Manage updates with the Download AppApple iPod (fifth-generation update, 30GB, black)
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MA446LL/A
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The amazingly low priced updated Apple iPod gets many under-the-hood improvements, but it's still not a true video player.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Apple iPod (fifth-generation update, 30GB, black) price range: $297.00 - $310.23
- Reviewed by: James Kim
- Reviewed on: 09/19/2006
The good: The enhanced iPod has the same sleek design with improved video battery life and brighter screen; it brings gapless playback to the masses; up to 80GB; new features such as instant search and enhanced games; movies now available in iTunes 7; excellent overall value.
The bad: The Apple iPod has added no major functions such as FM radio, wireless, recording; small screen not conducive to movie viewing; proprietary USB cable; narrow native video-format compatibility; body is still scratch prone.
The bottom line: The amazingly low priced updated Apple iPod gets many under-the-hood improvements, but it's still not a true video player.
User reviews
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No Problems Here
by HalfWatt on January 1, 2007
Pros: Vivid screen, battery, storage capacity
Cons: scratches easily, needs a protective case
Summary: I have had two Ipods. The first one lasted for two years(Zero Problems), then I dropped it in the gym, and that was it for that one. That is ...
Summary: I have had two Ipods. The first one lasted for two years(Zero Problems), then I dropped it in the gym, and that was it for that one. That is why you need some kind of protective case, the price of repair on these things is almost as much as a new one. The Ipod I have now is about a year old(Zero Problems). I have read the other negative reviews, and I believe for the most part it is operator error. Yes, you do have to use iTunes to transfer music, videos, etc.. to your Ipod. However you do not have to buy all(or any) of your music through the iTunes Store.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A well rounded MP3 player with a video touch
by Jotas on January 10, 2007
Pros: Large capacity for the price, Easy to use click wheel/navigation, sharp bright LCD, Tons of accessories!
Cons: Limited to iTunes software/store. Video usage and viewing is over hyped
Summary: Well what can I say. After purchasing a 4GB Nano as a gift, I took the plunge myself and ended up purchasing this 30GB 5th Gen iPod.
Well I'm ...Summary: Well what can I say. After purchasing a 4GB Nano as a gift, I took the plunge myself and ended up purchasing this 30GB 5th Gen iPod.
Well I'm not disappointed and have been able to import a lot of my music and have only made a slight dent to the hard drive capacity. Since I joined a gym I purchased a carrying case with a belt clip and arm strap. I also ended up purchasing the FM tuner adapter not for the FM tuner itself but for the control features it offers.
I'm used to the PSP controls being accessible via the similar interface that it used to come with. I love the iPod for it's sleek look and of course for the tons of accessories that are available for it.
On the negative side, the video option is over hyped. I am not sure who would like to sit on a plane looking at a wide screen movie on a tiny LCD screen. On a PSP this is doable and not exhausting. On the iPod it's not the best option. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice option to view quick clips like skits, and music videos but that's about it.
Overall you will not go wrong with this latest incarnation of the iPod. For the next gen of the iPod I would like to see illuminated control buttons on the click wheel and also a less scratch resistance but shiny face/screen. In addition a USB power adapter would be nice for the amount your spending.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Does What Its Designed To Do - Play Music!
by ajtrek on January 5, 2007
Pros: Very Nice Toy - Lots of Available Accessories
Cons: No Built -in FM Radio - Scratches Easily - Poor Documentation
Summary: O.K….I guess I’ll throw in my two cents worth of opinion. My first choice was the Creative Zen Vision 30G. Lot’s of features and good reviews. ...
Summary: O.K….I guess I’ll throw in my two cents worth of opinion. My first choice was the Creative Zen Vision 30G. Lot’s of features and good reviews. I bought the iPod Nano for my girlfriend before buying the Creative Zen. Since I’m the techie I learned how to use it so I could pass along the knowledge to her (I’m such a nice guy). By now you know my secret…this was my first MP3 player (kind’ a) I’ll explain later.
As I said…I’d read all the reviews about the Creative Zen and therefore decided to get it for myself. The deal breaker for me was that it scratched just by looking at it (Okay maybe not that easily)…but scratches it took with very little effort. I purchased a DLO case that fit so tight that the function buttons on the Zen were in a constant state of depression which affected its operation. Lastly, the touch pad (as I call it) was jittery and just didn’t have the same precision of the Nano’s click wheel. Bottom-line, I returned the Zen for the iPod Video 30G.
I mentioned that the iPod was my first MP3 player…kind’ a. Truth is I own a Sony PSP that I’ve download music to. However, the PSP is a portable game/video device first and a MP3 player second. The iPod is a MP3 player first and a portable game/video device second. You gotta know (and accept) the limitations of the devices you own. If you want to watch videos and play games get a PSP. If you want to listen to music get an iPod. I recommend the Sony MDR-EX90LP ear buds…about $100 list.
