Apple iPod Classic (third generation, 160GB, black)
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MC297LL/A
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The iPod Classic refines the formula that put the iPod on the map. Few can match its combination of storage capacity, battery life, and intuitive user interface.
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CNET editors' review
Apple iPod Classic (third generation, 160GB, black) price range: $229.00 - $249.99
- Reviewed by: Donald Bell
- Reviewed on: 09/10/2009
- Released on: 09/09/2009
The good: The iPod Classic offers a sleek, understated design with an easy-to-use interface and great podcast support; Genius feature creates new playlists for you; video playback is excellent; and rated battery life is great.
The bad: EQ control is limited; some older iPod video accessories may not be compatible; the plastic screen is susceptible to scratching; 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 refines the formula that put the iPod on the map. Few can match its combination of storage capacity, battery life, and intuitive user interface.
The iPod Classic is Apple's iconic hard-drive-based MP3 player, with design roots that date back to 2001's original iPod model. If you can resist the fashion appeal and gee-whiz features of Apple's slimmer iPods, such as the iPod Nano and iPod Touch, the 160GB iPod Classic ($249) still delivers the most bang for the buck.
Design
The third-generation iPod Classic is indistinguishable from its predecessor in all external physical characteristics. An anodized-aluminum faceplate covers the front of the Classic in either black or silver, while the back of the iPod is covered in the same scratch-showing, smudge-loving chromed steel found on most iPods.
The third-generation iPod Classic fits a whopping 160GB hard drive into the same enclosure as its 120GB predecessor, a pocket-size 2.4 inches by 4.1 inches by 0.41 inch. The screen is still made from plastic, making it the only remaining iPod that hasn't yet switched to a scratch-resistant glass screen.
The third-generation iPod Classic is also now one of the only iPods to use a split-screen main menu layout, displaying menu items on the left half of the screen and a picture related to the selection on the right. For example, highlighting Music on the main menu causes the right half of the screen to display a drifting close-up of cover artwork from your music library. This split-screen effect is more beautiful than it is distracting, and applies to menu items such as movies, podcasts, and photos, as well. You also have the option to browse your music using the Cover Flow view made popular by the iPhone, however, the novelty of Cover Flow wears thin without a touch-screen display. Users with large music collections to sort through will prefer browsing using the list mode or search function.
Features
Like its predecessor, the third-generation iPod Classic offers the capability to create instant Genius playlists. The Genius feature lets you create an instant 25-song playlist based on the musical characteristics of a single song, offering a new way to group together similar songs in your collection. Genius is easy to use, and the results are fun, provided your music collection holds enough songs to make interesting connections (with 160GB of storage, that shouldn't be hard). You can create and save Genius playlists directly onto your iPod, and with automatic syncing enabled in iTunes you can also transfer them back to your computer. Oddly, the Genius feature won't work if you haven't enabled Genius on your computer's iTunes software. If you find iTunes' Genius feature too demanding on your computer's resources or too invasive of your privacy (the feature reports your listening habits to Apple), then you'll need to live without the feature on your iPod as well.
The third-generation iPod Classic is also capable of recording voice memos, although you'll need to pay a little extra to get the feature working. Many third-party iPhone headsets are compatible with the Classic's voice recording feature and Apple Apple sells its own line of compatible headsets, as well. Without purchasing a compatible headset, however, there is no built-in way to create voice recordings with the iPod Classic right out of the box.
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 or rent 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 be switched on and off for video files that support them.
Apple's audio file format support remains the same. The iPod Classic allows for manually adding and deleting music and video files, but with 160GB of storage, many users will prefer to have their entire media library sync automatically. The Classic can also double as a USB hard drive in a pinch.
Performance
The iPod Classic's sound quality is clean and crisp, but still uninspired when it comes to sound enhancement options. Users do get more than 20 equalization presets to choose among--but half of them are either useless or indistinguishable from one another. Compared with products such as the Creative Zen, the Samsung P3, or the Sony X-Series Walkman, the iPod's sound quality still leaves room for improvement. That said, after listening with our Ultrasone HFI-2200 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 of 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.
The iPod Classic's enhanced battery life is one of the better reasons to fork over your money to Apple. The 160GB Classic is rated for 36 hours of audio playback and 6 hours for video, and if it's anything like its predecessor, this player will likely beat those times when CNET Labs puts it through drain tests (check back soon for those results).
Is it worth upgrading?
If you're looking for an iPod that can store more than 64GB of music and video, the 160GB iPod Classic is the only option now available to you. Before you leap, however, you should know that the iPod Nano, the iPod Classic, and the iPod Touch, all require iTunes 9 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 without 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 futuristic 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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iPod sort options inadequate for large library
by dan_034 on December 22, 2009
Pros: High capacity for storage of music, photos, and videos.
Cons: Sort options make finding files clumsy and difficult. Small screen size not good for viewing pictures or videos.
Summary: The high capacity of this device should make it a great product for those with large libraries. Unfortunately, the small screen is less than ideal for viewing videos or pictures ...
