Review: iPod 5G

Engadget has a nice round-up post of other people's reviews, although I was disappointed that my first impressions post didn't make the cut. I mean, sure, it wasn't a full review, but I thought it was nice. ;-)

In any case, in an attempt to make the cut (Update: I did! w00t!), here's my full-fledged review. Some of this I mentioned before in the earlier post and in the video podcast we released yesterday. So, let's start with the basics...

In the box: In the box, you have your brand-new iPod (yay!), a USB 2.0 docking cable (eh, where's the Firewire?), a little dock adapter (cool, I guess; I don't use the Dock), the white earbuds (Boo! Twice: once because the earbuds are pretty skimpy earphones and again because my black iPod must again have non-matching white earbuds), and the new included slipcase, which I actually like. Upon first seeing the slipcase, you think, "That's kind of a cheap case," but when you factor in that Apple hasn't included a case in quite some time, it's actually a bonus, and a useful bonus too. More after the jump...
In the box (cont.): The thin white fabric of the slipcase is a nice tight fit around the iPod and is made of a soft chamois-like material that is good for rubbing smudges off of your iPod. "iPod" is embossed on the top flap of the slipcase, and the material is thin enough to actually turn up the volume and navigate your iPod's controls while it is still in the case. The fabric also has a slight grip to it. The iPod in the case doesn't slide around when on the table, on one of the wrist rests of my PowerBook, or on the seat next to me in the train. The only real downside on the case is that it too comes in "iPod White." This isn't a problem because it doesn't match my black iPod (well, it is to a certain degree), but because the case is made of a porous cloth material, and my week old iPod white slipcase is already looking more "iPod grey"; or perhaps, "iPod nasty." Like scratches to a black iPod nano, the stains will flock to your iPod's slipcase. I plan on eventually washing it to see how it holds up, and then I'll probably go ahead and dye it black.You also, of course get all the regular odds and ends, like an installation CD (I was hoping a free music video or two would be included, but no such luck) and the infamous Apple stickers.

iPod form-factor / design: If you haven't seen the 5G iPod in person yet, then you probably think, "It's huge." In actuality, this is an optical illusion caused by the new wider screen, and the smaller touch-dial. The 60GB iPod 5G is actually the same width and height as the 60GB iPod 4G, and it's thinner and lighter. Where the old iPod design was rounded on both the front and the back, this new iPod is only rounded on the back. The front is a flat surface all the way to the edge, as if it were the end cut off of a loaf of iPod bread. Mmmm, iPod bread...

One thing that I have noticed about the new design is that I am being, perhaps overly, cautious about the screen. The big gorgeous screen and the knowledge that I will be watching videos on the screen from time to time has me treating my new iPod with much more care than I have treated any of my previous iPods. I normally throw my iPods haphazardly into my bag, not caring about any scratches. I mean, until now, the iPod has been for listening to hours and hours of music. No worries about scratches. And even the slight scratches on the photo-capable iPod's screen were better for viewing photos than the crumpled up 2x3 print outs in my wallet. But now, that screen is moving-image capable and suddenly that has me all scratch-phobic when it comes to the screen (a stationary scratch as images move behind it would drive me absolutely batty). So I'm carefully slipping this iPod in and out of that slipcase, keeping it in the slipcase more often than out.

Also, the new smaller-circumference dial on the face of the 5G iPod takes some getting used to. When the iPod is out of its slipcase and you are staring straight at it, it's very easy to tell what's what, but when it's in your pocket in the slipcase, if you are used to the wheel on the 4G iPods, you are going to have some navigational problems at first. Several times now, I've been trying to turn up the volume without pulling my iPod out of my jacket pocket only to have nothing happen until I suddenly blow it up full volume and wince in pain. Of course, I'm a bumbling slapstick-comedy-esque idiot. Your mileage may vary.

iPod as MP3 player: As an MP3 player, the new iPod is, as all iPods, on the top of its game. It's small, easily portable, carries an enormous amount of music, and has a touted 20 hours worth of battery life. Have you been wanting a soundtrack to your life? Here it is: ready to go. The sound is great; as good if not better than the 4G iPod. The only negative I've found with the 5G iPod as an MP3 player is that the flash memory in the iPod nano had spoiled my expectations. I had grown accustomed to the next song complete with album artwork popping up almost instantly on my iPod nano, and since the 5G iPod is hard drive based, there is a slight delay between switching tracks that aren't in sequence and between the file loading and the song's album artwork loading. We're talking milliseconds of delay here, but having used an iPod nano almost exclusively over the past month, I noticed the delay. Maybe, if I follow Damien's instructions, I'll be able to shorten this delay, but I'm sure I'll grow used to it in time. It is negligible.

