worrying about the fact that the 40 GB and 60 GB (iPod photo) can hold more songs, let me assure you. The cheaper 20 GB is fine. It can store 5,000-7,000 songs on it. I have 460 songs on mine already, but I've only used about 2.34 GB (you do the Math). It's a waste to pay more for 40 GB when you probably won't even use that space.
  I have never been a fan of "earbuds" as they're called, meaning the tiny "buds" that go into your ear in replacement of headphones. But the white earbuds that come with the iPod have such good sound quality that even I use them on a regular basis.
  iTunes is definately the best mp3 transfer program I have on my PC (meaning the program that helps you to transfer music to an mp3 player). It is easy to use and very fast.
  I also give Apple credit for innovating the now envied touch-sensitive wheel. It's big, so there's no way you can accidently hit a wrong button. I often times keep my iPod in my pocket and the wheel is so good that I can hit the buttons by just reaching into my pocket, without even looking at them.
  Also. When people say (if you go to a store to buy the iPod) "You should get the iPod dock charger because it protects the iPod from power surges while it's charging," don't fall for it. It's a clever business trick to get you to buy more things. The truth is if you have a surge protector for your computer (if you're so worried about a power surge) just plug it in to that. Plus, cell-phones have the same problem. They can be damaged by a power surge while they're charging. Do you know anyone who's had that happen to them? Huh? Didn't think so. So don't worry about it.
  The iPod, however much it costs, is worth every cent and I highly recommend it.
  
  
• Would be FIVE STARS, except for MAJOR FLAW
  By A2TJGOCPAI2AHA on 2004-10-10
  Let me say first, that I have always been a hater of all things Apple. However, after holding an ipod at circuit city, I knew I had to have one. When I finally got it, I was amazed by how asthetically pleasing everything was, including the packaging. The ipod itself is very pleasing to hold with its smooth surfaces. The only thing that protrudes slightly is the "hold" switch. For this reason, it is very easy to drop. One of the other reviewers said get the neoprene case from marware, which is great advice. I have almost dropped the ipod several times, just because it is so smooth.
  
  Everything else about the ipod is great, the click wheel is very easy to use and so is the software that comes with it. To adjust the volume, you just sweep your finger lightly along the click wheel.
  
  Organizing music is a breeze too. You can put songs in multiple categories, which is great. Finding all the albums, songs etc is much easier than you would think it would be even if you have 20 gig (well 18 gig) worth of music. It all sounds great too.
  
  As with most headphones that come with any type of music player,I recommend throwing these into the nearest river, unless you like having hard, round pieces of plastic in your ears. I recommend Shures (shure.com). I have the e3c's, and man does everything on the ipod sound great.
  
  You can even use the ipod to store files from your pc and export your outlook files to it. I use a great free program called ipod agent to do this. The outlook is a little clunky to use on the ipod, but it is functional.
  
  I LOVE THIS IPOD! So why, you ask, did I give it only one star?
  
  Because Steve Jobs is a twisted individual and he made sure that he ruined this device by giving it an UNREPLACABLE 18 MONTH BATTERY. To see a great little short film about this, go to ipodsdirtysecret.com Basically, this is a disposable device, the idea being that when the battery goes out, you will buy the latest model of ipod. This was obviously a conspiracy as it is FREAKIN' EASY to manufacture a device with replaceable batteries!!
  
  If you can get past this little flaw, give the ipod 5 stars, because everything else about it is pretty much perfect. However, in my mind, $299 is a lot to pay for a device that will only last 18 MONTHS. Hence, the one star rating...
  
  
• I love the ipod
  By A205SDJR9D2IEQ on 2004-10-11
  This is a great product in every respect, it has almost everything a person could wish for in an mp3 player. Don't be swayed by angry Apple haters who can't spell or construct an intelligible sentence.
  The major problems with the ipod have been fixed with the newest generation (4G), namely the battery life issue and the slighly akward controls. As others have mentioned, the battery will eventually need to be replaced. How long it lasts depends on your frequency of use. But this is to be expected as it is with all other portable devices.
  The only issues I have with the ipod is that in order to use it with a Windows based system it must be formated to do so. So even though it supports both Mac and PC, it can only be used with one or the other without requiring a fresh format. So if you are a cross platform person (as I am) you have to decide if you want to sync it with you PCs library or your Macs library. But of course this would only be an issue for a small number of people as most individuals are strong supporters of one or the other.
  The other problem is that it only supports AAC, Mp3 and Apple lossless compression (4th Gen ipods with software updates). Though this is again not an issue for the average person, It would be nice if it supported other open source formats. Other than these issues, this is a great device that will make you very happy you've bought it. Once again apple has made a slick looking, easy to use and reliable product for us to enjoy.
  
  
• Good, But Not For Everyone
  By A2V6JA8LDH1JKI on 2004-12-07
  I was shopping for a MP3 player recently, and had the opportunity to play with my cousin's 20GB iPod at some length to see how I liked it. I had initially been planning on buying this or another Apple product, but since decided to buy a player made by a different manufacturer.
  
  Overall, I think the iPod is a good player, although I would note some features that turned me off:
  
  LOOKS AND DURABILITY:
  I realize many people are fond of the minimalist white interface. I'm not one of them. While I like the minimialism of the player, I try to avoid plastic products made of white- they tend to yellow with age. While they have released those "tattoos" for the players, I think those just look cheap and gaudy, especially since they leave the corners of the iPod exposed.
  
