Product Description

iPod includes a 10, 15, 20, 30 or 40GB hard drive, a dock connector, an 8-hour rechargeable battery, headphone jack, 2-inch backlit LCD and a touch-sensitive wheel and backlit touch-sensitive buttons. Also standard are a dock connector-to-FireWire cable, earbud-style headphones, 6-pin-to-4-pin FireWire adapter, AC Adapter, and CD with iTunes for Mac OS X and iTunes for Windows. iPod supports any Mac with built-in FireWire and Mac OS X 10.1.5 or later, or any PC with built-in FireWire or USB 2.0 or a Windows-certified FireWire or USB 2.0 card and Windows XP Home or Professional or 2000.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29328 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Apple
• Model: M9460LL/A
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .35 pounds

Features

• 15 GB model holds up to 3,700 songs; supports MP3, AAC, WAV, MP3 VBR, Audible (6), and AIFF formats
• Mac and Windows compatible; FireWire and USB 2.0 interface for fastest digital transfer available
• More than 8 hour battery life on a 3 hour charge (1-hour fast charge to 80% capacity)
• Features redesigned and backlit navigation, includes earbud headphones, FireWire Cable, PC FireWire Adapter, and AC adapter
• Equipped with a range of built-in utilities and games

From the Manufacturer
From the Manufacturer The super-slim iPod defines what a digital music player should be. It’s lighter than two CDs, can hold up to 10,000 songs, thousands of digital photos and works as a personal voice recorder. Now you can sync with iTunes for Mac and Windows at blazing speeds, and take your entire music collection with you wherever you go.

15 GB, 20 GB and 40 GB Models
At just over half an inch thick, the iPod fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and slips easily into your pocket -- and your life. Merely 5.6 ounces, it weighs less than two Compact Discs, and even many cell phones. And yet the iPod gives you a huge 15GB, 20GB or 40GB hard drive -- big enough to hold 10,000 songs. Do the math: that’s four weeks of music played continuously, 24/7 -- or one new song a day for the next 27 years.

The new iPod sports a sleeker design and an improved interface

The iTunes Music Store. Now for Mac and Windows.
Build a collection of music on your iPod with songs downloaded from the iTunes Music Store. Choose from hundreds of thousands of songs you can preview and buy with just one click. The iTunes Music Store stays open 24/7 -- right on your Mac or Windows PC. Within a minute of finding a song you like, you can own it. You can make unlimited playlists, burn individual songs to CD as many times as you like and take all your music on your iPod wherever you go.

Autosync your iPod with Mac and Windows
iTunes 4 lets you organize your music on your Mac or Windows PC and automatically transfer it to iPod. Whether you’ve ripped your CD collection to mp3 or AAC, bought music from the iTunes Music Store or made your own track with GarageBand, you can take it with you wherever you go. Your iPod offers high-speed transfer from your Mac or PC. In fact, you can move an entire album from your computer to your iPod in seconds flat. With the industry’s only true Auto-Sync, your iPod is always up-to-date, mirroring the latest changes you’ve made in iTunes. And if your collection on your computer is bigger than iPod, you can let iTunes automatically choose a selection of songs to fill it up.

Ahead-of-the-curve Design
Its hassle-free functionality and stunning, well-considered design place iPod far ahead of the curve and the competition. The Touch Wheel makes scrolling through an entire music collection quick and easy, and the all-touch interface enhances durability and sensitivity. With an LCD screen and buttons that feature a backlight for clear visibility in low-light conditions, iPod is designed for easy one-handed operation. So the best way to take an entire music collection anywhere is now even better.

iPod makes all the right connections

High Fidelity
Designed to give you the best portable digital music experience ever, the iPod delivers the highest sound quality from i nput to output. iPod supports the most popular audio formats -- including MP3 (up to 320 kbps), MP3 Variable Bit Rate(VB R) and WAV -- giving you access to a wide range of audio file types. And iPod is the only portable digital music player that supports the AAC format used by the iTunes Music Store for Mac and Windows. AAC features CD-quality audio in smaller file sizes than MP3, so that even more songs fit on your iPod.

All That And More
The iPod features a sleep timer, so you can fall asleep to your music. And with the iPod’s alarm clock, you can choose either an alarm tone or your favorite music to wake you up.

The iPod lets you do a whole lot more, including contacts, calendar and to-do lists. iPod also includes Music Quiz, Solitaire, Brick and Parachute, four great games you can play anywhere (a feature you’re sure to appreciate the next time you’re standing in line or waiting for someone). You can even use your own music as the soundtrack to a game.

iPod also includes a notes reader that lets you download text-based information and read it on the screen. This way you can have the information you need -- on everything from restaurant reviews to nightlife guides, and from news articles to exercise routines -- at your fingertips.

