Customer Reviews

Apple iPod 40 GB White M9268LL/A (4th Generation) OLD MODEL

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

Given that the amount of press that this device has received, what is there to say about it that hasn't been said a thousand times already? Well, here are some things that are worth knowing but that you might not already know:

(1) When you untangle the headphones (and you will spend a lot of time untangling the headphones), untangle from the jack end first (pull that end through the knots). The buds act like little hooks on the cable and don't pull through well. What's more, there are two of them and it is easy to confuse the cables of one with the other. It will save you time and aggravation to untangle the jack first. Try it and see for yourself.

(2) To put the little foam cushions on the earbuds, put the cushion against the bud with the hole facing you and roll it back onto the bud on so that it turns inside out as you put it on. You will want to use the cushions - the earbuds aren't very comfortable even with the cushions and can be downright painful without them.

(3) Memorize how to reset the iPod (plug it into power, push the hold button on and off, then hold down the "menu" and "play/pause" buttons at the same time for 6 to 10 seconds - repeat as needed). iPods are real nice, but every model still locks up every once in a while (less than once a month in my experience). When I first had an iPod, I took it on a trip, and it locked up so I couldn't use it and I didn't know how to reset it. Very frustrating - don't let it happen to you.

(4) Since you're looking at a 40 gig iPod, I assume you have LOTS of music (if you don't - save your money; you don't need this). Anyway, a great playlist for people with big collections is a "smart" playlist (a smart playlist is one constructed from rules rather than by hand) that consists of the songs you haven't played yet (or haven't played in a while) and which you then shuffle as needed. Once you play a song, it automatically drops off the list (neat, huh?) leaving you with just the music you haven't heard yet (or lately).

(5) If you have a big collection, you may have more than will fit on a 40 gig iPod. If so, you should know that you can choose to have your iPod sync only particular playlists (like, say, your automatic list of unplayed songs mentioned above), and the size of an automatic playlist can itself be capped to a particular size limit. This method gives you a way to sync your iPod with only very slightly more effort than a fully automatic sync (which doesn't work if you have more music than will fit on the iPod) because once you set a playlist to be included, it stays that way until you change it.

(6) If you're looking to save some dough, the ability to sync only some playlists makes the smaller iPods perfectly usable even if you have a large music collection . It's just a trade-off of management effort vs. space. Even the smallest iPods can hold enough music for any but the longest trips away from your computer.

(7) For your CD's, you can change the bit rate at which they're compressed. The higher the bit rate, the better the sound, but the bigger the file (and the shorter the battery life - those big files take more juice to load off the hard disk). If you're getting an iPod this big, live a little - change from the default bit rate to something higher when loading your CD's.

(8) Use the dock with your stereo. It has a line-out on the back and you can plug it right into your stereo (extra stereo cable required) and use the stereo remote to control the volume. You can also get a third-party IR remote from Ten Technology right here on Amazon to control pause, play, forward and back - and even program your universal remote. If you'd rather use the dock with your computer, think about getting Apple's stereo connection kit, which you can also get right here on Amazon: you get another dock, another power supply and cable, and a stereo cable.

(9) Get a car adapter and use it with your car. There are dedicated ones that can also recharge it, but any generic cassette adapter will do - assuming of course your car has a cassette player. For those living high, Alpine is coming out with a really neat looking adapter in September that lets you control the iPod through your car stereo; for those living higher yet, get a BMW and get the special adaptor BMW makes available for controlling your iPod through your CD changer buttons.

(10) To extend battery life, don't let it go completely dead. Your battery can last for years and years if you keep it topped off as much as possible.

(11) Check your free hard disk space. If you want 40 gig of music on your iPod, you'll need 40 gig of free hard disk space on your computer. Also, think about whether you want another hard disk to back it up - forget about CD-R's or even DVD-R's for this much data.

(12) Check the websites of your favorite artists - lots of them have free tracks you can download perfectly legally and then load onto your iPod.

