ManufacturerApple
-
Product type
Digital player
-
PC interface(s) supported
Hi-Speed USB
-
Digital storage
Built-in 80 GB Hard disk drive
-
Weight
5.5 oz
-
Dimensions (W x D x H)
2.4 in x 0.6 in x 4.1 in
-
Color
Black
-
Included accessories
Carrying case
,
Docking station adapter
-
iPod Generation
5G
Digital Player / Recorder
-
Supported digital audio standards
AAC
,
MP3
,
WAV
,
AIFF
,
Audible
,
Apple Lossless
-
Playback modes
Playlist
,
One track repeat
,
All tracks repeat
,
Random play / shuffle
-
Response bandwidth
20 - 20000 Hz
-
Supported bit rate
16 - 320
-
ID3 tags support
Yes
-
External hard drive function
Yes
-
Additional features
Variable bit-rate compatible
Built-in Display
-
Audio system built-in display
LCD
-
Diagonal size
2.5 in
-
Resolution
320 x 240
-
Backlight display
Yes
-
Display illumination color
White
-
Display menu language
Czech
,
Dutch
,
Greek
,
Danish
,
French
,
German
,
Korean
,
Polish
,
English
,
Finnish
,
Italian
,
Russian
,
Spanish
,
Swedish
,
Turkish
,
Japanese
,
Hungarian
,
Norwegian
,
Portuguese
,
Chinese (simplified)
,
Chinese (traditional)
Audio Features
-
Sound output mode
Stereo
-
Timer
Wake
,
Sleep
,
Stopwatch
-
Built-in clock
Alarm
,
Timer
,
Digital clock
-
Additional features
Notes
,
Calendar
,
Phone book
,
Hold button
,
Date display
,
Photo wallet
,
Built-in games
,
H.264 playback
,
Volume limiter
,
MPEG-4 playback
,
Upgradeable firmware
,
USB 2.0 compatibility
,
Playback speed control
,
Rechargeable capability
,
Battery level indication
Equalizer
-
Equalizer factory preset qty
20
Remote Control
Headphones
-
Headphones type
Binaural Ear-bud
-
Sound output mode
Stereo
-
Response bandwidth
20 - 20000 Hz
-
Impedance
32 Ohm
-
Connectivity technology
Wired
Connectivity
-
Cable(s) included
1 x USB cable - External
-
Connector type
1 x Docking station
,
1 x Headphones / remote control / composite video Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
Battery / Power
-
Battery
Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
-
Mfr estimated battery life
20 hour(s)
-
Recharge time
4 hour(s)
System Requirements
-
Operating system
Apple MacOS X 10.3.9 or later
,
Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 or later
,
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2 or later
,
Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 or later0
Reviews
At Apple's September 12 media event, Steve Jobs jumped right into introducing an updated fifth-generation iPod. Not a tremendous surprise here, as we believed the sixth-generation "true video
iPod"
would not be announced until later in the year or even early in 2007.
Underneath the familiar and still-scratch-prone polycarbonate and metal
skin of the updated iPod (a.k.a. the 5.5 generation, or 5.5G) lies a
more mature iPod, many steps wiser and more able than its one-year-old predecessor.
The iPod gains many incremental improvements, including a brighter
screen and better video battery life, but probably the most appealing
aspect is the tantalizing price points of $249 for the 30GB version and
$349 for the huge 80GB version (available in both white and black).
While it may still not fully address the needs of a new population of
iTunes movie watchers, the updated iPod is the best one to date.
Most of this review of the 5.5G iPod will cover new features and
performance numbers. For a closer look at the basic design and base
features of the iPod, read this review.
Same look and feel
The iPod's physical specs are nearly the same as those of the original
fifth generation. It's still one of the sleekest high-capacity players
around at 4.1 by 2.4 by 0.43 inches and 4.8 ounces for the 30GB
and 4.1 by 2.4 by 0.55 inches and 5.5 ounces for the 80GB model, which
has exactly the same dimensions and weight as the now-defunct 60GB
version. For me personally, the 80GB version (the one we actually
reviewed) feels nicer in the hand than the razor-thin 30GB. The 80GB is
enticing for video addicts both for the capacity (iTunes movies are
about 1.5GB) and the better battery life (rated for up to 6.5 hours);
plus, it's a great value at $349. Though the $249 retail price tag for
the 30GB version is outstanding, excellent Windows Media players such
as Creative's 30GB Zen Vision:M and Toshiba's 30GB Gigabeat S cost nearly the same on the street.
