Apple iPod classic 80 GB Black (6th Generation) OLD MODEL
by Apple Computer
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Our Price: $294.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $109.98 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod classic 80 GB Black (6th Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: Better than my 30 gig gen 5 video iPod
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned and loved my 30 gig video iPod for almost 2 years, and aside from a periodic problem where it won't power off until I've reset it, it's worked fine. I have noticed that screen changes (for example, clicking on "Music" in the main menu and waiting for the music screen to appear) had become sluggish as I added more songs and passed the 20 GB mark, but it still worked. However, it was obvious that I would exceed the 30 GB capacity before Apple comes out with its next generation of iPods, so I started looking at the current crop to see what would work best.
Like just about everyone, I want an iPhone, but not the first generation and (hopefully) not being stuck with AT&T as my cell carrier. So that ruled out the iPhone, at least for now. I was dazzled by the cool interface of the iPod Touch, but I don't have wall-to-wall WiFi coverage in my area and wasn't willing to make the compromise on capacity.
I wanted the capacity that the Classic offered, but had read conflicting reviews, even from people who are normally big Apple fans. I was especially concerned to read so many people complaining that the performance was actually worse than the video iPod. Reviewers also complained that the new interface was not responsive and didn't represent an improvement over the interface on the video iPod. However, after playing with one at a local retailer, I found the new interface to be a significant improvement and it seemed to work just as fast as my current video iPod. I opted for the 80 GB model, since my laptop's hard drive is only 160 GB and it didn't make sense to get an iPod with more space than my hard drive.
So far, I'm very pleased with the Classic. After spending some time with the new interface, I have found it to be much better than the old one. OK, so it's not a touch screen, but that's the trade-off for the larger capacity (at least in this generation of iPods). Unlike many users, I have had no trouble at all with the cover flow feature, and I like the way it works. If I scroll very quickly, I may have to wait a couple seconds for the cover art to appear, but it's not a big deal at all, at least for me. The titles appear no matter how fast I go, and I greatly prefer being able to browse my collection this way compared to scrolling through a long list.
I have not had any trouble with the click-wheel and have not noticed that it's less sensitive or less responsive than the previous model. When you scroll very quickly through a list, a large letter appears on the screen to show you what letter of the alphabet you're in, an intelligent and convenient feature that helps to keep you from scrolling too far in one direction.
I also like that the Playlist menu now shows the number of songs for each playlist, and most of the other music menus have enhancements, too (showing album art at the left of the entry if appropriate, for instance). I like the way the calendar works better than on my iPod video, and also like being able to manage alarms for calendar events more easily. (Maybe I didn't look hard enough, but I don't think I even had calendar event alarms on the 30 GB iPod).
The Classic connected and synched with my Vista PC with no problems, except for a repetitious request to register the iPod every time I connect, a problem I haven't yet solved. It took about 15 minutes to synch 20 GB of songs, which is actually faster than my previous iPod. As for sound, it seems clearer and more balanced than the 30 GB iPod, and also a bit louder. I had found that I had to turn up the volume on my older iPod just to have it at a listenable level, and I haven't had to do that on my new one.
I don't often use my iPod for video, but I like the new games better than the ones on my older iPod.
Overall, the Classic represents a significant upgrade over my previous iPod because of added capacity, better sound, and a better interface.
Customer Review: This Apple iPod is an Instant Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
Disclaimer - I base this review off of currently owing the Classic 80 gig, the mini 1 gig, the original iPod Nano 1 gig, Shuffle 1 gig and the original iPod 5 gig. And in the past I have owed the iPod 5th generation 30 gig, the iPod Photo 30 gig and an iPod Mini 4 gig that was lime green and got stolen.
I have owned the iPod classic 80 gig for about four months now and when I read other reviewer's thoughts about this model I was a little worried that it would not live up to expectations. But I made the purchase anyway and decided to make the best of it. The main reason that made the decision to purchase the Classic instead over the iPod Touch is that you get so much more memory for the money with the Classic. And I didn't feel that I much use for the applications that Apple had for the Touch, or the Iphone for that matter. And even with the addition of the Application section of the ITMS the Classic is still a better deal than any of the Touch models.
