Apple iPod classic 80 GB Silver (6th Generation) OLD MODEL
by Apple Computer
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Our Price: $349.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $110.00 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod classic 80 GB Silver (6th Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: Apple Lost a Loyal Customer.
Summary: 2 Stars
I had the venerable (and superior) 5.5 "Video". It was the device that introduced me to mobile music, and we shared 2 very meaningful years together. When the time came to upgrade, primarily for storage reasons, I gravitated towards the iPod Classic as a result of my great experience with the Video. But I also looked around at competing players and weighed their merits. What finally cinched it was the vast array of accessories available for the iPod. Like that, I remained in the Apple fold.
This device is at best a mediocre media player. At worst, it is Apple's clear intent to say, "Screw you" to it's customers. Read on for an explanation of the latter.
I have similar complaints as most. Coverflow is a gimmick, useful about as long as it takes for your eyes to widen and your lips to form an "O" shape. Then it is readily apparent that the Classic..a unit ostensibly designed to hold a gazillion albums, is too severely underpowered to keep up with its OWN SELLING POINT. Yes, I did update the firmware. Still, this didn't bother me too terribly much, as I prefer the classic menus - and then I found that they too are hobbled. For instance, when I select on artist in the text-only mode, all four or five albums of said artist will load in the screen far ahead of their accompanying album art...and user input isn't recognized until all of the art loads. This results in a fairly significant lag from when the titles appear on the screen and when I can actually select the album for playback. It's irritating as all hell, particularly if you're trying to hear, say, track 5 but must wait for the Classic to cycle through it's own features before you can so much as select from a list. Disabling ALL album art in iTunes (another piece of crap) solves all of these problems. Yet the question remains - why load your player with features that it will choke on? It was just as dumb when they sold 'Vista-capable' computers with 512MB of RAM. Now, perhaps this isn't an issue when there aren't 1000 albums loaded on the device...but isn't this why Apple markets it as, "Decisions, who needs 'em?" You're SUPPOSED to have that much music on a 80GB player.
Audio quality is fine. Nothing stellar, but not so far removed from it's direct competitors that I'd recommend another player for that reason alone. However, I TOTALLY suggest a new set of 'phones. The bundled ones are, as you may have heard, complete crap. They may sound fair if they are what you're accustomed to, but a '78 Corvette might feel fast until you drive a Ferrari. Just sayin'.
Now for the severe gripes. My drive started audibly clicking while incidentally two weeks out of warranty (am not angry with the warranty period; it's a fact of life). If your drive clicks very, very quietly, like you can only hear it while pressing your ear to the chrome...that's perfectly normal. However, mine was audible from three or four feet from my ears, and I could feel it grinding in my hand. This is a sign of impending drive failure, and my solution was to throw a replacement iPod-compatible drive that I happened to have lying around, because I'm a geek like that. Well, iPods before the Classic are designed to easily be taken apart (they're simply well-adhesed) using controlled force and a tiny screwdriver, guitar pick, etc. What did I find out about the Classic? IT'S BEEN DESIGNED TO BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TAKE APART. The Classic will be hopelessly DAMAGED if you take it apart, due to the clips now integrated to the casing where there were none before. There is only ONE reason for Apple to have added this design. The message: Dear consumer: We see you tried to fix your iPod yourself, and thus trying to avoid buying a new one! Hahahahaha!!! You lose! Buy new!
Words cannot describe the anger I felt when I discovered this. It is the ULTIMATE slap in the face, and proof of my earlier suspicions that Apple is irritating company that thrives on zombie hipsters lauding their products while droning away in a rigidly controlled ecosystem of hard and software. I now despise this company so much that my anger has effected the quality of this review. But here it is, anyway.
Also, the decision-swaying fact that there are tons of iPod-specific accessories available? That's true. But it's a silly reason to purchase a media player, particularly when the player itself is so woefully underpowered. I for one was very happy after divorcing myself of all things Apple.
The Classic is the worst iPod ever made. And that's too bad, because the Video was one of the great loves of my tech life. I mourned it's loss. The Classic? Ugh.
Customer Review: IPods keep getting better!
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased this 80GB iPod to replace my old, black-and-white Click Wheel. The leap between the two versions is unbelievable. When I compare the two, I realize how quickly the iPod has improved in just a few short years. Instead of lowering the price (although it has come down a little since I bought mine), Apple instead has focused on improving the technology and storage capacity -- and it shows.
First, the design. The newest iPod Classic no longer comes in white, and instead buyers must choose between silver and black. At first I was disappointed since I loved the white, glossy exterior, but the brushed silver is both reminiscent of the old and much classier looking. The metallic case has a somewhat sharper edge than the Classic did even a year ago, but it doesn't pick up fingerprints on the front as quickly. The chrome back continues to be a fingerprint magnet, however. The click wheel remains the same.
