Apple iPod Video 60 GB Black MA147LL/A (5th Generation) Reviews

• Greatest music player, with video too!

  
  By A1JUBRIZMO0RJV on 2005-10-15
  The iPod first appeared four years ago, and the features continue to grow, with each update.
  
  The iPod with video playback was introduced on October 13, 2005. However, one should not necessarily consider this player a video player, but a great iPod music player, with video capabilities as a fantastic bonus. Nevertheless, the iPod with video playback is the most capable and feature-rich iPod ever produced by Apple.
  
  I have owned the 60 gig iPod with video playback, for several days now, and I continue to be impressed. Its physical appearance, quality, craftsmanship, and the wide array of features are keeping me entertained!
  
  Video Playback - The iPod plays back H264 and MPEG4 encoded video. The iPod's new display is larger than ever at 2.5 inches, giving it a resolution of 320x240. What video content can you play on your iPod? This area is limited, at least currently. You can buy music videos on iTunes at $1.99 per song, which will play beautifully on the iPod. Furthermore, Apple has made available select television shows, for download on iTunes. They cost $1.99 per episode, for titles including ABC's hits Lost and Desperate Housewives. You can also watch the episodes you purchase on your computer. If you want to put some of your own video, onto your iPod, you will need to use an application such as QuickTime Pro to convert the video to the specific requirements to play on the iPod. You can also find video podcasts, which will play on the new iPod. Even if you do not plan to view video on the new iPod, its primary purpose is to be used as the world's best music player. You can still benefit from the beautiful new display, for it will help you find your favorite music faster, and you can view the album art that accompanies your music.
  
  Size of new iPod - Does the picture of the new iPod make it appear larger to you? Well, it did to me. The iPod looked wider, in the photos I saw. However, it is not. The height and width of the iPod are identical to the previous generation iPod with click wheel. The only change in dimensions is the depth. The new iPod is actually thinner than what came before it! Yes, even this 60 gig is thinner than the previous 20 gig photo model. What does all this mean? The iPod continues get smaller, making it even easier to carry.
  
  Capacity - This 60 gig iPod has room, for a lot of entertainment. With storage, for up to 15,000 songs, 25,000 photos, or 150 hours of video. The great thing I love about my 60 gig iPod is that my music, photos, and video only take up about 15 gigabytes. However, I use the additional space to backup data, from my computer. This is incredibly helpful, and could be a real saver, if something happened to your computer. See, the iPod functions as an external hard drive, so you can backup all sorts of data. Furthermore, with the video capabilities on the new iPod, you may find yourself needing the extra space that this 60 gig iPod provides.
  
  New Software Features - Apple has added features, to the new iPod besides video support. First, they have a clock feature, which quickly allows you to view the time, in up to four different time zones simultaneously. Furthermore, there is a stop watch, and a screen lock, which you can enable to keep people from snooping on your calendar and/or contacts.
  
  Battery - The battery life is one of the most important specifications that you, as an iPod user, are going to care about. This 60 gigabyte iPod sports a battery that will last up to 20 hours, when playing only music. Also note that repeatedly changing songs manually, and turning on the backlight will use up your battery considerably faster. Furthermore, the iPod's battery lasts a maximum of three hours, when playing back video. This version of the iPod no longer includes an adapter to charge the iPod, at an electrical outlet. You will have to buy that adapter separately, or always charge the iPod via USB 2.0. The charging works fine, from your computer's USB 2.0, but if you're traveling you might want the ability to charge, with the adapter. Also note that the iPod no longer supports syncing via firewire cable. You will have to use USB 2.0.
  
  Mac or PC? This iPod works beautifully with either a Mac or PC. The iPod syncs your contacts, video, and music via the iTunes software.
  
  Podcasting - The iPod continues to support podcasting. Podcasts are internet radio broadcasts, and there are thousands covering nearly every subject imaginable, and more are coming out every day. Podcasts are quickly becoming popular content on iPods around the world. Check them out, for this iPod supports Podcasts out of the box. There are also video podcasts, so with the new iPod, you will be able to watch video podcasts, on the iPod's display.
  
  Appearance - The iPod is beautiful, but the back's chrome finish is prone to scratches, and the screen can become scratched as well. It is a very good idea to protect the back of the iPod and the screen in some way. There are many cases and protectors out there, and you will surely find something you like. The new iPod is available in a black or white finish. The black color is quickly becoming the most popular, but the white iPod is still the signature color. Do note that the black may show fingerprints and scratches more than the white iPod, much as a black car shows these blemishes more than a lighter colored car. Apple is including a small sleeve-type case, with this iPod, to help you keep it in good condition.
  
  Audiobooks - I'm always using my iPod, to listen to audiobooks. You can store literally hundreds of audiobooks on here that you buy from iTunes, or Audible. The iPod even has a feature that can slow down or speed up the reading of the audiobook, so that you hear it at just the right pace.
  
  Output - The iPod connects to your PC or Mac via the dock connector at the bottom of the unit. You will connect the included cable, to the computer via a USB 2.0 port. Furthermore, accessories are being made that will also connect to the bottom dock port, and you may purchase Apple's Universal iPod dock, for easy syncing to your computer. The dock (available separately) also includes s-video output, so you can show off slideshows and video, on a television. There are also iPod A/V cables available that allow composite video and audio output, for connecting your iPod to your television. This might interest you, not only to display slideshows on a television, but also to display TV shows or music videos on a television, which you purchased from iTunes.
  
  Value - This 60 gigabyte iPod is priced at $399, which is a great value. It provides a huge amount of storage space, and more features than ever.
  
  Overall, this is another excellent product from Apple Computer. The design is elegant, simple, and intuitive. It will provide hours of entertainment and convenience. Enjoy your iPod experience.
  
  

• I actually DO have one

  
  By A2AEZQ3DGBBLPR on 2005-10-22
  Unlike a lot of reviewers who post reviews on a product they've never seen or held (Apple Stores were told they wouldn't get theirs until the end of October--per Charlotte NC store) ----- I actually have one.
  
  I ordered mine on Oct 12, and it arrived Oct 20. I of course ordered the 60GB device.
  
  It was easy to swap out my old 40 GB device with this new one. I'd previously installed the new iTunes and the iPod software version 10-12-05 that I'd downloaded. It was plug in, register, and download. (And I had to swap cables on my dock***.)
  
  Some observations:
  
  The screen is very bright when you turn the backlight on and leave it on, it's very dim if you don't (probably how they get the stated 20 hour battery life).
  
  ***No more Firewire connections. I was sad to see that, as the Firewire connection saved me from getting a new USB hub.
  
  The Holy Grail is video here...however, converting it to iPod standards isn't easy. I have a lot of DiVX video, to which the QuickTime Converter isn't up to recognizing, much less converting. Forget about 3rd party converters that you already own, it seems the iPod only wants Apple-converted video. But rest assured, there are software developers frantically scrambling to solve this. I have a couple of beta converters I found, but with very mixed results. I'd give it a couple of weeks then good software will be available for converting video to the iPod.
  
  The sound is as good as ever, no worries there.
  
  It has the same width and height as my 40GB iPod, so your cases should fit nicely, and maybe a similar thickness to the old 10/20 GB iPods. It fits in my auto transmitter/charger, but I have to slightly angle it back as I'm inserting it to hit the dock squarely.
  
  All in all, the video situation was disappointing, but with lots of money at stake, it will get worked out by all these 3rd party developers. I did manage to get a couple very short preexisting QuickTime videos converted successfully to the iPod standard, so I know it DOES play video - the problem is just the conversion process. Not necessarily Apple's fault, except that their video standard is maybe a little too rigid.
  
  
  

• Apple doesn't stand by it's product

  
  By A1Z4E5801S7RHA on 2005-11-28
  amazing what 2 months can do...if i'd left this feedback when i first got my ipod, it would've been 5 stars just like everybody else. i loved it. Now, 14 months later, i wish i could get my $300 back. Apple idea of tech support is to charge you $50 just to ask your question, then they have no repair department, so you're issued a new ipod for $300. That's a little bit off, because you do get 1 FREE call to apple in the first month....WOOOPEEE!!!!! And after that first year, forget it, they might as well laugh at you on the phone. My ipod wasn't mistreated, in fact, i babied it. wasn't dropped, didn't get wet, left in cold, and of those scenarios they throw at you. Then on that 14th month, it's quit. And i'm not talking about the usual problem Apple claims which is battery loss(yes this is a major issue and another $50), but quit as in doesn't want to work. When i contacted Apple, i was told that it would cost me $50 to talk to tech. Then they told me that no matter what the problem was, if i were to send it in it would cost $300 to "repair". i will NEVER purchase another Apple product, i've never seen a company care so little about their product after so short a time, my loss, hopefully you're gain. Just shows that they knew their product was junk and that's why they put such a tight "warranty"(if you can call it that) on the product. my advice, DO NOT BUY!!! all these 5 star rating customers will find out in about a year just how 5 star this company is.
  
  

• READ before you spend your money AGAIN

  
  By A16GOWC28H3FSI on 2005-11-12
  I went to my local Best Buy today after reading the reviews, and almost bought one. BUT, then I came to my senses.
  
  Let's see, I purchased the 20 gig Ipod, then the 40, then the 60. Then I had to buy another 60 gig cuz the screen on my first got crushed (totally my fault). Was happy again for the most part, but had some problems with the video screen darkening (which I never had on any of the previous) and Apple was not at all helpful. So I went on, enjoying my music, but not my screen and then the Nano and Photo come out. Someone bought me the Nano as a gift, but I decided to buy the Photo because I am a photographer (amateur, but...).
  
