Customer Reviews

Apple iPod 20 GB White M9282LL/A (4th Generation) OLD MODEL

5 star:		(270)
4 star:		(86)
3 star:		(54)
2 star:		(39)
1 star:		(93)

 

 

First I'll preface this review by saying that I have gone through several MP3 players and CD players, and I have no bias towards specific companies. Next I'll present you with a list of Pros and Cons:

Pros:
- very sexy and clean look.
- incredible sound quality, even mp3's almost sound CD quality, those little earbuds are incredible.
- good battery life, the 12 hours suggested by Apple is a little bit optimistic. I usually get about 11-ish hours after a full recharge and without the backlight on and at medium volume.
- very fast battery recharge.
- seamless and fast transfers, and although Apple says that it won't work with USB 1.0, it does work (albeit at a slower transfer rate).
- comes with everything you need
- the click wheel is very functional and I have yet to have any problems with it.
- very very slim and lite, I keep it in my pocket all day at school and don't notice it being there at all.
- very easy to conceal, watching a boring movie in Biology? Just pull out the 'pod and run the earbuds up the back of your shirt, it works very well actually ;). Yeah that's right Ms. Grotewiel, I don't watch your pathetic films, you dolt.
- easy to navigate menus.
- the games are a nice addition, but I never really play them.
- if you hold the menu button, the backlight will come on. This is an incredibly handy feature.
- if you order online from apple.com you can have 2 lines of text with 27 characters each laser engraved on the back, as well for a limited time their is free/one day shipping.

Cons:
- it scratches pretty easily (I personally don't have a problem with it, but some perfectionists might).
- yes it does have a high price.
- although the internal batteries only last 18 months, you can buy a warrantee from Best Buy and just say that the batteries are not functioning correctly, and they'll give you a new one. As well Apple is in the middle of a lawsuit for it, so you can count on a refund from them pretty soon if your batteries are worn out.
- as the saying goes 'white earbuds = mug me'. I've never heard any stories about having an iPod stolen, but I'm sure they're fairly desirable.
- iTunes is a little bit clumsy, but you don't have to use it to listen to music on your computer, I just use it to transfer music to my iPod. Also you can download a free plug-in for Winamp 5.0 (also free, and a better music playing program) that allows winamp to sync with your iPod. I have yet to use the plug-in for winamp, but I've heard positive things about it.


So when it comes down to it, the Pros far outweigh the Cons (some of the cons aren't cons at all!). Sure it is fairly pricey, but almost all 20gb mp3 players are around this price range, and the extra money is worth all of the advantages. If you're considering buying an iPod Mini, I would recommend the 20gb fourth generation over it any day. 16 more gigabytes for only $50 more is definitely worth it (and the 20gb is a better shape and isn't a lame metallic color). In conclusion, I strongly urge anybody in the market for a good mp3 player to buy a 20gb iPod, you WILL be pleased.

First, let me start off by saying, I know this is a lot of money. But if you've tried the other 20 Gig players, you'll know that none compare to this. I can run with mine on an armband and still screw around with the songs and volume while running.

iTunes kicks major ass over any other download service with free videos, iMixes, and 30 seconds intros to over a million songs. It also has a billboard feature where you can go to any city over about 50,000 and see what songs are on the top playlists for that area. It also shows the top downloaded songs in each genre updated constantly.

But back to the iPod -- I really can't find a bad thing with mine yet. Batteries still going strong...one charge lasts twelve hours. I did get the plan to replace my batteries if they ever die from Best Buy. Recharge takes about 2 hours to 80% then another 2 hours to 100% and then you are good for 12 hours. I just plug in every night. Comes with earbuds, charger, Firewire connector, and USB2 connector. Only thing you really should buy is an armband neoprene protector since back stainless steel can scratch. Have 11 hours on now and only about 695 meg used on the hard drive. I'd tell you more, but just trust me, you'll love it.

