U2 iPod Review

So I’ve been using my iPod for a few hours now. When I first went to got it, I felt a little weird about spending the extra $50 on the U2 edition, being that it is no different that then regular except for the outside. It was either that or wait until January for the back-orders to catch up. The iPod 20Gig seems to be the hot item this Christmas.

Outside:

I really like the black and red, it looks clean and blends into my other belongings a little better than the traditional white. The whole device is about the size of a deck of cards so I’m glad I sacrificed size for space (the iPod mini is a little smaller but only has 4 gigs of space). One thing I really like about their design is the fact that it feels so solid. There are no switches on the front or on the sides, just the click wheel and the metal case. When I hold it in my hand I don’t feel or hear plastic flexing, to me that is a big deal when I start carrying this thing around. It just feels like it is put together very well.

Setup:

Like most electronic devices it needs to be charged first. If you have a mac you can plug it into your box using the fire wire adaptor, your computer will then charge it while you are using it. If you have a PC you need to plug it into the wall for a few hours, then you can start using it (USB doesn’t supply enough juice to charge it).

I plugged it into my Mac using the fire wire adaptor and immediately my Mac recognizes it, updates the firmware in it. Next it opens iTunes and starts syncing my music library (I already had music on my laptop). Within 5 minutes I had my iPod running and my entire music library on it ready for me to use. Oh, and I think I actually had to press maybe 3 buttons, wow, great job Apple! The integration is amazing.

Usability:

I’m not sure anyone could build a simpler interface if they tried. All music can be accessed on the iPod by Artist, Albums, Genre, Song Title, or Composer (and this was automatic, I was not required to do any cataloging). I select “Artist”, then a list of all artists is displayed, then I select “U2” and all their albums are displayed, then I select an album and then the song. Using the new scroll wheel makes this task a snap and only requires your thumb.

Sound:

Sounds perfect, I was not able to use the little white earphones because my ears are too small, but on my own pair it sounds great. Plus, if you really want to get fancy you have the option to set equalizer settings or choose from a list of configurations (classical, base, stadium, etc).

Conclusion:

This has to be the most streamlined device I have ever held. I think its important to note that even though this has a calendar and address book, this is not an “Everything device”. The iPod was designed to play music and it does that very well. I think Apple gave up on more than that after the Newton crashed.

Oh and the best part, the iPod actually has a hard drive it in, much like the one that is in a laptop. So when you plug it into your computer, you actually see a drive there, which means you can also store files on it and use it as a backup or transfer storage device.