Apple 30 GB iPod AAC/MP3 Video Player Black (5.5 Generation) Reviews

• The Suprise Price and Great Build Make This a Fantastic MP3 Player

  
  By A1KSO56UWS2R7I on 2006-10-05
  Although there are no large differences between the last iPod with Video Playback (like there was with the Nano), Apple has done some improvements that should be to your liking. Apple suprised everybody by making the price $249, and greatly impacted Microsoft's future MP3 player's price point.
  
  *Technically this is still not the iPod Video, this is still an iPod with video playback; rumors are still buzzing about a Widescreen iPod, but still no official word*
  
  NEW:
  -Longer battery life
  -Games
  -iTunes 7 has movies
  -Search feature
  -Larger capacity
  -Brighter screen
  
  GOOD:
  -Great build
  -Bright screen
  -Battery life on video is double what it was before
  -Great interface
  -Innovative search
  -Games are pretty fun
  -Excellent design
  -Minimal buttons
  -Oodles of potential accessories
  
  BAD:
  -Still scratches easily
  -Prone to fingerprints
  -Sometimes a little sluggish (not as much as before)
  -Battery isn't removable
  -Still no FM tuner, line-in, or voice record
  -Expensive accessories (not many in box)
  -Cheap earbuds
  
  BOTTOM LINE: Still at the top of its game months after its original release, and the minor upgrades and tweaks keep this the best MP3 player on the market.
  
  

• Great Pocket Music Box with Video as a Bonus

  
  By A3KMTOFTUUNFHG on 2006-09-27
  I love this model of the iPod - it's compact and very user friendly. The black and chrome model does show smudges and scratches easily, so you may want to invest in a cover or a case in addition to the black velvet sleeve that comes in the box (nice, but you can't hit the controls or see the screen through it). Other than those minor quips, all you need to do is plug it in to your PC or Apple computer and it automatically registers itself and downloads everything you have in iTunes (with an option to download your photos as well).
  
  The screen in this updated 6 generation is brighter, and the battery life is a little longer. Playing music without the backlight activated will last over 14 hours. Watching video or having the backlight on constantly will drain the battery at just over 3 hours. Not ideal for a Transatlantic flight or one to Europe, but great for domestic air travel and short commuter rides. You have to think of this as a music player with bonus video feature, rather than as a portable DVD player (even with movies added to iTunes). If you are in the market for more video seek out the 80 GB model which is has longer battery life and more memory to hold up to 80 features instead of 30 flicks at most. The unit is slimmer, the click wheel slightly improved, and it's about $50 cheaper out of the gate than the last models.
  
  In the box you get the white basic headphones, a USB cable (no Firewire since the iPods are not Firewire compatible), a black velvet pouch for storage, a quick sketchy instruction booklet, and a docking sleeve for when you get a docking accessory. There is no iTunes installation CD, so be sure to download the program before you plug in.
  
  

• The Way it Should Be

  
  By AGXV8E7XK9J6H on 2006-11-11
  My wife and I had previously owned two Philips GOGear HDD6330 30GB mp3 players and had many many problems. Mostly with syncing the songs onto the devices and also some with proper playback. The interface was also not as nice nor responsive as the iPod. So we returned the Philips players and got an 80GB and 30GB iPod. Neither has let us down once. They sound great, the battery lasts for days (4-6 hours a day use). itunes is very easy to use and seems to almost know what you need to do before you do. podcasts are neat and free, you can download tons of videos from google video, you can put pictures on it, no problems finding accessories. It is really just night and day vs. the current windows based offerings. On the 80GB iPod we have about 6,500 songs, 50 videos, 200 photos, and all of our outlook contacts and it is only about half full. Not to mention the games that come with it. If you don't mind spending a little more for quality, this is the way to go, it just works.
  
  My wife uses the 30GB white version and loves it. it does have a lot less space and shorter battery life than the 80 GB, but it is much slimmer feeling as far as the thickness and still has all of the other features that make iPods so great. We also both sync using the same itunes without any problems (turn off auto syncing to do this and drag songs etc to device.) This was not the case when we both were using Philips GoGears and Windows Media Player. Everyone else that I know that owns an iPod has never said anything bad about them, Apple really has a winner here, it would take a lot of convincing to ever switch me back over to windows based mp3 systems.
  
  
  

• I hate this thing

  
  By AH3QZWB3ZB595 on 2006-11-30
  I've had this thing for about 12 hours now, and I'm about ready to chuck it out the window and let it rust away in the snow.
  
  First thing you should know...there's no AC adapter in the box. You have to buy one separately. Yeah, I know, you charge it by connecting it to your computer. That's kinda handy, since you don't need another AC to plug in. But it does me no good on the road. Sure, you can purchase an AC adapter separately, but this is the only device I've ever seen that didn't have one in the box. Lame.
  
  Second thing you need to know...the installation software is not in the box. You have to download it from the Internet. It took 5 stinking hours to download the da*n software. Yeah, I know...they recommend you have a broadband connection. But not everyone has access to broadband. So ruralites like me, who live in an area with no broadband and lousy phone lines...it's going to take hours to download. They save a couple bucks by not putting in a CD. I spend 5 hours to download. I don't know about you, but my time's worth more than $0.20 an hour. Lame.
  
  iTunes, the software that you're supposed to use to manage your files, doesn't suit my needs. I use an MP3 player to listen to audio books while I'm driving. I have all the MP3 files on my computer, from when I ripped them from the (legally purchased) CDs back when I had my iRiver. All I needed to do was copy them to the iPod and listen to them. It should be so simple. You can copy the files to the iPod without installing the software, but you can't listen to them. Then when you install iTunes, you cannot access the files (until you check the checkbox that lets you manage the files yourself, and find where to Save that change). Once you do that, you can put them into the Library. Lame.
  
  iTunes also does not let me customize the Library. I don't need "Movies", "TV Shows", "Radio", or "Podcasts". I need "AudioBooks", and I can't add it (and I can't remove Movies, etc.). I also can't create folders in the Library. All my audio-book files (which were nicely organized in folders on my computer) get dumped into the "Music" folder without the folder structure. Sure, I can create Playlists for each book, and I can create folders to organize the Playlists. But I have to dig through thousands of files in the Music Library to populate the Playlists. And besides, I already have them organized. Now I have to do it again. Lame.
  