The iPod is awesome. That's a fact. So let me dwell on some practical advice here:
1. This is the 40gb iPod to buy. Do NOT buy the older version (manufacturer cat no. M9245LL/A), it looks the same, costs the same, but has only 8 hours play time instead of 12. Even if you have to wait a little, get THIS one. BE SURE TO LOOK AT THE CAT NO.
2. Most likely you'll need a carrying case. Budget that in. The Apple one is nice but is around $50.
3. If you import a lot of CDs, your desktop or laptop might not have enough space on the hard drive. We're talking 40gb here! A good solution is to buy an additional hard drive. This can also serve as a backup (it's very depressing to import CD after CD and then have your hard drive crash...).
4. A very cost effective way to get an extra hard drive is to shop at your local computer store (e.g. CompUSA), look for the ATA drive that's on sale this week, and then, if you have a laptop, also get the "enclosure" that makes it into an external USB 2.0 drive. (...)! Also great for backup of your music + pictures + hard drive etc.

I've owned a 20GB iPod for 6 months and now that it's full, I'm replacing it with this 40GB version, now, before it's no longer available. This Amazon price is a real bargain. This model was just discontinued and replaced with the more expensive iPod Photo that comes in only 2 sizes: 30GB and 60GB. I don't care about displaying photos, so this 40GB is what I need.

Although it has its (minor) faults, I love the iPod and I use it every single day -- when running on my treadmill, working around the house, doing yard work, and reading in bed. I have ripped (converted) over 400 of my CDs and put all that music on my iPod. I've never had it freeze up on me, but once I had to reformat it after an error occured when copying songs to it. That's pretty disgusting, but it didn't take too long to reformat it and copy my music library to it again.

Here are some comments or pointers you might find helpful:

* Plan to buy some good headphones. Maybe they're OK for some people, but I find the included ear buds highly uncomfortable and unusable.

* If you have a Windows PC, make sure you have Windows XP or you're willing to upgrade to XP. The iTunes software that manages your music library won't run on Windows 98.

* You don't have to buy tunes from the Apple iTunes store in order to use your iPod Apple makes it confusing because they use the same name "iTunes" for both their music store and the software that manages your music library on your computer. I've never bought a song. I use the iTunes program for ripping my CDs (converting them to computer files that get loaded onto the iPod), and organizing all of those songs.

* If you have a lot of music, you may end up buying a larger disk drive. If you want to fill your 40GB iPod, you'll need at least 40GB of free disk space, obviously. I got a 120GB drive, and now I plan to get a 2nd 120GB drive to use for backup. Trying to back up this much data onto CDs just isn't practical, and I don't want to have to rip over 400 CDs again if my drive goes bad!

* Get a padded carrying case. Before I got one, I dropped my iPod a couple of times and I feel very lucky that it continued working. Case Logic makes a great, small, padded nylon case with a belt loop and removable arm band. (I think Case Logic makes the best-designed cases for cameras, laptops, and other devices, by the way).

* You'll probably want to get adapters for playing your iPod through your home stereo and car stereo. After all, when your entire CD collection is in a unit the size of a deck of cards, why would you want to lug around old-fashioned physical CDs anymore? I got a generic brand cassette player adapter for playing the iPod in my car's cassette player. And a simple "stereo miniplug to RCA plugs" adapter from Radio Shack will let you enjoy the continuous play and shuffle features on your home stereo. Don't pay exorbitant prices for these accessories -- just go to Radio Shack and tell them what you want to do.

* When you set up your iPod and install the software for the first time (at least on a Windows PC), it is pretty confusing. I'm an expert computer user, and I had difficulty getting through it and had to start over a couple times. I can't believe how lame the user interface and the instructions are for this process! But once you get through it and you start using iTunes to manage the music on your iPod, it's a much better experience.