  And now, Apple wants me to spend another hefty chunk of cash to buy the video Ipod. Well, it looks great, sounds great, and love the black case, BUT......
  
  I refuse to spend anymore money until they get it right. I am tired of having to dish out a few hundred dollars every 6 months or so to get their new product that does basically the same thing as the previous version.
  
  I am going to wait 6 months or a year or however long until they get it right. An Ipod that continues to play music, shows photos, plays video (for longer than 3 hours, I mean c'mon), has all the normal cables and hookups and software, doesn't scratch with the slightest bump (or comes with a protective case that works). And something that is UPGRADABLE would be nice.
  
  At this point, Apple is starting to look like Microsoft. They know they have the most popular product, so they feel they can just keep releasing new versions every few months and people will keep spendingthe money toreplace the perfectly good version they had before, for an inferior upgrade. Well, not me. Get a stable platform, with upgrade capability, and a decent battery life, and no constant extra cost for me and I will be happy to buy, but until then, this is getting stupid.
  
  Imagine if you had to do this with your TV, your Microwave, your Clock Radio and every other electronic device you own. You couldn't afford it and you would say no. Say no to Apple until they get the product right.
  
  They make great stuff, but this is getting stupid.
  
  Just my opinion. I am not a paid Apple employee like some of the reviewers on here.
  
  
  
  

• I love my iPod but.....

  
  By APTWDK936VYNY on 2006-01-13
  Actually I give the iPod itself a 5, but give Apple a 1 for how they supplied and distributed the iPod. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy on their part.
  
  I received my iPod video for Christmas. I love it. It does everything Apple says it will do. However, there are some things you should know before you buy one.
  
  Note: I have a computer with Windows XP, and this review is based on my experiences using a Windows based computer. I am reviwing the 60 GB version.
  
  1. Apple provides almost no documentation with the iPod. If you want to read the owners manual you have to download it from their website or from Amazon.com. Even then, the owners manual doesn't give a whole lot of detail on things like converting video to a format which will be playable on the iPod. You have to visit the online help section of the Apple website.
  
  2. The iPod doesn't come with all of the software necessary to connect it to your computer. The iPod does come with a special version of iTunes, BUT it does not come with the proper version of Quicktime - you need version 7 to run the iTunes software they provide. You have to download this from their website too. When I did the download, I was visiting my folks and had to use their dial up internet access to download Quicktime 7 - this took 2.5 hours.
  
  Another thing, when you install Quicktime 7 it also installs a version of iTunes. - This is important - This version of iTunes is NOT the correct version required to run the iPod. Once you install Quicktime 7, you need to install the iTunes software provided WITH the iPod afterwards. The Apple website erroneously indicates that the iTunes downloaded with Quicktime 7 is the latest version of iTunes - not true - The iTunes supplied with the iPod is the true latest version. I tried to connect my iPod to the computer using the incorrect version of iTunes and the iPod froze completely which brings me to my next criticism.
  
  3. There is no way to re-set the iPod when it freezes like mine did. The screen stayed lit and the "Do Not Disconnect" message stopped flashing. When my laptop freezes up, if nothing else works, I can always remove the battery. Not so with the iPod. The battery is inaccessible. If you need to get a new battery, the owners manual says you have to ship your iPod to Apple, and pay about $ 60 to replace your battery. Also, Apple says that when your iPod comes back with the new battery, all of your music, videos and pictures will be gone. You will have to re-load them all again. It also (helpfully) says to make a backup of your files before you send it in. I had to wait for the battery to run out before I could try again.
  
  4. Apple doesn't supply a recharger with this iPod. Unlike previous iPods Apple cheaped out on supplying a recharger. You can recharge the iPod through the USB port on your computer, however this is not helpful on the road unless you happen to have a laptop or other access to a computer. Apple will sell you a recharger for $30.00, and according to several customer reviews on the Apple website, the recharger doesn't come with the proper connecting cord. Apparently this costs another $20.00
  
  5. The iPod software doesn't come equipped to convert video files into a form which will play on the iPod. The Apple website says you need to upgrade to Quicktime 7 PRO for another $ 30.00. According to Apple Quicktime 7 PRO "easily converts video files". NOT TRUE - While Quicktime 7 PRO may convert some files, it does not convert "muxed" video files which I learned later from the Apple website (after I purchased Quicktime 7 PRO), that it will not convert "muxed" video. FYI "muxed" video is when your video and audio are integrated into one data stream. A search of the internet led me to the Ulead website. They sell a product called Intervideo CD Copy 4 Platinum, which will rip video from your home DVD's and convert them to a format suitable for the iPod video. However, the software costs $79.00 - you can download a free trial version. I ended up buying the software and it works fine. Buying Quicktime 7 PRO was a total waste of my $ 30.00
  
  Other - Apple's website is geared towards Macintosh users. The video conversion section assumes you own a Mac. All of the screenshot examples they provide are for a Mac. If you use a Windows based computer, you are basically on your own.
  
  Fortunately, I know quite a bit about computers and was, after some time to play around, able to figure out how to easily download music, video and pictures into the iPod - One word of warning - I strongly recommend that you set all of the download options to MANUAL. If you don't, the iPod will sync with your computer automatically, and if you have deleted music, video or pictures from your hard drive OR connect the iPod to multiple computers (as I do), you will find your music, video and pictures get deleted from the iPod. Setting to manual avoids the deletions. There are some minor clunks to the software too. I have been including album cover art with my music. Most of the time, the iPod diplays the cover art when I play my music, on occasion though it indicates that a picture has been added for the song, it won't display the picture on the screen. I think this is somehow related to the information line for the Album description. If this is blank or there are many albums entered at once for the same picture, it seems to get confused and not display the picture. In each case, playing around seems to have gotten the picture to show, although, I am not exactly sure which step seems to resolve the problem.
  
  All in all I love my iPod. I am now fairly adept at using the software and can download music, video and pictures easily (and without deleting them). If you are a novice at using a computer, you may find it very difficult to use and learn the software. While the iPod itself is easy to use once loaded, if you are getting one of these for someone who is not comfortable with a computer you might want to load it up for them.
  
  Also the iPod is a delicate mechanical hard drive. If you have very young children you might want to keep it out of their curious little hands - and don't drop it.
  
  I hope that a piece of equipment this complex will last for many years.
  
  Apple is not behaving in a customer friendly manner. They look like a company trying to squeeze every cent from their customer base. Raw greed is not becoming. Apple can get away with this right now, because they have the only player with these capabilities. You have to buy from them right now and they know it. They have a monopoly on players with all of the iPod features. Like Microsoft they are alienating their customers. Once a suitable competitor for the iPod comes along, Apple will be forced to make changes to how they market and package the iPod. As they will lose some of their customer base. It is marketing 101 that you want your customers to feel good about your company. Right now, I have a very low opinion of Apple, based on their money grubbing attitude. They make a really neat player, but don't treat their customers very well. This will come back to haunt them I'm afraid.
  
  
• Reassurance on the scratches
  By AIJ35J53R6XV6 on 2005-11-30
  I have the white 60 GB ipod video and my husband has the black. We purchased about 3 weeks ago. We both love it.
  
  Feedback on watching video: There has been much feedback on the product not being a good option for video. I do not have the flexibility in my schedule to watch TV. I bought the entire second season of Desperate Houswives (8 episodes at the time of writing this review) and watched it on the ipod. The clarity and experience was amazing. The video quality is exceptional. I can watch during my ride to work or at any point when I have about 15 minutes to spare. The ipod memory feature picks up at the point where I stopped watching when I click on the episode. Fun! For me, it works very well as a video device too.I have ripped my workout DVDs to the ipod. I bought the TV connector. No more excuses not to work out when I am traveling.
  
  Scratching: Neither my husband's nor mine are scratched yet. Please dont be scared to buy because of the feedback on the product being prone to scratches. I was concerned because I read this. All it takes is a little extra care - I keep it in the pouch as far as possible.
  
  The only flip side - the battery life is not 20 hours. Mine runs out of charge much faster (about half this). But then I use the back lighting a lot even when listening to music because I have loaded album art or pics of the artist in lieu of boring album art and I still cannot get over staring at the awesome screen when listening to songs
  
  Edited after a few more weeks since buying to say - Still no scratches! I recently picked up up a skin with a lanyard (available in Asia). Even wothout the skin, we had both managed to keep our heavily used ipods scratch free though.
  