  And this blasted wheel control on the iPod. Sure, after some practice I'll get the hang of it. But you know...you shouldn't have to practice to be able to use it. I didn't have to practice to use my iRiver, I could use it right away without problems.
  
  If this thing doesn't last longer than my iRiver did, I'm going to be really angry.
  
  
  

• A Niche Product

  
  By A2L7WYA5OENV03 on 2007-03-03
  First things first. The Apple sounds great. With the Etymotic ER4S (a reference of mine for over 7 years), I find the headphone amp to be a little warm & rounded under moderate volumes and to get a little brittle on top at high volumes. However, it doesn't get tinny and weird in the highs like the Sandisk Sansa e260 at high volumes and is far more transparent and delicate than the Sandisk, Phillips, or Archos units. It is a night and day difference from the Phillips when it comes to smoothness and lack of distortion. The circuitry is also well designed to the point that you'll never get thuds if you turn on or off the iPod when connected to a stereo. Since the headphone jack works much better into 10k ohms loads, I would assume the sound is similar to at least a good mid-fi CD unit if you use a dongle on the bottom to get the pure line-out from it.
  
  However...
  
  1) The battery is not user replaceable.
  2) Battery life is below that rated by Apple unless under very controlled conditions.
  3) There is no MTP or MSC support. You cannot use the unit with a non-Apple syncing program. You cannot drag music into it manually. You cannot drag music out of it manually. Imagine you accidentally delete an original recording off your computer and the only copy left is on this ipod...hope your ipod lasts forever. When it doesn't, you'll have to send it to Apple to replace the battery and they will not send your unit back, rather you'll get a refurb unit with a wiped drive. Again, you MUST use iTunes with it, and this program will constantly try to connect to the iTunes store to sell you something.
  5) iTunes is NOT included in the packaging. You must download it. If you are unfortunate enough to temporarily have dial-up, that will take up to 5 hours and requires a steady connection. If someone picks up the phone, you must start over. If you have no internet at the moment, you cannot use this product.
  6) These newest gen iPods are surprisingly laggy. Combined with the touch-wheel it is the least precise implementation of the iPod menu system Apple has executed to date.
  7) You cannot jog/run with the unit, climb stairs rapidly, or walk too fast for more than about 20 or 30 seconds before it starts to lose the sound, especially with WAV files. I cannot stress this enough. If you hold the ipod in your hand and run gently you might get a few minutes out of it...tops. Eventually, it will still skip. Some micro-HD units can handle it, but this iPod is worse than a cheap Sony CD player with anti-shock in this regard. I find this perplexing, because Apple includes a stopwatch with lap markers on this unit. Do they think you'll leave a two hundred and fifty dollar timer just sitting on a track bench while you run?
  8) The unit is EXTREMELY temperature sensitive. I went outside and less than 10 minutes later it completely froze up...processing-wise, but just the same. This was before I knew how to reset it, so I had to come all the way back home. It's not below freezing out and my warm hand was around it.
  
  If you mostly want video, one of those dedicated video players is probably a better bet. If you're just gently walking with the unit and it is thermally protected inside a foam case or in your jacket, you'll be fine with the new iPod. Anything short of this will produce problems with it. I'm looking for good sound, skip protection, reasonable capacity, reasonable temperature durability, and thoughtful packaging. I did not find all of this here.
  
  Edit: WinAmp now supports iPods. This is excellent news since WinAmp also has, via plug-in, 24-bit ASIO direct-to-output bit-perfect support. It makes a complete media playback package. This does not require a custom firmware inside the unit to work. Thank goodness for hackers!
  
