iPods now are becoming an extension of peoples beings. I feel it is becoming like the hoover. Instead of saying “Vacuum cleaning” people say “Hoovering” and now I can see it becoming not MP3 player but iPod. iPod has a status of its own. I could go on a post about how iPods are so big now they are creating a monopoly (gives me an idea) but this post is about breaking your iPod virginity and finding you the right iPod.
iPod Shuffle
With the recent updates to the iPod shuffle. It is now the cheapest iPod ever. And it is also one of the best. The iPod Shuffle is a tiny device about as big as two thumbs pressed together that has either 1GB or 2GB of storage. It has a built on clip so it can stick to your T-Shirt or jeans pretty easy and it comes in a multitude of different colours.
The downsides to the Shuffle are the lack of a screen. You can’t choose what track you are listening to. You can not have it in shuffle mode and skip through all the tracks until you find the track you are looking for but that would be tedious and ware away your thumbs. Another downside is if you are clumsy like me you may loose it as it is small. The reason it is small as it only has 1GB or 2GB of memory which means you will not be able to take around all your music with you with the 1GB taking 240 and the 2GB taking around 500 songs.
The shuffle is great for the enthusiastic jogger as it won’t skip as it uses flash drives or as an iPod for a friend as a present. I may not look as the iPod Shuffle as a primary iPod but I know it is that considered by many.
Summing up Twitter style (140 characters):
The iPod for the person who wants a small sexy device and doesn’t want to carry around a heavy iPod with all their music weighing them down.
iPod Nano
The best selling name of an iPod of all time the iPod Nano is now an absolute beast of a device. With a 2inch video capable screen the ability to play games and up to 8GB of storage it is very cool. The design may look a bit weird if you haven’t seen it in person as you don’t get a representation of the thinness. When you see it in person you just go “Ohhhhh…I get it”
Or was that just me?
Ermm moving on…
The device comes in a 4GB and 8GB models priced at £99 and £129 respectively. The 4GB only comes in Silver but the 8GB can come in a range of different colours the same as the shuffle including Pink. One thing that goes for both the Shuffle and the Nano is Product RED. This is something set up by Bono of U2 fame that if you buy that product some of the sales tax helps people in 3rd world countries and as it is the best looking (in my opinion) go for it.
The downsides are still you may not be able to get all your music on their even with 8GB and although the screen has quite a high resolution it can be annoying to watch movies on after a while. Also the “Fat Boy” Nano look may not be liked by some people and they may prefer a different style.
Summing up Twitter style (140 characters):
The Nano is the perfect middle of the road no fuss iPod for almost everyone. You can get all the different colour’s and its well priced too.
iPod Classic
The big cheese of them all the original McCoy. The iPod Classic. The iPod classic is basically an upgrade to the iPod video. It has a whopping 160GB total capacity or a still massive 80GB counterpart. It has a 2.5 inch screen and basically does the same as the Nano. But can hold more of it. You can get your games and you can get all your movies and music on there. That isn’t a guarantee but most of us don’t have 160GB of content.
If you are going to be going somewhere for a long time without a computer you may want to stock up on TV shows and podcasts. The disk is hard drive on the classic unlike with the other iPods which are all flash. This means that running and putting it near magnets will effect playback and could break it all together. As I found out the hard way…..ho hum. The classic is for the horder that needs everything with him/her at once.
Summing up Twitter style (140 characters):
The Classic is for the person who doesn’t to worry whether they have left their favorite song behind and security in having space free space.
iPod Touch
The newest line to the iPod family the iPod touch. The little ,less developed yet perfectly has its place, brother of the iPhone. The iPod touch comes with all the same functionality except….yep the phone part. Recently it had an update and got 32GB of flash storage which is 2GB bigger than the iPod video was only a couple of years ago.
The iPod touch has WiFI and it is capable of browsing the web via Safari and using the mail and iTunes music store but only over WiFi no connectivity out and about like you get with the iPhone. You get all the other amazing iPhone applications and you can create webclips and anything that is developed for the iPhone will work on the iPod touch.
The main reason I could see for this would be the movies you could watch. With TV shows here and movies not far off the 3.5 inch screen would be perfect for watching movies on the train or bus on the way to work or just anywhere. You may lack some storage with the 8 and 16 gig but if you opt for the 32 you should be well on your way to movie rentals and TV.
Summing up Twitter style (140 characters):
The iPod Touch is for the person who wants the iPhone but it isn’t viable or the person who wants to be able to watch video on a good screen.
Honourable Mentions.
The Apple TV and iPhone are not strictly iPods as they do not fall under that name. I will be writing a post where I talk about the Apple TV solely on its own talking through its merits and its cons. The iPhone will not get a through review like this as until it changes I think we all know what is going on with it and the fact that everyone I know who has got one loves it speaks for itself.
I will be doing this for all items of the Apple product mix. With Laptops and Desktops and then the accessories that make the mac what the mac is. For example talking about the differences between Garageband and Logic Pro.
P.S. If you are looking for a way to fill your iPod I highly recomend the new “The Feeling” album called “Join With Us : Deluxe edition” It has a host of great songs and an exclusive video. Check it out here Join With Us
I Hope you enjoyed this post and I hope it was of some use. If you find a mistake or want to make any comments then either leave a comment in the box below or send me an e-mail at chris [at] bumpodcast [dot] co [dot] uk and I will respond as soon as possible.
