iPod Video

iPod Video - A Review

The iPod Video is my third and best ever iPod. It replaces a 2002 vintage 10GB model and a 2003 30GB Dock connector iPod. All of my iPods are still going strong and have now been inherited by other members of my family. My new fifth generation iPod is thinner, lighter and has some exciting and also some worrying features when compared to it's older bretheren. Stop Press: I have also done an Apple iPod Video review from a musician's perspective.

Out of the box

I'll never forget getting my first iPod. The cube shaped box was beautifully packaged and contained headphones, remote and a portable charger. My second iPod went one better with the introduction of a useful dock. The latest 60GB model came in a much smaller package. At first I was pleased, it is a lot more eco-friendly than it's predecessors packaging. As I unpacked the contents, I realised how Apple had made these space savings. There is no dock nor a charger! My heart sank, what's more Apple have ditched Firewire in favour of USB 2.0. So my first impressions were not good, not good at all.

Universal Dock

The iPod comes with a plastic dock adapter which will allow it to sit pretty on the new universal dock - which is available to buy at extra cost, as is a USB battery charger. Luckily I have a USB charger which I bought for my daughter's iPod shuffle, but I still am left feeling slightly cheated. One of the great things about the iPod is the ability to take your music anywhere, but if you want to take it on holiday you will have to either budget for a USB charger or take along your Mac or PC - not ideal. It also comes in a lightweight vinyl case, which again seems cheap when compared to the original deluxe black iPod cases. In actual fact I really like the case now, as I can operate the iPod without slipping it out of it's grey vinyl protector.

Video killed the MP3 star

When I first heard about video iPods, I was a little bit dismayed. One of the great things about the iPod and in particular the shuffle is that there is no video display. I like that, I am not a big fan of MTV as style often will prevail over substance. Music is best played through good headpones/speakers with one's eyes closed. Yet, once again I am pleased to be wrong. It has propelled the iPod as a media player, TV shows, Music Videos and more are now available to buy from the now stangely titled iTunes Music Store. The iPod Video will play back only certain types of video though, namely MPEG-4 and H.264 video at resolutions up to 320x240. The 2.5inch TFT screen is quite simply gorgeous, it is bright and very clear in use.

Let the music play

Plugging in the standard white Apple phones caused another happy surprise. The iPod rocks in volume, it seems considerably louder than my previous models, I now have the volume at about 3/4 as opposed to flat out as I would normally drive my phones. It supports all the usual flavours of audio files, MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless and WAV, so unless you have a large WMV collection you should be happy. I am not happy though. I don't steal music, but still can not transfer the contents of my old iPod to my new one. In the end I got the excellent iPod RIP to back up my old iPod music to my iTunes library. I use a PowerBook, so I found it useful to delete songs off the internal drive to save valuable disk space. I have about 20GB of music, and it all transferred across with no problems.

iPod Extras

I use the Apple address book for my contacts and the iPod Video displays this information very clearly as it does the calender info. One new extra is the Stopwatch which I think is pretty useful and well implemented. It also has a collection of games, including a Music Quiz, which tests your knowledge of your own music collection.

iPod Video Conclusion

My initial concerns have largely been nulled. USB 2.0 is not as fast as Firewire, I can't use my iPod as a boot drive, and am not sure how well it will work carrying data to my friends and families Macs anymore. My iTalk and iCombi will not work now as the iPod Video lacks a remote connector. The good news is that my 60GB iPod Video plays music with aplomb, has a very good battery life and is thinner and better ergonomicaly than my previous iPod. The iPod Video also plays videos, which is already spawning a new artform the iPod Video. It will be used for Instructional Video's like the excellent Guitar Lessons you can get from the iTMS and I have even produced my own music video for you lucky, lucky iPod Video owners. Life is good, and so is the iPod Video, it would be near perfect if it came with a Dock, Charger and had a built-in microphone and bluetooth. Incidently I bought a white iPod, it like previous iPods scratches more than any DJ and I reckon the white colour will hide these a little better than the black one. The black one does look cool though...

iPod Video Links

• Buy the Apple iPod Video from the UK Apple Store
• Apple iPod 60GB Review
• Free and Legal iPod Music downloads
• iPod Music Reviews
• Macintouch iPod video review
• iPod Shuffle Review