What makes the Classic worth buying? The screen is a lot clearer and cleaner to view than the previous iPod 5.5/5.0 generations of which I owned also. The metal front of the Classic is easier to keep clean and harder to damage than previous iPod generations have been. The touchpad on the Classic works really well, and is always sensitive to use. In fact, the game Phase that you can buy for the iPod Classic totally relies on the sensitivity of the Classic touchpad and it works great. Never stalls, reboots, slows down or crashes. If you read the first reviewer of the Classic he totally trashes this model iPod, although I have found out that this unit is very reliable and has plenty of space to fit all of your pics, podcasts, movies, games and of course music. The Coverflow use of the Classic software works very well even through many a reviewer it seem to believe that it doesn't load fast enough and is a little bulky for the processor to handle. True, depending on the number of albums that you have on the iPod Classic it takes a second for all of the graphics to load. Currently, I am using 10 gig of the 80 gig capacity and it doesn't bother me if the software needs a second or two to load all of the album pictures that Coverflow uses. Coverflow is really great and makes selecting your music very easy to use.
Also, I have read that other reviewers believe that the sound quality of the Classic was downgraded from the previous models but the must have some super sonic hearing because I can't tell the difference. The battery is also another amazing aspect of this unit because it has never ran out on me even during continuous use of a 7 hour cross country flight last week where I watched a 2 hour movie, played Phase for at least an hour, listened to an hour of an audiobook, watched three 20 minute Anderson Cooper Podcasts among others, looked at pictures and listened to music. Therefore, I used every single aspect of the iPod Classic for hours, numerous times and it has never given me a problem.
If you like buying products that are worth the money are going to add happiness and convenience to your life then the iPod classic is for you.
Customer Review: VERY HAPPY!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok so i just bought the i pod classic two days ago, After having originally bought the 16 gig i pod touch and returning it for the high price, the low capacity and the lack of external volume control. Before the classic i owned a 30 gig i pod video and let me just say i believe that this is a true step up! for having 50 more gigs of space its is just a little bit thinner which is great. also the aluminum finish in the front is very appealing and it seems like you can finally say goodbye to all the terrible scratching to the front of the i pod. The rear is still made from the ridiculously shiny and fingerprint/smudge/scratch prone material. all in all i give it a 9 out of 10 for looks. my only complaint is the back.
-Now for the actual i pod interface i really enjoy the cover flow but im having a lot of trouble with doubles of the same album picture coming up, and when i don't have the album name for a certain song all the songs that don't have album names are bunched together, which for me is definitely a minus because i now find myself using cover flow less. One thing i do really like is the whole split screen aspect, it isn't that big of a deal but it makes the i pod look really nice to have all the album artwork showing itself at random on the right side of the screen. also i haven't had any problems with my i pod lagging or moving slowly as some people are saying (i only have about 3000 songs and 40 something videos).
-The video quality on this i pod isn't that big of a leap from the old generation i pod except that this one has a much brighter screen and the videos are at a slightly higher resolution, also the battery life is phenomenal, in Two days i listened to about 5 hours of music and watched a good 3 hours of videos and still have 50% of the battery life remaining.
-Apple is really stripping down the boxes on the new generation i pods, you can no longer find an i tunes disc included and are required to download it from the internet. also in the box are the new i pod headphones (same from the i pod 5.5 g)(i also suggest getting better headphones for the i pod seeing as these wont last very long!) the Usb cable, 2 apple stickers, and a very small users guide.
-One gripe i do have about this device is the sensitivity of the scroll wheel, apple made it so that you have to press down really hard on it to get it to respond, when i first got it i thought i had gotten a broken one because i was so used to just lightly tapping on my last i pod, But it seems that after using it for a little while it either gets more sensitive or you get used to the added pressure to the point where it doesn't seem to have a problem at all. so don't give up on it right away when you notice this!
-ALL in all i am very happy with the purchase i have made. The battery life, The sound and the huge amount of storage is an amazing value for the price. if you are thinking about getting a new i pod or replacing an old one and need more than 16 gigs i really believe that you can't go wrong buying this i pod!
Customer Review: One of the best purchase choices I've ever made!