The capacity of the 80 GB is amazing. Ten years ago, who would have thought it possible to carry around two weeks straight of music and still barely make a dent in the storage? Of course, videos, movies, photos,and television shows take more space than audio files, so the 80 GB hard disk is much welcomed. For comparison, see the Apple iPod touch 16 GB or the iPhone, both with storage limitations that will frustrate those who like to carry their entire music libraries and videos with them. The Classic is a must for those individuals.
The software seems more stable than it did even less than a year ago, as my daughter's Classic (the last of the white models) hangs much more frequently than mine. In fact, after a couple months of steady use, I have yet to reset mine. I advise that owners update iTunes and their iPod software whenever a new version is available to maintain compatibility.
The Cover Flow feature is more interesting than useful, especially if you have older CD ripped to iTunes that predate the cover feature. I really like the ability to see the CD cover art while the music is playing, something the black-and-white model couldn't do. Extras include a clock, alarm, calendar, games (pre-loaded with three simple ones), and a stopwatch. You may elect to download files to your iPod for reading. These extras, while nice, are hardly the reason to buy one of these. IPods are for music, plain and simple. Even the addition of videos doesn't trump the original use, though the sound is good enough that sometimes I forget I'm watching such a tiny screen.
For those who have never used an iPod: the Classic allows you to sort your music by artist, albums, podcast, audiobooks, genres, composers. You may listen to individual songs or entire albums. You can create playlists of your favorite songs, or you can shuffle to play the songs randomly, with weight on those you've rated yourself. All this information is accessed almost instantly, with a spin and a click. Until you've actually used an iPod, you won't have an idea how glorious the technology is. I've never known anyone to go back to a regular MP3 player after owning an iPod, except, of course, if they cannot afford a replacement. You manage and sync your music directly through iTunes on your computer.
The biggest downsides of the iPod are cost and the use of a hard drive, a much more fragile storage method than a chip. Of course, with the drive, you get that huge storage capability and quick access, so the trade-off is well worth it. Some also cite Apple's control of the market through the proprietary format of iTunes, since you must use iTunes to use an iPod. While this may have been a problem before the overwhelming popularity of the iPod, just about every song you'd like can be found there. You really don't need another program to access the music you want.
I highly recommend this newest version of the iPod. If you have been thinking about upgrading from an older model, now is the time to do it.
Customer Review: I've finally conceded . . . .
Summary: 4 Stars
After about 4 years using a Dell DJ 30 GB it was time to get some more space and add some more features. After a long and exhausting search the only MP3 player that fit my search criteria was the iPod. Because one of my criteria was over the new player needed over 30 GBs of space only the Zune and iPod made it to the finish line. While I've read good things about the Zune, the major reason I went with the iPod is because Zune does NOT support audible book files (for those of you who don't know, audible.com is a pay service that lets you download audio books and play them on your MP3 player).
Criteria:
- Over 30 GBs of space
- Must play audible.com files
- Must allow for pod casts
- Built in FM tuner
The iPod does NOT have a built in FM tuner so I had to make a concession. The FM tuner was not as big of a deal as playing the audio books.
I must say that I am pretty impressed so far, however, there are minor complaints. I don't watch videos on my iPod so this is strictly a MP3 player review. So here are the pros and cons. . .
PROS:
* The screen is bright, files are organized well.
* Pretty easy to use. There is some small learning curve if this is your first time using iTunes.
* Sound quality is O.K. for me but some people have had complaints. I think that the earbuds are much better than my old Dell DJ's. Much more comfortable.
* Plays audible.com
* Easy to use.
CONS:
* Initial registration has been difficult for me . . . and many other users . . . There have been two noted registration problems for the iPod. 1) Your computer screen needs to be set up to a certain resolution because you have the option button to "Never Register" located at the left of the iTunes screen, and an option to "Register Now" located at the right of your iTunes screen. You can not scroll so if your screen settings are not set correctly you never see the "Register Now" button. This is confusing to many people. 2) Many people in the forums (including myself) are continually asked to register every time they connect their iPod to the computer. This is because during registration you have the option to download a bunch of video clips (which I don't want) so I select no thank you. Then I get an error and registration fails. The work around as reported on the forums is to either register your iPod on the Apple Internet site (independent of iTunes) and then click "Never Register" on the iTunes page, or to download the videos.
* Playing multiple artists: Say you are in the mood to listen to Smoking Popes one day and while you are listening to them you also decide that you are in the mood for AC/DC as well . . . not so fast iPod user. You may listen to one artist and one artist only unless you go back to iTunes and create a playlist. But then again, how do you plan out your play lists that precisely and for every mix of artist? On other MP3 players you can just keep adding artists or songs to your current selection while you are listening. Kind of lame, iPod.
* Organizing your music: Make sure you are precise. If you have an artist such as "Elvis Costello and the Attractions" make sure that all of your artist descriptions have the lower case "t" and the word "and" and not "&" or you will get several albums all with slightly different titles. This can make things very difficult for your listening pleasure. Sometimes iTunes will make it seem like all of your artists are named the same but once you transfer them to your iPod they get divided up.
