Customer Reviews

Apple iPod 20 GB U2 Special Edition Black M9787LL/A (4th Generation) OLD MODEL

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I received my U2 Special Edition iPod for Christmas this year from my darling Mom, and I opened the box with great anticipation. There it was, in my hand: beautifully simple in design; black, red and chrome; shiny, sleek and... mine. I didn't know when I started to charge it, set it up, and fill it with music (as of this writing, over 3000 songs, from downloads and my personal CD collection, and that means I'm still only 3/5ths full!) that this little device would, in a small but important way, change my life.

My iPod is my music, anywhere I want it, any time. No more being tied to a CD player and my umpteen bulky cases of CDs, no more being stuck with the radio and its endless jabbering DJs and horrible commercials. No more having to edit what I listen to for the benefit of those around me. Beyond music, I can download audio books.

Why the iPod? The design is so simple and beautiful that it has set the standard for MP3 players, Apple technology has proven itself stable and powerful, Windows users like me can use it, there are a wide variety of accessories available for it, there are several good online communities devoted to the iPod where you can learn new things, and iTunes is easy to use for loading music into your iPod.

Why this iPod in particular? Because I madly love the black and red. Before the U2 Special Edition came out, I was interested in the iPod, but I absolutely despised the cold clinical white plastic models, and thought the Mini had inadequate capacity. Your aesthetics may vary, which is, of course your right. You may disagree (and may even inflict your poorly spelled (e.g., "eye-soaring"),or otherwise idiotic review of this iPod on us) but isn't it nice that Apple gave me this cool option, while not taking away your beloved white plastic?

Another reason why this iPod in particular: I love U2. They just keep getting better.

I invested in a good protective case for my iPod, Shure E2 earphones, and a protection plan from Apple. I'm strongly considering the Logic3 I-Station Speakers, or the Bose Sounddock, and an audible.com membership. My car (Honda Element EX) came with an aux port, and a simple trip to Radio Shack to get a $6 male-to-male 3mm cord hooked up my iPod to my car stereo. It's heaven.

My iPod is, for me, just perfect.

First, let me talk about the internal elements of this special edition iPod. This is pretty basic, as it is really just a 20 GB iPod. It doesn't download quicker or anything. It has the same great iPod quality, and my favorite iPod distinction, it feels sturdy in my hand. Now, on to the true selling point- the physical attributes of this beauty. First of all, I dig the black and red color scheme, which corresponds to the bands latest alblum, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (don't dig the name). I know it may not be for everyone, but this is what sold me on it, even though I am not a big U2 fan. Another thing I liked was the glossy finish of the U2 edition. Now the downside- black shows scratches easier. This, however, is not to big of a problem. My solution is to just by a case (clear, preferably, to show the brilliant colors). Another cool feature is signatures on the back by the band members. These laser-engraved autographs are pretty nifty, and are a distinctive feature.Overall, this is a great iPod. A little overpriced at, but the $50 off the complete U2 at iTunes sort of makes up for it. Just remember, this isn't for all. It really makes you standout!

I received the iPod U2 Special Edition for Christmas. Not because I'm a huge U2 fan (a fan, but not a huge fan), but because it so matches my car's interior. Hey, who said all gifts have to have a practical, reasonable explanaition?

I love it, and there are some errors in earlier reviews which I wanted to address.

1. This is a 20Gb unit, not 40, and a 3rd generation. It does not have a color screen or photo viewing options. It DOES act as an external hard drive on both Windows and Mac systems.

2. iTunes is VERY easy to use. It can automatically search an online database of tracknames and then update your iTunes and iPod for those CD's that don't report that info automatically. It is a two click process. Under Advanced, just select Get CD Track Names. Then under File, select Update Song's on iPod. If yur CD is not found in the online database, you can help the iPod community under Advanced by Submit CD Track Names.

3. The iPod, no matter what flavor you get, is the BEST music player on the market. Hands down. Sound, ease of use, design, and available accessories (including car kits by many auto manufacturers like BMW, MINI, etc.) make it the best. Apple has many plans for the iPod, making it the center of its digital world. Look for it to have even more features in future updates.

