0ur opinion:

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The iPod classic features an updated design on the digital media player you already know and love. Some of the new bits include a sleek all-metal enclosure, a massive increase in storage space, a thinner body, and a brand-new user interface featuring Cover Flow. Cover Flow allows you to easily browse through your music collection by flipping through each album's cover art using the Click Wheel. When you find the album you want, you can flip it over for the track listing. Just like you'd do with a real CD or vinyl. Connects to a PC or Mac through USB (using the dock connector) Charge Time - about 4 hours (2 hours fast charge to 80% capacity) Audio Support - AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, & 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, & AlFF Photo Support - Syncs iPod-viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GlF, TlFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG formats Video Support - H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in. m4v,. mp4, and. mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in. m4v,. mp4, and. mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in. m4v,. mp4, and. mov file formats Unit Dimensions - 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.41 Unit Weight - 4.9 oz. Color - Black

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With 80GB or 160GB of storage, iPod classic gives your music and video room to move. lt also has plenty of energy (up to 40 hours of audio playback), good looks (a sleek, all-metal design), and a great personality (a brand-new interface with Cover Flow). ln other words, iPod classic makes an ideal companion.

Cover Flow
lf a picture says a thousand words, think of what all the album art in your collection might say. With Cover Flow on iPod classic, you can flip through your music to find the album you want to hear. Use the Click Wheel to browse music by album cover, then select an album to flip it over and see the track list.

With 80GB or 160GB of storage, iPod classic gives your music and video room to move. View iPod classic dimensions.

Up to 40 hours of audio playback in the palm of your hand. View larger.

Music
Use the Click Wheel to adjust volume, navigate songs, browse in Cover Flow, or explore the Music menu by playlist, artist, album, song, genre, composer, and more. Want to mix things up? Click Shuffle Songs. iPod classic makes your music look as good as it sounds, thanks to its big, bright, color display.

Movies
Buy movies from the iTunes Store and you can sync them to your iPod classic to watch anywhere, anytime. The gorgeous 2.5-inch display makes your movies pop. And iPod classic keeps you entertained for up to 7 hours. Long flight or darkened room? Adjust the brightness for even more video playback time.

TV Shows
There's always something good on iPod classic. Browse thousands of episodes of your favorite TV shows on the iTunes Store, buy them for just $1.99 each, then sync them to iPod classic. Watch last night's episodes this morning, or buy a whole TV series and play a pocket-size marathon.

Podcasts
The iTunes Store features thousands of free video and audio podcasts, including indie favorites and offerings from such big names as ABC News, Comedy Central, ESPN, PBS, NPR, and many more. Browse and subscribe to podcasts, then sync them to your iPod classic. You can even play video podcasts on TV using an optional Apple component or composite AV cable.

Audiobooks
The digital shelves of the iTunes Store are stocked with thousands of audiobooks--including exclusives like the entire Harry Potter series--so you can catch up on your reading wherever iPod classic takes you. iPod classic recognizes where you left off and bookmarks your place. You can even adjust the reading speed to suit you.

Games
Put hours of fun at your fingertips. iPod classic comes with three games--Vortex, iQuiz, and Klondike--and you can download more from the iTunes Store for $4.99 each. All iPod games are designed specifically for the iPod interface. And all of them look great on the 2.5-inch color display.

Experience a whole new way to browse and view your music and video.	Use the patented Click Wheel to flip through your music by album cover.	Beautifully redesigned, iPod classic features a sleek, new all-metal enclosure.

Photos
iPod classic holds up to 25,000 photos you can sync from your Mac or PC via iTunes. Use the Click Wheel to scroll through photo thumbnails the same way you scroll through song titles. To see a photo full screen, click the center button. You can even view photo slideshows--complete with music and transitions--on iPod classic or on a TV using an optional Apple component or composite AV cable.

Search
With up to 40,000 songs on your iPod classic, you need an easy way to search your collection. A built-in search function lets you use the Click Wheel to type out the name of the song, artist, album, audiobook, or podcast you're looking for. iPod classic returns results instantly as you select letters.

Extras
Calendars, contacts, and a clock appear in the Extras menu, along with a few more handy items. Take the screen lock, for example. Spin the Click Wheel to choose a four-digit combination and protect your iPod classic from prying eyes. lf you forget your combination, just reset when you sync. 0r use the built-in stopwatch to log your best times.










Piece Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 2 months

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Buyer's feedback: - * IPods keep getting better! ...
I recently purchased this 80GB iPod to replace my old, black-and-white Click Wheel. The leap between the two versions is unbelievable. When I compare the two, I realize how quickly the iPod has improved in just a few short years. Instead of lowering the price (although it has come down a little since I bought mine), Apple instead has focused on improving the technology and storage capacity -- and it shows.

