CNET Editor's rating: 8.0 out of 10
Reviewed by
James Kim
Review date: 10/20/05
Release date: 10/12/05
The good: Incredibly thin and intuitive design; beautiful LCD; supports photo and video playback; seamless integration with iTunes, which boasts the world's biggest music catalog and a new video store; smooth video; lots of extra features, such as a world clock, a stopwatch, and PIM applications; a galaxy of accessories designed for the iPod; great overall value.
The bad: No extras included, such as a dock, A/V cables, or a power adapter; poor battery life for video; slight delay when playing video; no guarantee that your non-iTunes Music Store video will play on an iPod, even after using converted third-party software.
The bottom line: Get the affordable, sleek, and sexy 5G Apple iPod for its audio virtues. Although video looks great, poor video battery life and a relatively small screen hamper its appeal to video heads.
Pay close attention to the new Apple iPod when you get one in your hands. Most of you will notice a design that's thinner, lighter, and sexier than its predecessor's, as well as a new screen that dwarfs the Click Wheel. A few of you will notice subtler differences, such as the absence of the smart headphone jack, a smaller Click Wheel, and the iPod's superflat face. Experienced iPod users may complain that essentials such as a power adapter and A/V cables aren't bundled with the device. But despite the fact that it is an audio player first and foremost--and that the term is overused--all of you will remember the fifth-generation iPod as the video iPod.
Those who follow gadgets know that Apple didn't invent portable digital video; companies such as Archos, Creative, and iRiver have produced good if not stellar products that play back video--and on larger screens with better battery life. But if Apple can do for video what it has done for audio--that is, deliver a hardware/software ecosystem that offers a decent choice of content and makes it easy to get video on to the iPod--then this device, like it or not, will be remembered as the one that started the portable digital video revolution.
The 5G iPod, which is available in white or Nano black and comes in 30GB and 60GB capacities for $299 and $399, respectively, is the best one we've used to date. Yet because it has added a major extra feature--video playback--to its solid, audiocentric foundation, there's room for improvement.
Intro:
The Apple iPod 5g is a 30 GB, large capacity player.Compared to other large capacity MP3 players on the market, it is midpriced at around $245.
Noteworthy Features:
Has a 320 x 240 screen resolution, which is larger than some similarly priced MP3 players.
Weaker Features:
None noted, given available product data.
Suitability:
Suited for those with a large library of music.Comes with equalizer presets to easily maximize your listening experience.According to the manufacturer this player will last approximately 14 hour(s) between charges; your run-time will vary based on use and power management configuration.Comes with a 1 year warranty, which is standard in the industry.
Value:
Overall, this MP3 player's features seem a bit weak for its price, compared to most other MP3 players.
Suggestions:
If you don't totally love the headphones that came with your MP3 player, you might find aftermarket headphones that better suit your preferences.
5 out of 10 - Average Video Ipod + $1.99 per download = Archos AV420 minus numerous features
Let me start by saying that I'm not an Apple hater. I think they are a smart company and ...
Let me start by saying that I'm not an Apple hater. I think they are a smart company and make a decent product. What I'm trying to understand is... Why there is so much hype surrounding this "video capable" IPOD ? I think people should do some research before they shell out hundreds of dollars on a unit like this one. I know I did before I made my decision and I couldn't be happier. I own an Archos Av 420, and have for over 6 months now. I have thousands of songs on the unit, numerous photos and a bunch of TV shows. And Yes folks, the shows I have were free. I didn't pay $1.99 for each show. The Archos AV420 allows the user to set it like a TIVO. I have my unit turn on several times throughout the night to record numerous shows on different channels. I then watch those shows during my commute into NYC the next morning. Try doing that with the new IPOD. If I get tired of my TV shows and I don't wat to listen to any of my Mp3's, I can listen to FM radio. I guess Apple forgot to include that feature too. The Archos AV 420 has a 3.5 inch screen and a user serviceable battery. Do I need to keep going ????? There are options out there people Apple is not the only game in town.
Read more
by Chris131 (see profile) -
October 13, 2005
7 out of 10 - Very good good for music, not so good for videos
alright, there are way too many whiners, complainers and idiots that have reviewed this item. and you know what? it ...
alright, there are way too many whiners, complainers and idiots that have reviewed this item. and you know what? it gives no friggin useful information to anyone...so let a wise guy give the definitive review here to silence the squables.
audio...excellent. no big suprise here. all of the ipod series have produced good quality music even with so-so head phones/earphones/earbuds on. there are plenty of EQ settings to keep people happy, i know there are a few that want manual EQ settings...but seriously, the amount of people that can hear the difference between the "Rock" setting and if i eased the treble up one notch are few and far between. if you can, you should probably go work at Bose or something.