I don't regret waiting for this generation of iPod, I don't need the picture viewing of the newer models, and this is the coolest looking iPod of all!

i wrote the review below last year and thought i'd provide a little update. we are on our 5th replacement of this ipod! the hard disk keeps failing. because we have applecare, apple has been replacing the unit, but what a hassle! i don't know why this version has so many problems. i'd say stay away and by another model. if i could change my inital rating of this unit i would change to 1 star. (although in all fairness, the apple store says they haven't seen a lot of these brought in for service - maybe we're just cursed).
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We loved this iPod, but it did just stop working after 11 months. We were always careful with the iPod - never abused it, didn't run with it so it wasn't subjected to shock - but one day it just wouldn't power up properly (you could hear the hard drive stuck). Luckily we were still within the one year warranty period. Apple replaced the iPod free of charge (provided we purchased the additional one year warranty through apple care). The new iPod Apple gave us stopped working in less than a day!!!!! Something is wrong with these units! Again, Apple replaced the iPod without charge. Lesson learned: it is worth purchasing the Apple Care extended warranty!!

Disclosure: My husband is a programmer with a kick-butt comp and we have a fiber-optic lightning fast internet connection, so my opinion of the performance of loading to the iPod and downloading from iTunes are shaded by those factors and may not represent the norm.

I got my iPod for Christmas from my husband. I love U2 and I have a big collection, so this seemed like the perfect addition. My husband was hesitant to buy it because he is convinced that "new technology" in digital players is right around the corner, but I must have been convincing in my, "but I want it now!" approach because he did buy it. I'm not really that spoiled, I'm kidding, sort of.

Back to my review, I am not particularly tech-savvy. I am an average computer user with average computer skills. I found the iPod and its software to be quite intuitive. The click wheel is easy to use, even when climbing a mountain on the elliptical machine. I find the battery life to be quite acceptable, I use it at work from 6-8 hours a day and it hasn't died on me yet.

I found iTunes to be very easy to install and use. I love being able to set up playlists. This is very handy if you plan on using your iPod for working out. I can set 50 minutes of exercisey-type songs in a playlist and work out without skipping around for a song with a good beat. I've bought quite a few songs from iTunes. It works easily and is very fast. The songs are affordable if you're like me and usually only like 3-4 songs on a CD.

Downloading to the iPod over the firewire connection is automatically done by iTunes. It goes pretty quickly. If I am downloading a bunch of songs onto my iPod, I usually plan on letting it sit for 15 minutes or so to update completely. I have ripped songs from about 500 CDs onto iTunes and it was easy to use, but you have to have a large hard drive. My husband is complaining about the space the songs take (I don't know why he's complaining about my 2300 when he has like 10,000, who the heck can actually listen to 10,000 songs???)

All in all, I really love my iPod and I use it all the time. Two complaints though. This iPod gets scratched if you even look at it. I bought a silicone case for mine yesterday which stinks because it covers up the swank look, but its just getting so darn scratched. Another complaint I have is about the song shuffle. I listen to song shuffle in the car most of the time and my commute is pretty long. The song shuffle just doesn't seem to be very random. I hear a lot of the same songs over and over again. I checked on iTunes to see if I had it set up wrong or something, since you can select for it to play your higher rated songs more often, but I don't have it set up that way and it still seems to hit the same songs a lot.

If you can get over the sticker shock this is a fun and useful toy.

I got the U2 Ipod for Christmas and havent stopped playing with it since. Its lightweight, really easy to figure out how to use, and having the engraved signatures is fantastic, a great plus for the U2 fans!

I had actually never used an Ipod before, but I had it down in about an hour. Everything is included in the box, the Itunes cd's, the earphones(which are fantastic), the charger (which I know doesnt come with a lot of Ipods), the coupon for the $50 off the U2 complete collection, and a great poster. The only things I had to buy for it was a case ( I bought the aluminum case from Amazon.com, and it looks great) and the U2 black and red Itrip (a girl has to match you know) , which you can also get from Amazon.com. The Itrip is fantastic as you can program it to your home stereo and car stereo, all for about $25, well worth it.

The one thing which truly amazed me was the quality of sound. The earphones are just earbuds, but its so clear. I heard things in songs which I had never heard before.

I guess the only negative aspect about this ipod is that it shows scratches really easily. Being black and chrome, any indentations really make themselves apparent, but just solve it by getting a case for it. That way, any chance of this being a collectors item in the future will be kept.