  
• A Great Buy for Kids and Adults!
  By on 2006-11-26
  I wanted an Ipod video really bad for my thirteenth birthday, but my parents said that it was too expensive. So, you can imagine my surprise of seeing the Ipod video box nestled under the wrapping paper! The first thing I did with it was connect it to our Mac and download the songs from Itunes onto it. The Ipod downloaded the songs quite fast (I was very impressed! It took my sisters nano forever!). I then went to check out the movie store and bought Harry Potter and Napoleon Dynamite. After, I downloade Pac- Man from the games section. I played around on it until my mom said I had to go to bed. I didn't feel tired, so I brought my Ipod with me and watched Napoleon Dynamite under the covers and a couple Tv shows until midnight!
  The next Night, my friend Alexis had a sleepover, and I decided to bring my iPod to it (I have trouble sleeping at other people's houses, it freaks me out). When I was in the bathroom changing into my PJs, my friend Mary was in my bag looking for Chapstick that I said I'd lend her. She saw the Ipod in there and showed it to everyone else. When I came out, they were all looking at it, amazed that it could do so many things! When they saw me, they rushed up to me and started asking me questions. The rest of the night went on as normal. We did each other's hair, a couple girls played Pac man and watched Hannah Montana on my iPod (I don't like Hannah Montana! I swear! It was already on iTunes!). When it was finally time for bed, I couldn't sleep (duh) so I got out my iPod. I guess I wasn't the only one not asleep, because my friend Alexis saw me and asked what I was doing. We watched Harry Potter together, and Napoleon Dynamite! When we knew we had to sleep, it was 5 a.m.! This iPod is addictive!
  Of course, nothing can be perfect. I know you didn't want to waste your time reading me babble on about how great the iPod video is. It scratches a lot! I'd invest in a case to protect it. Whe I'm scrollinng through my music, the scroll sometimes stops for a second, not that important, but extremely annoying. Also, the scroll wheel is smaller, which means that it takes longer to go through your music.
  There are also a lot of new features with the iPod video. There's the combination lock, where you can set a password so that only you can get into it. Also, it's the only iPod able to play games and videos (duhhhhhh).
  REASONS KIDS LIKE IT...
  It's great on long trips like feild trips, to pass time.
  All of your friends like it (this can also be a bad thing! It scrartches easily when your friends handle it roughly! Please be careful.)
  The games are lots of fun when you have free time in school (be sure that your teachers will let you bring your iPods to school.)
  When you can't sleep, the movies are a great way to pass time
  REASONS ADULTS LIKE IT...
  It's functional and practical
  Very portable
  You can use it in work while your boss drones on and on (or so my mom says...)
  My dad says that the podcasts are fun to watch (I like Strong Bad ones)
  TIPS:
  Invest in a case! I cannot say this enough! You'll regret it if you dont! I recomend the Belkin Brushed Metal/Acrylic Case for iPod. It comes in Light Green, Teal, Pink, and Silver! I have the Teal one, it makes my iPod video look like it came blue!
  
  
• Finally got one!
  By A3SCYUEOIXJ2H2 on 2006-11-28
  I always told myself I would never give into the Ipod trend... but last weekend I broke down and bought myself the 30gb black video Ipod. I'm already in love with it... it's my new baby! It's very simple to use, sounds great, and looks good. I love the fact that there are so many accessories available for Ipods too! I was so close to buying a Creative Labs Zen W but backed out because of it's huge size and lack of accessories.
  One disadvantage is that it gets fingerprints on it VERY easily- you MUST use a case with it! Another small gripe about it- I don't think you can use wallpaper or a screensaver with it, which is something I really think would enhance the whole Ipod experience... maybe I'm just too new to the whole thing and I can't figure out how to do it- but it doesn't look like you can customize the interface like that.
  
  
• Apple's 5.5 Generation iPod, The Step-Up From CDs
  By A11D1KHM7DVOQK on 2006-12-25
  It's no doubt that CD players are still being used today, but MP3 players are still an upgrade from those players. Similar to cassettes...actually similar to an 8-track to a CD player. Everyone knows that the MP3 player market has tons of brands to choose from. Yeah there's Apple, but there's also SanDisk, Creative, iRiver, and so on. But the question is what is more user friendly. I used to own an iRiver H10 and have to say I wasted 300 bucks on that POS. Only in five months the player kept freezing and I'm ending up reinstalling the firmware every three weeks. Finally in July it completely crashed and refuses to add music.
  
  At that point, I stated that I simply REFUSE to buy another iRiver. Not again, to Apple I come. Actually I was a little anti-Apple but it seems that millions of people have iPods and work fine, so why on earth would I have trouble? Well, I have to say, I do like my new 5.5 Gen iPod. There are a couple of annoyances but otherwise it is a very decent player.
  
  What comes with the player is: the iPod, a USB cable/charger, earbuds, and a slip in-case to resist fingerprints and scratches. The USB cable/charger is a bit underrated by these users. Yes you must eventually buy a seperate charger for long trips but the cord was not short at all. Also it's somewhat nice to have both the home charger and USB cable all in one so I don't worry about losing anything. The earbuds are average. The have a clear sound but less than adequate bass. Also if you're using white cords it's painfully obvious that you have an iPod. I'm currently using my new jWIN earbuds that have a dark cord and sound better than the Apple earbuds. The slip-in case won't protect your iPod at all. You should definitely buy a case, which I'd recommend a camera case, they're cheap and get the job done, plus they have slots for your earbuds. However the slip-in case is good if you like your iPod to be free of scratches (like me).
  
  The first step when you wrap your iPod is to download the software. It does take a while if you have dial-up but you, no matter what, will have to use it. iTunes is a fair program and is better than WMP in my outlook. When you have iTunes downloaded you can now import your music and then export them to the iPod. iTunes only goes by ID3 tagging, therefore if you have your music already on your computer you should be mostly set and ready to add. Just drag Music to the iPod and (ta-da sounds goes here), it's on your iPod. It didn't take me long to load my iPod (someone on here said three days, lie I think), I'd use the conversation of 15 minutes per 1,000 songs at 192 kbps. Especially a decent time since I have USB 1.1. It'll probably move faster if you used AAC but slower if you used a hefty rate like 320 kbps. The computer suprisingly ran just as well with no iPod, while when I connected my iRiver H10 it was always a big issue.
  
  When you get your music, videos, and photos on your iPod, it's up to you at this point. The best thing I'd do is get the album artwork for any music you have on your computer already. All you have to do is go to your music, select all, and click get album artwork. You do need an iTunes account but it's very simple to set-up.
  
  The categories on the iPod are set-up very neat, making it simple to find what you want. There's also a well designed search function which is useful if you have a large collection of music.
  
  Otherwise, the iPod has a few extras you might enjoy. Nope, it still has no FM tuner, but I'm thinking who cares if you have such a large collection of music, which made an FM tuner not a big deal to me. It has a clock which is nice but not a biggie. It has the ability to store contacts with pictures which is a good bonus (it would be really cool to see a phone in here or wireless internet on a later generation). It also has a calendar with a built-in alarm, but the alarm isn't very loud so keep your alarm clocks. You can also enter in text files, a good idea if you're a heavy reader. A little stopwatech is also included. And if you want people to lay off your iPod, there's also a screen lock which makes it impossible for people to get in. For other settings, there's a volume limit if your buying this for a kid and don't want to kill their ears before they turn 60. You can adjust brightness and backlight settings to save some of your precious battery life.
  