We bought this iPod in early December as a holiday gift and loved it dearly. Yet, six short months later, it died and Apple has washed its hands of us. The hard drive went. The Apple employee at the Genuis Bar lectured us that the unit is quite "fragile" and we were foolish not to have laid out the money for a hard protective case. The young man explained to us that the hard drive lies just inside a fairly thin shell and that it doesn't take that much pressure from books in a bag or briefcase to destroy the hard drive. And, that's what has happened.
We had a similar, less disastrous experience with my teenage son's iPod mini. One month after purchase, he apparently dropped it a short distance and, also having no hard cover, the top strip buckled where the earphone plugs in. It still plays but Apple won't fix the outside of the unit for us. Once Apple sees any scratches or dents on the iPod, they refuse to help because they blame all problems on rough use.

So, the iPod is wonderful but it's more expensive than you think because you really need to buy the hard protective case. In the long run it will be worth it. These machines are quite delicate and Apple really should explain these pitfalls up front.

There's no way in the world that any mp3 player compares with the iPod. Just look at how consumers are raving and craving them.
I have to admit that this seemingly delicate device is tough. I've dropped it a few times and absolutely nothing happened to the music or the components.
Also, anyone who is worrying about the fact that the 40 GB and 60 GB (iPod photo) can hold more songs, let me assure you. The cheaper 20 GB is fine. It can store 5,000-7,000 songs on it. I have 460 songs on mine already, but I've only used about 2.34 GB (you do the Math). It's a waste to pay more for 40 GB when you probably won't even use that space.
I have never been a fan of "earbuds" as they're called, meaning the tiny "buds" that go into your ear in replacement of headphones. But the white earbuds that come with the iPod have such good sound quality that even I use them on a regular basis.
iTunes is definately the best mp3 transfer program I have on my PC (meaning the program that helps you to transfer music to an mp3 player). It is easy to use and very fast.
I also give Apple credit for innovating the now envied touch-sensitive wheel. It's big, so there's no way you can accidently hit a wrong button. I often times keep my iPod in my pocket and the wheel is so good that I can hit the buttons by just reaching into my pocket, without even looking at them.
Also. When people say (if you go to a store to buy the iPod) "You should get the iPod dock charger because it protects the iPod from power surges while it's charging," don't fall for it. It's a clever business trick to get you to buy more things. The truth is if you have a surge protector for your computer (if you're so worried about a power surge) just plug it in to that. Plus, cell-phones have the same problem. They can be damaged by a power surge while they're charging. Do you know anyone who's had that happen to them? Huh? Didn't think so. So don't worry about it.
The iPod, however much it costs, is worth every cent and I highly recommend it.

I have very limited experience with MP3 players and this is the first I have ever purchased, but compared with the other players I researched, I think the interactive experience is excellent and intuitive, and designwise I believe that apple always has the rare priveledge of making very few compromises with planning and layout.

The only striking problems I have with the player is from the first charge I can only get at maximum around 8 hours of battery life as opposed to the 12 advertised. Battery life is significantly diminished if you click through songs and playlists often. The plastic casing is also prone to scratch and blemish easily but there are plenty of protective cases for this.

My best experience from the 4G iPod is with the aftermarket iTunes antenna in my car, at home and at parties without wires. I was especially impressed with the quality of this, as I expected NYC and Long Island to have heavy radio interference!

So buy it, ditch the wires and jump on Apple's case if the battery life is unusually short!

I was shopping for a MP3 player recently, and had the opportunity to play with my cousin's 20GB iPod at some length to see how I liked it. I had initially been planning on buying this or another Apple product, but since decided to buy a player made by a different manufacturer.

Overall, I think the iPod is a good player, although I would note some features that turned me off:

LOOKS AND DURABILITY:
I realize many people are fond of the minimalist white interface. I'm not one of them. While I like the minimialism of the player, I try to avoid plastic products made of white- they tend to yellow with age. While they have released those "tattoos" for the players, I think those just look cheap and gaudy, especially since they leave the corners of the iPod exposed.

The biggest red flag for me was the fact that although my cousin's player was relatively new, it was riddled with scratches. While he's not the most careful guy in the world, it was really beat up consider the minimal amount he uses the thing, and talking to other people who have iPods confirmed that the player scratches very easily- and from personal experience, they look terrible scratched up.

THE CLICKWHEEL:
Again, I realize that most people think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I disagree. I strongly suggest anyone considering an iPod test it out first to see how they like it. I thought the clickwheel sounded great, but after trying it found it awkward. As a student, I spend a significant amount of time on my laptop and am used to scrolling up and down on the touchpad, which made the Creative Zen Touch a more attractive product for me. Be sure you test this first to see if it does feel intuitive for you, rather than just going on the fact that it does sound pretty neat.

