Apple iPod 20GB with Click Wheel - 4th Generation [M9282B/A]

When I received my iPod and started using it I was very glad I'd chosen it over the Creative Zen or iRiver alternatives. These competing products, that although do have some features that the iPod does not have, such as an FM tuner, don't really compete with the iPod in turns of usability and style.

The iPod is sleek, thin, light and you have a great user experience with it. The controls are spot on, and even my friends who aren't technically minded have figured out how to use it without any help. The other side of the user experience is the software side of things. The iTunes software (which is free and included with the iPod) is so easy to use. You pop a CD automatically finds the names of the tracks and starts importing the songs onto your computer. Plug an iPod in and it starts transferring songs - you don't even need to press a button! Also, by default, iTunes imports songs in the AAC format, which is better quality than MP3 files and takes up less space, so you can store more songs on the iPod! The final good point of iTunes is that it's also a music shop, which allows you to legally download songs at a price of 79p (I think) per song.

A friend of mine has a Creative Zen, and I was using it when making my decision about which music player to play. The Creative Zen is just bulkier than the iPod and just isn't as easy to use. The only real advantage of the Creative Zen is that it was considerably cheaper than the iPod, but in its 4th Generation Apple have slashed the iPod prices which brings this price gap down considerably.

The battery life of the iPod is not as good as its competitors, but it's fine for anyone other than die-hard music fans. I usually get 2/3 days out of it before needing to do a (very fast) recharge. I've used it on long travel trips too, and it's lasted me from leaving the house to arriving at the hotel many countries later.

Finally, it's also good to note that Apple has a track record of providing fantastic customer support - a service I haven't needed to use yet, but is reassuring in the event of something going wrong.

Ultimately, it's all down to your preferences. Personally, I'd recommend an iPod but if, for example, listening to the radio is very important to you then maybe you should consider other alternatives.


Setting the record straight   January 25, 2005
Mr. R. E. Caldecott (Thatcham, Berks)
98 out of 103 found this review helpful

There seems to be an awful amount of misinformation concerning the Apple iPod (and rival products) posted here, so this is my quick attempt to sort myth from fact.

* iTunes will NOT corrupt your Windows installation or damage your PC in any way. How these rumours start beggars belief. It isn't the greatest software package in the world, but it works as advertised and as you'd expect, integrates very nicely with Apples iTunes Music Store (iTMS). I doubt anyone that has used WMP10, etc. will want to use iTunes as their main player, but for iPod access, playlist creation, etc. it is fine. You may get a problem if you already have an up-to-date version of iTunes installed on your PC and you attempt to install the version that ships with your iPod, but a simple uninstall fixes this.

* Battery life. I have a new 20GB iPod and have performed a number of battery tests with different format music. If you only play very high-quality MP3s (320Kbps) then you'll be lucky to get more than 6 hours out of your battery. However, if you play smaller files (which means less disk access) then you will greatly improve on this. I performed a test with a playlist of 128Kbps MP3 files and got 13 hours out of my iPod. You can expect similar results with music bought from iTMS. Using the backlight or constantly skipping tracks, etc. will eat into your battery life, but you can create "smart" playlists in iTunes to help out. Check out www.ipodlounge.com for more information and the definitive iPod battery FAQ. I am more than happy with the performance of my iPod battery.

* Sound quality - yes, the supplied headphones are not fantastic - the iPod isn't alone in this respect - but for most people, they are perfectly adequate. I don't have any problems with them and would only change them if I was worried about being mugged (which obviously depends where you live). Note that you get some spare foam pads which is handy, as they can get dirty (depending on your level of personal hygiene of course!).

* Usability is absolutely crucial and nothing beats the iPod when it comes yo ease of user - I have used a Zen (and others) and they just don't come close. The iPod is a breeze to use - you only need to use your thumb - the Click Wheel alone should win a prize for ergonomics.

* The 20GB iPod is smaller AND lighter than you think - it really is! If you haven't had your mitts on one before, then prepare to be surprised!

* The back scratches easily, so buy a case.

Get it Quickly!   August 10, 2004
60 out of 63 found this review helpful

The iPod really comes of age....now the battery will last you a full 12.5-14 hrs of continuous playtime (for all old owners this is an unarguable advantage!) with the battery meter giving accurate readings as opposed to the previous random values. I don`t know how they did this as effectively doubling the battery life is amazing and even more so when you have had to put up with the pitiful powerlife of the 3rd gen.

The other feature improved (?) the clickwheel is a mixed blessing but it is certainly more convenient to use than the old buttons. You still also have the touch scrolling function for selecting tracks/menu features etc.

I also think the new charge from USB 2.0 is a really handy function and does away with the need to buy a dock (not included)as you can sync and charge from one cable (which is included) and also does away with the charger.

The other minor menu changes are too insig to bother or get excited about but having owned a gen3 and gen4 I can now at least listen to my iPod for a decent time before it needs recharging....and less charge cycles means longer battery life!!

P.S. do not be fazed by lack of accessories. The remote is worthless and the Apple case likewise (they have done customers a favour by doing away with these and reducing the price) If you really want a dock for charging/syncing/storage then buy one from Apple.



Apple of my eye!   January 6, 2005
22 out of 23 found this review helpful

Down to business, the iPod really is something for Apple to be proud of. Once again they have made the new 4th generation iPod even better than its predecessor. I will start with the iPod itself. Apple has introduced to the 4th gen iPod the clickwheel. This is basically a touch sensitive wheel with four buttons placed underneath the wheel. This makes scrolling through tracks very easy and is fun to play with too! The iPod looks amazing and doesn't weigh a lot either. The capacity of this iPod is 5000 songs, which is perfect for someone with an average music collection. The blue lit screen is crystal clear and perfect, but I would recommend a skin as the back gets mucky and scratches easily. You can transfer songs to your iPod one of two ways. Either through firewire or USB 2. I have a normal PC which had USB 1.1 and didn't have firewire. If this is the case, you need to buy a pci card, I would recommend firewire as it is very quick. The software included is iTunes. This is brilliant and transferred 200 songs to my iPod in minutes. However if you have Windows 2000 you will need to download Service Pack 4 from the microsoft website... windows xp users do not need to do this. Overall, I can only find two 'glitches' with the iPod. The first is the battery life. You will find yourself constantly using the iPod and the battery does go down quicker than advertised. However this isn't a major problem but extensive users might have to consider an alternative. Also, the earphones included. The sound quality is brilliant but I'm sure this has been said before, when thieves see the white earphones, they KNOW you are listening to an iPod. Perhaps investing in black earphones would be a wise purchase. In conclusion, I don't want to discourage people from buying this because it really is quite possibly the best mp3 player you can buy! So what are you waiting for? Buy it!!


IPOD   October 17, 2004
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

obviously i have brought an ipod. I spent a lot of time checking the creative, iriver and reo but i felt the ipod was the best. the battery length isn't great: it lasts about 7 hours for me. I read a lot of the reviews and they say that the headphones are useless but I still use them: they are the most cumfortable ones I have and they sound great. I seen the new creative player and it is twice as thick and longer and looks quite bad.The ipods games are rubbish and waste the battery so don't use them. I recommend buying a firewire port because it speeds up the tranfering time: they cost about £30 from PC world.I recommend an ipod but make sure you have WIndows XP or 2000.