battery life...the biggie here. its not great, if left running continously, according to CNET it will run 14 hours. with the way i listen to, changing songs about ever 7 min or so, it lasted me....i'm guessing 12 hours (i had to recharge it after day 3 with about 3-4 hours of listening per session). that was achieved with close to the loudest setting and no backlight. your mileage may vary, but whichever way you cut it you can always use more battery life..
video...the culprit of the whole bash sessions i read here. i tried the video, and honestly, i'll go with steve jobs here. its just an extra damn bonus...nothing more, nothing less. before y'all get your knickers in a twist, watching a tv show on a 2.5 inch screen was already tedious...lets not even get into watching a full length feature film. yes i know there are other PVP players out there, or MP3 players with video capability and i'll still say the same thing. you're nuts if you're gonna watch Lord of the Rings on a screen, any screen, maximum size of your hand. i let my friends try to watch videos on it and we all eventually held the ipod closer and closer to our faces. so did it matter to me that with video the battery life gets cut down to 2 hours? nope. for those who posted on here saying how great some other PVP or MP3 player with video capabilities has made their life...seriously, you're watching a tv show/movie on a screen smaller than the size of sliced bread. how comfortable is that anyway? i agree it makes for pleasant distraction for those who utilize mass transit systems frequently but for those who got the ipod for jogging/studying/easy listening/or drive their car to work...i doubt they will give a bunny fart about watching some tv show they missed. that being said, watching a music video on it...ok. watching an episode of sex and the city...err do-able. watching a ripped dvd/vcd/whatever...your eyes will die long before the ipod's battery dies.
user interface...if my tech challenged parents could use it so can you. if you can't, then my friend, you and i need to have a serious talk about your scholastic/academic/mental capabilities. jesting aside, it's hopelessly easy. you either scroll up or down, press the button (the big fat white thing in the middle) to select the option/menu you want and press back to get back out.
things i don't understand...why can't apple stick a radio on their? i see how it maybe ironic to have 30 gigs of music and still need a radio but who knows right? bare bones acessories? what the hell is going on here? i shell out 300 bucks the least they can do is give me a decent case, dock and charger to go along with it.
as for the rest who complain about how apple is a great big evil company...well get over it cafone. either you never took a course in business or your just too stupid to realize the most basic rule of business...to make money. if you have lots of shareholders, then you must make lots of money. of course they are going to change the ipod around at some point forcing other companies to either renew their contract or something. of course they are going to pump countless millions in PR to get their product out in the open. of course they will charge you money to buy video/music to go along with their products. and if they are really competitive they will limit their products to be only compatible with the videos/music they offer.
you don't like that? well tough luck. i'm not saying this because i like/dislike apple. to quote the Godfather on this, "it's nothing personal, it's just business" whether you folks out there like it or not, microsoft, apple, creative, iriver, samsung...are all about making money first. do you not think, that given the chance, creative or anyother company would kill to do exactly the same thing? but sadly apple was the one company that beat all others to the step.
and finally, to quote a previous reviewer...most people want to be able to plug their mp3 players to their computers and have it sync without extra configuration. ipod does that. most people want to get videos on their ipod by just plugging it in. apple does that. most people don't care whether it has video streaming, bluetooth, wifi, infra-red, manual equalizer, dolby digital, PIM tools, mpeg 1,2,3,4,....1098354 support, wma, ogg, rma and God knows what else. all they care about is that its easy to use and it works. apple does that. yes you can smirk with your all knowing smile thinking that 75% of the people out there are idiots for buying an ipod. you can smirk till you're blue in the face and it won't change the fact that the ipod, as hated as it may be, is still a very good MP3 player. but the truth is, in the end, will your superior wonder gadget be obsolete within 2 years, most definitely. will the ipod? yes. so whats the difference really?
this is the best and most freaking complete review so far that is UNBIASED. so i better not see anymore of you pezzanovantes come up with another smart remark about this subject. that's it boys, watch your backs and keep your noses clean.
Read more
by benzslrpee (see profile) -
November 8, 2005
8 out of 10 - Excellent Hold off for one year. Not the "Next Big Thing"
ThinkSeceret stated that this is not the "killer app" that Apple has planed to come out in 2006. Steve Jobs ...
ThinkSeceret stated that this is not the "killer app" that Apple has planed to come out in 2006. Steve Jobs said that the iPod will succeed because its primary app is still music, and the market is still not ready for video, acording to NY Times
I agree with ThinkSeceret in that they are working on a true video iPod, and that this is just a really cool iPod with video capablilty. When the "real thing" comes out it will have a widescreen, and the next "iTunes" will have full length movies.
Read more
by simon82 (see profile) -
October 13, 2005
5 out of 10 - Average Ipod Video? Not so Visual...
This is my first time owning something from Apple. I bought it yesterday at the Apple Store on Bay Street, ...
