Apple iPod 40 GB White M9245LL/A (3rd Generation) OLD MODEL by Apple Computer
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Digital camera reviews of Apple iPod 40 GB White M9245LL/A (3rd Generation) OLD MODEL
Digital camera Review: Either Back Up Every Song You Have or Never Reformat Your PC
Summary: 2 Stars
Let's face it, the puny 128 mb players are expensive and worthless. That is why we are moving up to the bigger leagues. Well there has been big competitors trying to run the 20 gb market. Dell has one, rio has a nice smaller one than ipod, neuros, archos, and **Creative**. Now why did I stat Creative? First I will explain why I gave the ipod 2 stars. First off, I have two 20 GB MP3 Players. I have a Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox 3 (Same thing as the Zen) and a 20 GB Ipod.
Good:
Setup was simple and transferring files to the ipod was fast. It comes with a nice docking station and yes it is small.
Bad:
Let me uncover the truth about the ipod that no one knows about and that people never will say because they are now stuck with the pod like me. Apple will tell you I believe when you open the box that the pod is meant for your computer ONLY. That means you can't go over to a friend's house and copy your friends music. Ok well that isn't legal, but no matter what there are people who want to do that everyone knows that will happen, SO WHAT MOVE ON. So you are limited to only your PC. Now here is the tricky thing that no one even think of. Take my computer for example. I had the virus that spreaded across the net and I like to reformat my drive every year to give it that nice fresh start. ****Warning**** IF YOU REFORMAT A DRIVE OR ACTUALLY TRY TO INSTALL IPOD ON ANOTHER COMPUTER, EVERY SINGLE THING WILL BE ERASED!!!! That is what happened to my Ipod. See when you reformat a drive, you have to install the software over again because everything is erased off the computer. So when you reinstall it on your pc or a friend's pc, the ipod does not like when you try to copy so the software has a reset in it and will wipe out everything you have. I have 2,000 songs and 4 months of work (because I have other work to deal with) gone down the drain as if I never touched the d*** pod. Secondly, unless there is some way to change the settings, every cd burned, ipod makes a copy of each song in the library making you have to erase each copy which becomes extremely annoying because it makes a copy of it on your ipod which is so stupid. Unlike the creative, you can't change anything directly from the device, only on the computer which isn't good either.
Now back to the Creative. I have the Jukebox 3 which is the SAME EXACT THING as the Zen. Zen has a different style so that is why it is called that. To prove it is the same, check the prices at Comp usa and other stores. They still sell my at the same price as the Zen. Plus all the firmware and accessories are made for both devices. The creative allows you to use it on anyone's computer and it is compatible with everything. Apple is known for having there products strictly work for them. The drastic windows change didn't change that much. Apple you are limited to there firewire and usb attachment and you must have every wire that comes with it or else you have to buy it again because you can't just go to a normal store and buy any usb or firewire because it won't fit your pod. Creative will work with anything. you can go out and purchase any cable for it.
Next is the firmware. It comes with a simple easy to use program where you can see everything on your computer and see your device on the other screen. the scrolling is great and the sound quality is superb. You can choose some great accessories for it. I purchased a $68.00 FM Tuner with built in Microphone and mini display with the play, stop, fast forward, and rewind all on it. The biggest difference is the price of the Creative. It is $100 cheaper than the pod and it has more features and works well. Ipod has gotten so much publicity when I feel it shouldn't. Creative has been knocked down just because it isn't white and a couple inches smaller. Creative truly is better. It isn't as if I wanted to advertise it because i am a Creative fan because this is my first product I purchased from them besides the standard soundblaster built into Home PC's. I have both the Ipod and Creative Labs and I would take Creative over ipod any day. My mother went with the hype and bought the ipod and I took the Creative going with my instincts and a lot of reviews. Look who came out as the winner. I still have my songs and less of a headache. Don't make the same mistake like my mother.
Digital camera Review: Excellent product. Poor bundled software.
Summary: 4 Stars
The iPod is one of the first Apple products I have ever purchased...before the iPod the only apple product that I had the displeasure of using was QuickTime. However, with the extremely favorable reactions that the iPod recevied from many different magazines I went out to a store and decided to at least give it a shot. I fell in love instantly with its ease of use and look.So I purchased the 40 GB model. The first thing I noticed about the product was its rather...unique packaging. After finally realzing how to open it and finding the rather small unit I followed the directions located in the iPod manual and connected it up to my PC. Installation was anything but easy. The software automatically overwrote a newer version of MusicMatch jukebox and any time I tried to open MusicMatch it only would crash on me. Thus, I was forced to uninstall Music Match completely download a new version off the internet and install it. Once this was completed I succeeded in getting the iPod connected successfully and working properly. However, using Musicmatch to transfer files to iPod was a horrible experience in general.
Via a tip from a magazine I installed Apple iTunes which is now available for the Pc and found an excellent very fast product which worked with the iPod flawlessly. If not for iTunes exteremly excellent intergration with the iPod it is quite likely I would have returned the unit however iTunes completely changed my opinion of the iPod and made it actually a pleasure to use.