BATTERY:
Compared to the other players on the market, the iPod has one of the worst batteries around. The Sony Walkman and Creative Zen Touch get 30 and 24 hours per charge, respectively, to the iPod's 12. Since no company has yet to come out with an interchangeable battery for the jukebox-sized players (the Creative Labs Zen Micro is the only one I'm aware of that has this, and it's 5 GB), this can be an issue.

IN SUMMARY:
This is a good, basic player. It's not for everyone, and if you're in the market for one I suggest that you try to put aside the huge popularity of the iPod and look harshly at the actual features that the other players on the market have, and see how they stack up. Apple is already being outpaced by Creative Labs and Sony on the battery front, and just about any non-Apple player allows you more compatibility with download services than Apple's iTunes-only program. But since a lot of these MP3 players are marketed on aesthetics, do go to your local store or borrow a friend's and see how the product actually feels and works. This may be the player for you, but it's not leaps and bounds ahead of any other player, and others are ahead of it in certain areas, so practice some caution when you buy.

2006 update: ITunes is crashing all the time. It runs very slow. I have to downgrade ITunes software in the following review to 2 stars.

I got one of the first iPods and liked it so much I got an iPod mini for my daughter and an iPod Shuffle for my wife. I also use iTunes on my PC to organize and the music I buy from Apple and from my CD collection. Play lists are a great idea - one of the great aspects of using an iPod.

However...

IPod hardware - 5 stars

ITunes software - The 4.9 upgrade had a glitch that blew away my entire music library, but we all have problems, so I still give it - 5 stars

Support - 1 star

The long version follows, should you want the details before you buy. I also hope Apple takes note and fixes the support problem.

I got one of those notices from Apple when I opened iTunes - asking if I wanted to upgrade to iTunes Version 4.9. I ignored it for a while, and then did the upgrade just to stop the notices. When I did the upgrade, I found my entire music library and all my play lists were gone. But, since I made it a practice to back up music I bought, this wasn't the real problem. (Take note! Back up the music you buy or you WILL eventually lose it!) The real problem was that I had spent hours over the past couple years loading my old CD's onto iTunes and creating play lists, and now all of that effort was lost.

I Googled around and searched the Apple support site and came to the conclusion I wasn't alone - that 4.9 was blowing away a lot of iTunes libraries. I did NOT find a fix.

I'm always slow to call tech support because I understand that software companies can only provide so much support. I always try to solve a problem myself. I was able to find my old music library and restore it, but I didn't figure out how to restore the play lists.

I tried all the automated Apple support, FAQ's and the knowledge base - but couldn't even locate an indication that there was a problem with the 4.9 upgrade. (Though many other sites were full of discussions about it.)

I finally called support and spoke to "Dawn." Dawn (and every Apple support person) tried to sell me a service plan before she asked me what the problem was. Then she asked when I bought my iPod, and since it was more than 90 days since the purchase - refused to help me. I explained to her that I thought 4.9 had blown away my library, that it was a known Apple software glitch, and that I didn't appreciate being asked for money to fix a problem Apple had caused. She still refused. I asked her if there was a known glitch in the 4.9 upgrade and she replied by saying, "I've only heard of this problem a couple times and I can't help you."

After she hung up on me, I recalled - being the loyal Apple fan that I am - that the Shuffle I had bought for my wife was still in the 90-day support period. I called back, used THAT serial number, and got "Trace." Trace was more helpful, but told me he knew of no way to help me. I asked him if there was a known problem with the iTunes 4.9 upgrade, and he said that in the early builds of the upgrade there was a known problem. As a result of the upgrade, people's libraries and play lists were being lost. Given that, it seemed really odd that Apple didn't have a work-around to fix the problem. I asked to speak to a supervisor.

Next I spoke to "Trent." Trent also told me it was a known 4.9 upgrade problem. He also quickly took me to a fix procedure on the support web page. (Just plug 301895 in to the Search field at iPod support and you'll see it if you have this problem.) He also quickly walked me through how to restore everything to its original status. In the end it took 10 minutes and someone who was willing and able to help. It saved me hours of re-work.