I haven’t owned my iPod for very long so I haven’t experienced the problems listed by other reviewers within two or eight weeks. Although, I wonder if the issues stem from frustration (a lack of knowledge) and/or abuse? I recommend the following book that retails for about $20 and offers a wealth of knowledge about the iPod (including the Nano and the Shuffle) entitled “The iPod Book” by Scott Kelby. Remember, the iPod 30G is not a flash drive like the Nano or Shuffle. It (iPod 30G) operates much in the same way as the hard drive on your computer…so take care not to throw it around like a brick.
Maybe Apple (without jack’n up the price for the next generation iPod) will consider a built-in FM radio, a real equalizer and a cool color screen (with better resolution) for those of you who insist upon using it as a video/game player…much like the Zen. But for now the iPod gets my overall vote.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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They've had generations to improve, but...
by fattytca on March 11, 2007
Pros: Bright, beautiful screen for photos, lots of memory
Cons: Restrictive iTunes, not intuitive, limited instructions on how to operate
Summary: I picked this iPod because I decided that although there are less expensive models from other manufacturers, the iPod is the benchmark and has the best/most plentiful peripherals.
The ...Summary: I picked this iPod because I decided that although there are less expensive models from other manufacturers, the iPod is the benchmark and has the best/most plentiful peripherals.
The player is fine - it does what it is supposed to, but the interaction was odd to me, not being a Mac guy.
Examples, I plugged the iPod into my PC and the screen started flashing this ominous circle with a cross through it warning about "Do not disconnect."
So I waited it out, figuring it would stop after it charged fully...?
No, it always says that when it's plugged in.
You also cannot access anything directly FROM the unit while it's plugged in. It just flashes that screen as if it's locked.
But my biggest beef is with the iTunes software
#1 I'm ripping all of my CD's to the harddrive so I can have MP3's... I have hundreds of CD's, and unfortunately, being able to quickly tell which cd's I ripped is tough since iTunes quickly catalogues them - not by time ripped, but by artist, album name, etc... which is fine, but if you are doing many sessions of ripping, keeping track is hard...
#2 There is an area where you drag the songs you ripped to iTunes to your iPod... I guess that's intuitive enough... there is the same thing for video, okay, I get it... but not one for photos? Why not? That's more complicated?
#3 BIGGEST BEEF - You are forced to "Sync" with a folder of your songs... so in other words, if you are ripping cd's, you put them on your harddrive first... then you put them onto the iPod... that's fine - then you must KEEP them on the harddrive or risk having them erased from the iPod the next time you "Sync" to the computer to add more songs.
Sure there's an option to manually push songs over instead of the auto sync, but that's one button push away from wiping out all of the songs you just put on the harddrive... Try cleaning out your harddrive of those 30GB of music and all of a sudden you may have wiped out your songs.
(This is where all of the idiots put their comment in on - "if you're rich enough to buy an iPod, then you're rich enough to buy an external harddrive for your songs.")
Well, I don't want to hold onto those songs on the harddrive! I already have "hard copies" in cd format and a digital copy on my iPod!
It seems to me that removing songs from your iPod should not be the default that Apple forces us into! It should be an exception! So Apple got it wrong there.
But on the whole it's fine: a nice mp3 player with a ton of storage and a brighter screen than I expected that displays gorgeous pictures.
Since it did what I thought it would do: Play music adequately, that gets an average rating of 5/10
Since it impressed me with its screen, I'll give that part an above average of 9/10
Since the software and instructions are so poor, I'll give that a below average of 2/10
That rounds out to about a 5/10.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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a really nice unit
by vabucki on March 1, 2007
Pros: Good display, easy to use
Cons: none that i can think of
Summary: easy to load music, video & pictures. took no time at all to learn the mechanics of the unit. i do miss the FM radio on my old mp3 player ...
Summary: easy to load music, video & pictures. took no time at all to learn the mechanics of the unit. i do miss the FM radio on my old mp3 player but i'm sure i'll get over it.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great for only a couple months then not worth it.
by rebela1 on December 23, 2006
Pros: Easy to use without a computer,
Cons: constant updates for ipod and tunes are annoying and have too many bugs,
Summary: i had my first ipod a 3nd gen and the click wheel went out after 8 months after looking into how much it would cost to fix it i just ...
Summary: i had my first ipod a 3nd gen and the click wheel went out after 8 months after looking into how much it would cost to fix it i just went and bought a new one, but now i have have a 5th gen and suprise suprise! 8 months later and it keep's freezing up and going to into some weird mode that i can fix by restoring and resetting it but then it still freezes up. i have given up spending 300 dollars on something i can only use for 8 months. it is not worth the price at all.
3 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Solder problem.
by lurch84 on November 7, 2009
Pros: It plays more music then i can listen to at one time. The screen is nice and it is a pleasant looking case.
Cons: Bad solder and customer service.
Summary: I had the product 7 months and it started to play static. I contacted customer support and they said i would have to pay x amount of dollars to send ...
