Before the imminent release of the iPhone, we take a good look at Apple's newest generation of iPod, with 80GB of storage for movies and music.
Review summary of the Apple iPod 80GB:
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 The iPod is the best digital audio player on the market, and there is still room for improvement. While other players have tried to add features and accessories to make up for their shortcomings, the iPod gets it right with a slick hardware design, easy-to-use interface, and the best transfer software in the game, bar none. Both iTunes and the iPod's lightning-quick transfer speeds make the player a winner, so the addition of video and the iTunes store are just the icing on the cake. We don't think any other audio manufacturer will be able to match the iPod's popularity until they get these things right: the interface, the transfer speeds, and the management software, because in these areas, the iPod is unbeatable. And there's a new device waiting just around the corner. Release: January 2007. Price: $250.
Pros: Best-in-class transfer and management software. Classic design. Great sound. Videos look sharp even on the small screen.
Cons: Lacks some features without additional hardware. Interface is looking dated. No WMA support without re-encoding song file.
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Full review of the Apple iPod 80GB:
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Disclosure note: The reviewer spent a year employed as a Mac Specialist at an Apple retail store. He has not been employed by Apple since late 2005.
The iPod has been an iconic music player since shortly after its release, though the hardware and menu designs have changed very little. Capabilities have been added hesitantly, and Apple still refuses to brand its flagship model the "iPod video," though the player is more than capable of handling movies. Anticipating the release of the iPhone, we decided to take a look at the newest generation, the 5.5G, iPod to see how it stands up to our critical eye.
Design – Very good
Not since the doorknob has any device been so well designed. We won't labor the point, since the ubiquitous wheel and screen, circle and square aesthetic has been duplicated time and again. Still, once you explain the scrolling motion and the clickwheel buttons to someone, they get it right away, and are ready to scroll through long lists, jog through songs and fiddle with the volume. And it's all fun to use. We especially appreciated the accelerating scroll, which helped navigate the 9,000 songs and videos we loaded onto our test unit quickly. New innovations, like the floating letter that appears when you scroll or the new search feature, were less useful, but not obtrusive.
Though the screen on the iPod was very clean, the interface is starting to look a bit dated. Basically unchanged, in terms of layout and design, since the first iPod, Apple has added colors and album artwork, but little else. The hierarchical menus are very efficient, but we wouldn't mind a bit more graphical flourish, like on Microsoft's Zune. Text may be easy to read on the all-white background, but it doesn't look very pretty.
Sound – Very good
We tested the iPod with, well, everything. As our personal device, we've listened to every type of music we have, from podcasts and audiobooks to hip-hop and showtunes. We've tested the device with every sort of file it can handle, including MP3s, AAC files, Apple Lossless and AIFF files. Sound quality on the iPod is always top notch, and usually depends more on the quality of the recording, to make an obvious point. Files that sounded the worst were WMA files that iTunes re-encoded into AAC files, though this was more an issue with compression than the iPod hardware itself. The iPod has an assortment of EQ settings as well, though we wish these were easier to adjust from the "now playing" screen, instead of having to back out to the main menu.
Features – Good
Though the iPod has plenty of features available, many of these require third-party hardware to use. There is FM radio software built into the iPod, but you'll need the special FM radio adapter to listen. The iPod can make audio recordings, but you'll need to buy a microphone attachment. You can download pictures directly to the iPod from a digital camera, but you'll need the adapter. There is even an accelerometer attachment available from Nike with lots of cool workout features, but this is an extra kit, not including the special shoes you'll need.
Included with the retail box, you get an alarm clock (speakers not included), some games (with more to buy on iTunes), and some basic calendar and contact list synchronization. iTunes can sync with a selected image folder for picture viewing, though we had trouble picking and choosing our favorite iPhoto albums on our Powerbook.
Finally, of course, we come to video playback. The iPod can play MP4 and h.264 encoded videos. If you don't have any on hand, Apple offers a nice selection of television shows, short films, video podcasts and commercial movies on the iTunes store. We tested video playback with television shows ripped from our TiVo, some shady Bittorrent downloads and the last five episodes of "Heroes," which we purchased from iTunes. Again, the original quality of the file made more of a difference than any other factor, but our iTunes-purchased shows were perfect. The small size of the display was not a problem thanks to the clarity of the screen. Videos played without hiccup or interruption. Files, especially longer movies, took some time to stop and start, but resumed after hours of sleeping without pause. The iPod handles video very well, though some may prefer the larger screen and more robust options on a portable media player, like Archos' lineup. As Apple has yet to officially brand any device an "iPod video," we're curious about what to expect when that player finally arrives. Hopefully it will borrow many of the video playback features we've seen in previews for the upcoming Apple iPhone.
Transfer – Excellent
From audio players to musical cell phones, there isn't a better music transfer suite than iTunes. Besides the iTunes music store, the iTunes software itself is the best experience for getting music onto your player. With plenty of sorting and grouping options, multiple browsing window panes, and easy playlists, iTunes has grown into quite a mature product. Best of all, it just works. When you plug in your iPod, iTunes recognizes it (including its color) and starts synchronizing your music. You can be as specific as you like, and can synchronize files automatically or drag them to the iPod manually. You can use one iPod with many computers, though you can't (easily) get files off your iPod, and Windows has some problem with iPods that were originally formatted on a Macintosh, though the inverse is not true. iTunes will even keep track of when a song was last played, how many times it was played and how many times a song was skipped, offering loads of personalization and analysis for music enthusiasts. Smart playlists fill themselves automatically based on a set of rules, and the iPod is even smart enough to play along; so if you have a playlist for songs unplayed in the last week, the iPod will remove a song from the list when you play it, since it no longer qualifies.
Transfer speeds are also best in class, thanks to the USB 2.0 connection. Though we wish Apple would ditch the proprietary connection (and bring back FireWire), we were pleased to load more than 40GB of music and video to the iPod in about half an hour. Over a USB 1.2 connection, this would have taken all night, and then some. Finally, the iPod is also capable of acting as a mass storage device for Windows and Mac OS. Here, transfer speeds were comparable to music transfer.
Accessories – Very good
In the long race to keep down costs while at the same time improving capacity and quality, Apple has eliminated more accessories from the retail box than they have added. At one time, the top-of-the-line iPod came with headphones and a USB cord (still included), as well as a charger, a dock and a firewire cord. Now, firewire has been cut, and the charger and dock will run you nearly $30 extra a piece. Any attempt to describe the third-party market for iPod accessories would be an understatement, the device has created a veritable cottage industry of accessories, ranging from headphone wraps and cases to speaker systems and automobiles. If you want to plug your iPod into it, someone out there will build it for you, whatever it may be.
The little white headphones that come with the iPod are fine, but not remarkable. Apple has made them more comfortable and eliminated the little black pads that everyone loses, but sound quality was hardly improved. They certainly work fine in a pinch, but we almost always recommend getting a nice pair of cans for your audio devices.
Battery life – Very good
Don't believe bad things you hear about the iPod's battery. On a long train ride down the east coast, we watched more than three hours of video on the device, and still had enough juice for music on the car ride home. For music, we've gotten well over 20 hours of playback, and the iPod battery seems to hold a charge through days of idling better than other players. Maintaining this battery life requires some technical gymnastics, like letting the battery drain completely once a month or so, or setting the backlight timer to a short setting, but we had no issue with the iPod's battery, except for the fact that it is so difficult to replace, requiring a professional installer.
Price and availability
The Apple iPod 80GB is available in black or white for $350. The lower-capacity Apple iPod 30GB is available for $250.
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