* I've read complaints that the instruction booklet is not thorough enough. That is true. But there is a complete manual on the CD that comes with the iPod. When you install the software from the CD, I don't think the User Guide is copied from the CD to your computer, so it's no wonder people never see it. So make sure you look on the CD for the User Guide PDF file.

* It took me forever to figure out how to shuffle the songs within an album, but you can do it. Doesn't Apple test the user interface on real people before releasing an important product? Apparently not. It's confusing because there are 2 Shuffle options on the menus. The "Shuffle Songs" option on the main menu is what most people see and use. It shuffles all the songs on your iPod, which is great fun. But if you want to play just one album and shuffle the songs that are on that album, you have to go to the Settings menu. On the Settings menu, there is a Shuffle setting with 3 options: Songs, Albums, Off. If you select Songs, then exit the Settings menu, and then play an album or playlist, the songs within the album or playlist are played in shuffled order (yay!). If you select Albums, then albums are played in shuffled order (but not the songs within the albums) when you play a series of albums.

* I've read complaints that when you shuffle songs, you get things like audio books playing in your shuffle mix. You can avoid this from happening by using a combination of the song information (tags), playlists, and the above tip on how to shuffle songs within a playlist. For example, make sure all your audio books have something in common in one of their tag items (e.g., make sure the Genre includes the word "book" for each of your audio books) -- you can do this in iTunes with the "Get Info" operation. Then create a playlist named "Just Music", say, by selecting all files where Genre does not contain "book". Now, you can play your "Just Music" playlist in shuffled order (see the above tip). You can use the same idea to create playlists of classical music only, rock music only, etc., so that you don't get an ear-shattering Jimi Hendrix jam in the middle of your bedtime soft music shuffle! Why doesn't Apple read peoples' complaints here at Amazon and elsewhere, then improve their software, User Guide and on-line help? Sometimes I think I should be the product marketing manager for the iPod, but then I'd have to move back to the Silicon Valley. No thanks! LOL!

* Like so many others, I guess, I just love playing all of my thousands of songs in shuffle mode. I never know what's coming next, but I know it's something I will like, because it's from my music collection. It's surprising how many songs I can't identify, because they are from CDs I don't play that often. It's a solitaire game of Name That Tune! And I have discovered some great songs that I never really noticed before, simply because they are played out of context from the rest of the CD that they appear on.

So, although the installation, some of the user interface, and the available instructions are sometimes brain-dead, the iPod itself is an incredible device. For an extreme music lover like myself, I'd almost say it's "life changing", but that may be going a bit overboard!

...an excellent option in this field. Yes, you must use iTunes, but no, that isn't a problem. Yes it's big, and yes, if you don't have a collection of, say, at least 300 CDs or so, then you should probably opt for a cheaper model with less memory (unless you have to have very high quality in your files). Yes, occasionally locks up, but restarting is an easy process that just takes a few seconds. Great interface, great sound, great capacity, quick to transfer music, looks good (I disagree that the chrome backing is bad design), and even this larger model fits easily in many pockets or other such places.

One note re the battery: it is NOT the case that you should never let the battery go dead. That was good advice back in the days of NiCad batteries (which still appear in cheaper, smaller items) due to the so-called "memory" effect involved with those batteries. However, as Apple advises in the iPod section of their site (and indeed as other makers, such as Nokia, advise you to do with their products, as well), you SHOULD let the NiMH battery run out completely and then recharge it completely perhaps once a month. This scrambles up the electrons are whatever in the battery and extends its life as opposed to shortening it.

In short, you cannot go wrong with this unless you just plain don't need it.

Let me start by saying that I am hopelessly in love with my iPod. So imagine how heartrenching my decision will be to put it where it belongs- as a paperwieght on my desk- and replace it with something that actually spends more time playing music, and less time being shipped back to Apple for repair.