  
  
  
• pretty much a cynical rip off for the money
  By A2B4JDEIT6O17V on 2005-10-27
  this video unit very swiftly followed on the heels of the photo ipod which clearly was aimed at maximising sales for folks who wanted to put digital photos/power point presentations etc on an ipod, presenting them with another three-four hundred photo/video unit after they'd just bought a threee-four hundred dollar unit. After barely three months the photo ipod is now effectively discontinued and being discounted. I initially got a 60 GB photo which I discovered is incompatible - its just too thick for the docking station - with the new Altec Lansing IM 7 - after establishing said incompatibility with Apple (obviously Altec's fault - not Apple's) I discovered that the new 60GB (slightly thinner) video was just about to be launched so I swapped my photo for a video only to discover Apples cynical exploitation continues. I was very unimpressed with the video ipod, the screen would have scratched very quickly and does according to many reviews, unlike the photo which happily is more durable, there was no mains adapter, none of the peripherals I have like iTalk work, you have to buy the new universal dock at fourty dollars a pop to make some features work. The better (20 hours) battery life is only for the 60GB, another deliberate cynical ploy. The video/battery capability is seemingly pretty limited as regards watching films longer than 100 mins or so. I dont really see the point of watching vacuous mtveee type music videos on such a small unit - but each to their own. As for the limited TV series drivel currently on the itunes PPV web site, enoough said!! I originally had a 4th gen 40GB which was big enough for my 5000+ songs. Each time they update the ipod they take something away from the package. This time with the video they've taken virtually everything away, no dock, no adapter, no peripherals, and added the crappiest thinnest case you could imagine which wont really protect the unit long term. Unless very small screen video is really tremendously important to you and you're happy spending two dollars on each music video/populist tv shows thus far offered buy the photo ipod and save fifty dollars and get a much better deal with a screen that will not scratch so easily and wont be such a problem even if it does scratch up a bit. I use mine exclusively as a music/audio player and now have a second photo ipod after swapping out my new vidoe player. I found the video player took thirty mins or so longer to download the exact same number of songs that my photo ipods took. And I can still record speech/memos etc on my ipod, use an fm transmitter on the car stereo. Its funny how generally speaking the media just lap up whatever apple do and never seem to criticise the (to me) cynical plethora of products, many of which if you have a reasonable music collection are worthless, 1GB or less of music recorded at at least 192kbs to ensure reasonable play back sound is to me a waste of money and effort. If you buy decent headphones - at the very least Shure E3's or better, owning a 60 GB ipod is an expensive toy. Doubtless Apple will sooner or later launch yet another expensive video ipod update, presumably enough folks will want the kudos of having the latest model so Apple's profits will continue. Hopefully if this cynical product exploitation continues increasingly folks will begin to see through this creeping corporate cynicism. I make this observation as a free market loving Republican. I suppose as a proud non gamer and older geezer, with nothing but contempt for the vacuous mtveee and its ilk this product is not really aimed at me. My music ipod is still by far and away the finest and most cherished toy I have ever owned.
  
  
• Yes I Have This One, & With VIDEO, Now It's Worth It!
  By A3IF5BJFPH8OG5 on 2005-11-05
  I got mine alittle over a week ago directly from Apple. (Sorry Amazon, but it's the same price, + free laser engraving & shipping) I HAD bought the iPod 60GB photo for about a week, but as soon as I saw these new ones coming out, I sold the photo on ebay and bought the 60GB video in black. I got the new one for 3 main reasons: 1: The iPod is finally in BLACK! 2: It's thinner = more portability. 3: Yes, it plays video. Now these reasons are listed in order. I didn't get this new one just for the video. I got it as a music player first and a video player second (or third).
  
  First off, since it's the new feature, lets talk about the video. The video quality is excellent! (considering that the screen is only 320x240 pixel) I say this from putting my OWN videos on it, meaning videos that weren't downloaded from iTunes. $1.99 isn't too bad a price for a music video or an episode of a TV series, but at the same time, most of the music videos and TV series episodes they offer aren't everybodies can of beer! (I don't care for Lost and especially Desperate Housewives...unless the 4 women did the show nude!) All I did was rip the DVD of a TV series or whatever I want, then transcode it into a format that the ipod can read, and Presto! Now I know while your reading this your thinking, "If I get this iPod, how can I put my favorite stuff on it the way this guy is talking about?" No problem, I'll tell you!
  
  First, if you want to get a movie or a TV show off a DVD, chances are it's probably CSS encrypted. (Pretty much any movie or TV series DVD you buy at any store) To rip these type of DVD's into a video file, you'll have to get a DVD ripping program that can decrypt CSS. You can find a number of them online for free or cost alittle $ to download. My experience, most of the freeware ones can't rip any decent quality video, so you'll probably have to shell out afew bucks to get a decent one. I had already downloaded one called AoA DVD Ripper afew months ago for about $25 or $30. (Do a google or yahoo search to find the site) It does a really good job of ripping the DVD's and the video/audio quality is great. (Especially using the DivX 6 codec) Next, you'll need to transcode the video file into a format the ipod can read. (Go to apple's website for video specifications) I already had Quicktime 7 Pro, which comes with a setting to save videos it can open to the proper format. I tried using it; it took an hour just to convert 5% of the video! It was only a 22 minute video! WAY TOO LONG A CONVERSION TIME! (would have taken almost a day!) So I went searching online for another program that would do this faster. I found a freeware program called Videora iPod Converter. (Again, do a Yahoo search to find the download site) It comes with a number of options and it does a great (and fast) job of converting the video to the right format. TIP: When using this program, ONLY certain video settings can be used for the converted video to work on the ipod. Check the forum of the website you download this program from to see what other settings people have tried to get it working. It may seem like a lot of trouble, but if you want to be able to watch certain videos, it isn't that bad once you get everything set up. (It only took me a total of 30 minutes to put an episode of Chappelle Show on my iPod using the process I described above!)
  
  Now that the video is out of the way...The sound of the ipod is excellent. I read somewhere that they also fixed 3 minor sound bugs that were present in the earlier versions of iPod. (Another bonus) Overall, there isn't too much more new about the new ipod besides what I talked about. One drawback that people have mentioned, but hasn't affected me; the 4 prong connection that was on top next to the headphone jack is gone. So if you already have ipod accessories that use them, tough luck, they won't work on the new one. They'll be coming out with accessories to replace the older ones sometime though that exclusively use the dock connector on the bottom. (Already have in some cases) Also, if you don't like using iTunes to transfer music to your iPod, there's a program out there called Anapod made by Red Chair Software. It integrates into Windows Explorer and just drag and drop! Has a lot of cool/handy features, and they just put a new version out that supports the new ipod! (Namely transferring video) It costs about $25 -$30 depending on which version you get. Well worth it though, I think. Hope this review helped you out!
  
  
• Scratch magnetic, fragile
  By A26I8OUO57P8Y3 on 2006-03-24
  Sound quality is OK, not the best, not the worst.
  Pro:
  Look nice
  Sound better than other cheap mp3 players
  Big and vibrant color screen
  Slim
  Wheel click
  
  Con:
  Shiny face, chrome back-plate scratches extremely easy.
  Fragile, once dropped, kiss $150 goodbye for repair
  Non removeable battery
  No "standard" accessories like AC charger or a case
  
  I bought 3 cases for it, all of them adds more scratch to ipod. Tried to clean it with soft cloth but noooo.... more more scratches... and my ipod looks like junk now. Once it is scratched, it has no value for selling.... with that said.. my $300 ipod video is functioning but its value is worthless.
  
  
• Good, depending on your needs -- but there are a couple things you should know.
  By A35TR9LT0SNGOC on 2006-04-30
  This is a good player -- possibly better than good, depending on your needs; but there are a couple things to keep in mind if you are considering this player.
  
  First, the good. If your primary concern is capacity, you absolutely cannot find a better combination of capacity & portability in any other player. Period. Now that Creative seems to have discontinued their 60gb zen xtra (I don't know that for sure, but I searched for months & could never find it in stock on any site), there aren't even that many other players on the market that offer over 40gb. And you are definitely not going to find another 60gb(or greater) player in such a tiny package. The sound quality is excellent & there are plenty of equalizer settings to suit your particular taste. The controls/user interface is very intuitive, not to mention stylish (if you care about such things). The battery life is outstanding (at least for music -- I don't really care about the video features, so I can't really comment on that). I'm not sure about the 14 hours mentioned in some product decriptions I've seen, but I've consistently gotten way over 10 hours, usually somewhere in the 12 hour range. More than adequate, in any case. Also, I really like the USB charging ability -- no need to worry with multiple cables if you want to hook it up to your PC but the battery is low. The iPod's battery charges through the USB cable as it's connected.
  
  Now, for the not-so-good. First, as with seemingly all players, the provided earbuds stink. Maybe I just have deformed ears, but I've never found a pair of these that will stay in my ears. And while they are in, they're extremely uncomfortable. But, I already had a nice set of headphones, so that's not that big a deal to me. The lack of included accessories is a little dissapointing as well. Basically, you get the USB cable & the earbuds. As some others have mentioned, there's not even an A/C charger included. Yes, it charges when connected to your PC, but come on, Apple -- for $400, you couldn't include a travel A/C charger?
  
  But by far my biggest complaint with the iPod is the fact that Apple insists on FORCING you to use iTunes to manage your library & load music onto your iPod. For those of you who missed the memo (as I apparently did), let me repeat that -- you CANNOT load music onto this player via any means other than using iTunes as your library manager. I learned this the hard way -- loading well over 5000 songs onto the player (seen as an external hard disk) via the music library manager that I had been using for years. The files transfer just fine, but when you turn your iPod on, it doesn't realize there are any songs there. I've seen some open-source programs that supposedly override this "feature" for the iPod Shuffle, but nothing of the sort for this model. Now, if you already use iTunes to manage your music library, then obviously that's not a problem. But if, like me, you already have another tool that you like & have been using, you now must either switch to iTunes altogether or keep up with 2 libraries. In my case, it's 2 libraries since the existing tool I used (Creative's MediaSource Organizer -- which, as a library manager is vastly superior to iTunes, in my opinion) is necessary for my Creative Wireless Music Server. Oh well. One other thing you should be aware of if you're not that familiar with iTunes: the "auto-sync" feature. The first time you connect your iPod, you will be asked whether you want to automatically synchronize your iPod with your iTunes library. You need to understand what saying "yes" to this means -- it doesn't just synchronize that one time. It also sets a preference (which you can change later) whereby every subsequent time you connect your iPod, it will automatically be synchronized to your library. So, if anything has been removed from your library, it will also automatically be removed from your iPod when you connect it. Personally, I turn off that feature & manage tranfers to my iPod manually.
  
