Thoughts on the New iPod Classic
It didn’t take me long to order a new 160 GB iPod classic. As soon as Steve Jobs presented this new iPod, I was online ordering one from the Apple Store here in France. It was shipped yesterday, and got here today. (I’m often impressed that Apple can get stuff from one part of Europe to another in just one day; this one got from Amsterdam to my palatial estate in the French Alps in under 24 hours.)
So, time for my first impressions. It’s nice to have a new color; in this case, I opted for silver. White’s getting old, and black was, well, too black. Silver makes the iPod look more like a tech toy; in comparison, the black plastic looks a bit tacky. (Sure, it was cool last year, but that’s tech for you.)
As always, a new iPod is easy to set up, and this one seems even easier. Transferring my music seems to be going a bit faster (I didn’t time how long it took before, but it seemed a never-ending process; here, I get the feeling that it’s zippier. Setting up the iPod itself is a snap: the on-screen settings are easy to adjust.
As for the interface, that’s the biggest change, aside from the capacity. There are some very nice, subtle interface changes: arrows at the ends of lines that only appear when a line is selected; details of playlist and album contents (the number of songs they contain) and more information for items such as podcasts (the number of episodes). I like the addition of album art before album names when you browse by artist or genre, though I don’t care for Cover Flow. I have far too much music for Cover Flow to be useful. I’m also not enamored of the half-screen album art that changes randomly and moves around; I find it to be a distraction.
When listening to music, though, I like the new fonts, the overall display of the album art and the title/artist info, and the ability to turn on or off shuffle mode with just a couple of clicks. The scroll wheel seems less responsive; it’s almost as though it’s not detecting my finger correctly, and I have to re-scroll sometimes. I don’t know if this is because the iPod isn’t “broken in” yet or not.
Overall, I think this is a great update to the iPod. While the capacity was the biggest selling point for me – if I didn’t have so much music, I’d probably have preferred an iPod touch – the interface updates show that Apple’s paying attention to the details. However, finding that none of the games I bought for my previous iPod will play on this new model is a disappointment, though I’m not much of a gamer.
Addition: I just noticed something neat regarding audiobooks. When you select an audiobook on the iPod (a book from either Audible or the iTunes Store) that is chaptered, you can then select, from a menu, either Resume (if you’ve started listening to the book) or one of the chapters, which display in a menu. So you can more easily go to a specific chapter of a book. However, there is no indication of how long these chapters or, or at what time they begin.
Posted: 9/12/2007 by kirk | Filed under: iPod & iTunes | 8 Comments »
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Not even half of my music could fit on the 160 gb iPod. So I’ve been happy with
a Nano and a "rotation" playlist for the past couple of years, and now the
iPhone. You really don’t need more than 8 gigs of music with you.
I agree that it can work if you’re patient and willing to change the contents of
your iPod. For me, the iPod is not so much for mobile music, but rather a source
for my stereo when I listen at home, so I want to have as much as possible easily
accessible when I listen.
Kirk
Hi Kirk!
I just finished reading your "iPod & iTunes Garage". Even though it is a couple of years old, I find a lot of useful information.
I was wondering how you are enjoying your iPod Classic. I have had one for about a month (it’s my first iPod). My life is now divided in two parts: before the iPod and after the iPod.
I have noticed recently, however, that the earbuds seem to be acting strangely; to wit, the right one is much quieter than the left. I do not believe that I had the problem at the beginning. Have you had similar experiences? Any thoughts on what I might do?
Thanks.
Are you sure it’s plugged in completely? I’ve only had that problem when the
plug isn’t all the way in the jack. In fact, I had it today, because I have a silicone
case for my classic, and it was preventing the plug from going all the way in.
(After a quick wiggle, it was fine.)
Kirk
Yep, it sure seems to be plugged in correctly. I have pulled it out and plugged it back in several times, but to no avail. I have moved to Plan B: I have plugged the earbuds directly into two computers (a Mac and a *shiver* Windoze machine). In both cases the left earbud is much louder than the write. This leads me to believe that the problem is not with the iPod, but with the earbuds themselves.
Thanks for your help.
That sounds like it is the answer. If they’re new, take the earbuds back to Apple.
Kirk
An update: I reported the problem through the Apple Support site on Saturday.
This afternoon (Monday) I received a new pair of earbuds. They seem to work
just fine. Next step: sending the old ones back to Apple. I am pleasantly
surprised with how easy it all has been.
Great! I’ve had mostly good experiences with them as well. If you have problems
with an iPod, it’s easy to exchange it for a new one too.
Kirk