  The biggest red flag for me was the fact that although my cousin's player was relatively new, it was riddled with scratches. While he's not the most careful guy in the world, it was really beat up consider the minimal amount he uses the thing, and talking to other people who have iPods confirmed that the player scratches very easily- and from personal experience, they look terrible scratched up.
  
  THE CLICKWHEEL:
  Again, I realize that most people think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I disagree. I strongly suggest anyone considering an iPod test it out first to see how they like it. I thought the clickwheel sounded great, but after trying it found it awkward. As a student, I spend a significant amount of time on my laptop and am used to scrolling up and down on the touchpad, which made the Creative Zen Touch a more attractive product for me. Be sure you test this first to see if it does feel intuitive for you, rather than just going on the fact that it does sound pretty neat.
  
  BATTERY:
  Compared to the other players on the market, the iPod has one of the worst batteries around. The Sony Walkman and Creative Zen Touch get 30 and 24 hours per charge, respectively, to the iPod's 12. Since no company has yet to come out with an interchangeable battery for the jukebox-sized players (the Creative Labs Zen Micro is the only one I'm aware of that has this, and it's 5 GB), this can be an issue.
  
  IN SUMMARY:
  This is a good, basic player. It's not for everyone, and if you're in the market for one I suggest that you try to put aside the huge popularity of the iPod and look harshly at the actual features that the other players on the market have, and see how they stack up. Apple is already being outpaced by Creative Labs and Sony on the battery front, and just about any non-Apple player allows you more compatibility with download services than Apple's iTunes-only program. But since a lot of these MP3 players are marketed on aesthetics, do go to your local store or borrow a friend's and see how the product actually feels and works. This may be the player for you, but it's not leaps and bounds ahead of any other player, and others are ahead of it in certain areas, so practice some caution when you buy.
  
  
• Be Warned!!!
  By A22BHOR24G2NHB on 2005-08-11
  When my iPod was working I thought it was great. However, just one month after the warranty expired the iPod failed, and no longer works. Apple wants ~$270 just to look at it, or they will gladly help you on the phone for just $49. How nice of them!
  
  Before you buy an iPod, please read through some discussion groups and see for yourself. iPods are notorious for failing after little more than a year, and Apple will do nothing for you!
  
  Be Warned.
  
  
• Sent mine in twice for repair
  By A1C1QIGC4ZAQT9 on 2004-11-23
  I was a big iPod fan. Paid over $300, plus for Firewire to adapt to pc, plus additional adaptor, fm player for car.
  
  Sent in once for battery replacement (cost me another $100).
  
  When I received a refurb back, it did not sync fully or download all my playlists.
  
  It is in it's second repair cycle. If I wasn't already into this over $500, I would bag it. I want it to work, but I felt I needed to share with others that they are potentially spending alot of money for a product that did not perform well for me. While they have good marketing, they have proven to me that they don't hav a good product.
  
  Caveat Emptor!
  
  
  
  
• When it's battery wears out--it's disposable!!
  By A1YAMGOA0DMLQA on 2004-11-28
  I am looking for a good MP3 jukebox for my kid for Xmas. This is not a good one. The litium batter is integrated into the box and can't be changed by the user so the unit is considered disposable. This is a huge engineering error on the part of Apple. Don't buy it. Many other makers such as Gateway, Dell, iRiver, etc that offer 20GB systems for the same price with 16 hours of play time, full color LCDs, photo capability, FM tuners and recording, and of course user replacable batteries. Don't believe it? Download the PDF manual here and search for "battery" and discover for yourself. Hope I saved you some trouble.
  
  
• waste of money
  By A177DDP3KXSYDA on 2005-05-02
  I bought my first ipod 10 months ago. Toward the end, the battery life slowly got shorter and shorter, until finally it wouldn't even turn on. I called apple, and the said they would replace it for $30 shipping. Fair enough. I mailed the ipod to them, 5 days later, i got a "new" ipod. Opened the box, charged the player, and what do i see? The EXACT same error message! I called apple, VERY upset, and they informed me there was nothing they could do unless i purchased the "apple service care pack" for like $60!! I was irate!
  
  This product is worthless. Apple customer care is worthless. PLEASE do research before you purchase this product, there are many other better players, it's not worth it to be "in style". I had to learn the hard way.
  
  
• This really isn't THAT good - ridiculous price
  By A3SRJE3CI5KDFX on 2005-05-03
  Back in December 2004, I picked up an iPod while I was visiting New York. The price was the same as it is here on Amazon. Now that I think about it, I'm actually not sure why I bought this over another player. I simply wanted an MP3 player and it was the first thing that came to mind... I barely considered the others because I thought of them all as rickety and not solid in terms of construction.
  
  At first, getting the thing up and running was a little harder than I expected. I was expecting to just plug it in and go. Of course, I was on vacation in NY, so I ran to the nearest internet cafe and plugged the thing in, ready to rip a CD I'd bought the day before. For whatever reason, this just didn't work the first time and at first I thought I'd bought a dud. I had to make the journey back to my hotel room, plug the iPod in, and reset it using insructions buried in the manual, to try again. Luckily, I could transfer music this time.
  