  A recording feature would have been nice, but both of my previous players (an old Archos Jukebox & an Archos gmini 402) record quite well, they just don't have the capacity of the iPod 60gb.
  
  Overall, for what I bought if for -- the ability to store my entire music collection on a single, portable device -- the iPod 60gb is probably the best choice currently on the market. I give it only 3 stars, just because of the unholy, incestuous and entirely unecessary marriage to iTunes. I mean honestly, how hard would it have been for Apple to make this player capable of playing music files loaded onto the device sans iTunes?
  
  
• THE Case
  By AV58RU6YKS7NV on 2005-11-08
  There are some good reviews here already on this great product. I want to address the case issue. The iPod WILL scratch. It comes with a crappy, discardable sleeve (along with discardable earphones, but they're another issue!) that will provide some false assurances of scratch protection. However, if the tiniest bit of a foreign substance with a Mohs Scale of Hardness number of 2 or greater gets inside the sleeve, your 'Pod is scratched.
  
  I recommend the purchase of the "invisibleSHIELD" (google it) to protect your 'Pod. I installed it on mine and couldn't be happier. This product is a tough plastic "decal" that is almost bullet proof! There is a video of guy using a car key to try and scratch a protected iPod. This stuff is tuff!
  
  Application can be a bit tricky, but I got excellent results the first time. The screen is still crystal clear, but I'll have to admit that a "protected" iPod is slightly less beautiful than a new, "bare" one. However, it's still way more beautiful than any case can be and it will stay scratch free!
  
  When it's time to sell your iPod, it will still look new. InvisibleSHIELD says that their product is removable, but I can't attest to that personally. I would think that a buyer would want to keep it on anyway.
  
  Bottom line: I love my iPod. I would never want it to be without this protection.
  
  
• Great! But....
  By on 2006-04-17
  Alright i got my 60gb 5g Apple iPod about a month ago and so far it's doing pretty well -
  
  Pros:
  
  Great screen resolution
  Long battery life (with music)
  Good Quality
  Looks nice/high tech
  DVD/Movie converters are out there for it and they are cheap
  ALOT of accessories
  Good OS
  Easy to use.
  
  Cons:
  
  Occasionally locks up
  Scratches WICKED easily
  Battery life is short (With Movies)
  Doesn't like to turn off
  Costs $400!
  
  End Review:
  
  Overall it's really good with some minor flaws it's worth buying. For DVD converters i suggest PQ DVD to iPod video converter.
  
  
• Submit to iTunes tyranny & you may be happy; otherwise look elsewhere
  By AIVW4CJRRZLE9 on 2006-07-06
  PROS:
  1) Looks stylish & beautiful (which is not particularly important to me).
  2) Tighly integrated with iTunes software (you *must* be 100% willing to let Apple/iTunes/iPod completely take over your music collection; I am not)
  3) Good sound quality.
  4) Long battery life. My test: nearly 14 hours continuous random play (songs ripped from CD at even a higher bitrate than iPod recommends, dpPowerAMP "Alt Standard Preset" VBR vs. Apple's recommended 160 CBR).
  5) Massive harddrive. You can use it as portable storage (outside of iTunes control or iPod access). But you must carry the special Apple USB cord with you.
  
  CONS:
  Most importantly, watch how fast iTunes shills bury this review & stuff the "user" reviews with corporate hype.
  
  1) iTunes/harddrive synchronization does not exist. iTunes will not detect any tag updates (song/album/artist details or pics) that you add outside of iTunes using your favorite tagging software, such as Helium Music Manager. iTunes will not pick up these changes (& therefore neither will your iPod). Most likely, since iTunes/iPod synchronization separates album art from the music file, you will loose album art.
  
  Even when iTunes manages to correctly associate song pics with the song file, iPod can only access one pic per file. Have artist & album pics embedded in song tags? You'll be lucky to see even one of these on the iPod, especially if you tag with non-iTunes software. Apple commands: Thou shall not break the iTunes/iPod monopoly. Arrogant! Complete lack of iTunes/harddrive synchronization is the deal-breaker for me.
  
  2) Power adaptor, even though this is a "portable" device, is also an optional "accessory". Out of the box, you can only rechange the iPod through a computer (USB cable). And don't try to use a friend's computer. More than likely, the iTunes installation on the 2nd computer will hijack your iPod, delete all your music, and add the iTunes database from the 2nd computer. Again for basic "portable" functionality, Apple wants you to spend another $25 (plus tax) just to be able to recharge your "portable". Offensive!
  
  Traveling outside America? Shell out another $40 (plus tax) for the travel adapter kit (99¢ worth of plastic).
  
  3) Oversimplified, poorly documented & buggy interface. For whatever reason, iTunes & iPod are convinced that there is no need for a "STOP" button. You can only pause, but not stop, playback. You can sometimes "Shutdown" the iPod, but the interface is incredibly flaky in this area. Much of the time the iPod will not shutdown ... unless you leave it paused for a while (total waste of battery).
  
  In their attempt to make iTunes simple to use, they intentionally eliminate flexibility. To further the impression of simplicity, the documentation is minimalist & lacking. Several cryptic iTunes "preferences" or iPod "settings" do not even appear anywhere in the latest software or hardware documentation. See that "Compilation", or "Grouping" option? Even if you could find an explanation, the option is so inflexible as to be totally useless.
  
  The iPod works great if you set it playing & leave it alone. If you try navigating around while listening, it can become confused, stall, loose album art, etc. Frustrating.
  
  4) The Apple-or-nothing rule applies to video, as well. Buy videos from Apple? You'll probably be able to watch these on the iPod. Shoot home videos using common digital camera formats? Good luck. You'll almost certainly have to test a lot of 3rd party shareware before finding one that'll create a file that iTunes won't reject.
  
  I have given up on viewing vacation video on my iPod; iTunes rejects Canon Powershot S80 video.
  
  5) Screen & body front (plastic part) are incredibly low-quality plastic material and scratch instantly once you remove the iPod from its box. Even sliding it in & out of its own pouch creates micro-scratches on the screen. This is an incredibly poor effort by Apple. Nonetheless Apple considers a screen protector an optional "accessory" (read: shameless profit stream). For $400+ (after taxes) you don't even get a minimally protected screen. Offensive!
  
  OVERALL:
  I would never again consider buying an iPod. iTunes' tyranical, arrogant lack of support for external (non-iTunes) ripping, managing, tagging of my music collection is unacceptably frustrating & time-wasting. If you also want the flexibility of managing your own music library however you choose, then do not consider an iPod; you too will regret wasting your money.
  
  Apple have one simple rule: Submit completely to Apple (ie, buy your music & content only through iTunes), or suffer infinite frustration for every violation of this rule. If you want to hand full control & a lot of money over to Apple for low-quality, overpriced music (128 cbr), then you'll probably be quite happy with the iPod.
  I am not.
  
  
• The future of buying and listening to music
  By A1JPRGTD64OOO on 2005-11-27
  I have owned my video ipod for a little over a week and love it.
  
  As a classical musician, my main concern was music and not video. I look upon the video capabilities as a nice extra when I want to use them. Also, the differential in price between the video and non-video ipods is minimal (I suspect that a LOT more programming will be available for it in the not too distant future).
  
  Because I have sensitive ears, I also purchased a pair of noise-canceling headphones. I have never found the popular earbuds comfortable or capable of producing the detail that I like.
  
  I can safely say that the tonal response of the ipod was nothing short of excellent. I hear every detail from the source recording. Even demanding organ recordings come through with the full dynamic range.
  
  A word about compression is in order. The ITunes software makes importing your CDs, as well as purchasing music from ITunes, seemless and easy. I prefer using the Apple Lossless method. However, this produces about 5mb per minute's worth of music. This means that you can get about 200 hours worth of music on the 60-gig ipod. Music transferred from the ITunes Music store uses AAC-128kb. This produces about 2mb per minute. For jazz and smaller ensembles, it is fine. I downloaded some chamber music and it sounded fine. But for larger works, you will want the Lossless reproduction.
  
  200 hours is a LOT of music. Plus, you can always take things off of the ipod as you need too.
  
  The video reproduction, even with the small screen, is excellent and there is even some free network programming available.
  
  In my opinion, you cannot go wrong with this purchase. I suspect a huge 3rd party market will quickly grow around this device.
  
  I heartily recommend.
  
  
• Not good for excercizing!
  By A1QDN160ZEW644 on 2005-11-13
  Apple forgot the coolest feature from all previous Ipods.... I have a 30 gig Ipod which I love to use when I ride my bike or go skiing.... The video version doesn't allow you to connect an extension excessory that enabled you to switch songs and volume.... with the video version you would have to remove the ipod to do this....
  
  poor design....
  
  
• For those new to iPods
  By A2Z2EB8M60EOIK on 2006-01-25
  This review is written from the perspective of a first-time iPod user, and is intended for those who are also new to this. So, forgive my newbeeness.
  
  What is an iPod? An iPod is a portable storage device. This 5G iPod can store music (its main function), podcasts, audiobooks, video, and general computer files. It has a rechargeable battery built in.
  
  What is the difference between an iPod and an "MP3 player"? MP3 player is a generic term and refers to a range of portable music players that use digital music files. iPod is a specific "MP3" player from Apple. It plays AAC files (Apple's proprietary music files), the old generic mp3 files, and a few other files. Please do a little research on the different file types before you buy an MP3 player, otherwise you may get stuck with something that doesn't play the files you already have or bought online. Cnet.com has an MP3 buying guide that is the ideal starting place if you need to know more.
  
