Customer Reviews

Apple iPod 4 GB mini M9800LL/A (Silver) OLD MODEL

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

iPod mini was the hottest gadget last year & the best mp3 player around. Looks like this will be true even in 2005. There is absolutely no competition for the iPod's, no other player is even half as good as iPod.

Pro's,
1. Very good audio quality. Support for normal mp3's (unlike Sony).
2. Small size (smaller than most cell phones like much-talked-about-Motorola-Razr)
3. Extremely well desgined (let's hope Apple makes a cell phone and PDA in near future)
4. Very intuitive interface (award winning touch wheel and minimal buttons)
5. 4GB hard drive (enough space for about 800 mp3 songs)
6. Available in many colors (hopefully Apple will come up with Nokia style faceplates for future Mini's)
7. iTunes is one of the best music software around (rate songs, keep playcount, easy-sync with the iPod)
8. Excellent screen for such small size
9. Recharges from a standard USB port with the same cable as used for the upload of songs. No need to carry around a charger now.
10. Tons of innovative accessories in the market (from Bose speakers to colorful socks!)
11. Good battery life, about 10-14 hrs depneding on how much you surf around on it. ofcourse we all want more and there is no end to that demand :)
12. Everything about the iPod Mini is designed to perfection (no other company has put this much time & effort into their mp3 players even in 4 yrs since iPod hit the streets)

Con's,
1. The battery is internal with no easy replacement chances
2. Colors on the new Mini, except Silver, IMHO, are all gaudy. Last generation of Mini's had much pleasing colors. Check out for yourself at a local store before buying.
3. Gold version has been dropped now, its become a collector's item? Instead of adding more colors they have dropped one!
4. Doesn't come with a wall charger any more and takes longer to charge from USB port. You always need to be around a computer or pay extra for the charger.

Its simply fabulous and I am running out of superlatives to describe it. Thanks Apple for the new iPod Mini!

There are several mp3 players on the market right now for different people. Before I bought my iPod mini, I had a Rio Cali mp3 Player. I liked it, but very quickily I ran out of space. I downloaded about one song every other day, and after awhile, there was no space left!

For me, it was obvious that a larger mp3 player size was needed. I needed lots of space to store all of my CD's and old mp3 files.

Just to clear things up, one megabyte is about one minute. My old Cali had (i think) 126 megabytes. You can get the iPod mini in either 4 gigabytes (which is 4000 megabytes) or 6 gigabytes (which is 6000 megabytes).

So really the question is: What will you be doing with your mp3 player? Check out the chart below.

YOU SHOULD BUY AN IPOD MINI IF:
- You want to have a good amount of space to store songs.
- You want to have a very flashy mp3 player.
- You love to listen to music.
- You are willing to pay a somewhat large amount of money.
- You have around 10-20 CD's you want to change to mp3 files.

YOU SHOULD LOOK AT OTHER MP3 PLAYERS (such as the Rio Cali) IF:
- You want a good mp3 player that holds songs, but will not have too much unused space.
- You don't want to spend too much on an mp3 player.
- You will only download a song or two every two weeks.
- You have a few CD's you want to have on one mp3 player

YOU SHOULD BUY AN IPOD (regular iPod) IF:
- You are a HUGE hardcore listener of music.
- You are willing to pay around $300 on an mp3 player.
- You will download one or two songs a day.
- You have tons and tons of CD's that you want to have on one mp3 player.

The bottom line is that I love my iPod mini - it's perfect for me. But the question is, what mp3 Player is good for you?

I LOVE MY SILVER IPOD MINI! After about a year of research and procrastination, I was having a particularly bad week, so after seeing a teenage at the drug store with her Pink mini, I decided that if she can have one and she doesn't have a job, I can surely have one and buy it with my hard-earned money!

I marched myself into the Apple Store and treated myself to my mini. Awesome decision! I was wavering between the 4GB and the 20GB since there was only about a $50 difference. It didn't even make sense to me to consider the 6GB because that was $50 more as well, and if I was going to pay the $50, then I was going to get the 20GB. I decided on the 4GB for now. My computer hard drive is only 6GB at the moment, so there's really no need for an iPod whose storage is bigger than what my system can hold! :)

MY LIKES:

1. The Size- It's absolutely perfect! It stays in my purse so I will always have music on the go. My co-worker gave me a baby blue skin to put on it so it will be protected in my purse.

