Apple iPod Classic (80GB, black)
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MB147LL/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 |  | See Site | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/08/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Apple iPod Classic (80GB, black) price range: $479.99
- 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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Great Portable Video Player
by God of Devices on March 27, 2008
Pros: Big Widescreen; First 'Rentals' iPod.
Cons: Too big; iPod Nano has same features; Click Wheel Very Sensitive
Summary: Over all the cons about the Apple 'iPod Classic' (80gb), the Video player is a new for small portable devices, this iPod in particular sold 800,000 in half a ...
Summary: Over all the cons about the Apple 'iPod Classic' (80gb), the Video player is a new for small portable devices, this iPod in particular sold 800,000 in half a year!
It is smart, but I much prefer the iPod 'Video Nano' to this particular iPod.
6/10 - God of Devices1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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C'mon... Why are some of you bashing this?
by ZTBELL21 on January 19, 2008
Pros: Video, 80GB storage capacity, nothing even comes close to the interface
Cons: What cons? No WMA support? Just add rockbox to your firmware... Also, the non-user-replaceable battery...
Summary: I got this player along with my new MacBook Pro 15.4" and really like it. Here are my reasons:
1. 80 GB storage and video playback. I know, M$ ...Summary: I got this player along with my new MacBook Pro 15.4" and really like it. Here are my reasons:
1. 80 GB storage and video playback. I know, M$ and Archos have similar storage capacity, but can M$ and Archos actually put the capacity to good use with their own online music stores?
2. The iPod interface. Nobody (not even Creative, Archos and M$) can come close to the 7-year old (and near perfect) interface of the iPod.
My only gripe is the lack of a user-replaceable battery. However, that said, iPod gets LONG battery life (unlike my old Creative Zen SLEEK ) and has decent storage (unlike my Sandisk Sansa e250).
Overall, this iPod is well worth the $249 price tag.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Still great for Music and awesome storage space! ! !
by quicksilver_pr on December 19, 2007
Pros: More storage capacity than the previous model for the same price, and battery life ! ! !
Cons: Video output now requires a proprietary cable; some older iPod video accessories are not compatible
Summary: I've only previously owned a 5th gen 30GB iPod Video. So far I am very, very happy with my new 80GB classic. Installation was a breeze. I already had ...
Summary: I've only previously owned a 5th gen 30GB iPod Video. So far I am very, very happy with my new 80GB classic. Installation was a breeze. I already had iTunes set up with all my music, so all I had to do was load up iTunes and plug in the iPod, and automation took care of the rest. The iPod charged up in a few hours. That simple!
The 80GB classic is perfect for what I use it for: listening to my entire music collection from one convienent place. I've been listening to it for many many hours straight, and it's barely even touched the battery. The screen is nice and vibrant for looking at all the cover art, and the backlight auto shuts off to save on batteries when you aren't using it, especially useful when it's just sitting in your pocket or glovebox. The brushed aluminum looks very stylish and gives it a more solid feel. The clickwheel can be a little sluggish at times, but I've never found myself irritated by it.
All in all an excellent purchase. Extremely impressed by the battery life. and the fact that now you can get 80GB of storage for the same price of the 30GB.
What's also neat is that the iPod comes with 3 pre-loaded games.1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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easiest way to consumer podcasts from iTunes U
by Trentnew on October 11, 2009
Pros: great product that makes your life so easy. Screen big enough for podcast videos. Reliable and easy to use. The combination with iTunes makes the most of it for me.
GREAT to be able to sync my calendar and address book. Your agenda in your pocket!Cons: cannot connect with my iMac many times. Need to reset all the time! some videos available at iTunes cannot be copied (but at least iTunes tells you in advance).
scroll whell would need some tweeks to be more accurate.
really bad: cannot rate videos.Summary: before this iPod I had a Philips GoGear. That was a big pain downloading podcasts, hours of converting them and many didn't play properly. With iPod I don't ...
Summary: before this iPod I had a Philips GoGear. That was a big pain downloading podcasts, hours of converting them and many didn't play properly. With iPod I don't need to do anything besides selecting the podcast in iTunes. It's so simple and smooth. It's price is well worth more than that. And iTunes gives you access to amazing conferences and university lectures.
another thing many video players are really bad at: saving the playing position. This is a must have feature which works in the iPod while it didn't really work well in the several Philips players I tried.
sad that I cannot do a bit more with it, like rate videos, see their duration in the list view (to decide which one to watch 1st depending on my time), mark them unread or add them to 'on the go playlist'
really annoying the fact that many times I need to reset the iPod because the iMac doesn't recognize it. The shop assistant didn't help.
some bugs: scroll wheel is not very accurate for short distances, text of events (calendar) is not wrapped so long lines aren't seen (which made the iPod completely dumb sometimes). -
I love it!
by drdawn32 on October 11, 2009
Pros: everything about it is great
Cons: sometimes freezes when connected to computer
Summary: It's a great ipod!