iPod as photo viewer:Capacity is the key here. You can hold a lot of digital pictures on this iPod and the larger screen displays them very nicely. It's the same performance you've come to expect from photo-capable iPods only bigger and better. The only downside is again in comparison to the nano. The nano speeds through your photos, but the iPod 5G has a slight delay in loading some of the thumbnails as you are scanning through the images. Of course, the trade off, which is well worth this slight delay, is that you get a much larger and more detailed screen and the added bonus of being able to plug the iPod into a TV or projector to have a good old fashioned slideshow for your friends and family. I haven't tried hooking up any of my photo transfer dongles to the new iPod to test it out, but I'm sure it will still work, since it is the same Dock interface, and I'm also sure newer versions of these docks will most likely be on the horizon. I'm looking for a black one. If you are a digital photographer, the iPod is a great backup and preview tool for your photography. Sure, you could spend money on a specialized photo bank, but you cannot listen to music and watch movies on those devices.

iPod as video viewer: The video-playing capability of the 5G iPod is its hot new feature, and as such, it is both its largest point of praise and its largest point of criticism. Lots of people like the new iPod's video capabilities, and a lot of other people point out that it has a small screen and that there are other devices out there that display video better. These are somewhat valid points of criticism, but overall, for a first entry into the video-capable playback device arena, the 5G iPod isn't too shabby. The screen may be small, but it is crisp, clear, colorful, and detailed. It doesn't lose any view-ability due to its size. The size of the overall device is perfect for portable individual video viewing, as it is easy and comfortable to hold in one hand, unlike my PSP which I had to build a stand for, because it can be awkward to hold for the length of an entire show or movie. Another killer feature of the iPod is that you can plug it into a TV and take your videos with you to watch or present anywhere. This isn't unique to the iPod by any means, but I think it will be popularized by the iPod, mainly because of the way the iPod popularized MP3 players and podcasts. This new video-capable iPod combined with the video podcasting integration of the iTMS, I think, is going to result in an explosion of good grassroots video content, like Rocketboom. Not to mention what is going to happen if the networks all start offering their TV shows alongside Lost and Desperate Housewives on the iTMS. The iPod could be the one device to rule them all that brings together portable video with the same cultural force that it brought together legal MP3 listening.

Despite my optimism about the iPod, there are some weaknesses of the video capabilities of the new iPod. The most notable weakness is the battery life. Sure, while listening to MP3s, the 5G iPod has the longest battery life of any iPod to date, weighing in at a whopping 20 hours of playback, but with video play, it has one of the shortest. I haven't conducted a thorough test yet, but if I watch two hours of video, my iPod is on the very low end of its charge cycle. Whoever comes out with an external battery pack to this that is a performer and is nicely designed stands to make a lot of money. In the meantime, the rule of thumb with the new iPod is charge fully and charge often.

The other current weakness behind the video capabilities of the new iPod is the files themselves. Apple says that it'll play back MOVs, MPEG4, and h.264, but as I discovered while trying to encode the video podcast for iPod playback, it's a little bit more finicky than Apple implies. Also, the default, encode for iPod option in QuickTime takes a long time and makes a very big file. I would like to see Apple come out with a much simpler conversion process, perhaps some sort of conversion in iTunes itself. Also, if you buy files off of the iTMS or grab video podcasts from the iTMS, they default to playing from the last point where you were watching. Unfortunately, this is a by file setting that you have to toggle on or off on all of your individual video files. I'd rather have a preference on the iPod that let me choose whether to start from the beginning, start from the last point played, or to have the iPod ask me what I want to do each time I click play.

The Interface: Here's the really big drawback for me on the 5G iPod: the interface. The simplicity of navigating the iPod's controls have been lost somewhat due to the fully separate video section of the iPod. If I'm watching a video on the train during my morning commute, in order to switch over to listening to songs when I'm getting off of the train, I have to hit the menu button about 5 times to jump out to the main menu, then I have to click back down and find the songs I want to start playing. The iPod really needs a simple "Switch over to Music" or "Switch over to Video" option at the bottom of each menu that automatically switches you to the last song or last video played. Also, and this isn't a problem specific to the 5G iPod, but Apple really needs to do something about podcasts. They show up in my normal song lists and suddenly start playing when I have my full library on shuffle mode. Sure, they show up alone under the podcast section, but they, and my audiobooks, are all mixed in with my regular music. Now that we've added video podcasts to the mix, they unfortunately behave the same. When I'm listening to music on shuffle, I've had Rocketboom pop up and start playing. Since I'm in "audio mode" the video doesn't play and I get the audio only of the show, but that just shouldn't happen. We need some more separation in here, Apple.

Conclusion: Overall, I stick with my initial impression: the 5G iPod is the best iPod ever, whether you are going to be watching videos on it or not. If you are looking for a hardcore video device, then you'll most likely be somewhat disappointed. But, if you are going to have an iPod anyway, and you think you might occasionally want to watch a video while you're on the go, then you should seriously consider getting a 5G iPod. You won't be disappointed.
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