Customer Reviews

Great, but some annoyances.
I love my iPod. I spent a week and burned my CD collection into iTunes and transferred it to my iPod. My 15 GB iPod is now half full. Sound quality is excellent, and the music is skip free even when jogging (even my clumsy attempt at jogging).

Granted, there are iPod clones on the market that are less expensive, but the lack the add-ons. There are FM transmitters, recorders, tape adapters, and the iPod can also be used as a backup drive, which I also love. Now, my biggest problem is trying to organize the music into the best play lists.

However, everything isn't perfect in iPod-land. As a result, I deducted one star for the following reasons:

With the 15GB model, you do not get the docking stand or a case. When I first saw the case, I thought the back of the case was made of surgical steel. It isn't, and it scratches easily. So do your self a favor and purchase a case as soon as possible. I found the back got scratched up just laying it on a bare desk. A good case will also keep you from accidentally touching the buttons, which are sensitive.

Also, transferring songs from your iPod to another computer is protected. This is something that isn't advertised anywhere. Uploading music purchased through iTunes is restricted. However, if you've purchased and ripped the music from your own CDs, then you can transfer them at will. This is annoying.

Why? Because I wanted to dock my iPod with the computer at work, which is behind a firewall. No deal-- the corporate firewall blocks the authorization. As a result, I cannot authorize the computer, so I cannot transfer a quite a few songs.

Warning to PC Users: You will need a firewire card or a USB cable (not included) in order to attach the iPod to your PC. Save yourself the frustration and order the USB cable when you purchase.

Why you shouldn't worry and just enjoy the iPod
I bought an iPod because -- well, I love mp3s, and I'm a sucker for marketing ploys, I confess. The huge capacity, even in a small model, the nice huge LCD screen (compared to most players), the fun of iTunes (and it is fun) -- I took the plunge, bought, and I'm completely satisfied.

In my humble opinion, there are only two issues to be had with the iPod, and neither worries me:

1) Battery life. Yes, apparently, the battery will run out eventually, at some point in the future, and I will have to shell out $99 for a new battery (I could do it myself for $49 but ARE YOU CRAZY? There's no way I'm risking the life of my prrecioussss...). Huh. Yeah, that's upsetting. Some unknown date in the future, several years from now, I may have to replace a battery for $99. That's horrible. Shocking. Honestly? It's not that big a deal. In three years, you'll probably go through two sets, at least, of rechargeable batteries -- that could run you $30 or so. Plus the charger, another $20, maybe. So that's $50 right there I'd have spent otherwise. Most importantly, the Lithium battery in the iPod could last you for anywhere from 2 to 10 years, depending on how you use it (...).I think that's long enough that everyone should stop worrying about the battery issue.

2) The case. Yes, to be fair, the darn thing scratches if you even look at it funny. I suspect that's the price we pay for it being so pearly-white and purty. Well, there are two solutions. One, buy a case. Simple. Two, buy iCleaner, which works like a charm. Seriously, for all I know, other products (such as Ice Creme) work too, but iCleaner's what I bought and it's flawless. Nor was it that expensive, really, considering how much you get.

Personally,I think it's a great little machine and I've been in love with mine for months now. Enjoy yours!

Awesome - buy it
(This is a review I wrote for the 40GB iPod. Most of it applies to this model as well.)

What I like best about Amazon reviews is that, unlike Consumer Reports or other technical reviewers, they come from people who own the product and use it every day. Hence a disclaimer - I got my iPod a week ago.

That being said - it is awesome. My iPod is connected to my PowerBook, where I have almost 5,000 songs stored in iTunes. All I have to do is put the iPod in the cradle and it automatically syncs. The first time took about 30 minutes or so - after that it hasn't taken more than a minute or so. It's much easier than other MP3 players. (For Christmas last year, I bought my dad a Rio MP3 player. Teaching him how to load songs onto it was a huge pain.)

The sound quality is as good as it gets for an MP3. I bring my iPod everywhere and am listening to songs I forgot I have. It's also forced me to go through my music library and make sure everything is labeled properly (if it's not, it's going to be hard to find on an iPod, as it doesn't have a search function).

The games it comes with are mindless timewasters, which is what they were intended to be. The music quiz is pretty cool though. The address book and calendar functions are useful, although a bit of a pain to update if you don't use Mac's Address Book and iCal, as you can't use iSync.

The only complaints I have are minor:

-When attached to the remote control, the earphone cord is too long. While it can be tucked in a pocket if you are wearing normal clothes, it's a pain when you go to the gym or for a run.
-There's a slight pause between songs, which is annoying when listening to a complete concert.
-Like many newer cars, mine doesn't have a tape deck. Hence, the only way to play my iPod through the car stereo is through an FM transmitter - most of which have lousy reputations.
-The functionality of the calendar and address book could be improved, although I'm sure that will come in time and iPods will be fully functioning PDAs as well.