Apple iPod 4 GB mini M9160LL/A (Silver) OLD MODEL
by Apple Computer
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Our Price: $304.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $33.99 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod 4 GB mini M9160LL/A (Silver) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: Apple Deserve a GOLD for their Mini-Silver iPod! A Great Buy
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know a great deal about everything, however I've been a huge fan of every iPod model since my very first purchase. I kept notes from that first purchase and every upgrade purchase I've made since then. After finally getting my Apple 4GB iPod Mini Silver M9160LL/A, I decided I would take the time to pass on my thoughts in the form of a review on Amazon.com.
I didn't ever think I would become a member of this sort of "technology cult", however Apple has just blown my mind away with their ability to consistently improve quality and impress me with style and functionality. Apple really pushed the envelope with their design and choice of color schemes.
Perfect? Not perfect, but pretty close considering I've only had a few problems with it-all of which can be taken care of with a sort of "Re-Boot"-all you need to remember is to hold down the SELECT and MENU buttons for just under 10 seconds. It seems to take care of any small issues I've had. I'll bet that most people don't put their machines through the sort of consumer testing that I do. But if you ever DO run into any problems, you can "Re-Boot" or go to the Apple website and locate your particular situation and they've convered all basis with great responses. If for any reason at all you can't locate your problem ,or if a "fix" doesn't work, simply email Apple and you'll likely have an educated response within just a few hours or less.
You will be extremely impressed with the quality of sound you'll hear on your iPod Mini. You will also notice an increase in volume as well. A salesman told me that I could expect a difference in sound but Apple wasn't really advertising each facet of this great device. He also informed me that this model will not likely have problems jumping around or skipping-improvements were definitely made and I can't imagine what any future models will have to offer!
Remember to enjoy your iPod and to not worry about anything going wrong. It's likely that you'll never run into a problem. Be certain to follow the instructions and charge for 4 hours. The rest is all about enjoying great music and being able to depend on awesome sound quality and volume improvements.
I hope this review helped and I'll be sure to keep in touch with any future developments along the iPod line. It's hard to believe all of this coming from a PURE-PC Person. That was before I discovered Apple and especially the iPods!! The truth is that I've been converted! Thanks APPLE!
Enjoy!
Pete Cannice
from Scottsdale, Arizona
Email: Horsepete@aol.com
Customer Review: The gadget of the decade
Summary: 5 Stars
I wouldn't go as far as Will Smith to hail the iPod as "the gadget of the century'", but certainly the iPod mini, along with my new Apple Powerbook, is one of the loveliest electronics gadgets I've owned over the last decade.
Since my aging Dell laptop was dying, I considered buying an external hard disk to secure my data to a new machine. Then it occurred to me that I might as well invest in the iPod to do the transfer and enjoy music at the same time. I checked both 20G white iPod and pink-colored mini at the Apple Store in SoHo. The choice was obvious: the mini had so appealing design and form factor that I couldn't resist it despite insufficient storage - my music library is about 5Gb and still growing.
It was a pleasant experience just to open the cube-shaped package, something I never felt with Dell, IBM, and even Sony.
- Mini comes with both USB and Firewire (so does the new 20Gb iPod), works with both my old PC as well as Apple Powerbook - so much for blaming Apple for its closed architecture.
- Sound quality is good, especially with AAC music format. I agree with many people that AAC offers better quality than MP3 and WMV.
- I crammed about 800 songs into Mini's 4Gb storage. Once you start building the music library, it starts growing quickly. The rumor has it that Toshiba's new 6Gb disk may be used in the next generation mini. Any increase would be welcome.
- The mini got hung up several times and I had to "reboot", but the problem disapppeared after the recent iPod software upgrade.
- Battery doesn't last for 8 hours as Apple claims. Especially when I skip/fast-forward songs often, it consumes more power. I'd say 4-5 hours, based on my experience.
In conclusion, the mini has a trade-off compared with the white iPod. You sacrifice storage and battery power for a charming design and a petite form factor. If you need more than 10Gb storage, it's better off to get the 20Gb iPod.
iPods come with higher price tags than players from Dell and Rio. But I'm willing to pay a premium for Apple striving for design and engineering perfection.
iPod has changed my perception of music listening once and forever. It's mind-boggling that I can carry my entire music collection wherever I go, in a gadget as small as a business card. Another score for Jobs & Co.
p.s.) Having said all the good stuff about ipod, I admit that nowadays I try to stay away from it, at least when I need to get work done. Otherwise, endless sweet melody, one after another, would put me into a serious sugar coma for the whole day...
Customer Review: More bells and whistles than a church full of referees
Summary: 5 Stars
A friend just gave their new iPod and said, "You learn how to use and then show me."Well, I don't really need a clock, calendar, timer, games, and all the other things this iPod has (I already have a Palm); I just want to listen to music. And as far as the games go, you really have to be a masochist to play games on a screen this small. Cute, but a bit much.
As for the music, this thing is very cool. The software is quite intuative, and it's easy to rip CD's and transfer the files to your iPod. As a matter of fact, the transfer can be set to take place automatically when you plug the iPod into your computer. Speaking of which, I used a notebook computer with USB 1, and it worked just fine, regardless of iPod's minimum requirments (USB 2 or firewire).