So why did it take two hours, sitting through two sales pitches, being told "NO" twice and really discourteous treatment from Dawn to get this thing fixed?

Apple hardware is great - 5 stars.
Apple software is great - sure there was a problem - but no one is perfect - 5 stars.
Apple support - I love you Apple - and I hope you realize this part of your system is failing!!!!!! - 1 star, and here's why:

1) It's way too hard for someone to find help through Apple's web page. Remember, it wasn't just me who couldn't find the fix - neither could Dawn or Trace.
2) Apple's support process requires every customer to sit through a sales pitch when they are trying to solve a problem - one that, in this case, is 100% your fault. It's rubbing salt in wound and it's not good policy.
3) The Apple support team is weak. Dawn has neither the knowledge to help, nor the concern for your customers. Trace was nice, and even knew of the problem - but didn't know how to fix it. Trent fixed it in a flash. In the end the fix was easy. Getting to it was a pain. Some percentage of Apple customers will never get to Trent and the easy fix - and they will be severely penalized for Apple's 4.9 upgrade problem.

**UPDATES**

*(4-28-05)- Contrary to what new reviews state, you CAN delete songs off your iPod. Wonder how..? It's so simple. Connect the iPod to the computer, once it shows up on the left navigation panel, click on it and it will display your songs. Click the song(s) you wish to delete, and press the delete key. Poof, gone!
Simple as that.
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I recently purchased an iPod and I am glad to say I am thus very satisfied with it. The aspects of the iPod I will be reviewing are sound quality, equipment, ease of use, accesories, and my satisfaction with it.

1. Sound Quality (5/5)

*First off, I got my iPod and charged it for four hours, after that, I installed the firmware and loaded on all my songs. After that, I listened to them with the white headphones that came with the iPod. To my amazement, the sound quality was superb; even better than my Sony M-Models (which are great)! The sound is very crisp and clear, so this aspect gets a 5/5.

2. Equipment (4/5)

*The iPod comes with a basic starters kit, everything you need to get started: an AC Adapter to charge it, a Firewire cable for the Mac user and a USB cable for Windows users to use. Along with this comes an installation disc, stock Apple headphones and cotton earphone covers. The earphones produce great sound quality, the firewire cable plugs into the AC Adapter as well as a 4-6 pin firewire port. Otherwise, the USB Port is used for Windows. The transfer speeds with the USB is amazingly fast, transferring 500 songs in a little under 6 minutes. The only thing I was dissapointed with was the lack of instructions in the users manual, but otherwise this is a great aspect in the product. Since the dock nor case was included with this generation of iPod, this field is not to its greatest potential.

3. Ease of Use (5/5)

*Nothing much to say here: very easy to install, just pop in the disc and follow the instruction. It takes 5 minutes to set it up and start ripping songs. This gets a 5/5.

4. Accesories (5/5)

*If you're like me and don't like 'abusing' your iPod, then buy it some accesories. I would recommend getting a case or an iSkin, and the Griffin iTrip FM reciever for a bit more fun. There are loads of accesories, but I recommend the Apple dock. 5/5 on all the options. I highly recommend a case since it scratches extremely easily, I put it in my jeans the first day and the LCd looks scratched (and it is too).

Battery Life: To tell it to you straight, I do not know one iPod user who HAS had battery problems. Here is how the real battery meter works, since the iPod battery meter is misleading. The battery lasts about an hour with the full icon. It then lasts about 2 hours on the 70-80%. It lasts about 3 hours on 60% and an hour on 40%. At 20% its about 1 hour and at 10%, it can easily last 2 or 3 more hours. The battery life is at least 10 hours with the backlight off at 60% volume and about 6 hours with it on.

The Problems: People on this site say they have problems with the iPod, but it is honestly not the iPod's fault. Let me explain. Either their iPod is used on an incompatible operatins system or they haven't followed proper instructions on the disc. The iPod is only compatible with Windows 2000 ME and XP. It works on all Macs, so Mac people can just plug and play. Windows users cannot just plug and play: they need to install the software on the disc. DO NOT format it with the Windows formatter, it WILL mess up the iPod. When you pop in the disc, follow instructions and don't decided to skip a step. When you reboot the computer, REMOVE the iPod and plug it in when the computer starts. This can be a problem for many that don't know. Anyways, after everything is done, simply plug the iPod into the USB and let iTunes open. Depending on your computer, this should take about 30 seconds. Then simply drag files to the iPod or start ripping CD's.