  The sound quality from the iPod is good, but I found the bassier presets to be too much and distort a bit. My heart-set preset is hip-hop, providing good but not overwhelming bass and clear mids and highs.
  
  The iPod also features games. This was a hit or miss for me. They were fun to play but ran somewhat choppy while listening to music. Not to the point where they're unusable but slightly annoying. If you didn't know you can buy extra games for five bucks each at the iTunes store. A little pricey if you ask me, but I did end up buying Zuma and don't regret it. And of course you can buy music, TV shows, and music videos on the store as well. Movies can be purchased, but the selection is slim so you may want to check out other services for that. Gift cards are avaliable at every store in the world. I've even seen them at Walgreens!
  
  Some annoyances (or bugs) first started on the Click Wheel. I did enjoy it and will more the next couple of weeks but there's no way to change the speed of it. I wish there was because it was way too fast for me at the beginning and was hard to play some of the games and hard to scroll through things. After a week of owning it I've adapted to it but I hope the next firmware update fixes this. It only charges through the USB which can be slightly annoying so you might want to find a USB charger to wall for trips. This may also be not a good thing for older computer users. Mine is only a year and a half old and charged through USB just fine but it might not for computer older than five years. One last annoyance (actually a bug) is that when I disconnect my headphones the song automatially stops. I'm not sure why, it could be friction from the plug, but no other player I've owned has done this before.
  
  For durability, I've only owned it for a day so far so I will definitely do an update but so far it seems to be durable enough for me. I bought a very strudy camera case and use the soft case that comes with the iPod and I'm sure that'll protect it very well. People say it's prone to scratches and fingerprints but I'd say tat both the screen and the iPod are not too prone to scratches or fingerprints, but the back is a complete disaster. I bought the white anyway so if it does get scratched it won't be a huge ordeal.
  
  Although some bugs need to be fixed on the 6th generation, this iPod is definitely a good upgrade from the 4th generation and an excellent upgrade from a CD player. I will update as problems or good things come up, but for now this was definitely worth the purchase and the offical step up from CDs. 4 stars.
  
  
• One Month to Failure
  By A3E3EQ39FZTZEK on 2007-02-04
  The one I bought lasted a barely a month. By the third week the battery would only hold charge for about an hour. By the fourth week, it wouldn't hold a charge at all.
  
  You can't simply replace an ipod battery like you can, say, a cell phone. You have to send it in for service and then they send back another used ipod; not the one you had, so it won't have the songs and data on it that you had on yours. That's seems just silly for mere battery replacement. Imagining doing that with your cell phone when the battery wore out!
  
  As an alternative to mailing in your ipod, you can take it to an apple store if there is one near you. More than a few ipods come in for service apparently since you have to make an appointment just to drop it off at an Apple store for battery replacement. Then the store mails it off for service so the wait to get the ipod back is about as long as when you just mail it yourself. But instead of mailing it back to you, they promise to telephone you as soon as the the unit is ready.
  
  You can't move songs from the ipod to a computer or disk, only from a computer to the ipod. You have to buy aftermarket software to move songs from the ipod. That also seems like a silly design nuisance.
  
  The DAC (digital-analog converter) chip is pretty good but the earphones that come with the ipod are quite bad. You definitely need to upgrade to something better if you like high quality sound. Luckily there are lots of aftermarket earphones and headphones available.
  
  If you want to play your ipod on your home stereo, apple and other folks want to sell you special "docks" with a special connector, etc. and you can easily end up spending $60 to $130. Actually, all you need is an cable that has a dock connector on one end and audio rca-plugs on the other and you can get those from cables-to-go for about $4-$18 last time I looked.
  
  The front plastic and rear-cover plating is very soft are very high gloss and relatively soft. This includes the screen. iPods show fingerprints easily and scratch very easily. You can buy films or cases to cover the iPod to reduce prints and scratches.
  
  Overall, the unit is pretty easy to work but understand the battery quality and battery replacement issues. Some other MP# and AAC players share some of these problems and other don't. Definitely shop around and compare price, features, accessories, and service before buying.
  
  UPDATE regarding replacement of 1 month old battery. The Apple store said they would call as soon as the iPod was ready for pick up. I found out you can look up repair status on line and when I did I found out the repair was completed 4 days ago. I called the store and they confirmed the iPod was indeed repaired and ready for pick up. They couldn't explain what they hadn't called me for four days.
  
  At the store when we took it in for service, they said they'd give back the same iPod. They didn't.
  They said they'd return it with all the music on the returned iPod. They didn't.
  They said they'd call when it was ready for pick up. They didn't.
  
  The repair charge was $214 (or about $20 less than the iPod cost new). That's what we would have had to pay if we were one day out of warranty. Lucky for us we were only one month into warranty -- if you call that luck.
  
  
  
• great addition/upgrade to my iPod collection
  By A1CYTBE7LLUQ8F on 2006-12-04
  I got into the iPod scene rather late in the game. My first iPod was a first generation iPod that I bought used a little less than two years ago. It was a little too bulk for my main uses which are mainly working out and walking. I upgraded to a new 4GB iPod Nano and loved it. I was starting to run out of space on my Nano, so I was fortunate to receive the 30 GB iPod as a gift. I'm already a fan of iTunes and the various features of the iPod family, bu the new feature that I like most about this iPod is its video capability. Even though friends had told me that watching video on the iPod was not bad, I had my doubts. However, after taking my new iPod on a transatlantic flight and watching a couple of episodes of Law & Order, I have to say that I was very satisfied with the quality of the picture. It sure helped to pass the time. For some reason I did not get the 3.5 hours of video playback that Apple claims. In fact my battery was almsot drained in a little under 2 hours...perhaps my iPod was not fully charged. In any case, it seems that there are a lot of small external power/battery options that will get my iPod across the Atlantic next time. I should note that this iPod is perhaps a little too bulky for my workouts...fortunately I still have my Nano for the gym.
  