2. The Color- I was aiming for the blue one until I saw it in person. The color was a little too blue for my taste (even though blue is one of my favorite colors! ZZZZ-PHI!) I'm not a fan of Pink nor Green, so Silver was it. It's sophisticated looking.

3. The Battery Life- This was the sticking point for me. Up until I bought my mini, I was listening to music on my 1GB SD card plugged into my Palm Pilot. It was a good solution for a while. I was, and still am, thankful for the capabilities of my Palm, and if it weren't for the fact that my Palm's battery life is horrible, I may have stayed with that and never bought my mini. So far, I have gotten a good 12 hours on 1 charge. That's awesome. The advertised time is about 18 hours. Look, if it lasts me a whole work day without dying, then I am happy. So far, it has totally surpassed that.

4. The Screen- It is clear and bright. I love it!

5. The Click Wheel- It took some getting used to, but now, I love it. It makes it easier to navigate around the menus.

6. USB Cable- Quick music transfer!

7. iTunes- I used to use MusicMatch faithfully. I will probably still use it since I have lifetime upgrades. I also like the burning capabilites of the program. I use Windows Media Player as well. I let RealPlayer go. Too much spyware. iTunes is a very robust program that does just about everything you need. It organizes your music very well, and it is an easy program to learn.

8. Sound Quality- The sound quality is awesome. I can't ask for anything better. Very crisp and clear. Plus, once you play around with the EQ, you'll find what suits you.

9. Educational Discount- If you are a student, you can get an Educational Discount on all Apple products if you purchase directly from Apple.

MY DISLIKES:

There aren't many, but there are a few...

1. No AC Adapter- I had to buy it separately! Apparently, it was included in the previous generations. I own a laptop, so I don't keep it on all of the time. Therefore, that would have been counter-productive trying to charge my mini from the USB port. The Adapter is $30 by itself, but for people like me, it's a necessary cost so I can plug it up to the wall and it can travel with me.

2. No Stop Button - There isn't a dedicated "Stop" button in iTunes or on my mini. All I see is a "Pause" button. If there is a stop button, someone please show it to me!

3. On/Off Management - I don't like the fact that whenever I plug up my mini to charge, even if it's already turned off, the unit turns on. I have to physically turn it off. Not a biggie, but it's just something I've noticed.

4. The Earbuds- They sound just ok to me. I'm not a fan of them. My inner ear is shaped funny so I'm probably not getting the full effect of them since I can't really put them in as far as they are intended to go. I may have to get some of those ear canal ones. I have figured out to have these stay in my ears all day without them hurting. I don't wear them with the foam though. The foam irritates me to no end.

Ok...that's my review. I hope it helps you all!

My trusty discman broke in January 2004 and so I was finally in the market for a new portable music player. I looked around for a decently cheap mp3 player, but couldn't find one that I liked. I went to the gym music-less (and my workouts suffered for it!), I rode the train in silence, or was forced to listen to yuppies talk on their cellphones. Then, Apple saved my sanity and brought the price of the mini's within my range! Halleluja. I went out and brought one from their website straight away (I get student discount from them). I got it within a couple of days and it's barely left my side since. I love it! It fits in my jeans pocket, or my jacket pocket, or my shoulder bag, so I can take it everywhere. Going to the gym has become a joy again. Riding the train is not so boring! And if I forget a book to read (or I'm bored in class), I can play solitaire on my iPod.

My iPod is my favourite thing. Ever. I have the silver one (to match my powerbook) and it's crazy and cool and goes with everything I wear. The earbuds kind of start hurting my ears after I've been wearing them for six hours straight, but apart from that, it's all thumbs up from me.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I had purchased a Rio Forge Sport 256 MB MP3 Player. Someone must have slipped me a mickey when I bought that, because that was one of my worst purchases to this day. The case wasn't grounded, so the headphones kept shorting out, and something was wrong electronically, so it unexpectedly turned itself off. Rubbish.

Almost six agonizing months later, I managed to scrape together enough shekels to Get An iPod (please note the Capital Letters). Before I got mine, I shook my head, wondering who in their right mind would need 20 GB, even 4 GB of music. Now, I sing Apple's praises.