Summary: It's a great ipod!
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Great for people like me who have 50 gigs of video.
by nerdkid95 on March 30, 2009
Pros: This iPod is a great investment. I have about 50 GB of video on my computer. The iPod classic is the perfect thing for me. There is a good sized screen and the cover flow option is great. I highly recommend this product.
Cons: The screen does not do well at all in sunlight. The glare is terrible off the screen when in the sun.
Summary: I would highly recommend this product to anyone who is in a similar situation as I am. I have 50+ gigs of video, and I like to have all of ...
Summary: I would highly recommend this product to anyone who is in a similar situation as I am. I have 50+ gigs of video, and I like to have all of it with me in this nice, portable iPod. Also, the iPod classic is a life saver on a long plane or car ride. I think that this is a great product.
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Its Very Good !
by Technology_freak on October 13, 2008
Pros: Great for videos, decent sound, thin for 80 gb, very bright screen at night
Cons: needs built in radio, my click wheel is not sensitive enough since it lags sometimes, have to buy a case to protect from scratches.
Summary: Got this for my birthday, and I wanted it because I never had a ipod before. Its a nice player except its missing some basic features like radio, voice recording. ...
Summary: Got this for my birthday, and I wanted it because I never had a ipod before. Its a nice player except its missing some basic features like radio, voice recording. My ipod is still working well except sometimes the click wheel is not responding like it doesn't move.
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iPod 80 still wins the close battle against Zune.
by Justtryingtohelp on September 5, 2008
Pros: The iPod Classic 80gb is extremely reliable and comes with one of the best music player software.
Cons: The cons of this unit include poor screen size, lack of radio listening feature, and wifi connectability.
Summary: This MP3 player is very well put together. I have to say I hate giving my money to Apple just because their whole marketing scheme is "Were the cool computer ...
Summary: This MP3 player is very well put together. I have to say I hate giving my money to Apple just because their whole marketing scheme is "Were the cool computer company," but better them than Micro$oft. At first glance, the looks are pretty good; sleek and lightweight. I was torn between two MP3 players before I finally set on the iPod: zune vs. iPod. Although the Zune might offer more features than the ipod such as bigger screen, sync sharing, wifi connectability, custom back artwork, and live Radio it is missing probably the most important thing: a reliable easy to use music program. iTunes is basically the zune killer which is why i ended up buying the iPod. The iPod's easy to use software makes using the iPod much more user friendly and allows for a huge library of downloadable content. Also the sizes of the two products really swayed my decision. Although the zune looks to have basically the same specs on size when one puts the iPod and Zune next to each other there is a slight but noticeable difference. Basically it comes down to personal preference. I value a good easy to use music program which zune currently lacks. Like I said, I dont care to much for the company Apple but they make a mean MP3 player. Although Zune has many more features who really wants to listen to the radio?? Isnt that the reason you bought an MP3 player? And it might have a bigger screen but I use my mp3 player mostly for music anyway and dont want to sacrifice size for an option that will spend most of its time in my pocket.
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Very good product.
by SinisterPwn on September 3, 2008
Pros: Very good audio and video quality. nice a portable. nice look to it. very very very well organized.
Cons: tendency for hard drive to break after 1 to 2 years. high in price. song loading can be slow and tedious having to use itunes. not really good for watching movies.
Summary: Look into it more before you purchase one. it depends on what your looking for.
Summary: Look into it more before you purchase one. it depends on what your looking for.
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Best of the best in MP3 players!!!
by dragonkal8000 on July 30, 2008
Pros: Very thin and sleek, 80 GB of memory, nice screen, coverflow, aluminum front instead of old plastic fronts
Cons: Somewhat fragile, cheap headphones, scratches easily
Summary: After owning this thing for a week, the experience that this thing gives towards any music buff is incredible. Sound is flawless, has a generous 80 GB drive for tons ...
Summary: After owning this thing for a week, the experience that this thing gives towards any music buff is incredible. Sound is flawless, has a generous 80 GB drive for tons of music, video and photo storage. I did not like Apple's headphones however. They still use the same cheap headphones that were in the previous iPod models. I would recommend to all prospective buyers to get a case for this asap because this thing scratches easily and is very fragile. Drop it once and the likelyhood that this is every going to turn on again goes down.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: MB147LL/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 Black
- 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 Kbps
- 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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