Apple iPod Classic (80GB, silver)
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MB029LL/A
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The iPod Classic is a refinement of the formula that put the iPod on the map. Few can match its combination of storage capacity, battery life, and advanced user interface.
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Where to buy
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/03/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Apple iPod Classic (80GB, silver) price range: $314.39
- Reviewed by: Donald Bell
- Edited by: Lindsey Turrentine
- Reviewed on: 09/10/2007
- Updated on:09/27/2007
- Released on: 09/07/2007
The good: The iPod Classic is just like the fifth-generation iPod with video, only slimmer, tougher, and injected with a more visually rich graphical user interface.
The bad: Video output now requires a proprietary cable; audio quality has not improved; some older iPod video accessories may not be compatible; users are required to use the latest version of iTunes, which may not work on some older computer systems.
The bottom line: The iPod Classic is a refinement of the formula that put the iPod on the map. Few can match its combination of storage capacity, battery life, and advanced user interface.
Editor's note: This review has been updated to include battery life data resulting from CNET Labs' testing.
The iPod Classic is the latest revamping of Apple's iconic hard drive MP3 player, formerly known as the Video iPod or fifth-generation iPod. As Apple's only remaining high-capacity MP3 player, the iPod Classic comes in both 80GB ($249) and 160GB versions ($349), available in black or silver.
Design
Cosmetically, the iPod Classic's improvements over its predecessors are minor. An anodized-aluminum faceplate now replaces the glossy, all-plastic facade found on the previous generation. Overall thickness has also improved, with the 80GB iPod Classic now measuring 2.4x4.1x.41 inches--just a fraction of an inch thinner than the 30GB Video iPod we had in our lab. The screen, however, is still made from scratch-prone plastic (unlike the iPhone's and iPod Touch's), and the chrome found on the back cover still begs for smudges.
The Classic's most impressive design improvement is its dramatically overhauled menu system. One of the most striking changes is a split-screen main menu that displays the selections on the right half of the screen and a picture related to the selection on the left. For example, highlight the Music selection on the main menu, and the right half of the screen displays a random, drifting close-up of cover artwork from your music library. This same effect accompanies menu items such as movies, podcasts, and photos. Some might write off this split-screen effect as pure novelty, but the end result is quite beautiful. The Cover Flow system, for browsing your music collection with an emphasis on album artwork, finally makes its Classic debut, although Cover Flow does lose some appeal when not on a touch-screen device such as the iPhone. We also found a noticeable amount of lag using Cover Flow. Users with large music collections to sort through will prefer browsing using the list mode or search function. That said, Cover Flow makes for a scenic and engaging, if slow, way to browse your music.
Features
The iPod Classic has very few new features to talk about. Support for video and music playback, as well as photos, podcasts, and video games, are virtually unchanged.
The iPod Classic supports H.264 or MPEG-4 video in MOV, MP4, or M4V file formats, with a maximum resolution of 640x480 at as much as 30 frames per second. You can buy videos through the iTunes online store or import them into iTunes and convert them for playback. (Many third-party software video converters also do a great job converting videos for the iPod.) The Classic supports many of the video features we look for in portable video players. For instance, the Classic can recognize and skip between the DVD-like chapter markers embedded in QuickTime movie files. It also does a dependable job automatically resuming video playback at the point at which you last left off. Closed captioned subtitles can now be switched on and off for video files that support them.
Looking past the obvious big-ticket improvements, the new Classic includes some small touches that are easy to miss. Apple's music shuffle function, for instance, has made a subtle evolution, now letting you easily engage and disengage the shuffle function on the fly, with just a few clicks of the scroll wheel's center button. By placing the shuffle setting options (Shuffle Song, Shuffle Album, or Shuffle Off) in a song's Now Playing window, Apple is effectively giving you the ability to randomize songs until you find an artist you like--a lazy listener's dream come true. We're also happy to see that Apple has bundled three video games into both the iPod Classic and the Nano, giving us yet another way to stay distracted.
Apple's audio file format support remains the same. Copy-protected AAC files purchased through iTunes are supported, of course, as well as MP3, Apple lossless, AIFF, WAV, and Audible files. We're happy to see that despite the iPhone's unique file management requirements, the iPod Classic allows for manually adding and deleting music and video files without the hassles of playlist syncing. The Classic can also double as a USB hard drive in a pinch.
While the iPod Classic is a top-tier product, we long for some additional features, including the ability to use the headphone jack as a composite-video output, allowing photos and videos to be played to your television set without a third-party interface. While we can understand removing the little-used AV output feature to save on construction costs, we're even more surprised that Apple has rendered all of the recently released iPods incompatible with a number of third-party 5G video accessories as well. If you're hoping to use a new Nano or Classic with an existing video dock, be sure to check that the product explicitly states it is compatible with the iPod Classic. Apple's own Universal iPod Dock ($50) and component AV cable ($50) are guaranteed to work, of course.
