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While the
markets are being flooded with MP3 players right and left, the Adam, or Eve, or whatever
your current intellectual disposition allows you to call it as, of all MP3 players is
undoubtedly the iPod. First, there was the iPod, and then the rest of the MP3 player world
was created. |
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| The iPod by Apple Inc. was a paradigm shift
for the legendary company who had once decided to make PCs for the rest of us. Few years
ago Apple decided that it had produced enough PCs for the masses and now was the time to
make forays into the digital music world. The company made sure that its latest offering
was not merely an accessory, a consumer electronic product; it was an icon, it was a
statement. It became a matter of prestige to own an iPod. There was a rumour that some
people became outcasts for not owning an iPod and you were a gone case if you hadn't heard
of an iPod. The PC market is gradually saturating and most computer makers are trying to
evolve into all-encompassing computer electronics companies. Even in this stratum Apple
seems to be well-positioned. Already, in the company's fourth quarter, 23 percent of its
US$2.35 billion in revenue came from iPod sales.
Although iPod was not the "first of its kind" it was a device that brought the
charm and elegance with it that is so reminiscent of most Apple offerings. The Apple iPods
were undeniably cool, with their small profile, feather-touch backlit buttons, facile
operation and packed with features that attracted the digital music buffs all over the
world. |
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When the iPod
was properly launched on October 23, 2001, it was so small that it could slip into a shirt
pocket with ease, and had a Sony battery that lasted for ten hours on a charge. It shipped
with a tiny 1.8 inch Toshiba hard drive, weighing around fifty grams, far smaller than
even notebook hard drives. Apple neither developed the operating system nor MP3 player
software. A company named Pixo, comprising of the former staff of Apple Inc. developed the
operating system for the device, and the MP3 player was from another company called
PortalPlayer. Even with a high price tag of $400, by the end of 2001, Apple had already
sold 125,000 new iPods. What gives the iPod an edge over the other similar devices is its
ease of use. It's cool that you can save thousands of songs in such a tiny device, but
easily finding what you're looking for is even better. Add to this a sleek look, the
easiest interface of any hard-disk based digital audio player, highly readable fonts and
incredibly simple controls, and you have a winning thing to sell. |
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The iPod's another primary
component is a six-line, four-greyscale screen, which features a bright backlight and easy
to read lettering. The menu, forward, back, and play buttons are arranged in a circle on
the front of the iPod, so you can operate them with one hand. |
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A scroll wheel in the middle lets you browse
through your music by play lists, artists, albums or songs, and it also controls the
volume once you've made your choice. Just click on the button in the center of the wheel
to select your music.
The Click Wheel makes one-handed navigation possible through a library of up to 10,000
songs, and the menu system is surprisingly responsive given the vast size of the
collection it can store. This makes the interface so simple that even your grandmother can
use an iPod.
Your new iPod arrives with several accessories. Both of the fourth-generation iPods
currently on the market include the same accessories, but for one item. Apple's
distinctive white packed-in ear-bud-style headphones deliver above average but not
spectacular audio quality given that they're "free," with a good dynamic range,
pretty good clarity, and stronger emphasis on treble response than bass. The earphones
come with two sets of black foam covers, and the cable is a fraction of an inch longer
than what we received with our iPod mini - perhaps not an intentional difference as much
as one explainable by manufacturing tolerance.
Each iPod box also includes two cables - one FireWire, one USB 2.0 - plus a distinctive
white plastic AC adapter cube, which connects to the iPod using the FireWire cable. These
cables enable you to transfer music files from your computer to your iPod, and also to
charge the iPod whenever it's plugged in to your computer.
According to Apple: "Incorporating the fabulous Apple click wheel that was first
introduced on iPod mini. Offering up to 12 hours of battery life. Weighing in at just 5.6
ounces. And getting slightly thinner with each new generation iPod continues to define the
perfect digital music player for Mac and Windows".
If you look at an iPod from a buyer's perspective, it's not at all a bad deal given the
other choices in the digital music arena. At $299 (20 gigabyte) and $399 (40 gigabyte),
they're cheaper than their comparably sized predecessors, feature better battery life, and
have all the features that iPod owners have known and loved, plus the iPod mini's superior
Click Wheel.