This is my first time owning something from Apple. I bought it yesterday at the Apple Store on Bay Street, Emeryville. When I brought it home, i uploaded some of my songs, but my wma songs had to be converted, which took a long time. And then when i tried to drag my video files into itunes, it did not work because it wasn't in the right format. So i checked on the apple website and found a quicktime Ipod Video guide, and it said that my files could have been converted through quicktime. I downloaded quicktime and tried to convert them, however that feature was avaible on Quicktime PRO which costs 19.99$. So i upgraded it, and converted one of my 30mb files, it took an 1hour and 30 minutes. When it was done, i uploaded it to my Ipod, and there was no sound,whatsoever. So I ended up buying the same exact video file on Apple.com for 1.99$ Video-not a fun feature.
Afterwards, i spent an hour or so listening to my ipod and was scroling through my photos which shot the battery life down 50%. The Ipod gets hot sometimes and it scracthes soo easily.
**Sugestion: Think about it. not for a few days, but for a few months before buying it for yourself, or as a gift.**
Read more
by bluelightning510 (see profile) -
November 21, 2005
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Insanely great.. best iPod ever. Don't miss the point..
Just got my black one today. Let's do the music player first.. As expected.. everything you love about the ...
Just got my black one today. Let's do the music player first.. As expected.. everything you love about the iPod is here.. best-in-class interface, great sound (though those earbuds still aren't up to par). The new screen is a stunner. Bright and big. Photos are better than ever. It's the best small-format screen I've seen.
But let's face it.. the sell here is the video component. Here's what nay-sayers are missing: quality, content, and ease-of-use. No other player delivers on quality the way this player does. It plays at 30 frames-per-second. Many other players will only do 15. The codec is clean and playback smooth. Desperate Housewives looks fantastic on the screen. It's not blocky or blotchy at all. Motion is fluid. Compare with other players before you think you know what you're talking about.
Now.. the most important point that everyone who dislikes this iPod is missing: CONTENT. Yes, $2 bucks for a music video is silly, unless it's a concert performance. But Apple has put together a delivery system that makes sense, and the implications should not be missed.
Imagine missing your team's ball game or a favorite T.V. show and downloading it the next day for $2 bucks for playback on a T.V. or checking out over a lunch break. That's the future. And you do all of this legally, and you own the video. The long-term implications of all of this are pretty amazing. How about downloading a video of the Green Day concert you went to last night.. again.. they have a delivery path that makes sense.
The last part of my argument is ease-of-use. Ever try and encode/decode/compress a video for a music player? Not simple even in it's kindest form. The Apple way? Push a button and it's yours. Just copy it to the iPod. Simple, easy and fun. You can't do this with other players. This is an impressive display of technology. Kudos.
Read more
by reeltime (see profile) -
October 19, 2005
9 out of 10 - Spectacular this is an audio player, not a PVP!!
when will people understand that this is not a personal video player, you cant set this like a tivo like ...
when will people understand that this is not a personal video player, you cant set this like a tivo like those archos things, this is just and ipod, remember last month! there wasnt even an Mp3 player this size that is mainly audio that also supported video, just like a 4gb flash player, apple came up with all this stuff and its really inovative so if u dont like all this new stuff that probably would take a while to exist if it wasnt for apple, you apple haters should go somewhere else!!.. peace
Read more
by neto!... (see profile) -
October 21, 2005
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Great! Take advantage of student discount
I had been looking at upgrading from a mini to a ipod, and as I was looking, all of a ...
I had been looking at upgrading from a mini to a ipod, and as I was looking, all of a sudden Apple introduced this ipod, so I decided I had to get that one. I have had it for a week now have explored all the capabilities. I upgraded from a mini, and I must say I'm glad I did. The color screen is great, and the video playback is pretty good. And unlike all the reviews, I get very good battery time for my playback of videos, TV shows, and music videos. Oh and although most of the older accessories don't have video ipod as being capatable with, MOST are (NOT ALL!), car charger and players, cable for stereo, etc. Oh and if you are a student at a college and have a college id (which these days what college doesn't require one?), use it!!! Online or in the apple store you can get a discount. You get 10% off, which is $40 for the 30gb. Oh and putting your own videos on aren't to hard. They say you have to use quicktime pro ($30), but if you are a college student (like me), PSP video is a great app that converts the video into the right file so it can be put on the ipod (ipods and psp both use same format). I definately recommend this!
Read more
by phsdancer37 (see profile) -
November 1, 2005
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 out of 10 - Perfect Great product, bad service. Use a T.V Tuner and record shows.
This is a great product, it can fit anywhere easily and has lots of space for music and videos. It ...
This is a great product, it can fit anywhere easily and has lots of space for music and videos. It has a big color screen for its' size. Yes, there are other products out there like the Archos AV 480 with a bigger screen etc... But will they fit in your pocket? I don't think so. Also, they are about three times more expensive than this iPod! That's why I think this gets the job done better than any other portable "media center" for a much cheaper price.
