Home :: Audio :: MP3 & Digital Audio  

33 to 64 MB MP3 Players
Digital Media Players
MP3 Jukeboxes
Over 65 MB MP3 Players
Up to 32 MB MP3 Players
Apple 10 GB iPod (M8740LL/A, July 2002 Version)

Apple 10 GB iPod (M8740LL/A, July 2002 Version)

List Price:
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >>

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Lots of bugs and poor battery life
Review: Apple needs to understand that their iPods' designs are flawed. If you want to spend this much money, get a different brand altogether. **BUGS** The Windows version of MusicMatch Jukebox that comes with the iPod is loaded with bugs. In fact, one in particular is really irritating-- the program will actually "chop off" a character from the tag of the mp3 name. In short, your song by "Madonna" will become "Madonn" on the iPod. It will cut off additional characters after you synchronize again, so then it may become "Madon" then "Mado", etc. MANY PEOPLE have this problem-- read the postings on various online sites if you don't believe me. PLUS, it doesn't just send the new songs to the iPod when it synchronizes, but it selectively deletes songs from the iPod and RECOPIES them. What good is having an ultra-fast FireWire connection when it wants to copy 7 or 8 gigabytes to your iPod when all you have is one more song that you want to add to it? The bugs in MusicMatch are intolerable, but MusicMatch has fixed them and posted a free upgrade to their website. BUT, Apple uses some kind of proprietary version of MusicMatch, so if you use the update to fix the bug then it WILL NOT WORK WITH YOUR iPOD, and you have to reinstall all the software that came with the iPod again! **POOR DISPLAY** The iPod's illuminated display makes the text almost impossible to see if it comes on during the day. To turn the light off, you have to go through a bunch of options on the iPod to turn it off and on each time. Plus, if it's cold outside and you use this in your car, then the display is especially difficult to see when the light is on even at night. **BATTERY LIFE** Apple claims 10 hours. If you're lucky, you'll get 5 or 6. And, if you don't use the unit overnight (i.e. leave it in your car), then it loses a lot of charge. I would typically get only 2 hours of use out of it, only because I wasn't using it for 12 hours. I've read postings that it is because of Apple's new firmware upgrade that forces the battery to constantly drain, even when not in use. OH, and by the way, you cannot change the battery, so if the battery goes dead, you'll have to pay Apple a bunch of money to replace it. To sum it all up, the Apple iPod has many design flaws, simple as that. design flaws in their previous versions in an attempt to get people to waste their money on more of their products and hope that they don't wise up and take them back to the store. Admittedly, it would be a great device if the battery life was better, and if Apple actually bothered to test the software before selling it to the unsuspecting consumer.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ipod is a work of art. MusicMatch is anything but...
Review: First off let me say that I love this product and it works like a charm. The volume level can go very high and the battery lasts for the promised 10 hours. The Ipod itself is very small, light, and is the size of a deck of cards. The display is very large and well lit, and the earphones look just as good as they sound (which is excellent).

Now, despite all the awesomeness that the Ipod device offers, the MusicMatch software causes problems. MusicMatch worked very well for me before I started using Ipod. The Ipod had significant difficulties when I first tried to transfer music to it, and still crashes on me from time to time. The Ipod also must be sychronized with the music library in MusicMatch. This may take several minutes. Other than these flaws, it is a fine program.

Pros:
-Unbelievably cool and compact design
-Touch-sensitive scroll wheel
-Very, very loud
-Excellent remote
-Great earphones
-User's manual is very helpful
-Ultra-fast FireWire
-No need to take battery out (its built in)
-Can get 80% charged in 1 hour

Cons:
-If it takes 1 hour to charge to 80%, then why does it take 4 hours to charge it fully? That makes no sense.
-Battery only designed to last 500 charges (can't hold a charge after 500 cycles)
-Buggy MusicMatch software

Overall this thing is the crowning gem if you want a solid-state MP3 player and have a sizeable music collection. Get it now. Once you've figured out the software, you'll love this thing. The only reason it gets 4 stars is because of the software.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's With Me All the Time
Review: My iPod is simply the best little gadget I have ever owned.

Where ever I go, I like to take my music with me. When I moved to the RCA Lyra from CD players, one of the cons was that I could only carry about 10 songs at a time. This was okay when walking to class, but not during the long vacations I would take away from my computer (and thus, my music collection).

When I got the iPod, immediately I sent every single song from my computer onto the thing. It took only half an hour, quite an amazing feat, but firewire makes this possible. Then I let it charge - a full charge, as advertised, was only three hours long and gives you 8-10 hours of battery life (unless you skip around a lot - then battery life is reduced by an order of magnitude).