I must say, the iPod is the epitome of très cool. It is the most stylish and beautifully simplistic players out there. All lesser mortals bow down to this machine, and now I understand why. The elegant, color-coordinated click wheel is simple, and relatively easy to use, finding you favorite tune. The anodized aluminum case is one of my favorite features, understated (mine is silver) yet very sexy and classy. I feel as if I could jump up and down on the iPod Mini without consequence. (You couldn't pay me to demonstrate, though)

Functionally, it's almost, ALMOST perfect. The interface is still one of the best I've experienced, allowing you to find you music quite easily. However, the click wheel can be a little petulant for me at times, sometimes overshooting what I want, and sometimes being sluggish, even when I whip my digits around the white track fast enough to conjure up thoughts of carpal thumb and gangrene.

Let's get to the best part; sound quality. The sound quality is the best I've heard out of any MP3 player. The only complaint I have is the second day I used the iPod, I heard a faint crackling in both sides of the Sennheiser earbuds while listening to a song. A few days later, using different earphones on my laptop, running iTunes, I heard the same thing. Is this a problem with the proprietary Apple software and iPod firmware? Anyway, this problem went away, and I'm still very, very pleased with the sound. It is phenomenal. My last niggle (I always seem to find something to complain about...)would have to be the loose fitting of the Sennheiser earbuds. It allows a lot of ambient noise to come in. I do own Sony Fontopia Earbuds with Anti-Bacterial Earpieces or the Bass Boost earbuds, but you can't beat the mystique and flash factor of those characteristic white earbuds. It's like a sign that says in huge letters, "Yes, I'm cool and I have an iPod" I'll wait and eventually replace those Sennheisers with Sony Fontopia White earbuds...

iTunes is fairly simple and straightforward to use, though with my notebook computer, I find that I must plug in the iPod before booting up, or iTunes will not recognize the iPod mini, instead displaying it as "Offline". This is maddening, but I can imagine desktop users don't have to deal with this.

Though not perfect, it is, I think, one of the best MP3 players on the market today. I unhesitatingly reccommend audiophiles everywhere to plunk the $189-199 for this machine. It is absolutely worth it!

I've had my ipod mini for approximately a year and a half. My menu button and volume control have stopped working. I just went to the Apple Store in Oak Brook, IL and apparently the ipod's only have a one year warranty. At the store they confirmed that "yes your ipod is broken, so you have two choices."
1. "Since we don't repair them you can purchase a refurbished model for $183.00" or
2. "We will give you 10% off a new model(new model is $249.00)".

I am not very pleased with Apple and the quality of my now useless, one and a half year old, $250.00 ipod. I chose neither option 1 nor option 2. I refuse to pay more money so that I can once again be sitting in the repair chair at the Apple store in another year and a half. All I ask is that you take into consideration my experience and take to heart that while I was waiting in line for the repair man, there were four people ahead of me with broken ipods and two people behind me. Honestly, my money is spent better elsewhere.

Having kept away from buying this for months now, I wasn't sure what to expect. There are so many variations out on the market and I researched this thing to death.

It really is great, with 18 hours of time now, instead of the usual 8 hours, and it stores a tremendous amount of music and anything else you want--spoken text, etc: I put my schedule on CD--spoken, and then plug it into this--great for keeping up with stuff.

Light, easy to use, and easy on the pocket book (for what you're getting), this is THE IPod to buy.

Okay. Here is a write up, that I did, on the comparisons/contrasts on MP3 players. Mainly, the Harddrive versions (I.E. Rio Riot/Apple IPOD -both of which I own) and the flash memory type... (I.E. Memorex 3642 Mp3 Player/IPOD Nano, of which I own as well).
What prompted this little jaunt (of which you may send to as many people as you like) My (expensive) Apple 40 gig 1st generation iPod died during an autofill. Just me copying files over to it, and the battery ran out of juice. I would have not attempted to copy music had I known the battery was low, but the battery read FULL STRENGTH. There was, later on, battery issues, and one of the issues -there were quite a few- was the false read on the iPod. Don't try to do any sort of autofilling on a hard drive MP3 player (Apple or other brand) if the battery is low. Anyhoo, I called Apple, they said return it for maintenance. I did. Sent it back.

They returned it, still broke.

To my suprise, there is only a TEN DAY return policy.

TEN DAYS.

That policy has since been revised.. remember, this was the first generation of the iPod, and stuff like warrantee's and batteries were not quite worked out... but I digress...

So, after a month or so of messing around trying to find another MP3 player... I decided to go with a flash memory MP3 player, the ones that use an internal memory much like the memory in your computer. And I bought a german Mp3 flash player then a Shuffle, and then a bit later I bought a Nano.. both of which I liked quite a bit.

SO, here are the pro and cons of these devices.