  Then what is the advantage, I already have a CD player? Because the 5G iPod can, essentially, hold your entire collection of music in the palm of your hand.
  
  How/what do you connect to an iPod? You can connect headphones directly. You can also plug into to the bottom 30-pin docking hole by which you can connect to a wide variety of accessories (stand-alone speakers, car-adapter devices, etc.) or connect to your home PC. You can also connect iPod to a television (when you purchase those cables). The iPod accessories are what really make the iPod such a great device (and also what really makes money for Apple).
  
  How does it all work? The iPod is really part of a 3-part system: iTunes software (which exhists on your PC), the iPod itself, and the accessories. iTunes software is downloadable for free from apple.com and is necessary to operate your iPod (you can go download it right now to get a taste of what using an iPod might be like). iTunes is the central hub which gathers all your music, podcasts, audiobooks, and video and then places them onto your computer's hardrive and organizes them for you. It's all kept in one "Library", which can be searched/sorted numerous ways. How does iTunes get music into your library? 1) Place a CD that you already own into your CD-Rom drive on your PC, open iTunes, and "import" the music to your library. 2) Download music from the music store (which is built into iTunes) to add those songs to your library. 3) iTunes can search your hardrive for various music that you've already downloaded in the past, and copies them into your iTunes Library. Once you've gathered you music, video, etc. then connect your iPod to your PC via a USB connection, and then iTunes will transfer these files to your iPod. The iPod device itself is mostly read-only, meaning that you cannot really change/add/delete stuff unless you connect it to iTunes. iTunes controls the content of the iPod, whereas the iPod by itself is just a player. Now that you've got your stuff onto the iPod, just plug your iPod into the various accessories or headphones to play your stuff.
  
  Why iPod? Why not use another MP3 player? Because iTunes is such a great piece of software. It's all centralized into iTunes. Importing, buying online music/videos, burning your own CDs, putting stuff into your iPod ... it's all in one place. iTunes is very intuitive, versatile, powerful, yet easy to use. The iTunes music store has the largest selection of online music and allows you to preview songs before buying.
  
  What all comes in the 5G package when I buy it? You get the 5G iPod with 30GB or 60GB hardrive, earbuds, USB connection cord (to connect your iPod to your PC), and the iTunes software CD. This USB connection cord is shaped like a USB connection at one end and the 30-pin docking connection at the other end, and this will recharge the 5G iPod when connected to a PC. The package does NOT come with a docking station. It does NOT come with an AC adapter for your car or home outlet use. It does NOT come with external speakers.
  
  What things should I be aware of before I buy this?
  - You really need a high-speed internet connection if you want to buy music online. Also, downloading iTunes by itself will take forever if you have dialup.
  - Make sure you have high-powered USB connections on your computer. These are ones that came with the computer when you bought them from the manufacturer. Many of the add-on USB connectors (like ones you install to a PCI slot) won't work.
  - USB 2.0 is preferred and provides much speedier response when you connect the 5G to your PC. If you have USB 1 connections (like I do), it will take a few minutes for your PC and iTunes to respond when you connect the 5G. It appears as if the computer is locking up, but just wait a few minutes.
  - Although music is very easy to manage with iPod, getting video onto the 5G iPod is rather tricky. You can download videos and TV shows sold through the iTune's music store and those play just fine. The trick is trying to get you own DVDs onto the iPod. It can be done. However, it usually involves a multi-step process with two or more different programs that you have to find or buy (and no, Quicktime Pro will not do this). It's beyond my understanding. Check the apple.com message boards for help about this. I just don't want you to get the impression that you'll be able to put you favorite Family Guy episodes on your iPod with ease ... it's really tricky and almost doesn't seem worth it.
  - Tech Gear's USB 2.0 port PCI card and ADS Tech's Dual-Link PCI card (which has USB 2.0 and Fire-Wire) will NOT work with the 5G. When attached to Tech Gear's card, the iPod will not be recognized by iTunes. When attached to the ADS Tech's card, the computer reboots in a never-ending cycle. ADS Tech completely ignored my emails to their tech support.
  - Battery Life quotes from Apple are always overestimated and based on controlled situations. The 60 GB hardrive 5G iPod is rated at a 20 hour battery life. However, this is only if your music is stored at 128 killibits per second and you don't change to a different playlist or activate the backlight, nor use the sound equalizers, and listen through headphones at a low volume. Realistically, you're gonna get 8 - 14 hours of music playback from a full battery charge. Video playback is only like 2 - 3 hours.
  - The small pin connection on the top of the older iPods (it was right next to the headphone jack) is now gone for the 5G. Be cautious when buying certain accessories that may use this older connection. Some of the FM transmitters and voice recorders use this and won't work on the 5G.
  - Songs downloaded from iTunes are protected and will only play on devices that you authorize (using your iTunes account name and password).
  
  Things you may need to also buy (don't just budget for the iPod, because realistically you'll also need some other accesories):
  - Protective carrying case. The 5G has moving parts. The back of the 5G is slippery. Not a good combination. Consider getting a semi-hard carrying case to protect your investment.
  - Car accessories. To listen to your iPod's music in your car you'll need one of 3 things: an FM transmitter (the most simple and popular method), a cassette adapter, or a direct line (the most expensive and tricky, yet best sounding). Some of these devices also recharge the iPod.
  - Docking bay with speakers. This allows you to place the iPod on the device and then listen to music though its speakers. Many of these also recharge your iPod. Almost an essential for any iPod user.
  
  (Just FYI, in case you are wondering what the term "5G" means. This model is the 5th generation iPod created by apple. Hence, the term 5G. (4G would refer to the previous model, or 4th generation, etc.) Thought I should explain this because many of the accesories will refer to the iPods by their generation number.)
  
  ********************
  
  Well, apparently you aren't supposed to disconnect the iPod from your computer without first telling iTunes or windowsXP to disconnect it. I knew this, but for some reason I disconnected it improperly anyway. Guess what? My music got lost. I must have accidentally disconnected it when the iPod was updating the table of contents part of the HD (the FAT, I think) ¡K and now all the music was lost. It still says I have 20 GB of space used up, but no music shows up. So, I had to reset the iPod and reinstall the music.
  
  So, what to do if your iPod decides to "act the fool" and you need to reset it to it¡¦s factory preset condition? Well, there is a free program to download from the apple website. The iPod updater program can do one of two things: update your iPod to the latest version, or completely reset all settings and erase the iPod¡¦s internal HD. Go to http://www.apple.com/ipod/download/ to get the iPod updater program. Once installed, you will have to reboot your computer. So, reboot. Then, you have to find the program and run it. Go to My computer --> open your hardrive --> programs --> iPod, to find this program, then run it. Warning, this will erase all files (music, video, etc.) from your iPod and put it back to the status that you first got it out of the box.
  
  One other little caveat of info. I got a newer computer with much faster specs and a high speed USB 2.0 slot. When I am transferring the music back onto the iPod, it¡¦s giving me problems if I try to send too much music at once. For example, I selected my entire library on my PC and then dragged it to the iPod to initiate a transfer of all my songs. Well, it worked for a while and then stopped the process and spontensously reset the iPod. Anyway, to make a long story short, I have a theory: on a real fast computer and high speed USB2.0 connection, I think the computer and USB are processing and sending the data faster than the iPod can write it to it¡¦s little hardrive. If you have a fast PC and are experiencing these types of problems, I have found that transferring over 100 songs or less at a time seems to work. And then wait a few seconds before transferring over more songs, to give the little iPod hardrive a chance to ¡§catch up¡¨ and finish writing all its data. Hope this helps.
  
  
  
• True it can have problems but...
  By A3B96O2EW3R3LK on 2006-05-21
  Some people are absolutely right. The ipod has problems. Ipods will fail, crash, have to be reset, etc. These problems, however, are all inherent in hard drive mp3 players. Hard drives just aren't meant to be jostled, jogged with or dropped. If you want to avoid all failure problems whatsoever, buy a nano. But before you do that, take these few points of advice into consideration.
  
  1. Apple has an amazing protection plan. After 2 years my ipod finally crashed, but I had it under warranty. A two year warranty is relatively cheap, considering your ipod probably will die within 2 years. If you are covered, this is how it goes. You fill out an online form describing your problem. Ipod processes this form within a day, and you get an empty box in the mail within 2 days. You ship your ipod back (expenses paid) in this box, ipod receives it within another couple days (or sooner depending where you are). They diagnose it for about a day or less and ship it back to you. All in all, it takes no more than a week for you to get your ipod back. If it's a serious problem they will send you a complete replacement (and you feel like it's Christmas again, getting a brand new shiny ipod!)So in summary, their protection service is amazingly quick and efficient and you should invest in one when you get the ipod. If you are unfortunate enough to either not be protected or to drop your ipod (which is not covered) you might as well sell your broken one and use the money to buy a new one.
  
  2. If you are worried about losing data that's stored on your ipod, make sure it's backed up!
  
  
• The iPod revolution continues...Great device
  By A3D5GYJK2J8A77 on 2005-11-07
  It's a GREAT device. On a Mac, it's a snap to load videos to watch on the go, and has the usual superb iTunes management system for music, not to mention the iTunes Music store for downloads, music videos and limited at this point TV episodes.
  
