Apple 20 GB iPod M9244LL/A

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: My husband got me an iPod for Mother's Day. I was ok with the idea - but not that excited. I can't imagine life without it now! I listen to it in the car, at work, when I work out -- and any other time I need a little relaxation. I can keep my music with me everywhere - wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: Battery Life is key and the ipod had failed on its battery
Review: If it wasn't for the inaccurate battery indicator and rediculously small amount of charge it will hold and retain, I'd give the iPod 5 stars. While you may be able to get 6+ hrs of "continuous" playback on one full charge, that will hardly be the case in real life. If I mix music listening with file transfer on my iPod, battery life is the sorriest I've seen out of any portable device I've used. On a full charge with an almost brand new ipod, and yes, it was properly discharged during the previous cycle, it would only last about half an hour for file transfers. Apparently, the continous harddisk spin contributed greatly. I purchased my ipod as not only a walkman, but a portable storage device as well. And that's what's worth the extra bucks to make the iPod stand out from the rest of competition. And if the battery won't keep up with the device, I can only give a generous 2 stars.

Rating:
Summary: I love my ipod!
Review: What a great device. It stores everything I could want and then some. Its battery life is a little disappointing after several months, which is why I'm giving it four stars. The navigation is smooth and very effective. Long plane flights and car trips seem far shorter with this gadget in my hand.

Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Player!
Review: The Ipod is kinda pricey, but worth every penny. Great size. Sharp looking. Well designed and made. Opted for the 20G as I have a fairly large music collection. Hardly used any space even after having loaded a few hundred songs. I use a pair of well regarded, inexpensive Panasonic headphones thus sound quality is excellent. Ability to load and organize music is simply wonderful and quite fast via USB connection. The touch wheel is the best feature. While waiting for a case to arrive, I've covered the back with 3M paint tape to avoid scratches. Watch out if you're going to use a USB 2.0 interface. One card and driver kept causing the PC to crash when attempting to load music. Belkin USB card and driver work great. No crashes or problems. I agree battery life not great, but acceptable. One complaint I do have is the price gouching for Ipod accessories like auto charger cord, dock, cables, etc. I'm in heaven. No longer bored at work nor forced to talk to others. I can simply enjoy my tunes now as I work.


Rating:
Summary: The iPod is Great!
Review: Apple has done it again! Every product they have is wonderfully designed and crafted. I just got my new iPod and it is amazing. The sound quality is fabulous and the iPod seems to be able to play music at a much higher volume level which is excellent. Here are some of the major pros and cons:

Pros:
1. Large music capacity
2. Great sound quality
3. Sleek, stylish look
4. On-The-Go playlists
5. Battery Life
6. Easy click wheel
7. Light weight and small design

Cons:

1. A bit pricey - but its worth it
2. Battery is not user-replaceable
3. It can be diffucult transferring calendar files to iPod

Well, I hope that I helped out in your search for an iPod. In the end I say that u should BUY THE iPOD! It is a wonderful gift idea for your child or just even for yourself. It is also a great ideda for a stocking-stuffer. Good luck!

Rating:
Summary: I'M DITCHING MY IPOD FOR AN iRIVER H320
Review: I've had my ipod for only a few months and have already realized my purchase was a mistake. I'm trading up for the more flexible iRiver H320.

The ipod can still be described as a nicely designed, high capacity, mobile music player... but that's all. Newer players, like the iRiver H320, are a music player, voice recorder, picture viewer (with color screen!), am/fm radio, and can store important documents as well.

Why am I trading up? Because I'm currently carrying around too many portable devices and the iRiver integrates them into one machine.
I currently use my ipod for music, a separate voice recorder to record lectures, a separate thumb drive to carry around assignments in progress and any digital pictures I've taken stay on my desktop, never to be seen by another soul. (Hey, you name the scenario where you can 'casually' whip out your desktop machine to show off your digital images. If it exists at all, it's rare.)

Don't any of you ipod agitators dare tell me that microphones are available for ipods to allow for voice recording. I have tried using those crappy little add-on microphones to record lectures, as have many of my friends, and the results are reliably crappy. Students, if you're trying to get your parents to buy an ipod, and are justifying your request with the ipod's ability to record, you should know your sales pitch is hollow. Did I mention ipod microphones are crappy?