  
• Not ready for Prime Time?
  By A1ZLY7JHN4J0NE on 2006-12-15
  Bought a 30G for my daughter's birthday. It lasted about 3 weeks before giving up the ghost. One day we just couldn't get any response at all from the unit. We went through all the reset procedures on the Ipod (excuse me, iPod) support site to no avail.
  Amazon came through and paid the return shipping on the dead unit and sent us a new one before receiving the old one. The new unit got here 3-4 days later and probably lasted a whole 30 minutes dying exactly the same way as the first one.
  These units weren't dropped or mishandled in any way; so I believe the failures are probably due poor design or quality control on Apple's part.
  I've had an Iriver 20G for a couple of years now. I've traveled extensively with it and no problems. So it is apparently possible to produce robust HD based units.
  Anyway, I feel badly for my daughter because I think she really enjoyed it while it worked but this product appears to be a triumph of marketing over quality.
  .
  
  
• Great product, buy one today! But . . .
  By A1NDJMAFX41TN on 2006-11-13
  don't buy it here. Go to the Apple store either online or a retail location. There you will get the product and support you need and you won't have to wait a month or so to get that wonderful Amazon message that says they can't fill your order at this time, but would you like to wait? And after 4 months or so of not getting your new ipod, just try getting your money back from Amazon.
  
  
• awesome product/service
  By A2928S5BNHSPRF on 2006-10-16
  i got this ipod for my birthday , and if you like a lot of music, get it, if not get a smaller version ipod,the music videos are 1.99 on itunes, songs are .99c , and games are 4.99 , movies are more up towards 15/20 bucks, its such a good toy for everyone, i listen to it all the time in high school studyhall/homeroom ,also if your apple earbud headphones crap out (where one side plays the other one doesnt-thats what always happens to me) go to apple support site and they'll next-day DHL you a new set , only catch is you have to send the defective ones back(but the mailer is prepaid so its no charge to send it back), i have the nano , and the video and ive gone through 4 sets of headphones , thats how im impressed with the customer service. my ipod crapped out bc i listen to it 3 hrs a day daily and change songs/volume frequently so one day i got a sad ipod icon and the ipod froze up alot, it was on a sunday night(late) i logged on to apples support site,put it in a dhl dropbox on tuesday afternoon and by friday i had a BRAND NEW replacement ipod(they sent me a prepaid next-day box for dhl to ship it back) the only hassles of that is 1. you have to go to a dhl drop box to ship it , 2. a few days without music lmao, i hope this review shows you how good the ipod is / and what support force is behind it
  
  
• Excellently sweet Video/Music Player
  By A1AKF3HOX24MWX on 2006-11-04
  I got a white 30gb iPod and i love it. I used to have a 2gb black nano but i got a new ipod because i want to play movies on it. It was a good decision. Its so ez to use and i love to watch movies on it at home or in the car...think of the possiblilites. If any of you people ride the bus to school or to sports, its cool to show off your videos. I make my own home videos and they look great on the little screen and you can give one of the earbuds to someone else(thats what i like about the headphones).
  
  ----GOOD----
  -good video/audio quality
  -oh so easy to use
  -looks amazing in and out of my iskin evo3 case
  -compact (not as much as my old nano, but still...)
  
  ----BAD----
  -movies are better on the larger, widescreen PSP
  -uhhhhh......its so cool everybody will try to steal it...(if you can count that as a bad
  
  Overall, the iPod is a great buy if you got the money. It will bring many years of fun, um, funness to come. Good day
  
  PS if you want a case (yes you do) i recomend the iSkin evo3.
  
  
  
  
  
• Only a few minor glitches....
  By on 2006-12-10
  Okay, this thing is pretty awesome. I am 13 and it holds everything that I
  need, and I see now that I didn't need the 80GB. I will say that you need
  to immediately buy a case and AC adapter right when you get it, if you plan to bring it in the car. The case is something you ABSOLUTELY have to
  have, unless you want a smudged, scratched, finger-printed ipod. Also, I have the white and my friend has a black one, and the white doesn't show
  the scratches quite as badly. Skip the rhinestones and glitter, girls,
  because you need a case on your ipod more than you need extra sparkles to show off!!!! But, there are lots of positive aspects to this player as well. First, the screen is alot brighter and I don't know what the people are talking about who say the screen is dull. Remember to turn on the
  backlight while watching movies. My 17 year old sister has a Creative Zen,
  and the Ipod is better. But not by much. The ipod has the click wheel and is alot easier to find your way around it and navigate through than the Zen. If you are looking for a media player that is easy to navigate, stylish, fun, popular, and useful, get the 30GB ipod, unless you need a
  TON of space, in which case I would recommend the 80GB. I hope you enjoy your player!!!!!!!!
  
  
• My HD failed just as the warrenty expired!
  By A1CFUMSKH9KBXO on 2006-12-15
  When it works, the iPOD is a great product. However, I'm VERY frustrated by what happens when it fails (and it will). Apple's advice? Buy a new one. I bought a 40G IPOD Photo 2 years ago for $500 plus the AppleCare 2yr protection plan ($65), plus $500 worth of iTunes. It crashed 1 month after the plan expired. Apple says there's no way to fix it and suggests I simply go out and buy another one (for $350+tax). No way! I'd never spend more than $100 for an iPOD again. And I'll never buy a hard drive based iPOD again. If I did, I'd be spending an average of $400 a year simply for the luxury of owning an iPOD -- that's nuts.
  