I got my iPod in August of 2004. By June of 2005, it showed me a pretty little picture of a folder (ie: its memory) and a question mark (ie: it couldn't seem to find it). The folks at Apple support were hesitant, but polite, and within two weeks I had a new (ok refurbished)40GB iPod to again fall in love with. Love, however, is a fickle thing, and by December 2005, I woke up one morning to find a very sad looking iPod icon occupying my beloved's screen. Another day spent on Apple's support site, and on the phone, begging, yes, begging them to send me a replacement, in spite of the fact that it was no longer covered by warrenty. Strings appear to have been pulled, and a box appeared by mail to retreive my 2nd iPod, which was soon replaced by #3. (I have no idea how I ended up in the Canadian branch of the Apple support phone tree, but I highly reccommend them, they should all get raises) Now it is January of 2006 (just barely 1 month later) and my iPod has died. Im am begining to think that maybe this relationship is not working for me, and that maybe I shoud start seeing other mp3 players. Sorry iPod, its not you, its me...oh wait, nevermind...its not me at all...

I don't know if these are even still on the market, but if you buy one, just know that before long, it will succome to the same fate as all the other 40GB iPods before it...a shiny, glorified $400 paperweight.

I am glad I waited for the 4th generation iPod. The click wheel is essential and a much-needed update to the original iPod with the buttons along the top. I also purchased the Griffen iTrip which allows me to use my iPod in my car.

While Apple boasts a new 12 hour battery life...this is simply overstated. The 12 hour battery billing requires that you listen to your iPod without changing tracks or doing anything else that would keep it from switching from the current track to the next. Read the fine print here. Additionally, if you don't use your iPod for several days, you'll find the battery nearly depleted and it takes a long time to start up.

Overall, I can't complain about it's capacity, capabilities and overall fabulousness. LOVE it and am so glad I waited for the 4th generation. Who needs PHOTOS on an iPod??? That's what my PowerBook is for.

Background: I have bought Apple products since 1988. Staunch Mac enthusiast, having bought over 10 macs, successively.

Bought the ipod mini 2 years ago for my kid. She loved it, but needed more space so I bought her a 40 gb for Xmas 2005. Intially worked fine. After six months-the hard drive malfunctioned. Oh, I forgot to tell you that this is an HP IPOD $$**%~! Well, HP replaces that ipod with a REFURBISHED 40 gb Ipod in June 2005. They tell me the warranty has been extended to June 2006--which would make sense since it offers a year warranty.

Well, in October, 2005, the new Ipod has the same disc drive malfunction. HP says they will replace it with another one, but my warranty is only for 90 days.

Guess what, they know, and I know that the 40 GB will break again in another five months but I will be out of warranty.

So I told HP, don't give me the $400 IP Replacement, DOWNGRADE me to a 20gb Ipod because I know that the 40 gb all will break soon. HP says that they cannot do that. WHY NOT? I am asking for a cheaper product in exchange for a lesser product than I purchased.

Read the reviews people, the 40 GB Ipod has MAJOR DESIGN FLAWS and apple should step up and replace these things. For all of the people who have given them positive reviews--just wait another couple of months until yours breaks and then write about how wonderful they are.

$400 is a LOT OF MONEY to buy something that will only work for four months. If I knew how to start a CLASS ACTION Lawsuit against HP and APPLE I would NOT HESITATE. Does anyone know of any class actions that I could Join.

DO NOT BUY A USED 40GB IPOD. They are junk. Apple has stopped making them because they know they were garbage.

I want my $400 back!!!!!

My whole ordeal with the iPod started two years ago, just after the release of the 2nd generation iPod, back then it was new for Mac and/or Windows. I was anticipating the best MP3 player ever, because Apple lovers loved their iPods.

When I received the unit, I plugged it into the firewire port on my Windows XP Home notebook. At the time the iPod was still being updated through the MusicMatch plugin. About two weeks into my first Apple experience (except for that obligatory high school lab experience that all kids go through), the plug in stopped working and somehow my drive was completely erased and MusicMatch wouldn't load any new music! About a week after that, my PC wouldn't even recognize the device.