Pro's for the Memory Stick MP3 players

-Cheaper. NORMALLY WAY CHEAPER than Hard drive types. For example, now Apple makes a 1 gig Nano, and it is 140 bucks. And you can get other brand Flash memory ones for around 65 dollars. And that is not so bad, and nothing like the 300 or more you will pay for the monster hard drive versions.

-If you go into music match or any other software (the iTunes software I think does this as well) and file convert to MP3 Pro and shrink the size of your MP3 to like, say 3o percent... you can really make a good Kompression. Example. My Memorex MP3 player has 32mbs of memory on board. It is expandable to 256mb. 32 mb will basically let you put one cd's worth of music. It is easy to put music on and off of them, due to your computer reading the USB as just another hard drive, so you drag and drop to put on, delete them to take them off. But, after you shrink your files to MP3 Pro 30 percent, you can put twice as many. So, basically a 256mb chip will allow me to put 208 songs on my little less than palm size MP3 player. And it weighs like 3 ounces.

- More on memory. Some of the Mp3 players have insertable memory chips. Much like the stuff you use in your camera. These little chips are the size of the upper part of your thumb, at least my thumb anyway. They come in 128mb, 256mb, 512mb and even though there aren't any MP3 machines out there to handle them YET, you can even buy a 1.5gig thumb size chip thingy. Considering the size of the chips and the shrinking kompression I told you about earlier, I could shrink my whole KOLLEKTION down to 10 of those 1.5gig chips. At the current shrink rate I am at 5 DVD's, which are way bigger and more fragile than these little chips. Other types use the internal memory, like the Nano. All the Apple Nano versions have various sizes, the Shuffle smallest one is 512, then goes up to 1 gig... now the Nano is as small as 1 gig and goes up to 4 gig (the one I have is the black 4 gig, and is only 50 dollars more than the 2 gig version).

- Flash Memory is not as fragile as hard drive type. You can drop one of these chips and not scratch it. I wouldn't stomp on one with my foot, or get one in water, but they are encased in plastic. Ruggedish. I have dropped my nano, and my shuffle multiple times and no problems. I would NOT try that with a hard drive version, although it must be stated that they make some very rugged cases for the hard drive versions, and I have a friend who has the video Apple 40 gig iPod and he says his rugged case has protected his after he dropped it... but they are sorta expensive.

- Batteries last for quite a while, and some have internal batteries (the ipods do), others just have regular removeable batteries... There isn't much going on here, no moving parts, no laser or hard drive to put power to. Most of these flash Memory types have a single AA battery. I use a rechargeable type, so we are talking very low cost here.

In comparison to the hard drive types, where you will get a solid 8 hours of playing, the battery powered flash memory can get up to 12 hours without a recharge, and the ones with removable batteries, if you buy the recharge ones you can just swap out...this really whupps up. So, in the comparison to the hard drive, the flash memory only wins out due to it not being so harsh to the drain on the battery.

- Size. Small. Very small. Mine is three inches by three inches. A square. But, you can get smaller ones. And the memory chips that go in them are the same ones you use for your camera. And you can put files on them. If you want to put a word doc on your memory chip, you can. Your Mp3 won't recognize it, but it is nifty storage. The Ipod Nano, you can put just about any file you want, you can put photos, you can put email info and song lyrics etc... very verstitle.

COMPARISON/CONTRAST

- Size does matter. In the case of hard drive Mp3 players... lets face it, you can, if you so chose to, put a library of congress on these monsters. They are the caddilacs of the hand held devices, and guzzle batteries like gasoline. But when it comes down to it, size is the only thing they have going for them. I don't mean to downplay the hard drive types, but don't drop them, don't shake them, and after shelling out $399 to Apple you might consider insurance. And now apple offers a two year warrantee, and I got one. It cost 50 dollars. If you are getting a hard drive version of iPod, you'd be foolish not to get a warrantee.

- Price/Komparison. IPOD ran me $450 bucks. The 4 gig Nano ran me 250, you can get the 1 gig nano for 149. My memorex MP3 player ran me 45 dollars. The 128 memory chip runs you 50 bucks, but are getting cheaper by the week. There really isn't a comparison to the two. The memory stick Mp3 players just kick @$$ on this issue.

I have really liked all the mp3 players I have bought, from the german ones, the rio riot (no longer being made I think) to the three different iPods... and the iPods are getting more durable.. but I really feel the future is in flash memory as it becomes larger and larger in memory bandwidth.