  
• ipod or zune...???
  By on 2006-11-20
  well let's take a quick look at both of them, which one's sexier? well for me ipod is way sexier than zune (besides zune looks really bulky). Zune's screen is bigger, but i guess the screen is not a big problem is it? ipod's wheel make navigating through menus easier, while zune has a pad instead of a touch-sensetive wheel. The wireless thing would be really cool if you could actually keep the songs you receive!! but no, they only last 3 days, and you can only play them 3 times, now that sucks. If you want an MP3 for christmas, i'd really recommend ipod, cause zune just isn't as good as ipod. Yeah microsoft may rule at computers, but they suck at making MP3 and videogames. So that's all i have to say for now, hopefully this helped you realized that ipod is the best MP3 out there.
  
  
• The best disk based MP3 player bar none
  By A2H29MRGUQ8ABI on 2006-12-04
  This is my fourth MP3 player. I have previously owned a 4th generation, 40GB iPod, a Creative Zen Touch 20GB and currently own a Sandisk 1GB flash player as well as the new, black, 30GB, 5th gen video iPod. When I opened the box and took out the player, I was amazed at just how slim it is. The 40GB 4th gen iPod I had was much thicker. I would think that the 80GB 5th gen model would be about the same thickness as my 4th gen model. The screen is larger and very clear. I orginally just wanted a music player but after downloading some video podcasts (free from iTunes) and seeing just how high the video quality is, I am really glad that I have the option to play videos as well as music. After getting used to the Zen Touch's scroll bar, I forgot just how comfortable it is to use he iPod's click wheel, it is the most natural interface I can imagine (other than voice) and is a joy to use except for the fact that clockwise is down and anti-clockwise is up. I can't recall if it has always been that way with iPods but to scroll down I naturally want to scroll 'anti' (I'm right handed) and I am finding it a little odd to have to do the opposite(maybe it's just me). Sound quality is very good - not better than the Zen Touch, but very good. I wish there was customizable EQ settings but maybe that will come with a future firmware upgrade. Using iTunes is a joy. I know how restrictive it is but I just love the interface and its functionality. I love the fact that after subscribing to podcasts it will download new episodes automatically and then sync then to the iPod; kind of like a DVR series recording feature. The lack of a dock (which came with the 4th gen iPod I had) and also a mains charger is a bit of a pain but I guess the exclusion of these have helped bring the price of the iPod down to a a very reasonable level so I can't complain. Battery life is much better than the 4th gen iPod and I believe that the sound quality is too. One thing, the iPod I got from Amazon looked like it had defaulted to Khazakstanise but fiddling about with the settings (and hoping for the best) enabled to me to change the language to English so don't panic if the first time you hook it up you can't understand a word! The iPod, still the King, as these latest models show.
  
  
• Apple will rip you off
  By A3LBVQSGLNWPY6 on 2006-12-14
  Our 9 month old 30GB IPod stopped working, we sent it back in their special box, with the special tape they provide. They say it arrived empty and they will not replace it. DHL, which Apple forces you to use, says the box arrived untampered with. No one will return the box to me, Apple hung up on me (after 5 hours on hold and after speaking to 5 very "apologetic" people who understood my frustration). Apple stole my IPod.
  
  
• iPod Beginner
  By A38M5UZ1YRFL3H on 2006-12-15
  Before I purchased the iPod 30 Gb Video 5.5 geration, I had numerous questions I could not find answers to. For those just starting here are a few facts:
  
  - I love this model. If I had known the capabilities I would have purchased a long time ago.
  - This iPod will hold about 500 hours of audio. That would be 38 books having 350 pages each.
  - Broadband connection (DSL is OK) is best for downloading books. It took about 1.5 hours to download a 700 page book from [...].
  - You can take CDs you already own, import them into ITunes on your comouter, and download them to your Ipod from there. This includes music, lectures, talks, etc.
  - Since this model only plays for 14 hours between charges, I bought a Battery Extender. Be sure to buy the one specifically for this model. It lengthens playtime, between charges, to 42 hours. The Extender comes with a skin for protecting the iPod.
  - With the Extender on the iPod, it will not fit most cases or docking systems. It does, however, fit in the Bose iPod Sound Docking System with romote control. Icidently, this Bose system is great Bose quality and worth the money. Bose also makes ear-buds that are incredible.
  - The ear-buds that came with the iPod were hard and too big for my ears. Both Sharper Image and Bose have softer ones with better sound quality, fitting ear canals of differing size.
  - This model plays 3.5 hours of Video. If you are going to use this source to play movies, you may want to consider the 80Gb that plays 6 hours of video and has 50 Gb more memory. I am happy with this model as I wanted it mostly for books, lectures, and classical music.
  - I recommend the 3 year warranty for the iPod and warranties, where available, for the accessories.
  - If you are buying a gaget to hook the iPod to your car FM, be sure it fits your car model. I have to send back the one I chose for this reason.
  
  
• Are these IPods designed to die after two years?
  By A2Y3UV9O1FA7GT on 2007-04-12
  I bought an IPOD a little over two years ago and obviously loved it: User friendly, convenient, an amazing way to store and listen to music. Two weeks ago I went to the apple store because my IPOD wasn't starting up. I was informed that a general check and repair on an IPOD is $250, so I might as well buy a new one. When I asked the repair man if it was normal to have a $249 IPOD die after two years of careful, drop-free use, he skirted the question by telling me that the internal mechanism is very delicate. So I asked around, and it turns out that I know 6 or 7 people whose IPODS died after the same amount of time. Due to an onslaught of billboards and advertisements, and the sheer power of fad, perhaps my efforts to warn customers are in vain. However, please understand that this investment is likely very short term and going to cost you again just as you're getting used to the convenience of your otherwise awesome product.
  
