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I reported about the new iPods Apple introduced last week, saying that although they have a color screen and play videos, I'm just not that impressed with them. The folks at Ars Technica and Designtechnica (very different sites though their names sound similar) each gave the new "video iPod" an 8 out of 10, but both brought up some interesting points that I'll share here to save you some time reading their articles (which I'll link at the end so you can put the quotes in context).
From Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/video-ipod.ars/1): "Inside [the box] you'll find the iPod itself and an unfortunate lack of accessories...Noticeably absent are the dock, remote, wall charger, and AV cables which can be purchased individually or bundled with your new iPod at the Apple Store. If you're at all interested in video output, the AV cables are a must-have and can be found for around $20 online or at a retail store." "...the headphone jack...now positioned opposite the hold switch. This is a departure from the headphone jack located in the center of the device, and will make a number of accessories designed for the old iPod either incompatible or awkward, at best." "One change that has caused a lot of uproar from long-time Mac users is the lack of Firewire support on these new iPod models." "The new iPod does nothing technologically revolutionary or different from how other, similar devices (like the PSP) do video." "I did notice that seeking to different points in the video were a little less responsive than I'd like, but...I'm not one to complain about a portable device being slightly less responsive than a personal computer." "I was honestly surprised at the quality of the TV shows I had downloaded...Music videos seemed to be hit or miss. I downloaded the music video Thriller (from Michael Jackson's pre-caucasian days) and was thoroughly disappointed. The video was blocky, color bands were everywhere, and the audio levels were absurdly low...Other, newer, music videos didn't suffer from the same problems." "The question of the hour is if one could be expected to sit and watch 45 minutes of video on the iPod's LCD. My answer to that question is 'yes' with one caveat. I walk to work and today I tried watching some video on my commute. Result: disastrous. I nearly ran into several people and almost injured myself in an accident involving those rows of newspaper stands." "This is, like it or not, the next logical update to the iPod and Apple doesn't look like it wants to innovate beyond continuing to make the device smaller, lighter, and thinner...they'll either start to stagnate or have to do some sort of innovating that I'm incapable of imagining right now." "Included case as no belt clip, looks like a bad summer camp project"
From Design Technica (http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review3298_main16498.html): "For video playback, this form factor just isn't ideal. We would have preferred a horizontal screen like the Creative Zen Vision, with the controls on the side." "Mysteriously, though, there are no contrast or brightness controls on the player." "Those of you with a library filled of Divx or Xvid encoded movies are out of luck, since those formats are not supported; the Creative Zen Vision would be the product for you instead...We got mixed results converting Divx files...others would not convert at all." "You are still limited to a 320x240 resolution which looks terrible on newer wide screen televisions. In fact, the videos downloaded from iTunes only looked good on the iPod's screen due to its small size." "It can be hard watching video on the iPod for a long period of time, so if you have a PC around, we recommend you watch the shows on it instead...It can be taxing on your eyes and your arms." "If your primary purpose for buying the new iPod is solely for the video aspects, we recommend you look at the Zen Vision or the various players from Archos. The new Apple iPod is really a music player first and video player second."
Here are a couple of my own notes to add to the above: For most intents and purposes, the new iPod is essentially the same as the previous iPod with the addition of the ability to play low-resolution video. In exchange for this improvement and a slighly thinner player, the iPod gives up its FireWire interface, compatibility with existing iPod accessories, and sees no storage upgrade. The new iPod, when outfitted with the same accessories that shipped INCLUDED with previous generations, costs substantially more. The 30GB model, equipped with a remote, charger, AV cable, belt-clip case, and dock costs $444 from the Apple Store. Compare that to the 30GB Creative Zen Vision which lists for $399 and includes the player, earphones, charger, USB cable, A/V cable, and pouch. The Zen supports more video and audio formats, include EAX sound enhancement, and isn't locked into iTunes for its content. http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=210&subcategory=211&product=12985
The above commentary has intentionally focused on the "down" side to the new iPods. That's because it's easy to find glowing reviews of the iPod all over the net. Even the reviews I've quoted above gave the player high marks. My point in highlighting the new iPod's shortcomings is to ensure that prospective buyers take a moment to think about the iPod before they plunk down their credit card or hard-earned cash to buy it. There are other players out there. Most are cheaper than the iPod. Many have features the iPod doesn't. If something in the above criticisms turns you off, then rather than jumping on the "iPod bandwagon" you might want to take a few more minutes and investigate the competition. I did, and I ended up buying something else because I didn't feel that the iPod's high price was justified in its feature set or ease of use relative to other players. I ended up getting a player that had a higher capacity, better sound, etc., for a LOT less - and I'm very happy with it. If I've inspired you to take a look at other players before buying an iPod, even if you eventually decide to buy the iPod anyway, I've accomplished what I set out to do here - which was to get you to look critically at the iPod for a moment before forking over the cash to Apple. I hope that whatever media player you eventually buy, you are happy with it (iPod or otherwise).
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