  I became a little uneasy when I noticed a few scratches on the back of the iPod. I knew it was pretty much inevitable (please Apple, fix the design), but I was a little dismayed that the $35 leather case I had bought to keep my new toy safe from harm was actually scratching it up. I've learned that this player is almost definitely going to get scratched, that's a given. So now I don't bother with the case anymore. If you're in a good mood, think of these scratches as personalization.
  
  Stability. Not as good as I was hoping for I'm sad to say. It's now May 2005 and ever since owning it, the iPod has crashed about 8 times. A lot of users won't get this. It's usually due to me skipping back and forth around tracks very quickly. But it is insanely irritating at the start of a long work shift (I get to listen to music since I work at a library) to fire the thing up and have it freeze. My brother who owns a Creative player asked, "Well, why not take the battery out so it resets itself?" Ohohohohoh! No, you see, the iPod is just SO spiffy and minimalistic and easy to fit into your lifestyle, that Apple conveniently made opening the device up as hard as possible. So no, that's not an option. You have to return home, dig out the power adapter in the box, plug it in, and press a button combination listed in the manual. A player at a price like this should NOT crash.
  
  Sound quality. Ranges from good to poor - very rarely is it excellent. Again, a huge thing to forgive when you look at the price tag. Using Eyomotic Research ER6i headphones (which are specially made for the iPod), the sound is extremely poor compared to my computer's sound card, and to make a more fair comparison, my brother's Creative mini player. It's hard to describe - it's tinny and lacking in bass, yet even on the best headphones, it produces that rippling effect you get when you tape paper onto a speaker, or play really heavy bass on a set of weak speakers. I find that turning on "Hip Hop" mode on the EQ fakes some of this bass back in, but that can sometimes cause more harm than good. I know it's not the (excellent) headphones because as I said, they sound great on other stuff.
  
  File types. This player plays MP3, WAV/AIFF, AAC, and a few others. What they don't tell you though is that if you like to skip around a lot, it doesn't play all of them that well. The iPod handles MP3s with ease, but if you have any of the other file types in your playlist, expect the device to take longer pauses when skipping between them. I decided to avoid the other formats and just use high bit-rate MP3 files to get around this problem.
  
  iTunes. Personally I don't think it's THAT good. I do miss Windows Media Player sometimes - iTunes is considerably slower and I'm not sure I like it's text-heavy presentation too much. All too often, iTunes has lied to me about my iPod update being complete, so I have the nasty surprise of finding that the latest song I supposedly put on it the night before actually isn't there, when I power it on on the bus the next morning. Why can't I just drag and drop MP3 files onto it like I would do with a memory stick?
  
  Usability. 99% of the time, it is VERY easy to use. Unlike the Creative Players, the scroll wheel doesn't take getting used to at all.
  
  To sum up, I think that this is a highly serviceable music player with some obvious flaws that really should be corrected. The reason I'm only giving it 2 stars is because of the ludicrous price, and the appearance - when you buy it, consider this... sure, it looks nice to start with, but is it going to look like a year down the line? Rather more scratched up, I would imagine. There are far too many problems here to warrant the premium price tag, and I think Apple should really sort this out.
  
  (...)
  
  
• WASTE OF MONEY
  By AWVSPM4S1HUQM on 2005-05-19
  I HAVE GONE THROUGH 3, YES 3 IPODS. they all suck.they freeze, they won't plug in, the screens get messed up, the scratch really easily. they don't even deserve 1 star... but 0 stars wasn't an option. When i took my 3rd ipod back, they said, and i quote, "THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT THAT. WE HAVE BEEN GETTING SO MANY OF THESE RETURNED, THAT APPLE REFUSES TO REPLACE THEM." they suck. i hate them. i am so disapointed. they will not give me my money back to go and buy something better. I have no clue how this isn't all over the news. they have done a VERY good job keeping this on the "down-low". I have friends and family who have bought theses and they have had the exact same problem. People don't listen to me when i say don't buy it... but go ahead waste your money. you will never get it back. DON'T BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK!! THEY ARE AAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL DEFECTIVE!
  
  
• We all make mistakes - how you handle them is the key
  By ALFGB6ZQU1BFL on 2005-08-04
  2006 update: ITunes is crashing all the time. It runs very slow. I have to downgrade ITunes software in the following review to 2 stars.
  
  I got one of the first iPods and liked it so much I got an iPod mini for my daughter and an iPod Shuffle for my wife. I also use iTunes on my PC to organize and the music I buy from Apple and from my CD collection. Play lists are a great idea - one of the great aspects of using an iPod.
  
  However...
  
  IPod hardware - 5 stars
  
  ITunes software - The 4.9 upgrade had a glitch that blew away my entire music library, but we all have problems, so I still give it - 5 stars
  
  Support - 1 star
  
  The long version follows, should you want the details before you buy. I also hope Apple takes note and fixes the support problem.
  
  I got one of those notices from Apple when I opened iTunes - asking if I wanted to upgrade to iTunes Version 4.9. I ignored it for a while, and then did the upgrade just to stop the notices. When I did the upgrade, I found my entire music library and all my play lists were gone. But, since I made it a practice to back up music I bought, this wasn't the real problem. (Take note! Back up the music you buy or you WILL eventually lose it!) The real problem was that I had spent hours over the past couple years loading my old CD's onto iTunes and creating play lists, and now all of that effort was lost.
  
  I Googled around and searched the Apple support site and came to the conclusion I wasn't alone - that 4.9 was blowing away a lot of iTunes libraries. I did NOT find a fix.
  