  A few downsides keep this from being a 5 star device...It scratches from the moment you pick it up, which you will do a lot to watch video...In a week waiting for an Invisible Shield (which does protect - albeit in a cumbersome fashion) it had dozens of scratches on the black finish and screen. When more cases are available, this should get better, but Apple's stock case is suprisingly shoddy for the usual Apple elan...And besides looking horrible, the case doesn't allow you to use the player, at least for video. Accessories are pitiful, and you will probably need at least one or two besides a halfway decent way to protect this. So add another hundred dollars for a charging unit, and a dock...But whatever you do, DON'T buy the Apple remote. At least as of this writing, it's not designed to do anything other than turn the unit on and off, volume up and down and skip to next music track. NO video controls, NO menu screens, NO playlist management. It's also a surprise for Apple to be so irritatingly poor. But this is another groundbreaker...Not the first Video player, but the elegance, ease of use, and absolute superiority of the iTunes management system are all top notch. Highly recommended.
  
  
• Don't buy for the customer service
  By AB6NBKN6WWXHE on 2006-02-24
  I'm just writing this to express my experience of how Apple treats its consumers.
  
  5 weeks ago I returned my 2nd iPod to the store I purchased it from after I received the unhappy iPod icon. Today, 5 weeks later I went into the store to enquire on what was happening with the iPod and why it was taking so long. When I retuned the iPod there was 4 weeks left on the warranty. Today I was told that Apple is returning the iPod to the store and is refusing to repair it as it was out of warranty.
  
  As you can imagine, being in such a situation then it's quite easy to get wound up and frustrated. But after being in a similar situation then I spoke to the store manager and told him to inform Apple that once the store receives the un-repaired iPod then I will collect it and issue a claims action against Apple under infringement of the UK consumer laws.
  
  Later on this afternoon I received a phone call from the store saying that they would replace the iPod themselves and pursue this issue with Apple.
  
  All in all I have now lost total faith in Apple products and services. This is the second iPod that has failed on me. The first one failed after 3 weeks and I was given a full refund at a different store. Now after my experience with Apple customer services I will never buy an Apple product again. The only reason I am accepting the replacement iPod is because the store says they cannot issue a refund, I would be much happier with my money back and to be able to wash my hands with Apple.
  
  Anyway, that's my experience, to anybody who's looking at this and thinking of buying an iPod then I think it's pretty obvious what my advice would be.
  
  
  My general review of the iPods I've owned.
  
  Well, the first one died after 3 weeks so I cant really comment on it. The 2nd one, if there is one thing that's annoying about this product it's the fact that it is one big scratch magnet. After a week out of the box, even with the use of an iPod sock my iPod had a load of superficial scratches on the display, case and back.
  
  Generally it worked well, I got a decent run on the battery, but what would put me off buying another one (.... apart from the abysmal customer service) would be that once the battery starts to die then you have to send it back to Apple, though this is now common with most other players.
  
  Don't buy this model if you intend to do any physical activity with it. As it's a hard-drive then it has a buffer of about 25 minutes, if you use it to go jogging for example then it will start skipping after about 30 minutes. Check the support forums for more info - the Nano or preferably a non-Apple flash player will be much better.
  
  Other negative is that once it goes wrong then there's pretty much nothing you can do, you just have to send it back to Apple and hope for the best, if they find anything wrong then they should repair it, if they don't try and screw you over as they did to me.
  
  Other negative is that being an Apple product they introduce no support at all for windows media audio files, you can play them in iTunes, but the only way to get them on the iPod is to convert them.
  
  60Gb is a lot of music/files. But I found it easy to fill once you build up a collection, this meant I was constantly having to swap files between computer and iPod as and when required. Could this have lead to it's downfall? At the end of the day having all of your media on your iPod sounds like a great idea. But believe me, you will have to keep a backup on your computer, meaning you could get away with having a smaller player. I'd be much more comfortable swapping files between a smaller flash player than a big 60gb hard drive model.
  
  The positives, the sound is great, and the scroll wheel and navigation blows the likes of Creative away.
  
  
  For me the negatives out way the positives, I don't see many others that I would go out and buy, but as I'd advise against Apple then the Samsung YP-Z5 looks pretty interesting.
  
  
• can you stomach the hassles?
  By AODP2AHCJ1P9A on 2006-04-29
  Get ready for a long one...
  
  I bought this ipod thinking it would be the greatest thing ever... play video, pictures, and best of all, ALL of my music! It does all of these functions fairly well, and the battery life is very good (for music; for videos, you might as well bring the power cord... that you have to BUY seperately~~).
  
  Sound on the ipod is very good too, with many different EQ settings enhancing the sound. I don't use the included classic earbuds becasue they never stay in my ears, but any headphones i plug up work well. I like how it automaticly pauses when you unplug the headphones, and it turns on (if hold is off) when you plug them in. The bass could be a little more pronounced, perhaps by a three-level megabass such as those on many Sony CD players. Overall, though, it sounds great.
  
  Photo and video capability on the ipod is also great. The screen, i must say, is fantastic for such a small size. Videos play smoothely, although i have encountered slight hanging and sometimes, on full length movies (which are a TRICK to get on there~~), the lipsync becomes messed-up. Also, as i said, you can't watch many videos and/or pictures without the ipod drying up. Don't expect to be able to easily get videos on the ipod either... this can turn into a tramatic experience.
  
  Playback on the ipod is fairly reliable. I have had the player lock up on me a few times, but it is a HD-based player, so this can almost be expected. Shuffle is extremely handy, although i wish the firmware would allow you to select what artists and/or genres were shuffled; sometimes i am not in the mood to hear rap, yet shuffle does not discriminate.
  
  An improvement that is direly needed on the ipod (aside from itunes... we'll get to that in a moment~) is the way you find music. Especially on a 60gb model, where virtually zillions of songs under zillions of different artists are likely, it is very difficult to find the needed song in any moderate time frame (especially when looking for a specific song under "Songs" view). If you play the click wheel just right, it will zoom incredibly fast through the ABC-ordered songs, but it is VERY hard to get it to stop on the desired letter, much less song. Apple needs to update its firmware so that users can go directly to a letter in the alphabet, so that they don't have to scroll through ALL of the songs.
  
  Some other things the ipod lacks is FM tuner/recorder and voice recorder. this is probably possible through some accessories, but i believe these should be givens for such a "great player". This brings me to my soapbox for ipod. My first erk is the lack of included power adapter. That is just sad. Apple is truly ripping-off America. Another turner-offer is the video-out capability. A great idea in theroy, but you can't easily do this. You have to BUY yet another accessory from Apple, a SEEMINGLY standard RCA cable. Regular RCA cables won't work. That really irritated me.
  
  This brings me to the reasons for which i am selling the ipod. The lack of accessories i may have dealt with grudgingly. However, the hastle you have to go through to put songs ON The ipod and actually FIND them is rediculous. My first problem with itunes was the library itself. My music is on a seperate hard drive, so after importing all the songs into itunes (about an hour process, on a FAST computer), the next time i unplugged the hard drive itunes thought none of my music existed. Anger. It then preceded to do the "handy" auto-update of my ipod, thereby erasing over 2000 songs from my ipod to match the "empty" library. I was mad. Also, after i had corrected this problem, i made an attempt to delete all duplicate songs, which itunes has a handy feature which finds them. The only problem is, any songs that are remotely the same show up, and if you delete them (which i thought to be a good idea), i lost both the original copy and the duplicate song. There goes another few thousand songs from the ipod. AutoUpdate was promptly turned off.... Also, my music is organized via folders, and not all of the id3 tags are correct. To find them on the ipod, i have over 10,000 songs to go through and correct. Quite a pain.
  
  FINALLY, when songs go onto the ipod, it renames the filename to a random 4-letter/number combination and sticks the songs into one of 50 random folders. VERY painful if you want to give a friend a few songs from the ipod, or want to put them on another computer (itunes won't let you bring songs from the ipod to your library. big surprise~). This heavily irritates me.
  
  SOOO, even with the moderate plusses the player has to offer, i don't think it's worth the trouble of fighting Apple every time you want to put a song on, or take one off. The lack of features other players possess, such as the iAudio x5, also is a con. Finally, the extremely irritating software (itunes), lack of "drag-and-drop" capability, and no included accessories is just a simple turn-off. This is why the ipod got a 2-star rating from me; the benefits don't even closely outweigh the hasles that you have to go through. If you're not obsessive about being in control over your music, and how to actually FIND it, you may enjoy the very simplistic, limited-access ipod. However, for anyone else, I do not recommend.
  
  
  
• Let's get some things straight...
  By A38O4FPZOIVS49 on 2005-10-15
  First of all, I don't know why people say that it's wider when it isn't. As far as I can tell from the spec page, the new iPods are the SAME height and width as the old 20 GB ones that it replaced. Both of the new models are actually THINNER and hold more capacity. What's not to like?
  
  I think the confusion lies in that the screen has increased in size from 2" to 2.5" WITHOUT changing the actual width and height of the 4th Gen 20GB iPods. That's why you see the screen covering almost the entire top from edge to edge. Because of the increase size of the screen they no longer could fit the original dial on the front. So the new models have a smaller dial. Not as small as the Nano but definitely smaller than the older iPods. The effect of these two modifications gives the ILLUSION that the new iPods are wider or taller but it's NOT.
  
  The other thing I hear people complaining about is how it's not good for video. Let's get something straight. This is a REPLACEMENT for the older iPods, not an additional model introduced for the sole purpose to playing videos. Like Jobs said, the video is just an ADDITIONAL benefit of the new models. You're actually paying the same prices as the old AND you're getting more capacity and video functions to boot! Again, what's not to like?
  