  
• Excellent value
  By A2CBOP1NA5Y439 on 2006-11-26
  You simply can't match the value you get for the price of this gorgeous iPod. The ability to view and show others your photos and watch video is priceless. The quality of the video and images is simply incredible. This is my second iPod (the first being a 10 GB white click wheel I had for over 3 years) and I have convinced so many of my friends and family to get them. I have been able to watch almost two hours of TV shows on an airplane with no problem (haven't tried watching a full-length movie yet). Overall this is a fantastic product for the money and you will not regret your purchase!
  
  
• Read reviews carefully
  By A1DDEAG04FMQAT on 2006-12-20
  I own a 3rd Generation 20GB iPod, and have had it for several years. I use it in the car with a car adaptor, I use it around the house, and I take it to the gym with me, and I love it. I have dropped it several times, both with and without a protective case, and it continues to work without a problem. I think the only problem I have had with it is that my computer only has a 30GB hard drive so I had to buy an external hard drive to store backup copies of all my music without completely slowing down my laptop. This is hardly the fault of the iPod.
  
  The reason for writing is I just think that everyone needs to read reviews carefully. Everyone I know has an iPod - including nanos, shuffles. No one has ever had the problems I have read from Amazon customers. You'd think that about half of all the iPods died, due to no fault of the user of course, and that Apple is a completely evil, unfriendly company. Now, I'm not saying that these things don't happen. When you mass produce any product, there are bound to be some that don't work, something we have all experienced. (My Bissel Carpet Cleaner just died after only 8 months of use.) However, I think we have also all had experience with people who make mistakes but somehow have an inate inability to accept responsibility for it and can only try and blame others for their mistakes.
  
  I just wanted to say that I have had no problems with the iPod, I think its a great product, and thank god for Apple for inventing this so everyone else can be a follower and try and copy them rather than be innovative. But in the process of reviewing products for purchase, be sure to carefully evaluate the customer comments to make sure you are getting the true picture. (This includes even scrutinizing my review, because I'm obviously a big fan of Apple...I'm writing this in my Mac.)
  
  
• Surprised... It's pretty good
  By A1XI5UAJE5Z6KN on 2006-12-29
  I wasn't really that into the iPod craze a few years ago or even today. I collect music and like reviewing music, spinning tunes and putting together playlists and specials for some of my friends. Heck, I still hunt religiously for good vinyls (just check the reviews lol). Long story short, the woman :) knew that I lugged my cd's around with me and wanted to get me an iPod. But I wasn't wed to the iPod idea or Apple and because I collect, I figured that I didn't really need iTunes, (downloading tunes) and I'd heard the horror stories behind Apple, iTunes and how seemingly obsessed they are with proprietary information.
  
  So I picked up a Creative player instead. It was very nice... a Zen Sleek. But it had this nasty habit of crashing... too frequently. Finally, it just stopped working about 6 months after getting it, so I thanked the heavens for the insurance I got from a popular electronics store, and went ahead and got this 30G iPod and honestly haven't regretted it. Granted, I thikn the drawback to me was iTunes... I could've done without having to download that program. But I do like that Apple uses Gracenote, who helps with linking the titles of some of the off-beat stuff in my collection. Once I figured out how to really use iTunes though, it wasn't that bad of a system... not as good or in-depth as others but I like that you can just go into the iTunes store, get a song from .99, and have it synced to your system, etc. You can also put in a few tv shows in it (maybe not a few... but many!), like Robot Chicken, etc.
  
  It's not perfect though. I think if there are any drawbacks, it's that if you use the light, the battey drains quickly. Also, I think the iTunes store could be organized a bit better. And the screen scratches extremely easy - if you do get this, you definitely want to get a tough screen protector, and even put that into a cloth pouch. I have mine completely in a Belkin hard case, and a pouch. And of course, I guess the iPod doesn't support all MP3 formats, so you have to convert the files. While you can fool around with that, at the end of the day, realize that you still may need some re-writes to back-up your music if you want to switch away from the iPod in the future. Last but certainly not least, the sound quality of the headphones in the package are crap. And that's being generous. So if you can, you'll want to get a good set of headphones (Sony, Phillips, etc.). I mean really, I don't know how Apple can use those obnoxious people dancing around with those white headphones stuck in their ears, looking as if they're having seizures when the music sounds like rubbish through them. So expect to spend at least another $50 on accessories if you get this.
  
  Still, I've been enjoying my MP3 player. I was pleasantly surprised by Apple and recommend it. Oh... some bits of advice, get the insurance (from wherever you get it) and I'd hardly recommend getting one used. Also, definitely shop around... I'm still not an "iPod for life" person and if the Zune was around before hand or been more established, I might've checked that one out instead and I think the Creative ones hve improved - the sound at least in the headphones they provided was infinitely better than Apple's. But as it stands, this one is better than the Creative one I used to have in that it hasn't crashed & I'm enjoying using the store, etc. so I like it. And I suppose the moral of the story is, the woman was, as usual, correct & it's good to carry so many songs of mine and hear them whenever I want without throwing out my back with them in my record bag/back-pack.
  
  
• What you'd expect
  By AE3ZAVDR50N3M on 2006-09-24
  I owned the 5th Generation iPod, 1st Generation and decided to upgrade.
  