Plus, there's our standard list of long-neglected iPod features: FM radio, line-input recording, SD memory expansion, custom EQ, and native support for WMA and subscription music services. We're not holding our breath.
Performance
Despite the major interface overhaul, the iPod Classic's sound quality still sounds just middle-of-the-road. Although middling sound quality doesn't seem to affect iPod sales, you'd think Apple would eventually address this long-standing complaint--if only out of pride. Users do get more than 20 equalization presets to choose among--ranging from subtle enhancement to dramatic bass boosting. Compared to products such as the Creative Zen V Plus, the Cowon iAudio 7, or the Toshiba Gigabeat U, however, the iPod's sound quality still leaves room for improvement. That said, after listening with our Ultrasone HFI-700 headphones as well as a set of Shure SE310 earphones, we can say with confidence that the Classic's fidelity will certainly satisfy most users.
Video playback was the most impressive aspect of the iPod Classic. While we were impressed by the crisp resolution of the iPod Nano's smaller 2-inch screen, the 2.5-inch screen found on the iPod classic is easier on the eyes. Both players share the same 320x240 resolution and are capable playing files encoded at 640x480. By purchasing an additional component AV cable from Apple, it's possible for users to output resolutions up to 480p (720x480) to a television.
Aside from the increased storage capacity and upgraded interface, the iPod Classic's enhanced battery life is one of the better reasons to fork over your money. The 80GB Classic is rated at 30 hours of audio playback and 5 hours for video, while the 160GB version promises 40 hours of audio and 7 hours for video. While products such as the Archos 405 will deliver similar results for video playback, MP3 players capable of 30 to 40 hours of audio playback are a rare find. Our CNET labs team found the 80GB iPod Classic is capable of 45 hours of audio playback and nearly 9 hours of video playback under realistic conditions. Although we didn't have the opportunity to test the 160GB iPod Classic, we think it's reasonable to expect that it will at least match, if not surpass, these results.
Is it worth upgrading?
If you're looking for an iPod that can store more than 16GB of music and video, the iPod Classic lineup is the only option now available to you. Those of you with more modest storage requirements of 20GB to 60GB will simply have to step up to the 80GB model or consider an iPod alternative. For file-hoarders anxious to break the 80GB Video iPod storage limitation, the 160GB iPod is a logical step forward.
Before you leap, however, you should know that the iPod Nano, the iPod Classic, and the iPod Touch, all require iTunes 7.4 or later in order to be compatible with your computer. We recommend testing the compatibility of the latest version of iTunes with your computer before making the purchase.
The iTunes factor
No iPod review would be complete mentioning Apple's iTunes music software. For better or worse, the integration between an iPod and Apple's iTunes music software is nearly airtight. If this is going to be your first iPod, it's worthwhile to download iTunes ahead of time to see if it works well on your computer and is intuitive for you to use. You should also be aware that most of the music and movies available for purchase on the iTunes online store will play only in iTunes or on an authorized iPod and cannot be transferred to a non-Apple MP3 player.
Final thoughts
As the availability of high-capacity hard drive MP3 players seems to be on the decline, we're happy to see that Apple is continuing to develop them. The iPod Classic doesn't deliver the novelty of the iPod Nano or the iPod Touch, but it is still one of the best-designed high-capacity MP3 players on the market.
User reviews
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Beautiful and Buggy
by ichor on September 17, 2007
Pros: graphics updated, menu logic makes good sense
Cons: laggy dial, hard drive skips(?!), same sound quality
Summary: I'm sending my silver 80gb ipod classic back to Apple and here's why. I'm comparing this to my 3g 60gb ipod. The improvements in the ipod classic ...
Summary: I'm sending my silver 80gb ipod classic back to Apple and here's why. I'm comparing this to my 3g 60gb ipod. The improvements in the ipod classic come at an unacceptable cost in terms of speed. At first, I thought the touchdial was broken because of its uneven response to my input. Then I realized that the software was just catching up to the sensory input. The nice graphics in the classic are enough of a drain on the dynamic memory that scrolling becomes way laggy. I find myself concentrating really hard to make sure the song I want to select is the one that actually gets selected. Graphics are nice and surprisingly crisp. The lag is surprisingly annoying. They may fix this in an update, but I'm not risking $250 on that. The calibration of the touchdial is really not great either. I find that I have to press and drag for a relatively long time to scroll up just one song.