  I'm always slow to call tech support because I understand that software companies can only provide so much support. I always try to solve a problem myself. I was able to find my old music library and restore it, but I didn't figure out how to restore the play lists.
  
  I tried all the automated Apple support, FAQ's and the knowledge base - but couldn't even locate an indication that there was a problem with the 4.9 upgrade. (Though many other sites were full of discussions about it.)
  
  I finally called support and spoke to "Dawn." Dawn (and every Apple support person) tried to sell me a service plan before she asked me what the problem was. Then she asked when I bought my iPod, and since it was more than 90 days since the purchase - refused to help me. I explained to her that I thought 4.9 had blown away my library, that it was a known Apple software glitch, and that I didn't appreciate being asked for money to fix a problem Apple had caused. She still refused. I asked her if there was a known glitch in the 4.9 upgrade and she replied by saying, "I've only heard of this problem a couple times and I can't help you."
  
  After she hung up on me, I recalled - being the loyal Apple fan that I am - that the Shuffle I had bought for my wife was still in the 90-day support period. I called back, used THAT serial number, and got "Trace." Trace was more helpful, but told me he knew of no way to help me. I asked him if there was a known problem with the iTunes 4.9 upgrade, and he said that in the early builds of the upgrade there was a known problem. As a result of the upgrade, people's libraries and play lists were being lost. Given that, it seemed really odd that Apple didn't have a work-around to fix the problem. I asked to speak to a supervisor.
  
  Next I spoke to "Trent." Trent also told me it was a known 4.9 upgrade problem. He also quickly took me to a fix procedure on the support web page. (Just plug 301895 in to the Search field at iPod support and you'll see it if you have this problem.) He also quickly walked me through how to restore everything to its original status. In the end it took 10 minutes and someone who was willing and able to help. It saved me hours of re-work.
  
  So why did it take two hours, sitting through two sales pitches, being told "NO" twice and really discourteous treatment from Dawn to get this thing fixed?
  
  Apple hardware is great - 5 stars.
  Apple software is great - sure there was a problem - but no one is perfect - 5 stars.
  Apple support - I love you Apple - and I hope you realize this part of your system is failing!!!!!! - 1 star, and here's why:
  
  1) It's way too hard for someone to find help through Apple's web page. Remember, it wasn't just me who couldn't find the fix - neither could Dawn or Trace.
  2) Apple's support process requires every customer to sit through a sales pitch when they are trying to solve a problem - one that, in this case, is 100% your fault. It's rubbing salt in wound and it's not good policy.
  3) The Apple support team is weak. Dawn has neither the knowledge to help, nor the concern for your customers. Trace was nice, and even knew of the problem - but didn't know how to fix it. Trent fixed it in a flash. In the end the fix was easy. Getting to it was a pain. Some percentage of Apple customers will never get to Trent and the easy fix - and they will be severely penalized for Apple's 4.9 upgrade problem.
  
  
• Horrible Time with My iPod
  By A3F6Y6CES1QJB9 on 2005-01-04
  I recently purchased my iPod and was extremely excited. I had researched a ton of different MP3 players online and I read consumer reviews before I made the purchase. I brought the iPod home and from the very beginning it has been trouble. I know that I am completely going against the grain, and there are a hundred success stories for every one failure (me), but I wish I had never purchased this thing! Today I spent three and a half hours on the phone with Apple's tech support (which by the way-they only allow one call for free and after that they charge for their tech support) and my iPod is still unusable. It turns on, my computer recognizes it, but it won't retrieve music from the iTunes on my computer. So, basically I spent about three hundred bucks on a fancy looking, metal box which I am going to have to spend more time on the phone (with tech support for a fee) to try to fix. The thing is brand new. I know that most people have had great success with the iPod, but I wish that I had read at least one negative about it before I bought it so that I might have been a bit more prepared for the battle I was about to endure. Good Luck!
  
  
• Please read this editorial before you purchase ANY iPod!! Don't do what I did and buy 2 that failed!
  By A3HCUYBTKERLBT on 2006-11-06
  Ok, so if you are the average consumer, such as myself, you probably have an mp3 player of some sort. If you own an Apple iPod, then you and I along with 58 million other unsuspecting consumers have been had. BIG TIME. I too fell into the trance of the white earbuds, but no longer will I remain an Apple lemur. I bought a 4th generation iPod and was so excited that I too was going to be sporting the ultimate in mp3 players!! Boy, was I STUPID!!! I commute to Boston on the commuter rail, which is about a forty-minute ride into town, switch to the subway for 10 minutes, and then walk to my building in about 3 minutes. I am not a runner so when I say walk it's a stroll. Nothing aggressive. After about 2 and ½ months with my new toy, the problems began. Freeze ups began to occur in the middle of playing songs.
  
  This happened everyday for a few months. I sought help from Apple at their website and performed all steps they suggest to get the iPod back on the straight and narrow. I reset it (lost all my music every time I did this), then a few months later I kept receiving a folder icon with exclamation point. I went back to the Apple website, in which I was a regular visitor, and followed their instructions for the new error (Put iPod into disk mode and reinstall the driver hardware). This happened on and off for the next few months along with the freezing thing. Then the biggie of all biggies started to happen after just one year of ownership. I got, what I thought was cute at the time, a picture of an iPod on my screen with a sad face telling me to contact Apple Support.
  
