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I work for a national retailer of electronics and I'll share some
buying tips with you concerning Ipods. The 5th gen Ipods are here and
I've noticed people have a hard time deciding which one to get. You
have the 3 genres:
Ipod with Video (30 and 60 gig) with respective prices of $299 and $399
Ipod Nano (1, 2 and 4 gig) with respective prices of $149, $199 and $249
Ipod Shuffle (512mb and 1 gb) with respecitive prices of $69 and $99
60 gb - will hold 15,000 songs @ $399.99 = $6.67 / per gig (Hard-drive) *Best Value as far as dollars.
30 gb - 7,500 songs @ $299.99 = $10.00 / per gig (Hard-drive) *Decent Value
4 gb - 1,000 songs @ $249.99 = $62.50 / per gig (solid-state memory) *Big jump in price!
2 gb - 500 songs @ $199.99 = $100.00 / per gig (solid-state memory) *Not such a good value
1 gb- 250 songs @ $149.99 = $150.00 / per gig (solid-state memory) *Other Mp3 players for less.
Shop smart. Yes the 60 and 30 gig models are expensive, but they are a better value for your dollar. On the other hand, as you'll read below, the Nano's contain solid state memory. Solid state memory will probably hold up better against shock (for example, in cases of jogging and vigorous sports).
Notes about each iPod that you should know!
The Ipod Video will not take just any video file. You must download Quicktime 7.03 pro or buy off of itunes or a 3rd party site. Just FYI. The battery on the Ipod video gets drained super fast. So look here, on Ebay, for a cheap AC charger and buy a car charger as well. The iPod videos contain a harddrive similiar to a laptop, which may be senstive to jarring or shock. I would recommend a speck tough case which is made of rubber to protect it from dropping it.
The shuffles don't have a display. Plan on your music playing in random order without knowing what is coming up next. You can create playlist though, so it is not a lemon or a rip-off. They are expensive as well, more expensive than the other models (if you crunch the value of dollars vs. the storage amount you are getting).. This is were people scratch their heads. The shuffles are the biggest rip-off if you are a fanatic about counting your dollars versus the amount of music storage. There is no hard-drive inside of them, which is advantagous if you are a jogger or into athletic activities. You are paying $100 for 1gb of solid state memory though, which is outrageous compared to other mp3 players. You're getting even less for your money paying $70 for 512mb (again, if you are a dollar versus storage person). For example, you could by a 1GB SanDisk Sansa for around $100 and it has a display. That is my biggest complaint about the shuffle, no display. I may be too picky though. I do still love the Apple products though.
Same thing with the Nano, except you get a color display. Alot of people don't know this (including my boss which shocked me) that the NANO DOES NOT PLAY VIDEO. Again, you're paying $100 a gb, which is outrageous. You wouldn't buy a computer harddrive for that price would you? The thing to keep in mind though is that the Nano is not a harddrive like the IPOD videos. But Imagine how expensive computers would be if 1 gig was $100. The 4gb for $249 is a slightly better deal but at that point why wouldn't you just get the 30 gb with video for $299. You're then paying $10 a gb which is much better as far as value added merchandise goes. The NANO lcd displays crack very easily too! All iPod displays (like cellphones) are sensitive to heat, cold and bending. The NANO's displays are extra senstive due to the thinness.
Accessory Questions?
FM Transmitters
Check out my new iPod FM Transmitter Guide! I tested and reviewed some of the major name brand transmitters, so you can pick the right one!
Video Cable (for 30 and 60 gb iPod models)
Did you know that you can use a camcorder cable from Radio Shack instead of Apple's Video cable and save some money? Apple switches the yellow (video cable) and the red (audio cable). So in essence, the red is now the video cable and the yellow is the audio. By buying the camcorder cable at RS, you will save a lot of $$! Beware though, not all camcorder cables are wired like this. I bought a bunch off of ebay here, and they did not work. Radio Shack's only camcorder replacement cable does. It must be wired for a specific camcorder that is similiar to an iPod.
Please note I am working on an updated guide for the new Nanos and 80 gb Ipod Video. Check back soon.