So, that is my review in a nutshell.


Have fun

The iPod's USB interface recharges from a computer USB connection only. This means if you want to go anywhere that does not have a PC available for recharging then you are left with a dead hunk of metal until you find a computer to power it up again. It takes about four hours to do a full recharge (and half a day to charge when out of the box, not 4 hours like it says in the manual), so I am not sure how you will feel about leaving your $300 iPod with an Internet Café while on holiday or away from home. You need to buy a USB power adaptor if you want to plug your iPod into the mains. Without the power adaptor, which costs an extra $30, you are limited to PC recharging only. So be prepared to pay more than just the cost of the iPod for these nitpicky add-ons.

The iPod is an amazing device on two counts. One is that there is absolutely nothing on the market that is this size and holds so much data. Palms can not compete for storage size, end of story. Even the low-end 4GB iPods are overkill for MP3 playback. The clickwheel at the front of the iPod is genius. You move your thumb in a circle to scroll everything in the menu or volume. It has an amazing blue ambient backlight for night viewing. There is a top switch for locking the menu buttons so you can't accidentally adjust volume. If the headphones jack out by mistake the unit pauses automatically. The iPod mini series can easily go undetected in your jeans' pocket. The full version is a little bulkier but not by much more than already stated. The Nano series is nearly invisible. If you read the manual properly you can even store data files on the unit (in the notes folder etc.), so you can also use the iPod as a mass storage device for transporting files. As for extras, well it is quite smart. The software is updated by Apple over the internet, so you have calendars, address books, time-zones and an assortment of other extras that give the unit more class. However the alarm clock is just garbage because the device has a very limited internal speaker that is designed for just low-level `clicking' sounds. The iPod is both PC and Apple compatible. The earphones are really well designed; the white cord plastic even feels nice with a respectable length that does not tangle. However the universal white nature and shape of the earphones makes it easier to identify you as an iPod user. Although there are claims that the iPod is scratchproof, this is absolutely not the case. My metal is already starting to show scratches after a month of use. The screen, for all intents and purposes, scratches the same as a mobile phone does. Whoever programmed the sound software deserves a Gold Medal. The only sound system that even comes close to matching the iPod's sound quality is DOLBY DIGITAL or THX. The iPod is in that league. An expensive hi-fi system will not even sound as good as it.

The iPod file loading is not as easy as it seems. You must start working on your MP3 files before you can use it. This means right clicking the MP3 file (or group select) going into the file's properties and inputting genre, artists, albums, so that the naming systems work when in the iPod. You load the MP3 files into the Library of the iTunes software and see if you have the lists alright before finally dumping the chosen library selections onto the iPod's hard drive and taking your whole music collection for a walk on your hip. This could well be the FIRST MUST-HAVE APPLE PRODUCT that a PC user should own.

*Note - There is one major downside to the way the iPod plays files. You can not have continuous play of an album without breaks between tracks. If you want to solve this you need to join up your album into one giant MP3 track using external MP3 software. However Apple updates their software and firmware so maybe in the future they will solve this issue.

Pros:
- THX, DOLBY DIGITAL quality music centre that fits in your palm.
- Cosmos sized tiny hard drive.
- Design and Clickwheel.
- Apple support

Cons:
- Mains Power Adaptor Costs extra.
- Tracks pause between each other.
- MP3 files must be annotated.
- Recharging time is a bit long.

I have to admit that I absolutely adore iPods. I have what you could call a "fetish" with them. I remember early last year, when I first saw the advertisement for the Apple 20GB model, I was almost drooling. Every time I saw a picture of an ipod on the side of a bus stop or an apple store, I would linger and wish I had one. Because the iPod is more than just a music player- it's a fashion accessory, a symbol that you're cool and up with the trends, and an amazing little piece of technology that lets you be yourself, no matter what type of music defines YOU.

At first, the prospect of owning an iPod was a dream. I can't tell you how many people I freaked out on the street, spotting the distinctive white earbuds and staring at them 'til I lost sight. About halfway through last year, a friend of a friend signed onto MSN Messenger with the screen name, "OMG I HAVE AN IPOD!". My reaction was nothing short of overwhelming for her. I attacked her with questions, everything from "how much does it weigh?" to "does it look nice?", only to find out it was actually an iPod mini, and a PINK one at that. I was seething for a week. Guranteed way to make a teen girl jealous- tell her you have the latest piece of technology in a colour she absolutely loves.