  I proceeded to contact an iPod specialist using the phone number provided by Apple. The first thing I heard that disgusted me was my 90-day warranty was up and now had to either buy an Apple Care plan for $99.00 and have support from them for two years or pay a $50 per incident fee. Immediately I asked why as it was to my understanding that iPod was covered for 1 year from the date of purchase. I was told that yes this was correct but phone support was 90 days only. If my iPod needed service, I would have to create an account on their website and issue a request for service. I was floored by the lack of help right from the get go. You get three months to have a problem with your brand new almost $300 dollar purchase, and then you are told go away to no -man's land and submit a request, because unless you pay $50 or $99.00, human contact is not an option.
  
  After steaming for a few moments, I realized I still had a broken iPod to fix. I proceeded to no-man's land and filled out my service request. I sent Apple my player and waited a couple of weeks for a response. Needless to say, I could have waited forever because the answer they gave was and still is unacceptable. My $299.00 technological marvel, my portable music librarian, my expensively priced modern convenience's hard drive had failed. I was out of warranty by a week or two. I inquired about the cost for repair. $268.40 to bring it back from the dead. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" I screamed into the poor person's unsuspecting ear on the phone. The tech said he gets that a lot and I proceeded to tell him I understood why people scream. He told me the best thing to do would be to buy another unit since the cost was comparable, in fact a bit cheaper at $249.00 and I would have a new updated unit. So, being a stupid sucker for punishment, I went out and spent $250 dollars on another 4th generation iPod. I intended to buy one as a gift for my boyfriend anyway for his birthday so this justified the purchase for me. I chalked up my lousy experience to a one-time glitch. Couldn't happen again type of thing. Well, guess what? Please read on...
  
  He started to commute to work and after leaving the iPod in the box for months, he decided now was the time to use his new gadget. He only used it when he walked the 1 mile to and from the subway stop to work. Total 2 miles a day, walking. Needless to say, 6 months of light use and I had another stupid, little, annoying iPod picture with its brainless sad face staring back at me. It was like looking at a kid who just broke an expensive vase and could do nothing but be sorry about it.
  
  This time, I thought I was going to get a bit of a break. After all, Apple opened up an Apple Store in a mall close to work. No need to send out the unit. I could get my painful diagnosis in person. So I make an appointment online, as you can't do that over the phone (you know they hate that human contact thing) and I show up to the "Genius Bar" to meet the iPod Genius. This guy had the T-shirt that said he was in fact an "iPod Genius". I hand over the little devil and he then proceeds to tell me what I already knew. HARD DRIVE FAILURE. I never really delved into why this cataclysmic event happened the first time with the tech guy from Apple regarding my unit, so, I figured after spending $600 on 2 products in a bid to help build Apple's employee retirement fund, I wanted some legitimate answers. I then proceed to ask the so called "iPod Genius" why this keeps happening, explaining that this is the second iPod I had purchased in a 2.5 year span and they BOTH did the same exact thing. He then went on to explain that it is a hard drive player and if it is jostled around too much, it eventually fails. He then pointed out a tiny little scratch it had received on the bottom back and said "this player took a fall. Once that happens, it's only a matter of time before failure occurs." I then explained that it may have fallen out of my hands once but it was at waist level and fell onto a kitchen floor. Hardly an abusive drop. I was not slamming the thing around like King Kong and neither was my boyfriend. The "Genius" then said that just stepping off the curb the wrong way when a song is playing or changing to another song will eventually cause hard drive failure. I then said to the "Genius" "It states on Apple's website that you can use iPod for exercise, it's a great workout companion. My boyfriend and I only WALKED with it and it got jostled enough to DIE?" So what you are telling me is you CANNOT run, walk, possibly talk, step off curbs (guess you have to float or fly), NEVER drop it, or move it around whatsoever because any or all of these events can jostle it and cause it to fail? So, stand perfectly still or pay $268.40 to repair it or $249.00 to buy a new one?" Of course, the "Genius" sat there dumbfounded and had no response.
  
  IS APPLE SERIOUS!!! What the H#&L kind of product are they selling to consumers? They market a portable product that needs rubber padding and a steel casing just to be able to use it. The "Genius" however, did offer me 10% off a purchase of another iPod with trade in of the old one. Did he really think I was going to fall into the white earphone trance for the third time? Apple should be ashamed of their business practices. But then again, why would they even care? People think mp3 the first thing they think of is iPod. EDUCATE YOURSELF!! Do the research and turn away from the light!! If the product that they sell is that sensitive, then it should be marketed accordingly with a statement such as: "product needs to be securely fastened to the wall for use." I am totally disgusted and of course Apple is of no help, as it would affect their bottom line. People please take my advice. Upgrade you phone to an mp3 player when your "upgrade time comes you can usually do this for WAY less than an iPod, check other companies such as Creative and iRiver for their players and only use Apple for what they should be used for. Making Pies!
  
  
• nothing dirty about ipods battery
  By A3IWAM2YQUCRJY on 2004-10-10
  This is primarily in response to the 1-star review complaing that "the ipod's battery will only last 18 months and is a conspiracy to make people buy new ipods". None of this is true! That web site was almost certainly paid for by Microsoft or one of Apple's other rivals.
  