First, the design. The newest iPod Classic no longer comes in white, and instead buyers must choose between silver and black. At first I was disappointed since I loved the white, glossy exterior, but the brushed silver is both reminiscent of the old and much classier looking. The metallic case has a somewhat sharper edge than the Classic did even a year ago, but it doesn't pick up fingerprints on the front as quickly. The chrome back continues to be a fingerprint magnet, however. The click wheel remains the same.

The capacity of the 80 GB is amazing. Ten years ago, who would have thought it possible to carry around two weeks straight of music and still barely make a dent in the storage? Of course, videos, movies, photos,and television shows take more space than audio files, so the 80 GB hard disk is much welcomed. For comparison, see the Apple iPod touch 16 GB or the iPhone, both with storage limitations that will frustrate those who like to carry their entire music libraries and videos with them. The Classic is a must for those individuals.

The software seems more stable than it did even less than a year ago, as my daughter's Classic (the last of the white models) hangs much more frequently than mine. In fact, after a couple months of steady use, I have yet to reset mine. I advise that owners update iTunes and their iPod software whenever a new version is available to maintain compatibility.

The Cover Flow feature is more interesting than useful, especially if you have older CD ripped to iTunes that predate the cover feature. I really like the ability to see the CD cover art while the music is playing, something the black-and-white model couldn't do. Extras include a clock, alarm, calendar, games (pre-loaded with three simple ones), and a stopwatch. You may elect to download files to your iPod for reading. These extras, while nice, are hardly the reason to buy one of these. IPods are for music, plain and simple. Even the addition of videos doesn't trump the original use, though the sound is good enough that sometimes I forget I'm watching such a tiny screen.

For those who have never used an iPod: the Classic allows you to sort your music by artist, albums, podcast, audiobooks, genres, composers. You may listen to individual songs or entire albums. You can create playlists of your favorite songs, or you can shuffle to play the songs randomly, with weight on those you've rated yourself. All this information is accessed almost instantly, with a spin and a click. Until you've actually used an iPod, you won't have an idea how glorious the technology is. I've never known anyone to go back to a regular MP3 player after owning an iPod, except, of course, if they cannot afford a replacement. You manage and sync your music directly through iTunes on your computer.

The biggest downsides of the iPod are cost and the use of a hard drive, a much more fragile storage method than a chip. Of course, with the drive, you get that huge storage capability and quick access, so the trade-off is well worth it. Some also cite Apple's control of the market through the proprietary format of iTunes, since you must use iTunes to use an iPod. While this may have been a problem before the overwhelming popularity of the iPod, just about every song you'd like can be found there. You really don't need another program to access the music you want.

I highly recommend this newest version of the iPod. If you have been thinking about upgrading from an older model, now is the time to do it.

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Buyer's feedback: - More than I expected.
When I ordered the 80 gig iPod for my teenage son, I had no idea how many wonderful features it had. I have enjoyed seeing his excitement over finding all the neat things it will do. We love the pictures of the albums, being able to "flip over" the picture and see the list of songs on the "back," and being able to watch videos on the iPod. When I ordered it, I just knew it had a lot of memory, so it would hold lots of songs. I did not know how great the video features would be. We are thrilled with this purchase.

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Buyer's feedback: - * should have went with creative x-fi ...
apple really suckers people in with these products. you can not just add mp3 files you have to use thier i-tunes software or the player does not recognize them as music files, So after spending 6 hours downloading thier software on my slow internet connection because it was not included with the player I finally got some mp3s on it. I feel that for $250 you should get a user adjustable eq, but no. the presets kinda suck and the sound quality is tolerable at best. any video the software converts for use on the ipod are lacking audio, the video plays but there is no sound. the only good thing I can say about this player is it has a lot of storage space. I guess I should have went with the creative x-fi.

(update) Well I found a free program called format factory that easily converts most all video files to work on the ipod. When used with dvd decrypter you can easily turn your dvds into ipod video. using these programs the sound works. and the video quality is quite good on the ipod. I'm still dissapointed with the audio quality though, I tried better headphones with some improvement but still sub par results. I used to have a creative labs zen touch and the sound quality of it was much better. but others may find it acceptable. To me storage space and sound quality are the most important things to me. I do not use the album cover artwork function. the biggest thing apple needs to do is make it so you can just add files to the player and play them without using the totally worthless itunes software.

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Buyer's feedback: - Pretty sweet, occasional issues though
I really like this, but occasionally I have software errors. I have had to manually reset it before. Also, the cover art is slow to appear at times and the "cover flow" feature is pretty slow to update as you toggle through your selection. Other than that it's pretty legit.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Ipod ...
I am a bit disappointed with the resposiveness of the ipod when playing the games especially Vortex.Otherwise I am satisfied with my new ipod.