I did it! I bought a new iPod. It was totally unjustifiable given that I have a perfectly good 40GB iPod photo that anne marie gave me for for Christmas last year. But, I bought it anyway (sorry sweetie). I really wanted the ability to carry movies with me, as well as music.
The 30GB is super slim, and I wish I could fit all my media into that model, but I can’t. I bought the 60GB model… in white. The black one seems to be really popular, but I prefer classic white.
First, let me say it is awesome! I’ve begun ripping my DVDs (more in pt. II of the story), and the screen quality is really amazing. I am extremely happy with the new iPod, but I thought I would mention a few things that you don’t get, for those of you still considering buying one.
Accessories (or lack there of)
When opening up that new box, you’ll notice that the new iPod comes with earbuds, a USB cable, and a soft sleeve… and nothing else… not even a wall charger. The only way to charge the iPod is through your computer. I personally don’t like this at all. I got a little spoiled with my iPod Photo… it came with a doc, Firewire and USB cables, a wall charger, and A/V cables for hooking it to my TV.
I think Apple has gotten a little too stingy with the accessories. They do offer a wall charger for $29, but it doesn’t even come with a cable to connect it to your iPod?!? You have to buy the cable separately for $19. They want you to use the cable that came with your iPod, with the charger… but I personally like to have a cable I keep at my computer, and a cable that stays with my travel charger. If I do that, I’m in for another $50.
The universal doc ($39) is another item that is sold separately. Steve jobs showed it off when he announced the new iPod. He also showed a great little remote that goes with it… but guess what, although the remote goes with the doc, it doesn’t come with the doc… it’s an additional $29.
A quick note about accessories: The new iPod no longer has that little port next to the headphone jack. So, any accessories, like the Apple in-line remote, or iTrip, that require that port won’t work with the new iPod.
Connectivity
As mentioned above, the new iPod only comes with a USB cable. I had assumed that you could still sync with iTunes via firewire, it just didn’t come with the cable. I was wrong… I connected my iPod to my computer via my existing Firewire dock, and a message popped up that said I can charge via Firewire, but I cannot sync. This seems really odd considering Apple developed Firewire. Why did they drop support for it? Is this a glimpse at Apple’s future? Will they be dropping Firewire on their computers? I’m wondering if this has anything to do with Apple’s new deal with Intel… the company who developed USB.
Software
The new iPod obviously comes with the latest software. You get the new screen-lock, clocks, and timer etc… But there is one thing that is strangely missing. You know that ‘click’ sound that the iPod makes when you scroll through a menu? My iPod photo gives me 4 options for configuring that click… off, speaker, headphones, or both. The new iPod only has on and off. Why did they do that? I personally like hearing the click through my headphones, but didn’t like it coming out of the iPod itself. I actually used that feature. Hey Apple… please bring that back!
Conclusion
Overall I am extremely happy with the new iPod. I would recommend it for anyone looking to upgrade. Just be aware that you’ll probably be spending more money then you think for the accessories that came with previous versions.
In part II of the story, I’ll be covering DVD ripping, video bit rates, and battery life.
And here I though I was the only person giving in to the popularity of the 5G iPod. It truely is an amazing gadget and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I currently am.
I’ve been trying to talk myself out of buying one. You, sir, are not helping! haha
I just got mine through Apple.com last week. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!
Picked up a cool piece of software called CucuSoft which converts ripped DVDs into iPod formatted movies.
Can’t agree enough with what was said already… screen resolution is great (perfect for a flight from Vancouver to Toronto!) and sound quality is outstanding as expected. My only beef is the ear buds… I have small ears and the cheapy ear buds included are too big for me. I just ordered Sony Fontopia adjustable inner ear ear buds and love them. =) I also got the black and I’m getting a cool lime green skin for, to protect the casing.
Run, don’t walk, to get this tiny high-tech gadget…worth every penny =)
hey – this is my first iPod – I don’t want to know what I am missing! I was guessing that you would cave…
I don’t see Apple removing FireWire support from their Macs… it’s essential for connecting a video camera to the Mac and that’s a big market for Apple. I believe they removed it from the iPod to simplify the electronic design in an effort to keep margins high.