  The 18-month thing comes from the idea that a lithium-ion battery typically lasts 300-500 charges. This is true of ALL lithium-ion batteries. So if you drained and charged your ipod EVERY SINGLE DAY, the battery might be dead after 18 months. This is not a remotely normal thing to do. For most people the battery will last at least 3 years, probably more.
  
  There is a somewhat valid complaint in that the battery can not be "easily" replaced. If you compare mp3 players it's easy to see why Apple did this - a removable battery would have added bulk to something that is highly streamlined to be as small as possible. If you look at other hard-drive based mp3 players, they're all at least double the size (if only in depth) as the iPod.
  
  Even if your battery DOES happen to die after 3 years, you CAN replace it! You can buy a 40$ battery online and follow simple instructions to replace it yourself (just type "ipod battery" into google). Or you can spend 100$ to have Apple replace the battery for you.
  
  If having a replacable battery is a big concern for you, then you should certainly look into buying a bigger mp3 player that you can carry in a bookbag or purse instead of in your pocket like the iPod.
  
  BTW: I highly recommend you research battery types on any portable digital device you buy. The way you use rechargable batteries determines how long they last, and if you educate yourself you can make sure your cell phone, camera, or iPod, lasts far longer than an abused one would.
  
  
• Nice to see Apple staff don't understand their products
  By A1WRYFWAH1IFO8 on 2004-11-11
  I love this machine. So far I've yet to put it down. It is one of the best MP3 players that I've come across - and I have met a lot.
  Now I did have my doubts, since the Ipod connects to your computer using firewire or USB 2.0. Whilst in San Francisco I popped into their apple shop and asked if it would work on a USB 1.1, as that is all my lowly laptop has. The man (of course it was a man - he looked at me in shock when I said the words "backwards compatible") said it would only work on a 2.0. Well I took the risk (it is such a beautiful machine) and low-and-behold, it works on USB 1.1. While it may not be as fast as USB 2.0, there is hope for all you Ipod fans who have yet to upgrade their USB ports.
  I am, however, very annoyed by the fact that Apple sales-people, who are meant to know the products, can tell people such rubbish.
  As for the Ipod itself, everyone else is pretty much on the mark - it is downright fantastic
  
  
• Ipods are good, if you want to be in the "in crowd"...
  By on 2005-02-14
  Standing like a complete fool in Best Buy, staring at mp3 players, i narrowed it down to four players within my price range. ipod 4g 20gb, Creative Zen Touch, Nomad Zen Xtra, and the ipod 4g 40gb. I finally chose the 20gb 4g ipod. I noticed that it had appeared more and more in my school, so I decided to purchase it. When getting home, i charged it, and read the instructions. That was the first hard thing. Too complicated. Next, I loaded the iTunes music program. Did it with ease(good job apple). When transfering songs from my cds to ipod, I struggled a little, but that didn't bother me. After spending 4 hours jammin to Snow Patrol (great band), my ipod was on its last legs for the first charge. This bothered me. Im that kind of person who listens to music alot, and I didn't enjoy it when my player went dead 1/3 of the way they said it would be. No problem, I can just charge it alot. Well, after 7 and a half months, my battery finally went copooee. My mom drove me over to the nearest apple store, and they changed my battery...for a price. $90 to change a lithium battery, wow! Is that how you get all of your money Apple!!!??? My mom was appalled by this, and charged me for the fee. After that little event, I decided, enough is enough, time to take action. I sold my ipod on ebay for $215.54 and walked over to Best Buy. I then selected the CREATIVE ZEN TOUCH Which had 24 HOUR BATTERY LIFE, and it was $50 cheaper. With a nice aluminium body, and a snazzy touch pad, I was satisfied. After 9 months, my Zen is still going strong, and i don't have to pay a huge fine for changing the battery. Ipods are good if you want to impress your friends, but if you want satisfaction, go for the Zen. Take that Apple!
  
  
• The Complete iPod Review
  By AV2NMN7YSQ2GF on 2005-03-17
  **UPDATES**
  
  *(4-28-05)- Contrary to what new reviews state, you CAN delete songs off your iPod. Wonder how..? It's so simple. Connect the iPod to the computer, once it shows up on the left navigation panel, click on it and it will display your songs. Click the song(s) you wish to delete, and press the delete key. Poof, gone!
  Simple as that.
  ****************************************
  I recently purchased an iPod and I am glad to say I am thus very satisfied with it. The aspects of the iPod I will be reviewing are sound quality, equipment, ease of use, accesories, and my satisfaction with it.
  
  1. Sound Quality (5/5)
  
  *First off, I got my iPod and charged it for four hours, after that, I installed the firmware and loaded on all my songs. After that, I listened to them with the white headphones that came with the iPod. To my amazement, the sound quality was superb; even better than my Sony M-Models (which are great)! The sound is very crisp and clear, so this aspect gets a 5/5.
  
  2. Equipment (4/5)
  
  *The iPod comes with a basic starters kit, everything you need to get started: an AC Adapter to charge it, a Firewire cable for the Mac user and a USB cable for Windows users to use. Along with this comes an installation disc, stock Apple headphones and cotton earphone covers. The earphones produce great sound quality, the firewire cable plugs into the AC Adapter as well as a 4-6 pin firewire port. Otherwise, the USB Port is used for Windows. The transfer speeds with the USB is amazingly fast, transferring 500 songs in a little under 6 minutes. The only thing I was dissapointed with was the lack of instructions in the users manual, but otherwise this is a great aspect in the product. Since the dock nor case was included with this generation of iPod, this field is not to its greatest potential.
  