Our only gripe is its battery. Even though it has a longer life span, the fact that it is
not user replaceable is a big nagging. Each time you need a battery changed you need to
visit an Apple outlet, and if your warranty is over, you pay $60 to $100 for that service. |
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iPod - Mini
iPod Mini weighs just 3.6 ounces. With its half-inch thickness and the siz of a business
card, it's the sleekest thing on the block. The touch wheel is roughly the same size as
the iPod's, but now has four integrated function buttons (Menu, Play/Pause, Back and
Forward) to replace the four face buttons from the previous iPod designs. iPod Mini is
built around a 4GB hard drive and can hold 1,000 songs, which is a far cry from the 40GB
iPod's 10,000-song capacity. It comes in five metallic colors and has a smudge-proof,
anodized aluminium body that proves more resistant to dirt and grime. It ships with Apples
music management software, iTunes 4. You can easily sync it with Mac and PC and you can
view your library by song, play list, artist, or album. |
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iPod
20GB and 40 GB
20 GB and 40 GB models hold up to 5,000 and 10,000 songs respectively and they support
MP3, AAC, WAV, MP3 VBR, Audible, and AIFF formats. They are both Mac and Windows
compatible. FireWire and USB 2.0 interface gives you the fastest digital transfer
available. The docking station that ships with them makes charging and synching easy. More
than 8 hour battery life on a 3 hour charge (1-hour fast charge to 80% capacity).
Redesigned features and backlit navigation makes enjoying high-quality music seamless.
They also come with wired remote control, earbud headphones, carrying case, and AC
adapter. A new smart-playlist function lets you rate a song on a scale of 1 to 5 while
it's playing; higher-rated songs play more frequently during shuffle. If you are a MAC or
a Windows user you can also rate songs from within iTunes. As already mentioned above, the
software also grants access to the iTunes Music Store. You can download music for 99 cents
per tune and $9.99 per album. |
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iPod U2 Limited Edition
The iPod U2 (20GB) Special Edition stands out with its jet black color. It has the famous
Click Wheel too that has become synonymous with iPods. The neatest thing is that on the
flip side you get the autographs of each U2 band member. Now who wouldn't like to carry
Bono's autograph?
It costs $349 and it comes with an exclusive U2 poster and the usual white iPod ear buds.
This enviable box comes with an amazing collection of 446 U2 tracks (it isn't called iPod
U2 for nothing!). From “Boy” to “War” to “The Joshua Tree”
to “Zooropa” to the brand-new “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” it
includes every U2 album and brings us over 25 rare and unreleased tracks, including early
demos, remixes, and alternate versions of such songs as “YahWeh” and
“Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own.” |
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iPod
Photo
According to Apple the iPod Photo lets you carry an entire collection of your favorite
songs and compositions — up to 15,000 songs — or enough photos — as many as
25,000 — to fill nearly 200 slide trays or cover nearly 5,000 square feet of wall
space. Now, we wonder why a person would like to carry 25,000 photographs in his or her
pocket unless he or she is going on a space odyssey with a bleak chance of ever returning
back. But if you are a techno-freak, you're going to love this piece. A remarkable thing
is, you can connect iPod Photo to a projector or your TV and see the photographs enlarged.
Now this makes sense. Fully charged, it lets you enjoy up to 15 hours of continuous music;
or up to 5 hours of continuous slideshows with music. |
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| Concluding Remarks Overall, the iPods
are a good range of digital entertainment. A big snag is its battery that is inbuilt and
requires a visit to the service center whenever you want to get it replaced. Designwise
its great, the looks are super cool and it has unlimited space. After all who is going to
carry 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 songs or images. The Click Wheel makes the navigation super
easy and the LCD display ergonomically displays all the information.
A few more things would have made it a dream gadget. Its lack of radio is a glaring
lacuna. A musical instrument with a radio somehow doesn't go well. Then there are many
accessories that are necessary but are not a part of the package - you need to purchase
them separately.
Despite this, and despite the cost, it is a good buy. The ease of use and the
super-quality sound does great justice to the great collection of songs you've been
dreaming of compiling. |
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