The actual iPod unit itself is very nice. A exteremly stylish exterior and very easy to use controls and designs make it a pleasure to hold and use. Except for the fact that it can get dirty very easily there is almost no trouble at all in transporting it around. I have gone over quite a few bumpy roads and some quick jogging and found there to be absolutely no skipping even after a 10 minute+ exposure to conditions that make my Sony CD player skip like crazy.
The only problem I really experienced in the use of the product was the lack of ability to create and SAVE a playlist directly from the unit. For example you can select and browse through all your songs and make a temporary playlist using the iPod itself. However, in order to save a playlist it is required that you use iTunes or Musicmatch and import it in that fashion. This can be quite annoying when you are like me and like to make many playlists on the fly corresponding to your emotions. However, this is a small problem when looked at regarding the rest of the unit.
One other small qualm I had was that I have quite a few WAV files that are themselves compressed in mpeg layer 2 format within the WAV format. These files do not play properly on the iPod so if you have a lot of these for some reason (I do) be prepared for lots of converting.
The last issue I had with the iPod was that it only contains 1 Dock connector to firewire plug and this plug is required to both dock the iPod to a computer and also to connect the iPod to an AC socket. If another Firewire plug was connected it would be quite nice.
All in all I was pleasently surprised with the iPod in general. The player works quite well. My main tip to other users is to not even bother with the Music Match jukebox and instead download the new Windows version of iTunes available on Apple's website.
Digital camera Review: Excessive Costs of Repair
Summary: 1 Stars
I dropped my new 40 GB iPod in the sink for the briefest of moments. Believe me, it is not all that difficult to do. Water rushed into the docking port and the unit is toast. Naturally, water damage is not covered by the warranty.
But now the bad news ... it costs $249 plus $7 in shipping, or $256 to repair, compared to $399 for a new 40 GB iPod (or $299 for the 20 GB model with the same repair charge). It is the same charge whether covered by warranty or not. There is NO credit for being under warranty whatsoever. Even a battery replacement is $99 plus $7 in shipping.
Apple product support personnel were matter of fact about the charge and the problem of water. One person told me of an iPod destroyed by being splashed poolside. Another mentioned that he has raised internally the problem of water rushing into the docking port. Imagine walking around with this iPod in a steady rain.
My conclusions - the 40 GB iPod is a fragile, expensive piece of equipment with arguably a design flaw. The excessive cost of repairs undermines its attractiveness. It was my first Apple product and my last. Bad show Apple!
Digital camera Review: Faulty product, DO NOT BUY
Summary: 1 Stars
Please BEWARE of purchasing this product. I purchased it for my son for Christmas and the battery indicator was faulty causing him to lose all his songs over and over as his battery died without warning. Battery life is VERY SHORT and the add-on battery pack doesn't add much more. The thing completely DIED after three weeks, Apple cannot locate problem, will not fix. They supplied a refurbished unit, same problems with battery life and battery indicator. A complete waste of $500, will NEVER buy an Apple product again.Digital camera Review: First Apple product I bought: 40g iPod
Summary: 4 Stars
I been using Apple's product, since Apple II and thought they are marketed for the over-spenders. This is a great product but not as revolutionary like some make it sound to be. The hard drive is the biggest out there. I have a 20 gigs Nomad Zen and I will compare it to my new 40gigs IPod. The iPod is a little smaller and better looking. I paid $250 for Zen, about a year ago, and got an iPod for a whooping $500, my bank account is now hurting. The iPod's firewire transfer is a lot better and faster. I put about the same amount of gigs on each and it took half the time with the iPod. iTune for Window XP works great. Both sound qualities are about the same, which is super. Apple menu is easier to navigate. The dock is nice, but unnecessary. Since, it has no added feature then an audio output which is what the iPod line-out is for. I simply like how it feels in my hand better. The touch sensitive buttons is very cool and innovated. Can be use as a external hard drive, but there are limitation on some features.The Cons:
The iPod's slip on case is almost nonfunctional. There is no opening to turn the wheel or see what on display since the remote has no digital screen to see anything. The remote feels awkward like the old Apple's G3 circular mouse. The combination of remote and earphone is way to long. No ON/OFF switch, this can drain the battery if you unexpectedly bump a button. The features of an FM tuner and recorder are expensive separate add-on so it make the iPod larger Some of the other MP3 Hard drive players have these features already included. Battery is not as long as I expect from a 40gigs $500 MP3 player
Reason to buy:
Why I bought the iPod is of the simple and best scroll wheel out there. Finding thousands of songs on the scroll wheel is a breeze. The menu is very simple and the integration of the itune is fabulous. I love almost everything about this IPod except for the price and battery life. The design aspect ratio to price favors Apple, not the consumer. If people feel better, because they bought the word Apple and are willing to paid more, that is fine to. I am not yet sold to the Apple's Nation with this product.