  3. Ease of Use (5/5)
  
  *Nothing much to say here: very easy to install, just pop in the disc and follow the instruction. It takes 5 minutes to set it up and start ripping songs. This gets a 5/5.
  
  4. Accesories (5/5)
  
  *If you're like me and don't like 'abusing' your iPod, then buy it some accesories. I would recommend getting a case or an iSkin, and the Griffin iTrip FM reciever for a bit more fun. There are loads of accesories, but I recommend the Apple dock. 5/5 on all the options. I highly recommend a case since it scratches extremely easily, I put it in my jeans the first day and the LCd looks scratched (and it is too).
  
  Battery Life: To tell it to you straight, I do not know one iPod user who HAS had battery problems. Here is how the real battery meter works, since the iPod battery meter is misleading. The battery lasts about an hour with the full icon. It then lasts about 2 hours on the 70-80%. It lasts about 3 hours on 60% and an hour on 40%. At 20% its about 1 hour and at 10%, it can easily last 2 or 3 more hours. The battery life is at least 10 hours with the backlight off at 60% volume and about 6 hours with it on.
  
  The Problems: People on this site say they have problems with the iPod, but it is honestly not the iPod's fault. Let me explain. Either their iPod is used on an incompatible operatins system or they haven't followed proper instructions on the disc. The iPod is only compatible with Windows 2000 ME and XP. It works on all Macs, so Mac people can just plug and play. Windows users cannot just plug and play: they need to install the software on the disc. DO NOT format it with the Windows formatter, it WILL mess up the iPod. When you pop in the disc, follow instructions and don't decided to skip a step. When you reboot the computer, REMOVE the iPod and plug it in when the computer starts. This can be a problem for many that don't know. Anyways, after everything is done, simply plug the iPod into the USB and let iTunes open. Depending on your computer, this should take about 30 seconds. Then simply drag files to the iPod or start ripping CD's.
  
  Another problem people with a new iPod tend to have is not payint attention to the iPod. When it is plugged in to iTunes, do not disconnect it. After you press the eject button on iTunes taskbar, wait until the do not disconnect sign disappears off the iPod. If not, it is bad, it might damage your HDD.
  
  The warranty is here for a reason people. If somehow your iPod does not work from the beginning, register your iPod and SEND IT BACK. Apple will replace it or fix it. Simple as that.
  
  The iPod is compatible with every format of music file EXCEPT Windows Media File (WMV). Why, you ask? Probably since it is adopted by competitors like Napster and Microsoft. Oh well, you can always use the ever-so-popular MP3, AAC (which I recomment because Apple Lossless [AAC] means you lose no quality from the CD version you just burned). Though, you can always convert your WMV files with programs like Winamp.
  
  Another problem iPod users encounter is losing their music. The thing is, you have Auto-Sync on and you think that since the music is on your iPod, you can delete it from the computer since its taking up valuable space. Then next time its plugged, everything is gone. How to fix this? Easy, disable auto-sync and enable manual sync. Just uncheck the auto-sync box when you install the iPod. Trust me, it will save you time and frustration. To keep track of which songs you need to put on the iPod, create a playlist in iTunes and store the latest songs there. After they are loaded into the Pod, delete them and keep updating and loading and so on.
  
  Why the 20GB iPod is the best choice: The 20GB iPod is the best choice for anyone for multiple reasons. First off, the space will serve you well in the long run. You can get anywhere from 3700 songs to 5000 depending on how big your files are encoded. The elegant, sleek, and thin look makes it very professional and the battery life and portability make it even better. The price is just right for many peoples budget and you get a player to impress yourself and your friends.
  
  The Conclusion: I am very satisfied with what Apple has given me. For 300 dollars (284 at the moment, thanks to Amazon's sale), you get a very sturdy MP3 player with loads of space, great sound quality, and a very elegant look. Sure it has a few downsides, like the easy ability to get scratched, but nothing is perfect. The only problems you might have are probably your own fault. If you thoroughly read my review, I guarantee you that you are set to go. I HIGHLY recommend the iPod to you.
  
  Total Rating:
  
  Total Available Points: 20
  Scored Points: 19/20
  Percentage Grade: 95%
  Grade Letter: A
  
  Peace Out Everyone,
  Serge A.
  
  
• The saga of the iPod
  By A1NI6HYSZFWN5N on 2006-05-03
  I recieved an iPod for Christmas last year. I loved it. It was with me all the time, my constant connection to music. However, we made the mistake of not buying the extended warranty, assuming that a popular product such as this would not be faulty and die on us.
  
  I used my iPod for a year, and it worked fairly well, despite a few annoying freeze-ups. However, two weeks after the expiration of my warranty, my iPod died.
  
  I called customer service, and was helped by someone who took me through the same step over and over again, not helping at all. He then told me that I should give up and buy a new iPod. Some customer service, huh? I used my skills of rhetoric to convince the man's supervisor to sell me a replacement iPod for the price of fixing the iPod itself. This was only because my family, with three iPod owners, has sunk a lot of money into iPods alone.
  
  So they sent me my "new" iPod (it turned out to be refurbished, but that didn't matter much to me), and I was happy again with my iPod back in action. However, after only three months of use, my iPod crashed once again. This time, I didn't have any warranty at all, as Apple didn't allow me to buy any warranty on this iPod.
  