The 80GB iPod in black next to the 30GB Toshiba Gigabeat S.
The iPod is still pretty easy to scratch, both on the soft and shiny
plastic face and the classic metallic backside. Fingerprints love the
iPod more than they do most players. You'll definitely want to carry
the iPod in a case, or at least protect the screen with adhesive film,
since now you'll be watching $9.99 iTunes movies. I think the black
version looks nicer, but scratches show up on it more easily. A new
Nano-like scratch- and print-proof aluminum case would have taken the
iPod over the top.
The new iPod also has a brighter screen--by up to 60 percent.
Not that the iPod had a dim screen in the first place, but brighter is
always better, especially when it doesn't come at the cost of battery
life. In a side-by-side comparison of the old and new screens (at
default brightness), the new iPod is noticeably brighter. Even after
updating the old iPod to firmware 1.2, which among other things adds
brightness control, the old iPod screen at the brightest setting
matches only the new one's default setting. Battery life will take a
hit at the higher setting, so turn it up only when your'e watching
video or viewing photos. You can even adjust brightness while watching
a movie by clicking the Select button twice during playback.
Conversely, you should turn the brightness down when listening to
audio; as always, the iPod can be viewed with the backlight turned off.
You can adjust brightness both within the Settings menu and while you're watching a video.
I still have a problem with watching video for more than 30 minutes on
that small 2.5-inch screen. Even a kickstand would help for hands-free
viewing, though a bigger-screened unit like the Cowon A2 or Archos 604
would have made the portable iTunes movie experience more satisfying.
There are some portable accessories such as the Memorex iFlip
that dock with the iPod and increase its viewing size to up to 8.4
inches. Though the proprietary dock connector isn't nearly as
convenient as a standard USB port, the iPod benefits from its thousands
of dock connector-based third-party accessories.
Once again, Apple does a good job of minimizing packaging and
bundled accessories, which include a newly designed set of white
earbuds, a proprietary USB cable, a soft case, and a dock adapter.
Unfortunately, like many MP3 players these days, you'll have to pony up
extra to get a power adapter ($29). You also don't get an iTunes
software CD, which leaves nonconnected folks in the dust. And while the
futuristic headphones sound decent, they didn't stay firmly in my ears
(no foam earbud covers in this version).
The 80GB iPod with its bundled accessories: notice the lack of a power adapter.
A wiser iPod
The iPod's enhanced software definitely makes it
better. For one, you can search tunes using an alphabet-style instant
search. The last option in the Music menu, Search places a two-line
virtual keyboard at the bottom of the screen; the first letter you
select brings up all artist, album, and song titles that begin with
that letter, with albums and artists indicated by icons. Results pop up
dynamically as you enter new letters. If you type in ca, you'll get results listed by all the titles that start with ca, then continue with any mention of the letters ca
in any title. It's a little more sophisticated than the search features
found in the Creative Zen Vision:M (and other players that actually
invented search-by-letters), but because you have to select Done to
browse your results, it's a tad more tedious to use.
The search feature, which brings the iPod up to speed with some other brands, gives you a leg up on your massive music library.
Another "borrowed" feature is that as you scroll through tracks, the
first letter of the track section appears as a graphical button
overlay. This is truly convenient when scrolling through huge lists
where your desired alphabet "sector" used to whiz by, and you'd have to
make a U-turn. I've found that I still tend to pass up my desired
letter, but not by much. Oh, yeah; does this navigation goodie remind
you of the Toshiba Gigabeat S?
Gapless playback is probably one of the most requested minor features
in any MP3 player, and Apple has responded. Many music fanatics,
especially those who like dance music, can now enjoy their music
without annoying gaps. I think this is a valuable feature that should
be implemented more throughout the MP3 world (the classic Rio Karma and
the current Archos 04 series also do pure gapless playback). The new
iPod lineup (the updated iPod, iPod Nano, and iPod Shuffle) as well as
the older 5th generation iPod with the software update) can apply the
gapless playback settings that need to be manually stitched to each
track in iTunes (Editor's correction: we had earlier reported that the
original 5th-generation could not playback gapless audio).
Finally, Apple has added a refined games section,
which includes titles such as Bejeweled, Tetris, Texas Hold 'Em, and
Pac-Man. The games are quality, though familiar games such as Pac-Man
take some adjustment as you need to tap the Click Wheel to control the
little guy. It also takes a good 12 seconds to load a game. New games
are available online at the iTunes Store and will cost $4.99 each.