The bad thing about it though is that music videos cost 2$. Who would buy a music video for 2$?? The price for the shows are reasonable though (also 2$), but its still money going out of you pocket. I get them free.
What I did was this: Using a T.V. Tuner I record every show I know I am going to miss, and keep it on my iPod.
4 out of 10 - Mediocre id rather take gmini400/402+free irc music videos
i have a gmini 400 that I use to play music videos that i download for free off irc networks (...
i have a gmini 400 that I use to play music videos that i download for free off irc networks (kobravideos, videopimp.com, ramvideos). these networks are free and have no viruses and i think they are legal. the gmini comes with a converter for all the videos on your pc, including downloaded and those from your camcorder. the video ipod you ahve to buy it for an aditional $30. a pvp deos not make sense without support for divx like an music player that doesnt support mp3. i also use fairuse wizard to put my dvd movies and tv box sets onto my gmini to see movies and tv shows on the go. the ipod video does not support that. then theres other advantages to the gmini for example the gmini has better games and even has a emulator to play sms games! i recomend to anyone the gmini400 or any archos pvp over the video ipod unless you are an ipod fanatic or have to be 100% sure your downloading music videos legally
Read more
by jtpinhead (see profile) -
October 13, 2005
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Very pleased
I've been thinking over getting music player for almost two years. I finally took the plunge and got the ...
I've been thinking over getting music player for almost two years. I finally took the plunge and got the 30g 5g. I own an iMac and a Powerbook but even so I was still surprised by the ease of use and quality of the iPod. Now my wife wants one!
I decided on the 5g 30g because at just $50 more you get almost 8 times the storage of the nano. I have A LOT of music. I did not really care about the photo and video aspects but while setting it up and transferring my music I loaded some of my photos and one of my home videos. I was astonished at the quality of the video.
I realize that Apple has its fan boys and its haters. The simple fact is that from Macs to OSX to iLife to the iPod, they create a simple intuitive user interface that is second to none. Yes, they are proprietary and not the cheapest in any category, but the get how people interface with technology.
Playlist,
All tracks repeat,
One track repeat,
Random play / shuffle
Digital player edit functions
Erase
Digital player supported bit rate
16 - 320
Digital player ID3 tags support
Yes
External hard drive function
Yes
Digital player additional features
Variable bit-rate compatible
Video Playback Features
Video playback support
MPEG-4
Still image format
BMP,
JPEG,
PNG,
GIF,
TIFF,
PSD
Battery
Required Qty
1
Rechargeable Battery
Rechargeable
Battery Enclosure Type
Integrated
Technology
Lithium ion
Recharge Time
4 hour(s)
Battery
Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Mfr estimated battery life
14 hour(s)
Battery Life Details
Slideshows with music 3 hour(s),
Digital playback 14 hour(s),
Video playback 2 hour(s)
Audio System
Sound output mode
Stereo
Additional features
Hold button,
Phone book,
Built-in games,
H.264 playback,
USB 2.0 compatibility,
Battery level indication,
Rechargeable capability,
MPEG-4 playback,
Notes,
Calendar,
Upgradeable firmware,
Date display,
Photo wallet,
Playback speed control
Cable(s) / Peripheral(s)
Cable(s) included
1 x USB cable - External
System Requirements
Peripheral / Interface devices
USB port
Min Operating system
Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 or later,
Apple MacOS X 10.3.9 or later,
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2 or later,
Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 or later
Connections
Connector type
1 x Docking station,
1 x Headphones / remote control / composite video Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
Built-in Display
Audio system built-in display
LCD
Diagonal size
2.5 in
Resolution
320 x 240
Backlight display
Yes
Display illumination color
White
Display menu language
Spanish,
Norwegian,
Chinese (simplified),
French,
German,
Finnish,
Italian,
Danish,
Swedish,
Dutch,
Korean,
English,
Chinese (traditional),
Japanese
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support
1 year warranty
Audio Features
Timer
Sleep,
Wake
Built-in clock
Digital clock,
Timer
Alarm wake-up modes
Playlist
CD System
Playback modes
Program play,
Skip playback,
Repeat one/all,
Random play
Manufacturer: Apple Specs: Digital player, None, AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Audible, Apple Lossless, 60 GB, Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Manufacturer: Apple Specs: Digital player, None, AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Audible, Apple Lossless, 60 GB, Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Manufacturer: Apple Specs: Digital player, None, AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Audible, Apple Lossless, 30 GB, Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Manufacturer: Apple Specs: Digital player, None, AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Audible, Apple Lossless, 30 GB, Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Hide
Watch product review video
Show
Print friendly version
Email to a friend
del.icio.us
