Apple iPod Classic 120GB
Filed Under (Apple iPod, Hard Drive MP3 Players, Portable Players) by admin on 26-11-2008 >> 1,042 views
Tagged Under : Apple, Apple iPod Classic
The iPod Classic is Apple’s iconic hard-drive-based MP3 player, with design roots that date back to 2001’s original iPod model. If you can resist the fashion appeal and gee-whiz features of Apple’s slimmer iPods, such as the iPod Nano and iPod Touch, the 120GB iPod Classic ($249) still delivers the most bang for the buck.
Design
The second-generation iPod Classic is indistinguishable from 2007’s original model, except that the thicker 160GB version is no longer available. An anodized-aluminum faceplate covers the front of the Classic in either black or silver, while the back of the iPod is covered in the same scratch-showing, smudge-loving chromed steel found on most iPods.
The second-generation iPod Classic fits a whopping 120GB hard drive into the same enclosure as its 80GB predecessor, coming in at pocket-size 2.4 inches by 4.1 inches by 0.41 inch. The screen is still made from plastic, making it the only remaining iPod that hasn’t yet switched to a scratch-resistant glass screen.
The second-generation iPod Classic is also now one of the only iPods to use a split-screen main menu layout, displaying menu items on the left half of the screen and a picture related to the selection on the right. For example, highlighting Music on the main menu causes the right half of the screen to display a drifting close-up of cover artwork from your music library. This split-screen effect is more beautiful than it is distracting, and applies to menu items such as movies, podcasts, and photos, as well. You also have the option to browse your music using the Cover Flow view made popular by the iPhone, however, the novelty of Cover Flow wears thin without a touch-screen display. Users with large music collections to sort through will prefer browsing using the list mode or search function.
Features
The only new feature distinguishing the second-generation iPod Classic from its predecessor is the ability to create instant Genius playlists. The Genius feature lets you create an instant 25-song playlists based on the musical characteristics of a single song, offering a new way to group together similar songs in your collection. Genius is easy to use, and the results are fun, provided your music collection holds enough songs to make interesting connections (with 120GB of storage, that shouldn’t be hard). You can create and save Genius playlists directly onto your iPod, and with automatic syncing enabled in iTunes you can also transfer them back to your computer. Oddly, the Genius feature won’t work if you haven’t enabled Genius on your computer’s iTunes software. If you find iTunes’ Genius feature too demanding on your computer’s resources or too invasive of your privacy (the feature reports your listening habits to Apple), then you’ll need to live without the feature on your iPod as well.
Apple has also made it easier to record voice memos with the second-generation iPod Classic, although you’ll need to pay a little extra to get the feature working. Many third-party iPhone headsets are compatible with the Classic’s voice recording feature and beginning in October 2008, Apple will sell their own line of compatible headsets, as well. Without purchasing a compatible headset, however, there is no built-in way to create voice recordings with the iPod Classic right out of the box.
The iPod Classic supports H.264 or MPEG-4 video in MOV, MP4, or M4V file formats, with a maximum resolution of 640×480 at as much as 30 frames per second. You can buy or rent videos through the iTunes online store or import them into iTunes and convert them for playback. (Many third-party software video converters also do a great job converting videos for the iPod.) The Classic supports many of the video features we look for in portable video players. For instance, the Classic can recognize and skip between the DVD-like chapter markers embedded in QuickTime movie files. It also does a dependable job automatically resuming video playback at the point at which you last left off. Closed captioned subtitles can be switched on and off for video files that support them.
Features
In 2007, Apple released three substantially new iPods: the biscuit-shaped third-generation iPod nano (iLounge Rating: A), the metal-faced iPod classic (iLounge Rating: B+), and the phoneless iPhone called iPod touch (iLounge Rating: B-). This year, Apple has updated all three models with new features that range from trivial to important, generally improving each while boosting storage capacity for the dollar. Our review of the 2008 iPod classic (120GB/$249) covers all of the key changes and details you want to know about.
Every once in a long while, Apple releases an iPod that isn’t quite the next “generation” of an earlier model, but certainly isn’t exactly the same as its immediate predecessor, either. Such is the case with the 2008 iPod classic, the most recent hard disk-based sequel to the original iPod released in 2001: despite internal changes, Apple has stopped short of calling it the “second-generation iPod classic,” and is instead referring to it solely as the iPod classic (120GB). Properly understood as the “sixth-and-a-half-generation iPod” (or 6.5G iPod for short), here’s how it fits into the family’s history.
The first iPod pioneered the concept of a 1.8” hard disk drive-based music player that used a bright white screen and rotating wheel for navigation. Its second-generation 2002 sequel changed the wheel to a touch-sensitive surface and came in both PC and Mac versions. A completely redesigned third-generation model in 2003 added a bottom accessory Dock Connector, replaced all the clickable buttons with touch-sensitive controls, and added USB connectivity as an option. The fourth-generation 2004 version came in both black and white and color versions, swapping the prior control scheme for the modern Click Wheel controller. Apple’s fifth-generation 2005 iPod was the first to play videos, and an “enhanced fifth-generation” version in 2006 added additional storage capacity. The 2007 sixth-generation iPod was rebranded as iPod classic, and was the first to offer Cover Flow and come with a silver or black metal face. Two versions were available: an 80GB version with 30 promised hours of audio runtime, and a thicker 160GB version with 40 hours.
Apple’s 2008 model is still sold in black- or silver-faced versions, but comes in only one capacity, 120GB, enough to store 30,000 songs or 150 hours of video in standard formats. Like all screened iPods, the classic supports audio and video in MP3, AAC, MPEG-4, and H.264 formats, as well as Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV. Though it looks exactly the same dimensionally as the “thin” 80GB sixth-generation iPod classic, and Apple CEO Steve Jobs spent less than a minute discussing the new model during its unveiling, it has actually changed inside: in addition to the extra storage space, Apple has quietly added new features such as superior 36-hour battery life, headphone port-based remote controls, and headphone port-based voice recording, as well as a number of smaller changes. The pages of this review look at each of the key prior and new features in turn; you can look at the pros and cons here, or skip directly to the conclusions for our purchasing recommendations. [Editor’s Note: This review was updated following initial publication to include comparison photos and details for the black 120GB iPod classic and its darker black predecessors.
Enhanced Interface
In addition to the new screens, the iPod sports an “enhanced” user-interface and its own version of Cover Flow (scroll through album art) shown below:
Capacity
- 120GB hard drive
- Holds up to 30,000 songs
- Holds up to 25,000 iPod-viewable photos
- Holds up to 150 hours of video
- Stores data via USB hard drive