Summary: The high capacity of this device should make it a great product for those with large libraries. Unfortunately, the small screen is less than ideal for viewing videos or pictures and the sort options make it nearly unusable for large audio libraries. When sorting music by ?Artist? the iPod produces an almost incomprehensible list with multiple entries for artists, not in alphabetical order, and including every artist & combination of artists from every album. While the iTunes software includes tag fields for ?Sort Artist? and ?Sort Album Artist? the iPod doesn?t support these options. Apple has really missed the mark with this device. I recommend checking out the Zune for those in need of large capacity devices.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Ipod Classic 160GB
by francisat on September 12, 2009
Pros: - capacity
- battery life
- design and size : as thin as the 120gbCons: - The screen is still plastic hence I purchased a case immediately after before getting the ipod.
- Sound not as sharp as my Sony 16GB but very respectable quality.
- Only update on product is the size from 120GB to 160GB Apple could be more generousSummary: I have tested the product over the last 2 days and thinks this is a great MP3 I used to own the previous 160gb classic but got rid of it ...
Summary: I have tested the product over the last 2 days and thinks this is a great MP3 I used to own the previous 160gb classic but got rid of it due to the size and slowness of the interface and lack of Genius feature. Apple has delivered a nice update to the classic, it may not be a touch but it does the job very well for those who just want to enjoy the music and don't need the gaming capability and other cool features of the ipod touch.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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EXCELENT PLAYER....GOOD SOUND N GOOD HARD DRIVE...
by IRENIUS on May 22, 2011
Pros: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Cons: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Summary: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Summary: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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Simple and Adequate
by Hellrazr360 on May 18, 2011
Pros: More storage than most players come close to, has everything you've come to expect from an iPod product, reliable for long-term use, good sound quality.
Cons: Lack of any real innovation, design is simple but looks and feels tired (especially with the click-wheel), performance can be occasionally lagged and unresponsive.
Summary: The iPod is one of those devices that everyone knows about: the basic media player from iPod with a few variants. Everyone knows what one looks like and how to ...
Summary: The iPod is one of those devices that everyone knows about: the basic media player from iPod with a few variants. Everyone knows what one looks like and how to operate them. It's so familiar that it might be overly so.
Since just about everything that we've come to expect from Apple's original iPod is still present, I won't bother delving much into the features. if there was an award for most simple and standard media player out there, the iPod would be guaranteed to win this across every site. Having 160GB of space, this latest version of the iPod Classic has more than enough room for those with large amounts of music, videos and/or pictures. Though one could argue that those who don't have nearly as much content even on their computers would be fine with one of the less-expensive iPod versions, this third generation offers the best bang for buck. And given how much Apple products tend to cost, that's saying a lot.
The Classic's screen still looks nice and plays videos in adequate quality, but with large screens dominating the market (including devices such as the Zune, iPod Touch and iPhone) it's tough to feel compelled towards using the product for anything other than music playback. And given the $250 price tag, I wouldn't mind losing some of the (lesser) features and quirks for a more affordable price.
While the iPod Touch might be a more physically appealing product, containing more (better) features and a vastly superior interface, it's still tough to justify the purchase of a 64GB product for $350. Given the gap between that and this 160GB iPod Classic for $250, one begins to long a more reasonably priced bridge between the space, design and features. -
Simply great
by robin20993 on February 28, 2011
Pros: 1.Great User Interface with Great click wheel
2.SUpermassive hard drive
3.Rated Battery Life is outstanding
4.Display quality for video is great.Cons: 1.Sometimes It lags
2.Stainless Stell gets scratches
3.Little bit hard to slide the hold switch
4.Less InnovationSummary: Ipod classic is the best Ipod I've ever had. It has a lot of capacity, i can fill all my songs, all my movies, all my photos, in just ...
Summary: Ipod classic is the best Ipod I've ever had. It has a lot of capacity, i can fill all my songs, all my movies, all my photos, in just a pocket-size music player which is pretty enough. I love all the things here, Ipod classic is timeless
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Good Player
by woosamaquin on January 21, 2011
Pros: Storage capacity, sound quality, user interface and audio format options.
Cons: Hard drive issues?
Summary: Great player overall. But I've owned two and they have both had what seems like a hard drive issue that starts pretty much right after the warranty expires! I'...
Summary: Great player overall. But I've owned two and they have both had what seems like a hard drive issue that starts pretty much right after the warranty expires! I'm guessing there may be some sort of fragmentation problems, because after a while the players have gotten VERY laggy in response time (i.e. I press up to go to the previous menu and don't get there for 5+ seconds). And this happens at under 50% drive capacity. Reformatting and reloading the software via iTunes fixes the issue but who wants to do this every 5 months?
It's a great player but I would recommend an extended warranty if not too expensive! -
Great product, but lags a lot!
by wickersham94 on January 5, 2011
Pros: Lots of storage, good weight and screen size.
Cons: Cost is a little high, screen resolution and it being made of plastic, LAG!
Summary: First off, as with most Apple products, this is an excellent device. There storage capacity is unreal, letting me put all of my music, TV shows, and Movies on one ...