What I would recommend is not using Musicmatch - use ephPod instead. Musicmatch isn't really a great music package to begin with, and the interface is just plain horrible. Also, if you skip around a lot, you should create as many playlists as you can - the hard drive inside uses the most energy from the battery when it is seeking, and you drastically reduce battery life.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Apple's "PC Revenge"
Review: Don't believe the Apple 10GB iPod editorial review for a moment. I have spent literally hours, approaching days since Christmas Day, trying to download mp3's using the supplied MusicMatch v7.1 to the iPod. The unit itself is an exquisite piece of hardware and design. However, the software interface is a total disaster! Let me invite you to visit Apple's iPod for Windows support page, and view the pages upon pages of problems posted on their bulletin board, just in the last several days! Wait awhile before you buy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The greatest mac product yet
Review: the apple ipod is for everybody, if you would not even have the slightest urge to bye this product, i think you need a docter. i got the windows version for christmas. it is very easy to install ans is the best of the bunch. i know you might look at the price tag and compare it to the archos jukebox. yea the price might be better, but look at it, it is very hard to navigate, its huge, it cannot transfer by firewire, and it does not have the capability of the ipod, if your looking for a hard-drive based player, this is it

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great device but software should be improved
Review: If you are a former Mac user, like me, and like Apple products because of their design and ease of use, you will love the Ipod for PC's. With no moving parts and loads of space, you will find it easy to fill this puppy up with all your favorite tunes. Musicmatch is acceptable with occasional issues. My biggest complaint is not having full time access to time and date on the screen. This would be simple enough to accomplish since a lot of users would benefit from a quick glance at a clock to see the time. Instead, you have to scrool through a few layers to see the time and date. I wouldn't consider this a huge issue but I expect more from the designers at Apple. Overall, I would say that if you want one, buy it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOW!!!
Review: I received my iPod Win (10 gigs) last week and all I can say is it is great. Prior to purchasing I read all consumer reviews listed on this site and saw the numerous concerns raised regarding the MusicMatch (or is it Music Unmatch) software. But I had to try it myself. One hour later, I canned it and downloaded Mediafour XPlay drag and drop software...it works like a champ. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH MUSICMATCH. Those halfwits do not have a clue. I've hooked the iPod up to my stereo receiver..... EXCELLENT!! I also purchased the "TransPod All-In-One Car Solution for iPod" an FM transmitter for the car. ... I have owned these devises in past and they have been less than stellar but this one works very well. It transmits through your radio and charges at the same time.
The iPod sound and unit menu system are the best. I have uploaded all my music and created playlist for every mood and occasion. I love it!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best MP3 Player Ever!
Review: I have had my iPod since more than 2 months ago. I really love it. It's awesome and its features are awsome (without mentioning the software- (...) is the solution). The contacts,calendar, big capacity, back-lit LCD screen, coolest design, very lightweight aand compact, long battery life with small charge time... Many more!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THE BEST
Review: WOW, THIS IS MY FIRST MP3 PLAYER AND IT ROCKS. ALL MY FRIENDS ARE JEALOUS, AND SO THEY SHOULD BE. THE MUSIC MATCH IS OK BUT IT GETS THE JOB DONE. IT GOES EVERYWHERE WITH ME. I ALSO LIKE THE ADDED CALENDER AND CONTACT FEATURE.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best mp3 player available
Review: I had my ipod up and running in 30 minutes. Despite the hefty price and the fingerprint exterior, this thing is unbeleivable. The initial download took a little over 30 minutes, but that was becuase I was transferring 1,000 songs in 160kbps. Each sync after that takes less than a minute or two. I have gone running with it with no skips. I read a lot of complaints about MMJB, but I have had no problems with it. It is an intuitive program that allows you to quickly rip your entire CD collection and it even labels the tracks for you using their own song database.

I had to install a Belkin 3 port firewire card to download the songs. The card went right in, and even the worst windows OS (ME) detected it with no problems whatsoever. Also, buy a sturdy case for your new toy ASAP because it is easily scratched. One last tip, buy some of those PDA screen protectors and apply them to the front of the ipod to protect the screen. Anyway, if you want the best mp3 player available, buy an ipod. You will not be disappointed.

Just an update on my review. I have now had my wonderful ipod for 2 months with no problems. There are lots of complaints about how the unit loses power when it is turned off. This can be remedied by not setting the clock on your ipod. That part of the software puts a constant drain on the battery. That quick fix will help prevent battery drain. Some may see this as a loss of one of the ipods features, but my view is that if you can afford an ipod, you can afford a watch too. This reasoning also coincides with the rule that a product that does many things, can't do them all well. Once you try to cram 50 features into one product, it can't possibly perform them all perfectly 100% of the time. Therefore, stop using your ipod as a PDA/address book/clock/calendar and remember that it was meant to play music, which it does better than anyone else.


<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates