Apple iPod 5 GB M8513LLA White (1st Generation) OLD MODEL

The iPod's 5 GB hard drive holds 100 hours of high-quality music, and it connects to your Mac via superfast FireWire. We were able to transfer a single CD in about 10 seconds and a full hard drive in 10 to 15 minutes. If you lack a built-in FireWire connector, which all new Macs ship with, you can add a FireWire PC Card to most older PowerBooks or a FireWire PCI card to most G3 and G4 towers.

Plug the iPod into the FireWire port and the iPod is mounted as a hard drive. The included iTunes 2 software automatically launches and will synchronize your computer's digital audio collection with the iPod. You can also manually manage what files get transferred. The iPod plays the MP3 music format, but it also plays old AIFF and WAV formats.

The iPod's 10-hour-plus lithium battery also recharges over the FireWire port. An AC adapter comes with the unit for charging away from a computer. The battery recharges to 80 percent of capacity in about an hour, full capacity in about three hours. The iPod has a 32 MB built-in RAM cache that buffers about 20 minutes of music. This is extremely helpful when you're exercising, and it keeps battery life high. When we've used the iPod on long trips and travel about town, it's been hard to run the battery down at all.

The iPod is simply laid out with five buttons and a shuttle wheel. The interface uses hierarchical menus that you select from by rotating the wheel and pressing the selection button in its center. The LCD screen was also large and easy to read, and it has a backlight nearly as powerful as a flashlight.

The one slightly vexing interface detail was the lack of an Off button--attributable to the iPod's overall design aesthetic. You won't really need to turn the iPod off, as the unit conserves power when it's not playing. But we did find ourselves using the Hold button often to ensure that we didn't start it playing or stop it playing when transporting the iPod while in use. You can turn it off by simply holding down the play/pause button for a few seconds.

Apple includes a set of earphones that we felt compared favorably with listening to high-quality speakers in an acoustically balanced room. Volume control, always an important point, is in tiny increments that can be easily set up and down while music is playing. A startup volume level can be preset as well.

A few provisos: the iPod doesn't come with a carrying case, the stainless steel back collects fingerprints like an overzealous FBI agent, and the plastic front can scratch if you're as careless as we are. Also, the unit's initial release has no balance control (left/right), equalization panel, or monaural setting. Apple does plan free software upgrades for the iPod, which may add these features.

Considering its range of features and small package, the iPod is definitely a top contender for best Mac add-on. --Charles Kinbote

Pros:

• High-capacity MP3 player in small package
• 32 MB buffer enables you to use the iPod even when exercising
• Utilizes FireWire for superfast transfers
• Automatically synchronizes with your computer's MP3 collection

Cons:

• Not compatible with Windows (this isn't a negative to Mac owners--it may even be a plus)
• No equalization or balance settings

Easter Egg: For a special treat, navigate on the main menu to About, then hold down the center select button for a few seconds. Enjoy the game, which is also a tribute to Apple's co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Amazon.com Product Description
Special note to customers: An iPod software update (version 1.1) is available on the Apple site. It adds a contacts menu to store your address book and a new equalizer with more than 20 presets and independent settings for each song.

Packing 1,000 songs and a 10-hour battery into a stunning 6.5-ounce package, the Apple iPod is the smallest hard drive-based MP3 player available, about the size of a deck of cards. Just plug it into your Mac and all your iTunes songs and playlists are automatically downloaded into iPod at blazing FireWire speed.

The 5 GB hard drive stores up to 1,000 MP3 song files (at 160 Kbps encoding rate) and also doubles as disk storage for applications and other files. A high-output (60-mW) amplifier provides CD-quality sound with a wide dynamic range, from deep, pulse-pounding bass to sharp, crystal-clear highs.

In addition to its 5 GB hard drive, iPod has a 32MB memory cache. The cache is made up of solid-state memory, meaning that it has no moving parts, so it's not affected by movement of the device. Skip protection on the iPod works by continually preloading up to 20 minutes of music into the cache.

The iPod has a large, high-quality liquid crystal display (LCD) for viewing up to six lines of text. And the LCD features a white-light-emitting diode (LED) backlight for clear visibility in low-light situations--indoors or outdoors. Pocket-sized and just 6.5 ounces, it weighs appreciably less than the stack of CDs it can store music from.

Featuring Apple's award-winning iTunes 2 software, the iPod can synchronize with newly added music files and playlists. Simply plug the iPod back into your Mac and the changes are automatically updated in seconds. And with iTunes 2, you can rip MP3s, create playlists, and burn custom CDs all from one simple interface.

Its rechargeable lithium battery is charged using the FireWire cable when connected to your Mac. You can also recharge the iPod using the included FireWire cable and AC adapter when you're on the go.

The iPod supports MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 Variable Bit Rate (VBR), WAV, and AIFF files, and is firmware upgradable. To use the iPod with your Mac, you'll need a FireWire port and you must be running either Mac OS 9.2.1 (or later) or Mac OS X v10.1 (or later). The iPod is not compatible with Windows operating systems.

It comes with earbud-style headphones, a FireWire cable, power adapter, and CD-ROM with iTunes 2. It's backed by a 90-day limited warranty.

The way IPOD integrates with ITunes is amazing. You can enjoy spending time listing to your music rather than time trying to get the hardware and software working. You simply just plug it in and the IPOD moves over all the music in your library to the player, it's that easy. The only thing I wish was made easier is the ability to remove certain music from Itunes without removing it from Ipod. I read of ways to do that but it should be easier for the every day user.

My only other negative is the headphones that come with the unit. For a player that cost as much as the Ipod, the quality and fit of the headphones should be better. Of course, you can always upgrade the headphones but after spending for what the Ipod costs who wants to lay out more money.

Other than those two small complaints, this is a increadible piece of equipment. To have a rechargable battery that lasts 10 hours is amazing as well.


Legendary Apple support and product   September 24, 2002
tomfromboston
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

When I first got this iPod, I accidentally dropped it from about five feet off the ground onto hardwood floors. I was horrified. It was completely intact, but when I walked with it attached to the belt clip, the volume went down on its own. I had broken it. I immediately went to the local Apple Store, explained what happened, and was immediately given a new iPod. No questions asked. Didn't even ask to see a receipt. It was the most pleasant retail experience I have ever had returning a product, almost akin to refund nirvana. Why do I mention this story? Apple's legendary support and service. Plus a [great] MP3 player that will leave your friends drooling and bring you hours of happiness every day. Then I went online to Apple's website and registered it and was given a complimentary one-year subscription to MacWorld. Things just got even better. One of the best purchases I have ever made.


Not as good as I thought   September 4, 2002
Justin (Boulder, CO)
10 out of 27 found this review helpful

Okay, I'll admit that apple's iPod is a very nice MP3 player for us mac users...but it had one tremendous flaw. The iPod is terribly fragile, which is not very desirable in a product that's meant for use during activity.

My second iPod just broke after falling off my bed and hitting the carpet. The first one broke after falling about [a few] feet from my pocket to the kitchen floor.

It would seem to me if one was going to design a sleek product meant for active use, one might want to make it durabe enough to survive the inevitable accidents that will occur. Sure apple will replace it, but how many times would you want to return your iPod for a new one?

So yes, its a great MP3 player,...


Best Mother's Day Present Ever!   August 3, 2002
madbee (Colorado)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who have an iPod and those who don't know what they're missing. It's small, it;s light, it's very easy to use, and the sound is incredible. I did order a leather case (online) which protects it and has belt clip, etc. You can even use it in a car with a tape player and an adapter (about $20) for a cd player. The battery holds a charge a long time.