It takes a bit of time to figure out the controls, but if left to its own the iPod will automatically sort your music by artist, composer, song title, music genre, and album title. Or, you can simply get a list of all your songs in alpabetical order.
The controls are similar to those of a CD player, except for this very nice "scroll" feature, and the backlight is fantastic.
The unit has built-in rechargeable batteries (non replaceable), and I didn't get a chance to find out how long it lasts on a charge. Sorry, as this could make or break a sale. Like, what the heck do you do if the batteries run out and you're nowhere near an AC receptical?
All in all, if you want to be the first on your block to have the coolest MP3 player out there, than by all means go for it. However, there are other units, though not as cool, that offer replacable batteries (you can use rechargeables), and also offer voice recording (I can't believe they didn't include that for the price).
Personally, I have a Muvo and like it very much, but it's definitely not as cool or trendy as the iPod, and the iPod's controls are a lot better. On the other hand, you don't need to load any software to transfer songs to the Muvo (Me or XP), so it's easy to grab a few track from friends as you travel around. But, and this is a big "but," the Muvo, and a lot of other MP3 players out there, don't hold a candle to the iPod's storage capabilities, even the mini iPod.
Customer Review: iPods: It's Plusses and Minuses (Mini Version)
Summary: 5 Stars
Here are the reasons why you should buy an iPod:1. It is compact, you can take 1000 songs with you everytime you go out. The iPod slips very easily in your pocket and is pretty light.
2. It is extremely easy to use. Plug it in and it automaticcally all the songs from your computer (iTunes) to your iPod. Very very fast connection and updating. It only takes about 4 seconds to update an average sized album. Amazing huh?
3. It's very very convenient. One thing I really about the iPod is that you can create playlists so your songs can play in a particular order. You can make as many playlists as you like and it'll take like 10 seconds. If you want to burn the songs into a portable CD player, it'll take a good 20 minutes, AND you get worse music quality. You can change your playlists as many times and you want.
4. It's got a lot of other features on it. The games are really fun. You can also put notes, calendar, and contacts on it.
5. The sound is really good. You get equalizer and you can adjust to maximize the quality of music depending on the genre.
6. The design ROCKS! Come on, who can deny the fashionability of the iPod Mini?
7. Extremely light: makes it even more convenient!!
Some not so great points about the iPod:
1. It scratches very easily and unless you don't mind that, you're gonna have to buy some kind of case for it, which will make it slightly bigger (but some will make it more fashionable).
2. The battery really doesn't last that well compared to some other mp3 players out there. To get the most out of your iPod battery, do not fully discharge it before you recharge it. (There's no memory effect.)Supposedly it lasts 18 months if you listen to 6 hours of music a day. (Still not that bad!)
3. The price is pretty up there... But say, you use it everyday for the next 1.5 years, the iPodmini costs 45 cents a day. And chances are you ARE gonna use it for more that 1.5 years.
Some final words:
Go for it, you really won't regret the purchase. The iPod is a timeless thing. The iPod really opened my eyes to music. I now listen to a wider variety of music. With iTunes, purchasing songs you like can never be easier. Once again, GO FOR IT!! NO REGRETS!!
Customer Review: A few flaws, but overall excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
After some deliberation, I decided to buy an iPod mini. The price was a bit prohibitive ($380 Canadian with tax...ouch), but the iPod mini's ease of use, superb sound quality, and stylish look are worth crowing about. A lot of people have complained about the iPod mini's relative lack of storage space compared to its older brothers, but I consider myself a pretty hardcore music fan, with my fingers in all different genres, and I only have 556 songs on my Mac. That's a lot of music, people. And I still have 1.3 gigs left over! So don't be afraid that the mini has "only" 4 gigs of storage space. You'd be suprised how much you can fit on there.
Now for the bad stuff: The battery life is disappointing. Sure, most of us won't need to go for eight straight hours without a recharge, but if you listen to your mini a lot (as I do), you might be suprised at how quickly the battery drains. Apple's advertised 8 hours, in reality, is more like 5-6.
Also, don't be fooled by everyone around you wearing those white Apple earbuds - they're just trying to look trendy. The earbuds (included in the box, along with a belt clip) are okay, but have a weak lower end (bass) and are a bit tinny. Most earbuds are, though. Pick up a better pair of headphones - I use Panasonic Shockwaves, which get nice bass and aren't expensive at all. Still, if you really want to draw those stares, use the earbuds. Whatever floats your boat.
Another thing: Check out the iPod mini in real life if you can. It's actually much smaller than it looks in pictures (that's a good thing). And a note for PC users: You'll probably have a few glitches setting up the iPod. Such is the nature of the PC. Mac users, of course, could be brain damaged and still get the iPod up and running in a matter of minutes.
Overall, I'm hugely impressed with the iPod mini. It's ridiculously easy to use, it looks great, and having a thousand songs in your pocket at any given time will blow your mind. No more skipping, no more changing CDs...it's golden. Definitely check out the mini if you're in the market for a good MP3 player.