  Battery life is improved over the previous model. That's about all that has changed, besides the fact that it now comes with a different case, different earphones and no instalation CD.
  
  All the other changes are available through an iPod firmware update (such as the ability to play games, adjust brightness, improved search, etc..) and by updating iTunes.
  
  Overall, a great player, although I wouldn't recommend it if you already own the 5th generation iPod (It's practically the same thing!).
  
  
  
  
• Moving on to Bigger and Better
  By A7H3D4JTRWD0X on 2006-11-22
  I own both the iPod (5.5) and the Zune - buy a Zune. Not only does it not scratch or get generally as dingy looking as an iPod - the screen is absurdly larger due to not having to put the brilliant "let's see how we can test our opposable thumbs wheel" navigation "aid" on the device. Not to mention, the interface itself is much more attractive and the device itself has more capabilites than the iJunk. But that's me...and not wanting to have to go through another 3 day - yes - days - synch between my WMA files and iTunes sad attempt at conversion.
  
  
• progress report after 3 months...
  By A2SV61SAPTL4UN on 2006-12-08
  I've given this iPod heavy use for three months.
  
  I have to admit that it's done great.
  
  It could be more flexible and work with other online music services besides itunes. Maybe some day.
  
  I have 3303 "items" on it and it's only half full. I carry my entire music collection around the house with me!
  
  Probably one of my best purchases ever.
  
  
• Great for the music fan, but go to the 80gb model for the video fan
  By A2UTLJJWNBL4YS on 2006-12-11
  I have been an Ipod fan for a while and was thrilled to see this new Ipod come out in 30GB with video capability, color screen and the whole works. This is a perfect item for those who want to carry around the bulk of their music but don't have the need for hard drive sized storage. For those like me who have hours of tv shows and movies I like to carry around, the 80GB version is definitly the better way to go. The battery life is excellent and the color screen is crisp and clear, although I still hate the earbuds with a passion bordering on wanting to crush them with a bat.
  
  The casing is sleek, and seems to have mostly eliminated the problems of scratching the first generation Nano's had. The price point seems well suited for Christmas buyers. Think about the type of use you want to get out of it, and then make the your decision. No matter what, you can't go wrong. If there are mechanical issues, Apple will fix them under the warranty, but a protective case is a highly recommended addition. If you know you are going to get the 30GB model, wait a few weeks after Christmas. The price points usually drop a bit as Apple gets ready to start rolling out updated models in the summer.
  
  A.G. Corwin
  St.Louis, MO
  
  
• You'll absolutely love it ... until it crashes.
  By A3F97HJ1K41O0R on 2007-02-16
  Let me start off by saying that Apple has brilliant industrial design people working for them. The sleek look and feel of the iPod is unrivaled, and even the packaging will leave you very impressed with Apple's sense of style. Now for the pseudo-"bad" news.
  
  I love(d) my iPod. I had the third generation one for about a year until one day it crashed without warning, unable to be repaired. Then a little while later I purchased this iPod. Again, I used it for a little over a year, and last week it crashed again. Soft reset, hard resets were to no avail. It required a full wipe, and even now it's really acting wonky, and lagging. Very annoying: it was hard to get my (very stable) PC to even recognize the iPod's existance, and I put this PC through the wringer, constantly challenging it with foreign devices and programs.
  
  Keep in mind that I do not have it on automatic sync. I think that iPods probably work best if:
  
  A) You have all legally ripped or iTunes-purchased DRM music. iPods don't like incomplete files, and really can't handle anything other than purchased video.
  B) You keep the 'Pod on active sync... which is not cool, unless you have <50 albums all on one computer, where it's manageable
  C) You press as few buttons as possible. Apple actually recommends this on their website as a way to extend battery life. Spend the time creating a playlist and just let it go.
  D) Don't use it as a hard-drive. I know I might catch some flak for this, but I have to conclude that it was my using it as this that might have contributed to its early retirement both times. iPods don't like writing or reading from memory too much, or skipping around on the hard disk.
  
  In conclusion, the 30 GB generation 5 iPod is a really fragile, error-prone device, unlike what some Appleites would want you to believe. However, it's still best in class, but not good enough to warrant a 4 or 5 star rating from me, simply for the instability.
  
  If you treat it like you're the king and it's your beloved princess daughter, it should be fine. Also, if you are okay with buying one every year or year and a half, I fully recommend it.
  
  
• iPod Died 34 days after Warranty Expired!!!
  By A2HJO9E3RZYJIL on 2006-12-11
  And Apple refused to fix it for me. I can understand if I did something wrong, like drop it or get it wet, but all I did was use it for music listening? $300 and now I have nothing? That just does not seem fair. But the first thing all the Apple Customer Service Rep's said was that I should have purchased the extended warranty! For spending $300, you would think you could at least get a product that would last a few years!! Thanks Steve Jobs! Make sure that stock price keeps going so you can exercise some more backdated options. Criminal----just like Martha Stewart.
  
  

• Belkin F8V234-WHT-APL Headphone Splitter
• Griffin TuneBuds for iPod, iPhone, and MP3 Players (Pink)
• Aerielle i2i FMT300-IP FM Transmitter for iPod (Black)
• TEAC SR-L250iB Hi-Fi Table Radio with iPod Dock/CD/USB (Black)
• mStation Orb II Desktop Stereo Speaker System for iPod and MP3 Players (Red)

• Speck Products iPod Video ToughSkin w/ Belt Clip - Black
• Apple USB Power Adapter for iPod (White)
• Apple 80 GB iPod AAC/MP3 Video Player Black (5.5 Generation)
• DLO PodFolio Leather Case for 30 GB and 60 GB iPod 5G (Black)
• Apple iPod nano 2 GB Silver (2nd Generation)