The ipod has been popular because it's a simple and reliable music player. The iRiver gives you more functions and supplies them with even more ease and reliability than the ipod is able to supply its' single function. Since your computer sees the iRiver as an external hard drive (automatically recognized by both PC's and Mac's) and not specifically as a music player, you can avoid using any new software and can avoid the OS compatability bugs that come with it.

Not to malign the ipod too badly. It's a fine music player.
But why settle for a lesser product when you can have a better player for the same price or cheaper?

Don't cheat yourself, get an iRiver H320.

Rating:
Summary: Beware inflated prices for iPods!
Review: Some of these sellers are nuts. The 20Gb iPod is now $299 brand new from Apple, and they have loads. DO NOT pay any more than that! Sheesh.

Rating:
Summary: Pointlessly difficult.
Review: I work in the IT dept., and have had to configure 4 different systems for people with iPods, and am perplexed at why this has to be SO PAINFULLY DIFFICULT.

- The iTunes software is wonky, and often takes several tries to install successfully.

- Thus far, I've had to reinstall on several systems, because after a while the applications refuses to open.

- It takes multiple attempts EACH TIME to establish a connection with the unit via USB2.

- The software only supports Win2k Pro and WinXP (despite a large number of users still on Win98SE).

- Once the software and hardware are properly setup, it's needlessly difficult to figure out how to move files from iTunes to the iPod.

- You can't even use it like a regular portable disk, you're stuck using some asinine proprietary interface. Weak!

I've had $40 USB1.1 MP3/WMA players that were INFINITELY easier to use, and performed adequately. Plug in player. Drivers automatically load. Buy song. Drag & drop. Play. EASY. Per my last invoice, I've spent literally 6 total hours working on getting 3 different iPods working of 4 different system. 6 HOURS!!!

I'll admit, the iPod has great sound, a very large capacity (which is wasted, since it doesn't seem to work like a portable media drive), and is as sturdy as an M1 tank... But I thought Apple's whole bag was "easy to use." I've been in IT for years, and this is one of the more difficult accessories I've ever had the displeasure of trying to configure.

This could very well be the most overrated and overpriced piece of junk that Apple has rolled out yet. I'm sure the mass market will LOVE it, and the legions of techies who will inevitably spend hours trying to get it to work will hate it. Brilliant.

Rating:
Summary: The Centerpiece of My New Audio Life
Review: In a former life, I must have been a guy, 'cause I definitely have a thing for gadgets. That said, I was almost pathologically reluctant to jump on the new Audio Technology Bandwagon. WalkThingies were about as high tech as I got when it came to music (and it even took me several years to warm to those) ... give me simplicity and some non-corded geographic space between me and music, and I'm happy.

I achieved critical mass in the persuasion department when several deeply trusted (and tolerantly amused) friends suggested I make the transition via the iPod. I caved and haven't looked back since.

Lots of these reviews can explain the pros and cons of the iPod far better than I. Heed the sensible-sounding ones for the details if those matter to you. In my year of experience with the device, I have nary a complaint. Rather, my affection grows, and I begin to understand those folks who speak of iPod love and inseparable bonding.

What I can offer is this (and I can't explain it rationally): between my iPod and the brilliant Altec-Lansing InMotion Sound System, I now have recreated, and can transport (virtually in the palm of my hand), the best approximation I've had yet to the feeling I got decades ago from vinyl and a record player. With the added bonus that I have access not only to a full library of music, but also a library of books (the iPod plays Audible.com's proprietary .aa format). If you are looking for that sort of relatively seamless transition into the higher-tech audio age - the sort CDs and older mp3 devices never quite satisfied - I truly believe the iPod offers a happy solution.

I do miss liner notes, the space-occupying visual affirmation of having "a collection" and the tactile experience of record/disc covers. Give a little, get a little. I cope.

One gadgety note: a year ago when I got my 20-gig iPod (way more than sufficient for my needs as I'm quite willing to swap stuff in and out occasionally rather than look to the device as permanent storage), the product came with a USB cable. As I understand it these days, the newer versions come with only a FireWire cable. If your computer doesn't have a FireWire connection, you will need to purchase the USB cable separately. Just check the package label or specifications list to make sure.

Rating:
Summary: Too expensive and dependent on Apple for battery
Review: This would be a nice product if they'd bring the price down to a more reasonable number (let's say, less than $199.00), and it would be even better if Apple didn't make you so dependent on them to replace the battery. Do you realize the complications with returning the iPod to Apple?? That battery dilemma is going to be a real issue to many of us in 1.8 to 2 years or so...