Summary: 5 Stars
What started out as a spontaneous purchase choice has turned out to be one of the best buys I've made in a long time! I had not planned on replacing my 5th generation unit until my Apple Care Protection Plan expired. However, when it was accidentally dropped in my parking lot at work and then run over, I was forced to make a sudden upgrade. I was a little hesitant in investing in another Apple product because of all the problems I had been having with my previous two. Yes, that's right I said two! I had only owned my first iPod for about two months before it started to freeze up on me. So when I took it into my local Apple Store then gave me a refurbished player and the problems seemed to get worse. In fact, the very day my previous iPod got destroyed, I was actually planning on getting it checked out to see what they could do for me. But enough about my previous iPod, lets get to the new one.
For starters, I'm extremely pleased that Apple discontinued making iPods that have less then 80 GBs of hard drive space. The reason I say this, is I happened to have a rather large music and video collection. So the benefits of this extra space are endless for me. Another thing I really love is the design. This until holds 50 GBs more space then my last iPod and it's twice as small. This makes it beyond convenient for me to haul it around and just stick it in my pocket. I also love the 2.5 inch screen. Like I had mentioned before, I love watching videos on my iPod and this way I do not have to lug my laptop with me where ever I go. I also own conversion software that can change any video I have in my collection to an MPEG format. This is a nice feature for my video collection and my wallet. The one thing that makes this unit stand out from any of the other previous iPod models is the battery life! I can not tell you how wonderful this is for me because I constantly fall asleep while listening to my iPod. But the most noticeable upgrade for any Apple user is the software changes and the touch wheel. The new GUI that is implemented on my unit is definitely eye catching and easy. And the touch wheel is even better then my last unit.
There is really only one thing I would change about the new iPod and that's the GUI. I'm one of the few that does not like the split screen menu with my artwork changing in the background. I'd rather have that as a screen saver option then integrated in the menu. I also believe that the cover flow is a pointless option to have. I have never used it and probably never will. And my last gripe is the screensaver that pops up after you've been listening to your iPod for a while. I would prefer to see what I'm listening to. Call it a control issue if you'd like, but it's just plain annoying.
Over all I really love my new player and wouldn't change it for the world. Goes to show that spontaneity can be a good thing!
Customer Review: All my music, all my Mythbusters, all my movies, still 16gb!
Summary: 5 Stars
My 80gb classic has been great. I have over 6 DAYS of video on it and all of my music and it still has about 16gb to go. When it was about 3 months old, the drive hit 40gb and refused to go any further, not one MB. I took it to the apple store, they reformatted it, still the same problem. Took it back again, they replaced it. Flawless ever since. I use a JBL mini on stage with this and it works great. I have a pelican hard case for it and it has kept it in absolute pristine condition. I made an adapter with a couple of radio shack parts that allows my ipod to run off of an Energizer portable DVD player battery and charge off of it as well. I recharged the ipod 5 times off of the DVD battery and it's charge indicator NEVER WENT DOWN. I would have chewed my own head off to escape while stuck in an airport for 10 hours were it not for this device. I really cannot say enough nice things about it. I would also recommend the following to make the most of this Ipod.
1. Get Magic DVD Ripper. It will convert any movie to MP4 for your ipod.
2. Get the Pelican Hard case. Indestructable and water tight. You can listen to it while the case is sealed through an external jack.
3. The JBL mini on stage will let you play music and video without earphones, great for when you just want background music or sound while working.
4. Get a good set of noise cancelling headphones. You won't believe how much nicer they sound than the earbuds and how much nicer a flight or car trip is with them.
5. Go to Radio shack. Get a female power jack in the electronic parts department. Get a female cigarette lighter socket. Solder the socket to the female power jack (make sure you have the polarity right!!!) Get an Ipod cigarette lighter plug. Plug your portable DVD player battery into the female power jack (you have several options to buy, match them with the plugs that come with the DVD battery). Plug the ipod cord into the cigarette lighter plug and into the ipod. Even though my DVD battery is 9.6 volts, the ipod will still charge from it and run off of it, for days if necessary. This may seem like a lot of fuss, but when you are far from outlets and vehicles as I often am, it will allow you to be completely self contained for a very long time. There is little that I hate more than boredom, and this has spared me from it.
6. It comes with the games Klondike, Vortex and I-quiz. I have added Tetris and Bejwelled 2 and love them.
I am currently experimenting with a pair of virtual reality glasses and will let you know how they along with this ipod work out. I think that with the two combined, I will have a tremendous entertainment system that fits into a small pelican case.
This is without question the best gizmo I have ever bought.