Summary: I had the product 7 months and it started to play static. I contacted customer support and they said i would have to pay x amount of dollars to send it into them to fix the problem. I took it into our local electronics wizz kid who took it apart and used a heat gun and a wood dowel and remelted the solder which made it work. Apple customer service told me after recontacting them that this was not a common problem and it was probably my fault for dropping or damaging the device. i carried it in a protective case with scratch resisting screen protector still on the device good as new it just stopped working. I do not like apple customer service from apple and i will never buy their products again.
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Great Mp3 Player, Plays Videos and Music
by spaceracer1989 on July 20, 2008
Pros: Has Worked Well for 2 Years Now!!
Cons: Battery for Video is under 3 Hours
Summary: Great All Around mp3 Player!
Summary: Great All Around mp3 Player!
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Fantastic!
by mpanaia on March 9, 2008
Pros: 30Gs, video, etc
Cons: Can't think of any
Summary: C'mon on it's an iPod
Summary: C'mon on it's an iPod
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much better than the 2nd gen
by StrangeGirl667 on January 10, 2008
Pros: good speed, good battery
Cons: if you lose itunes you lose music when you try to update
Summary: It would be nice if they made it easier to backup your music, I have not looked into it extensively but with my 2nd gen I lost my music when ...
Summary: It would be nice if they made it easier to backup your music, I have not looked into it extensively but with my 2nd gen I lost my music when my computer experienced blue screen death....This newer generation is much easier to deal with but I am not aware of a way to keep your music if it is not backed up but still on your ipod....
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: MA446LL/A
- Description: Now that you can buy movies from the iTunes Store and sync them to your iPod, the whole world is your theater. With a 30GB or 80GB iPod in hand, those movies fit comfortably next to TV shows, new iPod games, podcasts, audiobooks, photo albums, and, of course, an entire library of music - up to 20,000 songs, in fact. How much can your pocket hold? That's up to you and your iPod. It holds up to 20,000 songs, up to 25,000 photos, and up to 100 hours of video - or any combination of each. So you can browse movies on the iTunes Store, download the ones you want (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, perhaps?), and then sync it to your iPod. Same goes for TV episodes, new iPod games, 99¢ songs, best-selling audiobooks, and an entire universe of free podcasts. Go ahead. Fill 'er up. With all that music at your fingertips, you may never want to stop listening. Lucky thing your iPod plays audio for up to 20 hours. Or, if you'd rather watch, you can feast your eyes on movies and TV shows for up to six-and-a-half hours. It might be a miracle. Otherwise, it's hard to explain exactly how 30GB of storage can fit into an iPod that's over 30% thinner than the previous fourth generation. Or how an 80GB iPod can be the same size as the 60GB model before it. However it happened, it means you can carry your entire music collection - plus a nice selection of video - absolutely everywhere you go. And a 60% brighter, more vibrant display gives your album art, photos, and video extra oomph. Finding what you want to hear among 20,000 songs could be quite a chore - unless you have an iPod. A new interface lets you search your iPod using the patented Click Wheel. And if you're a fan of live albums, classical works, or anything that sounds best when it's continuous, iPod supports gapless playback that seamlessly transitions from one song to another.
General
- Product type Digital player
- PC interface(s) supported Hi-Speed USB
- Digital storage Built-in 30 GB Hard disk drive
- Weight 4.8 oz
- Dimensions (W x D x H) 2.4 in x 0.4 in x 4.1 in
- Color Black
- Included accessories [Jul 2, 2008 from CDS: Miscellaneous] Docking station adapter,
Carrying case,
USB cable - iPod Generation 5G
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 16 - 320
- ID3 tags support Yes
- External hard drive function Yes
- Additional features 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 illumination color White
- 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,
Timer,
Digital clock - Addtional features Photo wallet,
Hold button,
Volume limiter ,
Phone book,
H.264 playback,
Battery level indication,
Calendar,
Upgradeable firmware,
Rechargeable capability,
MPEG-4 playback,
Built-in games ,
Date display,
Playback speed control ,
USB 2.0 compatibility,
Notes Equalizer
- Equalizer factory preset qty 20
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 1 x USB cable - External
- Connector type 1 x Docking station,
1 x Headphones / remote control / composite video Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm Battery / Power
- Battery Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
- Mfr estimated battery life 14 hour(s)
- Recharge time 4 hour(s)
System Requirements
- Peripheral / Interface devices [Dec 3, 2010 from CDS: System Requirements] USB port (compatible with 2.0 specification)
- Operating system Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 or later,
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2 or later,
Apple MacOS X 10.3.9 or later,
Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 or later
Product series
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Apple iPod (fifth-generation update, 30GB, black)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: 30 GB,
2.5 in,
14 hour(s),
4.8 oz,
Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion,
Apple Lossless,
WAV,
MP3,
AIFF,
Audible,
AAC,
Digital player -
Apple iPod (fifth-generation update, 80GB, black)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: 80 GB,
2.5 in,
20 hour(s),
5.5 oz,
Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion,
Apple Lossless,
WAV,
MP3,
AIFF,
Audible,
AAC,
Digital player
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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