Oh, and the sound quality out of the earbuds still really really stinks compared to other players out there. The player has millisecond breaks within songs for no reason. My 3G had those qualities too, so I don't mark the classic down too much for those issues.12 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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My First iPod...So Far, So VERY Good...
by djohn409 on January 6, 2008
Pros: 80GB storage capacity, attractive design, good video resolution, long battery life, good sound quality
Cons: Slight delay on occassion with scroll-wheel. Included earbuds lack any bass.
Summary: Current Update Version: 1.0.3 Mac
After reading several negative reviews on this site, I was nervous about having just purchased the 80GB iPod Classic. The rantings of the ...Summary: Current Update Version: 1.0.3 Mac
After reading several negative reviews on this site, I was nervous about having just purchased the 80GB iPod Classic. The rantings of the frustrated users who encountered serious software and hardware issues scared the bejeezus out of me. Although I can't speak for their experiences, I can honestly say that I haven't encountered any problems with my iPod, and it's been running non-stop for the last couple weeks.
I did, however, decide to take the advice of the users here and basically disable any features that have to do with cover art or cover flow. I think it's helped to ensure that the interface runs as smoothly as possible.
I currently have an eMac running OS 10.4.11. I've encountered no problems or issues with iTunes 7 and Syncing audio or video.
DVDs transferred to the iPod look great with no noticeable skips or flaws. Using iTunes and Safari in conjunction with iSquint to download and convert Flash Videos works well.
I hope my experiences with my iPod remain positive ones. If anything goes awry, I will be sure to post it here.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very Buggy, needs to be updated
by Milky The Brown Cow on September 15, 2007
Pros: all the stuff that makes the iPods good. nice sound and video quality, easy to add content to, headphones included, looks sleek and nice etc
Cons: it broke after 3 hours and tech support could be a lot better. seems to lag easy, bogs down mid range computers, earbuds still suck, scratches easy
Summary: it seems to have the potential to be a good product, but Apple really needs to work on making sure that they ship quality products. There is over 10% defection ...
Summary: it seems to have the potential to be a good product, but Apple really needs to work on making sure that they ship quality products. There is over 10% defection rate among new iPods. Mine broke within hours, and tech support is very hesitant to send me a box to get it shipped in to get fixed. Apple stores are not all that common, so it is an inconvenient to get it replaced. The new iTunes, which is what apple tells you to use to manage the content on this iPod, uses quite alot of system resources and crashes often. plugging in the iPod will bog your computer down much further, you may have to wait a few minutes for the iPod to be recognized and then further to sync. The iPod itself seems to lag pretty easy, and the click wheel isnt very sensitive. if you have a large music library with many different artists, you may become frustrated going from the top to the bottom as the click wheel doesnt seem to register everywhere so you can't quickly scroll. the good part is that it looks very good (but you really need to get a protective case or it will get scratched very very quickly), it has nice sound and video quality, and its fairly simple to reset (click hold on then off, then hold the central button and menu for 6-10 seconds)
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Was considering getting an ipod.......
by splitgrey on September 13, 2007
Pros: Definately storage, looks nice, size
Cons: Seems slow when browsing menus, confirmed skipping
Summary: New to the Ipod scene, thought maybe it might be time to give in and get one. Went to the apple store and looked at about 15 to 20 80gig ...
Summary: New to the Ipod scene, thought maybe it might be time to give in and get one. Went to the apple store and looked at about 15 to 20 80gig models.
After listening to the first one I noticed that when listening to music and menu'ing back to cover flow it seemed a bit sluggish. Once in coverflow, when browsing through albums the music begins to skip and makes a loud screeching noise. Obviously thought that was odd tried again and sure enough, same thing. So I moved on to the next 80gig and the same thing happened. Moved to the next and the next and the next and the next.....they all did it. Incredibly annoying, especially when it has to do with a feature that is so heavily marketed(a bread and butter feature of the new marketing campaign). I suppose alot of people will be able to overlook this.
But I mean c'mon apple.............really? Your better than that.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Really love it except for one flaw that really upsets me...otherwise I would've rated it a 10!
by Roo-Dee on September 10, 2007
Pros: Thinner, lighter and has a bigger capacity at a cheaper price.
Cons: Major con...No video coming out of the headphone jack!
Summary: I bought an 30gb video iPod prior to the September 5th annoucement. A friend of mine informed me of the upcoming announcement and I returned it to the Apple Store. ...
Summary: I bought an 30gb video iPod prior to the September 5th annoucement. A friend of mine informed me of the upcoming announcement and I returned it to the Apple Store. I already bought speakers, a case, an armband case and the video/ audio jacks. I kept these items hoping it will fit the next generation of iPods.