Another problem people with a new iPod tend to have is not payint attention to the iPod. When it is plugged in to iTunes, do not disconnect it. After you press the eject button on iTunes taskbar, wait until the do not disconnect sign disappears off the iPod. If not, it is bad, it might damage your HDD.

The warranty is here for a reason people. If somehow your iPod does not work from the beginning, register your iPod and SEND IT BACK. Apple will replace it or fix it. Simple as that.

The iPod is compatible with every format of music file EXCEPT Windows Media File (WMV). Why, you ask? Probably since it is adopted by competitors like Napster and Microsoft. Oh well, you can always use the ever-so-popular MP3, AAC (which I recomment because Apple Lossless [AAC] means you lose no quality from the CD version you just burned). Though, you can always convert your WMV files with programs like Winamp.

Another problem iPod users encounter is losing their music. The thing is, you have Auto-Sync on and you think that since the music is on your iPod, you can delete it from the computer since its taking up valuable space. Then next time its plugged, everything is gone. How to fix this? Easy, disable auto-sync and enable manual sync. Just uncheck the auto-sync box when you install the iPod. Trust me, it will save you time and frustration. To keep track of which songs you need to put on the iPod, create a playlist in iTunes and store the latest songs there. After they are loaded into the Pod, delete them and keep updating and loading and so on.

Why the 20GB iPod is the best choice: The 20GB iPod is the best choice for anyone for multiple reasons. First off, the space will serve you well in the long run. You can get anywhere from 3700 songs to 5000 depending on how big your files are encoded. The elegant, sleek, and thin look makes it very professional and the battery life and portability make it even better. The price is just right for many peoples budget and you get a player to impress yourself and your friends.

The Conclusion: I am very satisfied with what Apple has given me. For 300 dollars (284 at the moment, thanks to Amazon's sale), you get a very sturdy MP3 player with loads of space, great sound quality, and a very elegant look. Sure it has a few downsides, like the easy ability to get scratched, but nothing is perfect. The only problems you might have are probably your own fault. If you thoroughly read my review, I guarantee you that you are set to go. I HIGHLY recommend the iPod to you.

Total Rating:

Total Available Points: 20
Scored Points: 19/20
Percentage Grade: 95%
Grade Letter: A

Peace Out Everyone,
Serge A.

Love: I got my ipod 4 months ago and have loved it dearly. I have grown very dependent on it and bought some of the accessories to go with it, it has become quite an investment. I even use it for work. It is very easy to use and I can't tell you how easy it has made carrying around my music as opposed to carrying all those CDs.
Hate: However, a few weeks ago my ipod completely froze (remember it is 4 months old),thank goodness I bought the service plan! So, it was sent back for repair. That was 2 weeks ipod-less, very upsetting when you have a dependancy. I was happy to see it arrived back to my house after the repairs (without my music of course) so I reloaded all my music and 4 days later the exact thing happened (that was this morning so I am still fuming!).Of course, the store I bought it from could careless, thier 30 day refund/exchange plan has expired, all they will do is ship it off to who knows where for 2-3 weeks. Now that I have read all your reviews about how horrible Ipod service is, I am not expecting much from them either. So, just wanted to put a warning up to those thinking of purchasing ipod. I love it (3 stars for its ease and potiential to be great if it worked) but hate that is may still be a very unreliable product. You might want to wait to see what else comes on the market or at least shop around.

I just wanted to warn people of this, before they are stuck in the same position I am in.

Apple CHARGES you for their phone support, even if your product is within warranty, after 90 days from the purchase date. This is a BIG RIP OFF. You spend hundreds of dollars, and within 4 months have to spend more, just to have a little help with your product.

Ipod's are great - they saved my computer. I am not denying this. I just hate that Apple can get away with ripping their customers off like this.

Basically, even if you are covered by warranty, you had better hope nothing goes wrong after 3 months, because they will not help you if it does.