As we all know, the new iPod is dependent on iTunes 7 (read the review),
particularly when it comes to DRMed audio or video. The software, which
has added both a cool interface (like Cover Flow) and audio playback
features (such as gapless playback) has frustrated many users with its
bugginess. Given my bug-free experience on both
Mac and Windows versions, my review of iTunes 7 was favorable. But beware that the software has caused headaches for many users-- Apple needs to issue an update
soon.
In addition to being home base for setting up gapless playback
of tracks on the iPod, iTunes 7 now features a device manager option
that allows you to set your iPod up directly within the iTunes
interface. The main landing page displays a graphic and vital stats of
your iPod and allows you to check off universal settings such as
"Manually manage music and videos" and "Only sync checked items."
Additionally, you can update or restore your iPod from this summary
page. Content is managed by clicking tabs for specific types such as
Music, Movies, TV Shows, and Contacts. Finally, at the bottom of this
window is a color-coded capacity meter that visually breaks down Audio,
Video, Photo, Other, and Free Space. Again, it's not like I haven't
seen integrated management in Windows Media Player, but the use of a
nested window rather than a new one helps. One more related feature:
You're now allowed to move songs off the iPod as long as the recipient
computer is authorized to listen to or view the content. So now you can
transfer your purchased music (no MP3s) from your work computer to your
home computer using the iPod. Simply authorize a new computer using the
new Store/Authorize Computer option.
What can your old iPod do? And what we'd like to see improved
Owners of the original nonenhanced iPod benefit from upgrading to
firmware 1.2. In addition to brightness control, new features include
letter overlay, gapless playback, and the ability to playback the new
640x480 iTunes video content on the 320x240 screen. Older iPodders
cannot play the enhanced iPod games nor can they perform an instant
search (Editor's note: we had earlier reported that the older iPod did
not feature gapless playback; in fact, it does with software update
1.2).
While the iPod's new features give it new life, we're disappointed that
Apple couldn't add things that appear on most other MP3 players. You'd
think Apple could integrate an FM radio, despite the slender size of
the iPod. It seems the iPod equalizer presets have been improved. The
unit sounds good and hiss free, though not as punchy and crisp as I
prefer. I don't understand why Apple does not implement a custom EQ.
iPod performance: ups and downs
Most of us know that the
preenhanced iPod was dogged for its two-plus hours of video battery
life--a scrawny amount for watching movies in addition to enjoying
music.. Now you'll get 75 percent more battery life with both
sizes--that means you'll get up to a rated 3.5 hours of video battery
life for the 30GB version and up to 6.5 hours for the 80GB. Audio
playback is, strangely, the same--that is, up to 14 hours for the 30GB
and 20 hours for the 80G. For CNET Labs tests, we got our hands on an
80GB version, which did nearly meet the audio estimate with 19.8 hours.
When set to "factory brightness," the player offered a rather
spectacular 8.7 hour battery life for video.
In unofficial testing, the 80GB version was able to play back a
wide-screen iTunes movie (with brightness at default) more than three
times, and very close to 6.5 hours. Officially, the CNET Lab tests
found the iPod could handle 8.6 hours of video playback using the
default brightness setting, 5.6 hours at maximum brightness, and 19.8
hours of audio-only playback. That's pretty impressive. Video, too,
looks nicer on a brighter screen (and on a new iPod with a virgin
screen), though the wide-screen movies are just too small to fully
enjoy.
Boosting battery life will always make a product more
appealing, and it looks like Apple responded to all the complaints.
Basically, this brings the iPod in line with other players, such as the
Creative Zen Vision:M and the Toshiba Gigabeat S, in terms of video
battery life. And now you can watch a couple of movies on a plane trip,
plus have some extra juice for music and photos. Navigating the iPod is
as smooth as ever--we experienced little to nil processor delays,
though we often feel the hard drive engaging and disengaging.
So that's it--while the 6G "true video" iPod will still be a
figment of the tech world's imagination (check back at Macworld '07),
the enhanced 5G iPod looks more attractive than ever with its
incremental updates. It looks the same as the original (accessory
companies breathe a collective sigh), but under the hood, you have an
iPod that makes the original 5G iPod look rusty.
Pricing is a huge aspect here; $249 for the 30GB iPod, as far as I
know, is the best price for a 30GB player I've ever seen. And for
another $100, you get 80GB! Nice job there, Apple. For me personally,
the gapless playback and better battery life make the iPod the most
attractive one to date, and it's certainly a better value than the
similarly priced but much smaller 8GB Nano.