After the announcement of new iPods, I decided to get the iPod Classic 80gb since it was the same price as the 30 gb I returned. I fell in love with the graphical interface, especially the cover flow feature. I spent hours updating my music so that the album covers could be displayed. I also like the fact that it is thinner and lighter. And with more space, I can put more videos on it. I was fortunate enough that all my accessories still works except for the video/audio cable I bought so I could hook it up to my DVD player in my car. I'm really upset with this because now I have to buy another cable which hooks up to the docking port. This cable costs about $50 (yikes). Fortunately, my speakers have a video out so I can use this to link up to my television. Why did Apple take out the video function from the headphone jack? This was one of the reasons why I sold my Sansa, so I could have library of videos without needing any discs.
Sorry Apple, I would have given you guys a perfect 10 if you just left the good features alone!3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Ok... Not up to the hype
by stuxstu on September 19, 2007
Pros: Great looks, great storeage, ok interface, audio books
Cons: Finger prints, screen size, sluggish, poor sounding
Summary: Last week I bought the iPod Classic, though the storage is great (80gig), but who wants to watch a movie on that small of a screen?
Sound quality, not what ...Summary: Last week I bought the iPod Classic, though the storage is great (80gig), but who wants to watch a movie on that small of a screen?
Sound quality, not what I expected. I have some excellent headphones (not the junk standard in-ears) and I am an audiophile. That makes me very picky. It won't matter on the generic MP3, but if you want to listen to lossless files. You will quickly be disappointed. The whole reason I got the 80gig was to listen to lossless audio files.
The looks are great, until you touch it... then finger prints everywhere?..
I loved the support of audio books and podcasts. The touch sensitive scroll pad is very cool. The down fall of the scroll pad is I kept hitting buttons and screwing up the song I was listening to. I am sure with more use I would get used to putting it in the locked position.
One other great part to the iPod, setup was very easy. 2 thumbs up for Apple on the config!!!!
So I don?t like the iPod. I do see why many do, so it is back to looking around for a MP3 player and the iPod goes back to Apple.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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revised model w/ very significant flaws
by chrisjscott on September 12, 2007
Pros: Great screen, crazy storage
Cons: Frustratingly slow interface
Summary: The new eye candy introduced (imagery to the right of menus) w/ the iPod classic has made navigating the menus unacceptably slow. There are frequent pauses and delays as images ...
Summary: The new eye candy introduced (imagery to the right of menus) w/ the iPod classic has made navigating the menus unacceptably slow. There are frequent pauses and delays as images are loaded on the fly.
With no way to de-activate these graphic elements, these navigation delays make the iPod classic very frustrating to use.
And Coverflow, though it looks cool, is too twitchy to be useful.
My advice: wait for either a revised model or, at least, a major firmware update before purchasing.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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My first Apple anything!
by norwahl on June 18, 2008
Pros: Nice Graphics, Easy Navigation, Long Battery Life
Cons: ITunes sucks, Buggy Dial, Slow Loads
Summary: Being my first Apple product, I must say I'm not overly impressed. ITunes seems to be made for the complete novice that just wants the program to do everything ...
Summary: Being my first Apple product, I must say I'm not overly impressed. ITunes seems to be made for the complete novice that just wants the program to do everything automatically. You can turn all the auto stuff off and then upload to the IPod manually. A huge flaw that I found was that you can upload the same song multiple times which is very annoying if you don't already know it's on the IPod. As for the IPod itself I'm satisfied. Good interface that is easy to navigate. I wish I could erase songs without being hooked up to my computer. Earbuds can be thrown away upon opening the box. They're pretty cheap. I have a pair of Shure SE530's on order that I have high hopes will solve this problem. My Sennheiser muff headphones do sound great on the IPod, however. Overall, I went for the IPod Classic bacause of the enormous memory for the money. I was really considering a Creative Labs Zen, but could not get it into my budget. I must say I'm satisfied, but not blown away by the IPod and may even try a Zen in the future. Good buy for someone just entering the MP3 player scene that doesn't want to break the bank.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Mediocre product - what a disappointment
by arnonrot on April 1, 2008
Pros: Lots of storage, very long battery life
Cons: Sluggish interface, mediocre sound
Summary: I own a 1st generation iPod nano which, overall, I like a lot, but the storage capacity is limited and the battery life is short, so I thought it could ...