  As they become more successful with video, they will introduce models that will showcase more of the video but what's the point of introducing one at this juncture with no real programs for you to watch??? Remember boys and girls, Apple is a business and as such they want you to replace your iPods over and over as technology improves. The current product cycle for Apple seems to be every 12 months. That means you should expect a really cool video iPod by the same time next years IF they are successful with this video experiment. Let's hope that Jobs will be successful in getting more studios to sign up!
  
  That brings me to the other complaint I always hear: that the iPod/Nano scratches too easily. Come on folks! This is not a device you're about to keep for many years, do you really care if it gets scratched up if you're going to replace it every few years??? Instead, just enjoy using it and then replace it as newer and better ones will continue to be introduced. Enjoy life!
  
  
• What about the peripherals?
  By A3FMH2ZJEDDXNX on 2005-10-22
  Many have lauded this as being the best iPod yet and most of the things said so far are true. The wider screen looks great, the video function is cool, and the battery life is much improved. However no one has mentioned the one major drawback to this new iPod-the peripheral jack located next to the headphone jack on every other iPod is not on this iPod. That means that all the cool peripherals like the Griffin iTrip and the headphone remote control are now completely obsolete. Apple didn't mention this at all in any of their advertising and I didn't know about it until I got my new iPod in the mail and opened it up. I don't know why Apple would do this or if they intend on releasing any adaptors or anything like that in the future but it sucks for me because I constantly used my headphone remote with my old iPod. I listen to my iPod at work but I constantly have to pause it in order to talk with people so it was great being able to keep my iPod in my pocket and just clip on the remote. In my opinion removing this peripheral jack is completely pointless and keeps this from being the ultimate iPod.
  
  
• HEAVEN IN THE PALM OF MY HAND
  By A1AT95C4D1Q3OF on 2005-12-20
  I just received this as an early holiday present yesterday and am in iPod-induced bliss. This is my third iPod - I have the 2nd generation 15GB model and the 4th generation 40GB model. While I am still in love with them, this was more than a step up in so many ways. If you already have an iPod and have iTunes already set up with most recent version of iTunes software, all you literally have to do is connect this to your computer via the USB cable (no more firewire!?) and it is off and running. Seriously, it is that easy. It only took about an hour for it to load all 6,100 songs in my iTunes library.
  
  SCREEN: The color screen is insane, almost otherworldly in its clarity. While small, of course, it completely pulls you into whatever you are watching (the world around it seems to fall away, somehow) and it has almost a 3-dimensional depth to it. I was surprised by how great it was to watch video on - already downloaded a few videos and shows (The Office) from iTunes. Very quick and easy download.
  
  CAPACITY: The 60GB drive was a big deal for me. If it seems unlikely to you that anyone would need this much space, you would be sadly mistaken. You will find it amazing how quickly you use up the space if you have a significant music/photo/video collection. While I am really in no danger of encroaching upon the 60GB of memory (especially since my computer currently only has 40GB capacity), I am sure the day is coming, probably sooner than later.
  
  CASE COLOR: While beautifully designed, I could never get past the white color of my previous models. I am NOT a fan of white, so this glossy black (my favorite color, of course) is perfection. That said, I must admit it has already proven to be an incredible smudge magnet. It also seems very fond of any dust of fine hairs that may be in the air, static charged particularly to the screen area. Thank goodness that when the backlight is on, you can not see any smudges, dust or the like. The screen just blows right through it. Still, this is an area where the white model is superior, it just never showed any of this stuff, with the exception of the metallic backside. Still, I will happily take the smudgy black model over the white any day. It isn't horrible, very much like owning a black car - harder to upkeep but well worth the effort. It's the price you pay for aesthetic. Still, it would be nice if they could somehow figure out how the treat the surface to limit this effect.
  
  Three complaints/observations:
  
  NO FIREWIRE, CRADLE, OR PLUG ADAPTER: While all of these came with my previous models, they were nowhere to be found with this one. All you get is a USB cable. Nowhere to place your iPod (safely) while charging, unless you have a cradle from a previous iPod as I do. Still, very inconvenient to switch them out and the cradles from the previous models don't fit perfectly since this model is a thinner and slightly wider. Also, with no plug adapter, I am more than a little confused as to how one is to charge their iPod with any level of ease. Is there something I don't get regarding how you're supposed to charge your iPod with only what is provided? Again, thank God that I have my hardware from my previous models.
  
  NO PROTECTIVE CASE: While I understand that they are trying to keep the costs reasonable, which I do greatly appreciate, I am still somewhat dismayed by the discontinuance of a proper protective case. The somewhat odd, thin protective sleeve which was included with this model may help reduce scratches when the iPod is not in use, but it is by no means a carrying case and will not protect the device at all from any accidental bumps or drops (God forbid). It just seems like there would be something a little more substantial included with a device of this cost and sensitivity to scratching.
  
  BATTERY LIFE: While the battery life does seem slightly better than that of my most recent iPod model, I think that the 20 hours advertised seems very optimistic, even if just playing music with the backlight off. If you scroll around often, like I do, use the backlight to any real extent at all (the screen is VERY dark without the backlight on), or view videos, you may be looking at 3-8 hours realistically depending upon whether you are listening to music or watching video.
  
  Even with the complaints listed above, I must say that I am completely blown away by this latest model already and only anticipate my love affair with it to grow. I completely recommend this model, just don't expect to receive much beyond the actual iPod device itself. All other hardware now appears to be a la carte.
  
  Can't find it at your local Apple store, Best Buy, Circuit City, wherever for Christmas? Contact Apple directly, through their website or by phone. Mine was apparently purchased just last Thursday and was delivered in less than 24 hours the next day (this last Friday) by FedEx.
  
  
• Fruity Company's Rotten Apple had a Worm in It
  By A42B2Z45II4D1 on 2006-03-12
  I had the great displeasure of purchasing a 60GB Video iPod. I attempted to play a few mpeg files and all these MPEG4 files failed to play the audio part of the video files.
  
  After conferring with some workmates it appeared that only one other person had this same issue. He too had a 60GB iPod with firmware version 1.1. So a few of us gathered at our tech lab and devised a test to find the cause of our video iPods not playing our movie files.
  
  We gathered together four 30GB iPods and three 60 GB iPods. Two of the three iPods had firmware version 1.1 and the third used firmware version 1.0. We had a single movie (Top Gun) which we ripped to an MPG format file and a National Geographic AVI file. These are the files which we chose to work with. We used IMTOO to rip the DVD to iPod MPEG4 format. The National Geographic special was converted using Quicktime Pro IG3 and Videora iPod (3 separate files). A single Windows XP Pro and iTunes version 6.0.4.2 computer running on an Intel Pentium D processor 950 with 1GB DDR2 RAM was used to conduct all the testing.
  
  We found that all the 30GB iPods played all three video files without encountering any problem and so did the 60GB iPod with the firmware version 1.0. One the 60GB iPods with the new firmware none of the video files played. Behavior of both iPods were similar. Audio and video plays well for about 30 seconds and then would stall for about 5 seconds and then continue without any sound. As an aside we found that the QuickTime compilation worked on all the iPods. When we downgraded the firmware on one of the 60GB iPods to firmware version 1.0 it worked almost perfectly. Almost, because my iPod radio I purchased failed to play. Oh what a joy.
  
  Worse was yet to come...
  
  The next day I called Apple and spoke to a lady whose name I forget. She let me know this is my only single incidence call after which every call would cost me $49. She suggested that I purchase Apple extended coverage. I explained to her the problem and our findings. She informed me that it is not an Apple issue that my iPod was not working. She blamed the use third party software. She explained to me that the iPod is only supposed to work with software purchased from Apple. She added that if I wanted my iPod to work that I should purchase only software provided by Apple. I informed her that I am not about to purchase QuickTime Pro. I again let her know about out tests and that we have narrowed the problem to the firmware in combination with the 60GB iPod. She assured me that there was nothing wrong with the 60GB iPods and suggested that I take a look at the iPod tutorial. This went on for about 20 minutes. I asked several times to speak to a supervisor but she refused to transfer me as it was against company policy. In the end she said that she will attempt to help me but would have to put me on hold. I was on hold for about 5 minutes and the phone rings for about a minute, no one from Apple picks up and then it hung up on me.
  
  I called back and this time the call was answered by a gentleman by the name of Demon. I explained the problem to him. He assured me that I was the first person who called regarding this problem and that it was because I was using third party software. He said that I should be using iTunes instead. Explained to him that we used iTunes for transferring the files and the final conversion was done by iTunes. The files played perfectly in iTunes etc. I was not getting very for with this gentleman either. He too was blaming third party software. He too made sure to point out that the iPod is designed to play only files converted by Apple software. This conversation continued for about 15 minutes and he ultimately transferred me to another department which I believe was product development or production.
  
  Matt answered the phone. Without even me explaining what my findings were he quickly rattled away like a broken record that Apple is designed to use only Apple software and if I wanted to use it I would have to purchase QuickTime Pro. I am guessing that Demon briefed Matt before transferring me. So I asked if he was aware if what he says is true that Apple is in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. He immediately stated that "let your lawyers meet with my lawyers". I asked that Apple provide a copy of QuickTime Pro for my personal use if that is the only way to play the video files. He informed that he could not do that as the products are not related. I asked when the firmware will include the bug fix he again repeated that this is not a problem as I can purchase an iMac or QuickTime Pro. Again I reminded Matt that if that is the case Apple is in violation of the Sherman Anti-trust Act. He did not want to hear about an legal action, whereupon I informed him that I did not want to hear anything regarding how well an iMac or QuickTime works well with the iPod. Then I asked Matt when the upgraded firmware will be released. He could not divulge the information because that is considered a company secret. So I asked him if it would take a year? His answer was maybe or maybe not. He reminded me that the iPod has not been designed to play ripped DVDs and have never been advertised as such. He reminded me that is illegal, and I had to remind him again of the Sherman Anti-trust Act and about his not wanting to get into legal wrangling on the phone.
  