I hope this helps you.
Ipod with Video (30 and 60 gig) with respective prices of $299 and $399
Ipod Nano (1, 2 and 4 gig) with respective prices of $149, $199 and $249
Ipod Shuffle (512mb and 1 gb) with respecitive prices of $69 and $99
60 gb - will hold 15,000 songs @ $399.99 = $6.67 / per gig (Hard-drive) *Best Value as far as dollars.
30 gb - 7,500 songs @ $299.99 = $10.00 / per gig (Hard-drive) *Decent Value
4 gb - 1,000 songs @ $249.99 = $62.50 / per gig (solid-state memory) *Big jump in price!
2 gb - 500 songs @ $199.99 = $100.00 / per gig (solid-state memory) *Not such a good value
1 gb- 250 songs @ $149.99 = $150.00 / per gig (solid-state memory) *Other Mp3 players for less.
Shop smart. Yes the 60 and 30 gig models are expensive, but they are a better value for your dollar. On the other hand, as you'll read below, the Nano's contain solid state memory. Solid state memory will probably hold up better against shock (for example, in cases of jogging and vigorous sports).
Notes about each iPod that you should know!
The Ipod Video will not take just any video file. You must download Quicktime 7.03 pro or buy off of itunes or a 3rd party site. Just FYI. The battery on the Ipod video gets drained super fast. So look here, on Ebay, for a cheap AC charger and buy a car charger as well. The iPod videos contain a harddrive similiar to a laptop, which may be senstive to jarring or shock. I would recommend a speck tough case which is made of rubber to protect it from dropping it.
The shuffles don't have a display. Plan on your music playing in random order without knowing what is coming up next. You can create playlist though, so it is not a lemon or a rip-off. They are expensive as well, more expensive than the other models (if you crunch the value of dollars vs. the storage amount you are getting).. This is were people scratch their heads. The shuffles are the biggest rip-off if you are a fanatic about counting your dollars versus the amount of music storage. There is no hard-drive inside of them, which is advantagous if you are a jogger or into athletic activities. You are paying $100 for 1gb of solid state memory though, which is outrageous compared to other mp3 players. You're getting even less for your money paying $70 for 512mb (again, if you are a dollar versus storage person). For example, you could by a 1GB SanDisk Sansa for around $100 and it has a display. That is my biggest complaint about the shuffle, no display. I may be too picky though. I do still love the Apple products though.
Same thing with the Nano, except you get a color display. Alot of people don't know this (including my boss which shocked me) that the NANO DOES NOT PLAY VIDEO. Again, you're paying $100 a gb, which is outrageous. You wouldn't buy a computer harddrive for that price would you? The thing to keep in mind though is that the Nano is not a harddrive like the IPOD videos. But Imagine how expensive computers would be if 1 gig was $100. The 4gb for $249 is a slightly better deal but at that point why wouldn't you just get the 30 gb with video for $299. You're then paying $10 a gb which is much better as far as value added merchandise goes. The NANO lcd displays crack very easily too! All iPod displays (like cellphones) are sensitive to heat, cold and bending. The NANO's displays are extra senstive due to the thinness.
Accessory Questions?
FM Transmitters
Check out my new iPod FM Transmitter Guide! I tested and reviewed some of the major name brand transmitters, so you can pick the right one!
Video Cable (for 30 and 60 gb iPod models)
Did you know that you can use a camcorder cable from Radio Shack instead of Apple's Video cable and save some money? Apple switches the yellow (video cable) and the red (audio cable). So in essence, the red is now the video cable and the yellow is the audio. By buying the camcorder cable at RS, you will save a lot of $$! Beware though, not all camcorder cables are wired like this. I bought a bunch off of ebay here, and they did not work. Radio Shack's only camcorder replacement cable does. It must be wired for a specific camcorder that is similiar to an iPod.
Please note I am working on an updated guide for the new Nanos and 80 gb Ipod Video. Check back soon.
I hope this helps you.
Guide created: 03/06/06 (updated 08/24/11)
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