Apple iPod Classic (third generation, 160GB) – Huge storage space

iPods are Apple’s flagship products and we first saw them way back in 2001 when such devices were little known in the market. Apple iPod Classic isn’t slim and that is perhaps the only feature that it doesn’t have when you compare it with Nano. But feature wise, it is rich. The cost is $429 and provides excellent value for money. It is hard to distinguish this third generation Classic from its predecessors, because it looks the same.

With 160 GB hard disk space, you can practically carry your entire music library in the pocket. I was amazed at how Apple managed to squeeze in a 160 gig hard drive in the 120 GB chassis. The dimensions are the same as it predecessors but the storage space has been increased. The screen is plastic; we would like Apple to move on to glass screen as it is scratch resistant.

This iPod is now the only one in the family to have a split screen layout for main menu. On the right you get the context sensitive picture and on the left you get the menu items. When you choose an item you get an album art in the other pane. It applies to photos, podcasts and movies as well and I really like this feature. You can also move through your music by Cover Flow view but it is not the same like the iPhone which has a touch screen. If you have big collection of music, you will prefer browsing through the search function or list mode.

You can create Genius playlists on the Apple iPod Classic just like its predecessor. When you use it, the iPod will give you a list of 25 related songs based on what you are listening right now. I found this feature quite intuitive. But you will need a big music collection for this. Genius feature doesn’t work if it is disabled in iTunes. The feature reports your listening preferences to Apple so if you think the manufacturer is invading your privacy, you can turn it off.

Apple iPod Classic can record voice memos but you will have to pay extra for it. Lots of headsets made for iPhone are compatible with Classic and Apple also makes it own line of headsets for the player. But without the headset, you cannot record voice.

Supported video formats for the player is M4V, MP4, and MOV. Maximum resolution is 640×480 at thirty frames per second. You can buy or rent videos through online iTune store and put them in your iPod. You can turn the subtitles on or off but the video files need to support this feature. Audio support is still the same, you can manually add and delete the files but with the 160 GB storage space, you will be probably carrying your entire library with you. You can also use the player as a mass storage device.

Sound quality of the Apple iPod Classic is crisp and clear but the sound enhancement options are still lacking. You get twenty presets to choose from but they virtually have no effect on the sound quality. It is miles behind players like Sony X-Series Walkman, Samsung P3 or Creative Zen in this respect. I paired this player with some of the headphones that I had and the sound quality was good.

Video playback of the Apple iPod Classic is most impressive. Nano gives you two inch screen where as Classic gives you two and half. The resolution is 320×240 pixels and the player can play files encoded at resolution of 640×480. You can also output the video to a TV through the component AV cable, sold separately.

The audio quality of the Apple iPod Classic might be the same as the predecessors but the battery life has been improved. This battery has a rated life of 36 hours for audio and six hours for video. I will recommend this iPod if you are looking for a player that can store large collection of video and music. The next best thing to this is 64 GB, so at the moment, there is not a single manufacturer that has come even close to matching the prowess of Apple. Also noteworthy – this player, just like the Apple’s newer devices need iTunes 9 or later so we would recommend you to check your computers compatibility with the newer version of iTunes before making the purchase.

Pros

Sleek attractive design, interface is easy to use, improved battery life, good video playback, new Genius feature which makes the playlists for you.

Cons

EQs are practically useless, comes with scratch prone plastic screen, you need latest iTunes version which might not be compatible with older computers.

Outcome

The intuitive user interface, great battery life and huge storage capacity is what takes the Apple iPod Classic miles ahead of other music players.

Specifications

• Apple iPod Classic (third generation, 160GB, silver)
• 4.9 oz weight
• Dimensions (W x D x H) 2.4 inches x 0.4 inch x 4.1 inches
• Aluminum body
• Supported formats – Apple Lossless, Audible, AIFF, WAV, MP3, AAC (audio), MPEG-4 (video), JPEG (photo)
• 20 – 20000 Hz response bandwidth
• 2.5 inches LCDm 320×240 pixels resolution
• Supported languages for menu – Chinese (simplified & traditional), Portuguese, Hungarian, Norwegian, Japanese, Swedish, Turkish, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Finnish, English, Korean, Polish, German, Danish, French, Greek, Czech, Dutch.
• Additional features – Battery level indication, USB 2.0 compatibility, playback speed control, upgradeable firmware, genius technology, volume limiter, photo wallet, built in games, date display, hold button, cover flow, phone book, calendar, notes.
• Response bandwidth – 20 – 20000 Hz
• Impedance – 32 Ohm