Towards the end of last year, the dream slowly start to take place as reality. I watched as one by one, my closest friends slowly started to fall into the iPod trend. The 20GB version seemed too much- it was a little too big, and only came in white- but the iPod mini was PERFECT for giggling schoolgirls. I made sure to take note of what colour everyone was buying- the agony of choice between all the pretty metallics was the hardest part of buying one. In my spare time in between school and daydreams about iPod players, I moved over my Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne cds, and began to pay a lot more attention to my dad's enormous cd collection. (Now, I have to admit, that I am the biggest 14 and a half year old Beatles fan that you have EVER seen.) My dad noticed the considerably larged-sized dent in his collection, and that was how I finally got to tell him about my love for the Apple iPod.

Christmas came and went, I gathered cash slowly and steadily. My birthday was approaching, my father made a deal with me ("ok, you be good and i will pay for half of it"), and I realised that in late February I was really and truly going to have an IPOD MINI!

It was surprisingly difficult to buy one- we must have gone to about seven stores until we were told that the second generation of iPod minis were about to be realeased, which was why there were no first generation iPod minis in stock. I ended up ordering an iPod mini off the Apple website, along with a Griffin FM transmittor, and recieved it delivered to my door only 3 days later.

I figured out how to work it extremely quickly, for someone who has not even grasped the concept of the cheese grater yet. On the first day, I'd gotten about two-thirds of my beloved Beatles collection on it, as well as my still-loved Avril Lavigne. Four months later, I now have 542 songs on it (and there are more to come!).

PROS:
1) The battery life is very good, in comparison to the first generation of iPod minis. I listen to my iPod mini for at least 5 hours a day (straight), and it lasts me approximately 5 days until I have to charge it again. I do think it lasts longer than the advertised 18 hours, and it only takes about an hour for it to be three-quarters charged (if I don't have four hours to wait for it to be fully charged).
2) For some reason, it's quite a bit cheaper than the previous model as well. (and I had a good reason to laugh at all my friends who went out and bought the previous models.)
3) It's well-sealed in a gorgeous metallic case, and VERY durable indeed. I've dropped my iPod countless times (even on tiled floors), gotten the headphone cords stuck on doorknobs, had it bouncing around in my schoolbag, etc, and it still looks as new as the day I got it.
4) It's MINUTE- about the same size as my mobile phone, with a bigger screen- and incorporates a whole heap of features into one little package. I can easily fit it into the pocket of my school uniform or my jeans, so it goes everywhere with me.
5) Navigation is wonderful- it's so easy and so fast. The click wheel is a wonderful idea, I can go all the way from "A Day In The Life" to "Your Mother Should Know" in my Songs list in seconds. Plus, on iTunes it's so easy to organise playlists. I have a playlist of songs I listen to when I'm sad, one for when I'm happy, hyper, angry, etc....
6) The colours on the new model are just plain cute. I chose a silver one, and don't regret my decision one bit, as it goes with every outfit, is a totally classy colour and I love buying colourful cases for it. I had a tough time choosing though, because the sweet blue and pink ones are adorable. And wherever I go, I can always be guranteed an, "Oh, wow, you have an iPod!"
7) It's extended my love of music considerably. With my old cds, I couldn't be bothered changing cds so often. Now I can flip to any artist or genre I want so easily- and I have discovered so many new artists that I love, trying to build up my music collection, that now Simon and Garfunkel cds have replaced my Hilary Duff ones.

CONS:
1) I only have one complaint, and that's about the charger- you always need a computer handy if you want to charge your iPod, and that's not always possible. I recommend buying a power adaptor for wall outlets, as that's often easier and you don't have to leave your computer on for hours at a time. My family also travels a lot, and I like buying the wall-plug converters you can get at the airport for ten dollars, so my iPod will definitely work in every country.

I've read reviews complaining about the battery life, comfort of the earbuds, etc, but have to say that I haven't had any difficulties with these issues whatsoever. Battery life will depend on how you use your iPod (don't keep the backlight on... it's a waste of battery and really unneccessary unless you're listening to it in bed :D). And with earbuds, it's personal preference- I find them very comfortable, as does my brother (who, having limited music tastes, owns an iPod shuffle) and my friends, but if they really bother you, it's a standard headphone jack and you can fit any pair into there.

Overall, I love this thing. I take it everywhere and listen to it all the time (my parents think I'm antisocial, but I'm not really!). Apple iPods were definitely my first love.