Summary: I own a 1st generation iPod nano which, overall, I like a lot, but the storage capacity is limited and the battery life is short, so I thought it could be nice to have an 80GB player. Having read the mixed reviews on the iPod Classic, I decided to test it myself in the Apple store. My conclusion is that the Classic is not a bad product, but it is far from what I expect from Apple: I expect a very refined and high quality product. With these expectations in mind, the iPod classic fails to deliver. First, I don't like the way it sounds (I tested it with my Shure E4C earphones.) It's not terrible but I would describe it as mediocre. I found the sound to be harsh at times, and to completely lack soundstage. Bass was strong enough, but was messy dynamically. In comparison, the ipod touch and nano both sounded to me significantly better than the Classic (Both were more than acceptable.) Second, the user interface in the Classic is surprisingly sluggish. The clickwheel is difficult to control. The overall response of the interface is slow and a little bit erratic. Where is the attention to detail that we have come to expect from Apple?
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Overall Pleased!
by sommer182 on January 25, 2008
Pros: Large Capacity, Video GREAT, iTunes
Cons: Sound quality not as good as some PC based players
Summary: Purchased this in November 2007, and have been using it in my car and at home through a Kenwood THX receiver and Polk speakers extensively. While I can say that ...
Summary: Purchased this in November 2007, and have been using it in my car and at home through a Kenwood THX receiver and Polk speakers extensively. While I can say that my Creative Zen V sounds better through headphones, the iPod sounds just as good in my car and over the stereo. The capacity can't be beat, I love video Podcasts and I have Mac desktop computers. So for me this is a slam dunk!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: MB029LL/A
- Description: Decisions, decisions. Who needs 'em? Why should you have to choose what to put on your iPod? With a large storage capacity, iPod classic lets you carry everything in your collection everywhere you go. In completely new, even thinner, all-metal design, this iPod is a modern classic. The iPod classic gives your music and video room to move. It also has plenty of energy, good looks (a sleek, all-metal design), and a great personality (a brand-new interface with Cover Flow). In other words, iPod classic makes an ideal companion. Why not get to know it better?
General
- Product type Digital player
- PC interface(s) supported Hi-Speed USB
- Digital storage Built-in 80 GB Hard disk drive
- Weight 4.9 oz
- Dimensions (W x D x H) 2.4 in x 0.4 in x 4.1 in
- Body material Aluminum
- Color Silver
- Included accessories Docking station adapter
Digital Player / Recorder
- Supported digital audio standards AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Audible, Apple Lossless
- Playback modes Playlist, One track repeat, All tracks repeat, Random play / shuffle
- Response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
- Supported bit rate 16 - 320
- ID3 tags support Yes
- External hard drive function Yes
- Additional features MPEG-4 playback, JPEG photo playback, Variable bit-rate compatible
Built-in Display
- Audio system built-in display LCD
- Diagonal size 2.5 in
- Resolution 320 x 240
- Backlight display Yes
- Display menu language Czech, Dutch, Greek, Danish, French, German, Korean, Polish, English, Finnish, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Japanese, Hungarian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional)
Audio Features
- Sound output mode Stereo
- Timer Wake, Sleep, Stopwatch
- Built-in clock Alarm, Stopwatch, Digital clock
- Additional features Notes, Calendar, Cover Flow, Phone book, Hold button, Date display, Photo wallet, Built-in games, Volume limiter, Upgradeable firmware, USB 2.0 compatibility, Playback speed control, Battery level indication
Equalizer
- Equalizer type Digital graphic
Remote Control
- Remote control None
Headphones
- Headphones type Binaural Ear-bud
- Sound output mode Stereo
- Response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
- Impedance 32 Ohm
- Connectivity technology Wired
Connectivity
- Cable(s) included USB cable - External
- Connector type Docking station, Headphones Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
Battery / Power
- Battery Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
- Mfr estimated battery life 30 hour(s)
- Recharge time 4 hour(s)
- Power device type None
System Requirements
- Peripheral / Interface devices USB port (compatible with 2.0 specification)
- Operating system Apple MacOS X 10.4.8 or later, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 or later
Sustainability
- CNET Labs: Battery drain test / Video playback 533.115 min
- CNET Labs: Battery drain test / audio playback 2749.815 min
Product series
-
Apple iPod Classic (80GB, silver)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: Digital player, AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Audible, Apple Lossless, 80 GB, Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
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Apple iPod Classic (160GB, silver)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: Digital player, AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Audible, Apple Lossless, 160 GB, Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
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Apple iPod Classic (80GB, black)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: Digital player, AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Audible, Apple Lossless, 80 GB, Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
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Apple iPod Classic (160GB, black)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: Digital player, AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Audible, Apple Lossless, 160 GB, Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Apple
- Manufacturer profile
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- Website: http://www.apple.com
- Address:
One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014 - Phone: 1-408-996-1010
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