Other than that, I am addicted to it.

I just bought my new U2 iPod right after I sold my first generation. Let me tell you, after having no problems with my first iPod and none with this one (so far) I will never own another MP3 player as long as I live. I've owned iRocks, dell jukebox, and many others, but none compare. The games, calander, contacts list, and notes are just add ons for a superior sounding piece of equipment. Some say its ugly, others don't, but hey...you're entitled to your opinion. I've had plenty of people come up to me and tell me that they loved the colors. But, if that's not what you want to hear by all means don't buy one. It holds 5000 songs and has an equilizer which you can customize to your likings. You can also customize a play list while you're on the go. Just hold the center button while listening to the song and it will add it to your playlist. I find this helpful right before a long car ride. I just create my list and plug it into my FM transmitter. The sound is increadible, and can be plugged in to any computer speaker system by just plugging into the headphone jack.

The only thing I must warn you about are the finger prints on the center button. I used mine for a week to a week and a half before I bought my iSkin with the cover over the click wheel and the center of the click wheel has a permenant finger print on it. I can't get it off no matter what I try.

Best of luck purchasing your iPod. You won't be dissapointed.

I can't think of anything more illogical than buying this u2 special edition Ipod. I can't think of anything more delightful than owning it.

The case against buying an Ipod and in favor of buying one of the alternatives, the Iriver, for example, are good ones. Yes, the Ipod doesn't support as many formats, yes, it is too trendy and too expensive. Similarly for the u2 special edition. Yes, it's overpriced and the $50 coupon for the digital box set hardly compensates for this since anyone seriously interested in the u2 special edition ipod probably already has all their albums.

So, it just doesn't make sense to buy this thing. Or does it? I suspect when you first hold the u2 special edition ipod in your hand, you'll get a great warm feeling come over you as I did. Turning it over and seeing the band's signatures will provoke another "I can't believe it!" feeling. Then there's the slick design of the ipod itself and its interface. This is a well designed creature. And, sure, Itunes is frustrating at first, but you'll get used to it.

The Ipod is all about form over function. The detractors are entirely right about its flaws and miss the point entirely.

If you are the kind of incorrigible u2 fan that is considering buying this ipod, as one of the afflicted, I can assure you: you won't be disappointed. Just don't try and explain it to anyone else.

I bought this for my kid for Christmas 2 yrs ago. It was all he wanted (he was only 10). He promised to take good care of it - which he did. It's been fine until recently. It froze a couple of times, but I learned to reset (read: re-boot) the iPod, and it was fine. But a few weeks ago, he got the folder icon with the ! that's been mentioned by others. I took it to the Apple Store Genius Bar, where the resident genius informed me of 2 kinds of hard drives: those that have failed and those that will fail. I had "the former". He offered to "dispose of it properly" for me so I didn't polute the local water supply with the horrible chemicals in the battery. We exchanged some "not so" pleasantries and I took the iPod home to check the web to see what my options were. I found a site that explained how to replace the drive for about $100. But on the thread, someone commented that they "smacked it" and this fixed it. Since it was out of warranty, and the drive was gonna come out anyway, I gave it a try. My method was to hold the iPod in my left hand and deliver a substantial blow from the side with my right hand. The second blow caused the thing to start properly. This method may work by holding with the right hand and striking with the left - but I can't say for sure :-). Anyway, I cannot believe that Apple will not fix these things, or offer you this advice. And when I realize that they charged me $350 for a $70 harddrive, I get even more pissed... But, my kid loves his U2 iPod!

It actually looks a lot better in the flesh than it does in the picture. It's smaller than the picture would have you believe -and that's a good thing. It's simple to operate too.

The silver metal back of the U2 IPOD does seem to add a little additional weight to the product. The metal back of this IPOD does pick-up fingerprints too.

The music sounds great - except - those cheapo earbuds that come with the IPOD - they're almost non-usable. Many people find these earbuds to be extremely uncomfortable in their ears. It's to the IPOD's credit, that even if you decide to stick with the freebie earbuds that come with it, the music still sounds good.

But - if you've decided to bite the bullet and make a considerable cash investment like this on the IPOD, it really doesn't make sense to go with third rate earphones. Put the expense of buying a nice pair of earphones in your budget right now if you're considering getting one of these sweet babies.

But overall - I say Go For It!