  The problem here is that Apple will not take any responsibility and will not acknowledge there is an issue to be worked out. All we want is a fix within a fair period of time. However Apple's boneheaded stance concerning this issue should keep potential customers away from this product.
  
  The prosecutors who are taking on Apple in the Sherman Anti-trust case should requisition all recorded calls into Apple support during the discovery phase of the trial. Therein lies a virtual gold mine of evidence against Apple. My case number is 60457090 if you are interested. Yes I would be overjoyed to testify.
  
  
  
• Beware of Apple iPods
  By A1Q8X228CFAWJ9 on 2006-03-29
  I own an iPod 40G which worked great for 14 months. (The warranty period is of course 12 months). It is now a $400 paperweight. Apple's estimated repair cost is $280 which they want up front to repair it. My advice: By something cheaper. At least you won't be out as much if dies.
  
  
• Get a Protective Case
  By A3FDY4N16EHCXR on 2005-10-14
  Anyone who wrote the review before Oct 18th hasn't even seen the thing live. They are probably cutting and pasting the specs from from Apple site. So beware.
  
  I placed the order as soon as it was available on Apple store. It will be shipped before Oct 21. My two concerns are: Is it going to scratch like the black Nano and is the screen going to crack. Will update as soon as I find out.
  
  I am a Windows guy with extensive collection of music in WMA lossless. After waiting for the wma camp to come up with something good, I am finally giving up on them. Toshiba and Cowon seem to be on the right track but everytime they try to do something cool, Apple comes up with a stunner and leaves them in the dust.
  
  In anticipation of this, I converted my entire WMA lossless library into an additional 192kbps AAC library (keeping the lossless archive, ofcourse). With only 60GB, I have to reconvert some of them to 128kbps - which is a slight disappointment.
  
  I wish Apple had put in an 80GB drive (Toshiba has one that will fit this model) that will allow use of lossless or higher bitrate AAC.
  
  
  UPDATED Oct 25th:
  Got mine yesterday and downloaded the entire library. The screen froze with a do not disconnect message. But this was resolved by holding the menu and the center key for about 10 seconds and waiting for Apple logo to reappear. The manual says to keeep the hold switch on. The reset works only with the switch off.
  
  I haven't taken off the plastic clear cover on the front yet as I am scared of scratches. In addition, I got a new Ipod 4G 40GB case to fit it (the 60GBs fit very loosely inside and the screen is not fully visible). 5G cases are not available.
  
  My wife was surprised that I am treating an electronic gadget with this much respect not accorded to far more expensive pieces. I don't know myself. May be I have an emotional connection with music that I don't have with the others.
  
  I visited the Apple store yesterday to see how unsheathed iPods are faring with scratches. While all of them show some scratches it doesn't appear to be as bad as some I had seen on the internet.
  
  But the only thing that really matters is the music. The music is spectacular. What more can we really ask for?
  
  Updated on Nov 6th:
  I finally finished installing the so called invisible shield. This is made of 3M scotch cal and is not made for iPod but serves to keep the pod scratch free. The installation is a NIGHTMARE.
  
  Key tips to remember:
  (a) Do NOT use soap and water as their website says. Use Windex spray (a tip I heard from ilounge forum)
  (b) Do Not try to squash air bubbles - they cause snow flake like appearance that stays forever
  
  The shield is expensive (almost a rip off). Apple should really research into a non-scratch resin protection for its pods.
  
  BTW, after researching through various speaker systems, we bought the JBL On Stage. This has some kind of a circular woofer, which gives superior sound compared to others like Altec Lansing or Creative.
  
  
• Converting Video to 5G iPod
  By on 2005-10-28
  Don't let any of the reviews about difficulty of video conversion dissuade you. I found an app off of download.com called SUPER (freeware) that perfectly encodes videos of virtually any format for the new iPod. It's fairly quick, though CPU intensive. For the most recent version of the program, check out http://fever.link.free.fr/SUPER.html#Dnload. Don't spend money for Quicktime Pro when better (and free) alternatives exist. Oh yeah...get yourself a new iPod in black. Sexy as hell. I'm the first of my friends to get one, and everyone is jealous.
  
  
• Fantastic!
  By A1G06KBBEWCJ92 on 2005-12-07
  This iPod is everything I hoped it would be. Go for 60 GB because of video.
  
  Note: you will want to get Quicktime Pro on mac to convert your movies into iPod videoes; however, that 30 dollars is well spent if you have video in unencoded formats.
  
  It takes a good while for QT pro to "export" the unsupported video to iPod size, yet it's worth the wait. I let the CPU purr while I do something else.
  
  Caveat: muxed audio in MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 must be converted!!!!!!!! Third party utility required. This is true because of Quicktime and iMovie limitations, not the iPod itself. Thus, the trick is to convert from a muxed file then export.
  
  BTW -- I was in a waiting room for an hour+ yesterday, but thanks to my iPod, I did not realize that the time went by until I got in my car and looked at the clock.
  
  UPDATE: get iSquint to convert the muxed files. Its free.
  
  
• I'm almost fifteen...
  By on 2006-05-15
  IPods are Rip-offs
  
  
  The iPod's not the only music player you can get,
  It's just that there are MP3 players people have not met.
  If they just knew what the other players had in store for them,
  They'd know the iPod stinks so bad it came from a pig's pen.
  
  The iPods soar to the top of the list of MP3 players like kites,
  But why not get a better player with more gigabytes?
  Sandisk and Creative have some pretty decent devices,
  Yet people cling to iPods even with their retarded prices.
  
  The Sandisk Sansa E100 has many, many things,
  An FM radio, recording, and movies make it the king of kings.
  Does the iPod Nano have this stuff? No, it does not!
  The Nano lacking all these features is definitely its weak spot.
  
  The Creative Zen Micro Photo also kills the Nano for an amazing deal,
  It has so much more for so much less that it's basically unreal.
  Radio, recording, and replaceable battery make it a better player,
  For less than the Nano...are you kidding? It's definitely a Nano slayer.
  
  There's a player that blows the iPod Shuffle into outer space,
  It's called the Samsung YP-U2 and it definitely earns its place.
  FM tuner, voice recorder, and screen make it a great buy,
  The fact that the Shuffle doesn't have these things should make Steve Jobs cry.
  
  The Creative Zen Vision: M is better than the Ipod Video,
  Better screen, more features, and better value make it glow.
  The fact that the Vision: M is thicker doesn't really matter,
  The features are what make the Vision: M unimportantly fatter.
  
  So you see, my friends, the iPod is a waste of precious time,
  The fact that Apple cheats you out is basically a crime.
  They make their iPods fragile just to make them really "cool",
  Anyone who buys one is just a ridiculous crazy fool.
  
  
  Facts
  
  1. Ipods are MP3 players. It seems like people want to separate iPods from other MP3 players. Can iPods play MP3's? If so, it's an MP3 player.
  2. The Creative Zen Vision: M is pretty much the same thing as the iPod with video, but the Zen has much, much more. It has an FM tuner (FM recording), voice recorder, better screen (262,144 colors as opposed to 65,000-very big difference).
  
  
  
• Great iPod version but video drains battery quite fast
  By A1F9Z42CFF9IAY on 2005-11-22
  It's nice to be able to play videos and I can even rip a DVD movie using third party shareware/freeware software and play it on the iPod. Although the screen is much larger than prior iPods, it's still a bit uncomfortable to watch a movie on it. Also the battery will only last about 2 hours when watching video so it would probably be better to just watch TV shows and music videos when using the battery. If you want to watch a full length movie, you should probably plug the iPod in to a power source either using the included USB 2.0 plugged into your computer or using an AC Adapter which costs extra. Apple absolutely should have included the AC Adapter/Charger with this iPod like they have with the previous 4th generation iPod.
  
  The good news is that for music, this iPod lasts quite a long time! And it sounds great (better than prior iPods) and it's physically much thinner (with the same outside dimensions). Most of the accessories that I already had for my prior iPod work on this 5th generation video ipod (such as my Belkin Tune Doc and power adapter). If you use a case for a prior iPod, you will probably need a new one though.
  
  I like the Black color and think it looks cooler than the White one however it does show up scratches more than White so beware of that.
  
  While I recommend and like this iPod, if you plan on doing a lot of video, be prepared to have some other power source available. Music is still the main thing it's good for, with the video capability just being a secondary extra.
  
  

• Monster Cable JM MP3 CSK1 MP3 Starter Kit
• XtremeMac IPV-TA6-20 Tuffwrap Accent for iPod Video 60GB (Blue/White)
• Belkin Case for iPod 3G (Clear)
• XtremeMac IPV-MFO-50 MicroFolio White
• Belkin Auto Kit for iPod with Dock Connector (White)

• Apple iPod Video 60 GB White MA003LL/A (5th Generation)
• Speck Products iPod Video ToughSkin w/ Belt Clip - Black
• Apple 30 GB iPod with Video Playback Black (5th Generation)
• AppleCare Protection Plan for iPod and iTunes
• Apple USB Power Adapter for iPod (White)