Summary: First off, as with most Apple products, this is an excellent device. There storage capacity is unreal, letting me put all of my music, TV shows, and Movies on one device and still have close to 100gb free! Now, there is some drawbacks to this wonderful product. First off, the lag. It's unbearable! If you are scrolling through, well pretty much anything it will lag. My music collection is somewhat repeatable, at close to 3000 songs and scrolling through my artists is amazingly lagy. Don't know if "lagy" is a word but im going to use it anyways. The cover flow is almost un-useable because of this lag. When you listen to music and put the hold switch on, then take it off hold to change a song or something, it almost always is non responsive. In this situation you must switch it back into the HOLD state then take it back into regular mode. The screen os made of plastic which is very prone to scratches but you can purchase screen protectors or a case (which is what I use). Other than those three things it is a very good product in terms of sound,video, and podcast quality. I would deffinetly recommend the product to anyone with a large itunes collection. If you don't have a large collection I would advise something along the iPod Nano or iPod Touch because the price is too much for someone who only has 1000 songs a couple of TV shows.
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Great iPod for anyone who loves their music and movies
by acm123 on April 22, 2010
Pros: Enough space for just about anybody, most people won't use a fraction of the space. The price is reasonable. Full-featured iPod, the best iPod for if you don't need ipod touch apps.
Cons: some older speaker aren't compatible, but everything else is good.
Summary: It you want a music player that can hold all of your library and more, get this iPod! You won't regret it!
Summary: It you want a music player that can hold all of your library and more, get this iPod! You won't regret it!
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: MC297LL/A
- Description: Decisions, decisions. Who needs them? Why should you have to choose what to put on your iPod? With up to 160GB of storage, iPod classic lets you carry everything in your collection - up to 40,000 songs or up to 200 hours of video - everywhere you go. In a completely new, even thinner, all-metal design, this iPod is a modern classic. If 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. 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. 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. There's always something good on iPod classic. Browse thousands of episodes of your favorite TV shows on the iTunes Store, buy them, 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. 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. 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. 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. All iPod games are designed specifically for the iPod interface. And all of them look great on the 2.5-inch color display. 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. 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. If you forget your combination, just reset when you sync. Or use the built-in stopwatch to log your best times.
General
- Product type Digital player
- PC interface(s) supported Hi-Speed USB
- Digital storage Built-in 160 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
- iPod Generation 6G
Digital Player / Recorder
- Supported digital audio standards Apple Lossless ,
WAV ,
MP3 ,
AIFF ,
Audible ,
AAC - Playback modes Random play / shuffle,
All tracks repeat,
One track repeat,
Playlist - Response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
- Supported bit rate 8 - 320 Kbps
- ID3 tags support Yes
- External hard drive function Yes
- Additional features MPEG-4 playback,
Variable bit-rate compatible,
JPEG photo playback Built-in Display
- Audio system built-in display LCD
- Diagonal size 2.5 in
- Resolution 320 x 240
- Backlight display Yes
- Display menu language Danish,
Korean,
Greek,
Chinese (traditional),
Chinese (simplified),
Turkish,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
Finnish,
Polish,
Portuguese,
Norwegian,
Italian,
French,
Dutch,
Spanish,
Russian,
English,
German,
Japanese Audio Features
- Sound output mode Stereo
- Timer Stopwatch,
Wake,
Sleep - Built-in clock Alarm,
Stopwatch,
Digital clock - Additional features Photo wallet,
Hold button,
Genius technology,
Volume limiter ,
Phone book,
Battery level indication,
Calendar,
Upgradeable firmware,
Built-in games ,
Cover Flow,
Date display,
Playback speed control ,
USB 2.0 compatibility,
Notes Equalizer
- Equalizer type Digital graphic
Remote Control
- Remote control None
Headphones
- Headphones type Binaural Ear-bud
- Sound output mode [Sep 14, 2011 from CDS: Audio Output] Stereo
- Response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
- Impedance 32 Ohm
- Connectivity technology Wired
Connectivity
- Cable(s) included USB cable - External
- Connector type 1 x Docking station,
1 x Headphones Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm Battery / Power
- Battery Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
- Mfr estimated battery life 36 hour(s)
- Recharge time 4 hour(s)
- Power device type None
System Requirements
- Peripheral / Interface devices [Jul 2, 2008 from CDS: System Requirements] USB port (compatible with 2.0 specification)
- Operating system Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3,
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP3,
Microsoft Windows Vista,
Apple MacOS X 10.4.11 or later
Product series
-
Apple iPod Classic (third generation, 160GB, silver)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: 160 GB,
Apple Lossless,
WAV,
HE-AAC,
MP3,
AIFF,
Audible,
AAC,
2.5 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion,
36 hour(s),
Digital player -
Apple iPod Classic (third generation, 160GB, black)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: 160 GB,
Apple Lossless,
WAV,
MP3,
AIFF,
Audible,
AAC,
2.5 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion,
36 hour(s),
Digital player
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Apple products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Apple
- Address:
One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014 - Phone: 1-408-996-1010
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