Overall, I am happy with the iPod. I have not experienced many of the problems that I was worried about when researching my purchase. The click wheel is sensitive enough for me, the navigation is straight forward, the sound is good, and iTunes isn't THAT horrible.
Customer Review: Could it be? A hard drive music player with decent audio quality? Nope. Try again.
Summary: 2 Stars
I put off getting an iPod for quite some time. Too expensive, I thought, and the sound quality probably isn't that good. But finally the alluring 80 gigabyte storage capacity and ultrahip stylings of the iPod Classic could keep me iPodless no longer, so I bought one.
I have a fairly extensive collection of music on my computer, and I was already using iTunes, so loading it up was no problem. Quite pleasant actually. The battery was charged and the screen was great. Everything was fantastic. Until...
I finally started listening to music on it. I tried the Apple headphones included with the unit. Rubbish, but that's to be expected. Moved up to my nice pair of around-ear studio headphones. Still not great. Messed with the EQ, and found this was the problem. And oh what a problem it was.
First off, there's no custom EQ setting. Ridiculous.
Second, none of the settings have adaquate bass for desirable listening. Stuck listening to tinny, trebley music sucks. And I'm not really an audiophile.
Third, the EQ settings that approach having a listenable amount of bass response clip the signal. Digital distortion does not sound good like analog can. Harsh clipping in the lower registers. I've had a few portable CD players that had plenty of bass response sans clipping, so I know it is possible. This is just atrocious design. Seriously.
Other reviews complain about a nonresponsive clickwheel, and the useless Cover Flow feature, but these aspects didn't bother me. I actually quite like everything about it except for the sound quality (I even imported a few discs using the Apple Lossless format and still the quality is disappointing). Even watching movies on the thing is kind of fun, which I was surprised about.
Alas, I will continue to use it when out and about because having an enormous volume of music available at all times is quite convenient, and we all know convenience is everything in this day and age.
So, my recommendation would be not to buy this product if you care about how your music sounds, although if by some chance you are going to be running it through an external amplifier and EQ, you can disable the internal EQ and it will sound just fine. Try and find somebody with one so you can try it out before you buy to see if you mind the subpar audio. I doubt the Zune sounds better, but try that one out as well.
UPDATE>>Bought some Sennheiser headphones that sound pretty good on the iPod. Still subpar, but listenable at least. Also, iTunes is really slow and freezes up for a few seconds after transferring music (yes, iTunes and firmware are up to date and my computer is fairly fast). Another poorly designed part about the iPod is that it puts all of your music in hidden folders and renames the files so that they look like "FIXQ" or "GHRY," making transferring music from the iPod to another computer a real hassle (and effectively impossible if looking for files without metadata).
Customer Review: Great MP3 Player
Summary: 5 Stars
When I was looking for an music player for my birthday, I looked right away at the iPod. My sister, four or five years ago, got the Apple Ipod 20GB 4th Generation and has been pleased with it (never replaced because she doesn't want to use it for videos). A friend of mine told me to look at the Zune 80 GB Digital Media Player Black (2nd Generation) that he has, but I tried using his and the navigation is a bit confusing after being used to the iPod's click wheel. They were about the same price on their sales, plus I also got a free $25 iTunes card at Best Buy.
I was also looking at the iPods Nano and Touch. The Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black (3rd Generation) has 1/10th of the capacity of the 80GB Classic, but was only $50 less, and I couldn't fit all of my music/videos on. The Apple iPod touch 16 GB with Software Upgrade, although it has a much larger screen and more interesting features (including wifi access) and has probably enough space (for now, anyways) , costs $150 more!
I never buy electronic equipment (except maybe accessories) from Amazon because of Best Buy's Geek Squad tech support-plus, if you have a problem, you don't have to go through the pain of trying to return it via Amazon. My iPod actually crashed 3 times after I bought it and I all I had to do to replace it each time was just take a 5 minute drive to the Best Buy, talk to the Geek Squad person who checked it out and deemed me worthy of an exchange. After the fourth crash, I just took it to the Apple store, where they told me it wasn't a problem with the iPod, rather with a corrupt file on it, which I couldn't have found out if I just returned it to Amazon. Since then, I deleted that file and it's been working great ever since.
The earbuds are a pain in the butt to use, but I just got some Sony MDR-Q68LW Clip-on Style Headphone with Retractable Cord. They eliminated the tangling of the ear bud cord. Also, they're more comfortable.
The back can get easily scratched, even from just taking it out of and putting it back into your pocket. This can be easily remedied by purchasing a silicone skin (if you buy a skin made for the 30/60GB fifth generation iPod, you can save a bunch of money, since they're the same size) or you can buy a case for a medium sized camera (like the Lowepro Ridge 10 (Arctic Blue))