  And that is how I got to this point. My iPod is broken, I'm stuck having to pay for a new one, and I'm warning all of you against buying the iPod.
  
  
• Great product, but 2 units stopped working after a week
  By A1D4PCO0MFQRU4 on 2004-09-15
  I really have a bad luck with this product. First, I bought the 3rd gen. 2 weeks after that, the 4th gen came out, and I replaced the 3rd with a 4th. The first 4th gen unit had the following problem: it stopped playing songs after 2-3 seconds. I returned this one to Amazon, and they sent me a replacement unit. The replacement unit stopped working yesterday. It displays a folder icon with an exclamation mark, and the HD makes those "clicks" like dead HDs usually make.
  
  I am desparate. I really like the product, but maybe they just screwed up with the 4th gen...
  
  Amazon has always given me great service throghout the process - I love these guys!
  
  
• Why?
  By A26VWV5D4HHXWG on 2005-03-03
  There is no reason in the world why you would want to buy such a substandard project. I hate these stupid things so much. I have owned and used five of them, and five out of five times they broke, and Apple would not repair them, for any fee. How did they break, you might ask? Beats me. Sure, I might have dropped them once or twice, as would be expected with anything that you're out and about with, but even before that, they would freeze up randomly, be glitchy, mess up, slow down for no reason and a bunch of other annoying crap.
  
  By "be glitchy" I mean that it would, for no reason at all, go through my entire playlist by playing a few seconds of one song and uncontrollably switch to the next, and just keep doing this. Some songs in MP3 format it simply would not play, and even though it appears as a drive in My Computer in Windows, dragging and dropping will mess everything up. No songs will play when you do this, and the songs you just added won't appear.
  
  Furthermore, converting all your music to their ridiculous format will drive you insane. It takes forever, doubles the space your music collection occupies on your hard drive, and will frequently make doubles of all your songs for no reason, in the Apple music format. I once had triplicates, and even quadruplicates of songs, appearing one after another. Even worse, the player itself is annoyingly slow, with noticeable delays when skipping from one song to the next.
  
  The headphones are also not only horrifically bad, but dangerous to your health. I'm serious. Any bass at all will cause them to fall apart, and occasionally, the headphones will release electricity directly into your inner ear. I have been shocked MANY times by iPods, and man, is it frustrating, annoying, and painful! It makes me want to STEAL another one, and rip it apart, chip-by-chip.
  
  The Last Straw:
  
  I had gone through four frickin iPods. For once, I thought, let this last one work! Sure, it was working fine until now, still slow and annoying and still a trendy, trendy iPod. I was just listening to some nice, relaxing music before I went to sleep once, and the thing, like all the others before it, just froze and could not be turned off because THERE IS NO POWER BUTTON. You have to hold down the "Play" button to turn it off, and hard resets will not work when the unit becomes locked up, which it will frequently. God I hate iPods. They're also more expensive than their far better competitors, and even if you're using it with the light off, the battery barely makes it past eight hours, which is NOTHING if you're listening to music as much as I am.
  
  I don't even know how to elaborate any more. I've had to go to thesaurus.com just to find synonyms for the word "bad" to avoid being redunant. Clearly, i'm not an anti-Apple troll, because i've had FIVE of them, and they all were frustrating, expensive, and CRAP!
  
  Get a Zen Touch instead, or stick with CDs. This kind of frustration isn't worth the time or money.
  
  
  
  P.S. All the 3rd party gadgets that let you stream music off your iPod onto your radio player, plug it into your car, and play songs as a radio station will work absolutley FINE with any other MP3 player on the market.
  
  
• The Software Interface from Hades
  By A5KX3IQ0F0FM4 on 2005-06-12
  This is my 3rd iPod 20GB unit .. won't even begin to address the problems with the first two, except to say most (not all!) problems have been related to the software. This third one works fine, except for one small detail .. every time I try to add songs from an updated iTunes, I get a message saying "...this iPod needs to be reformatted for use on your PC. Check the update button..." which then forces only one option .. a complete reformat of the unit. In other words, if I have 1000 songs loaded on the iPod and wish to add 2 more, the required protocol is to completely erase the existing 1000 songs and then upload 1002!! Again, this happens EVERY time, even if the next update attempt happens immediately after the previous one is concluded.
  What an overpriced piece of junk! Fortunately, I have 2 other MP3 players .. a Creative Zen 5 GB Micro and an iRiver 1 GB 899 flash player, both of which are outstanding and are BUTTER SMOOTH when it comes to software interfaces. My plan for this iPod is to just leave it as is and use it as a "jukebox"; i.e., just keep the same songs on there and use it as a traveling automobile player. The iPod is great as long as you already have songs loaded on it and have to connect it to your PC as little as possible.
  
  

• Apple iTunes Prepaid Card ($15)
• Belkin Case for iPod 3G (Clear)
• Griffin White iTrip FM Transmitter for iPod
• Apple Earbuds (White with Gray Earbuds)
• Apple Stereo Connectivity Kit for iPod (White)

• iSnug iPod Armband
• Apple iPod nano 4 GB Silver (3rd Generation)
• Apple 30 GB iPod AAC/MP3 Video Player Black (5.5 Generation)
• Apple iPod classic 80 GB Black (6th Generation)
• Apple iPod nano 2 GB Silver (2nd Generation)