I promptly sent the iPod back for a full refund and wrote a scathing entry on my blog.

The next time around (3rd generation), Apple had just released iTunes for Windows and I became a very content user. I decided to give the 3G iPod a try and slowly changed my tone. I had recently ripped my entire CD collection to an external hard drive and even 40GB wasn't enough to hold it all. But the good news was that I used it at least every other day for a year and had virtually no issues with it (except for the occasional time where the PC wouldn't recognize and I had to restart). There was one time in particular where iTunes released a new version of itself and the iPod controller software and would not boot up until I disconnected the iPod from the PC. (This took me the better part of four hours to figure out because it had run so seamlessly in the past.)

Then three weeks ago, my best friend bought me a 4G iPod (above). I am totally and 100% in love with the Apple line of products and cannot stop talking about how much I love my new iPod. There is no problem sync-ing with my PC. I've never had an issue of the PC not seeing the hardware. I love the new wheel with the buttons built in (I have to confess that I didn't want to click, I just wanted to touch like in 3G, but I quickly adapted to the new format). I love the "Shuffle Playlist" option and use it often. I just cannot say enough wonderful things about this product, and that means a lot, coming from the person who disowned them just two years ago.

I purchased this iPod for $350 last March. Less than two months later, it started freezing. Customer service finally sent me anouther one in July. It worked for a few months. Then it started crashing again. I was finally told a few days ago that my hard drive needs to be replaced...for $319. My limited warranty had expired! An independent repair service quoted me $200 for a replacement hard drive. I am outraged and will never buy an iPod again. $350 for nothing!

Other reviewers have covered the technical aspects of this iPod very well, so I won't go into it. Let's talk more about the "real life" aspects.

But before I do, let me tell you my set-up:

I have an external HD from Seagate that I use to store my music (in case my laptop HD crashes and I lose all my music...anyways, 40GB of HD space is a helluva lot). So, I use the 40GB as a back-up of my music.

I'm getting the iPod shuffle for portability, so soon, this 40GB is staying home, permanently on it's dock, hooked up to speakers. This will also free up my laptop RAM, so it will run faster.

Ok, so the user aspects:

1. Only buy the 40GB if you have a massive music collection. I have more music than 90% of the population, and I still have plenty of room to grow. Most people would have problems filling up even an iPod 20GB.

2. The headphones SUCK. I've already blown them out, so that if I turn the volume up, I get horrible distortion. Not that I'm crying; the audio quality was pathetic anyways. I assume that anyone with enough music for a 40GB is inherently an audiophile, so buy new headphones. For portability issues, an in-ear headphone is probably best, but at home, an over-the-ear can't be beat.

3. It is a pain trying to turn up the volume/rewind/ffw, especially since you have to take the iPod out of purse/pocket, adjust, and then put it back in. Buy the remote.

4. As soon as you take the plastic off the iPod, you will scratch it. Put it in protection ASAP. I personally use a hard case by Contour, mainly because I want to give it a fighting chance in case I drop it (and considering that it's actually a big hefty, it would be easier to drop than a slimmer 20GB or a much smaller iPod mini).I also kept the plastic on the clickwheel - it doesn't hinder functionality.

5. Due to the rash of iPod thefts, you may want to buy a clip to keep your iPod attachd to your purse/pants. Again, if you have a remote, this is not a big issue.

6. Battery life is low; no way around it if you have a lot of files and you are going through them manually. Turn off the backlight if at all possible, or keep it to 5 seconds.I get maybe 3 hours with 5 second backlight and manually going through my music.

7. If you really want to know all the ins-and-outs of the iPod, get the Missing Manual for the iPod.

8. Get ready for your life to change in the best way possible. As a 40GB-er, we live, eat and breathe music, so no one will appreciate the iPod as much as we do.