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Sara Cammeresi

A review of the current iPod line —

I recently upgraded my iPod, so I figured I'd let the world know My Official Opinion regarding the iPods currently on offer. For the ones I think are worth considering, the facts boil down as follows:

• iPod nano — $200, 8 Gbytes, 2-inch screen
• iPod classic — $250, 80 Gbytes, 2.5-inch screen
• iPod touch — $300, 8 Gbytes, 3.5-inch screen
• iPhone — $400, 8 Gbytes, 3.5-inch screen, phone

In addition to not listing all models, I also didn't list all features. What I listed are the most important attributes to be considered.

The Nano (aka Phatty) is small, but the audio jack is on the bottom. Huh? How is not being able to stand it up whilst on the treadmill (my main intended use) an advantage? The Classic has mega storage which I don't need and is heavier but has a larger screen. The Touch has a very nice screen indeed, but I'd want to run non-Apple applications on it, and it's not clear how well that's going to work yet. As for iPhone, I already have a totally unlocked mobile with which I'm happy, and as I now work exclusively from home, I wouldn't use the data features much anyway. Or would I?

I was tempted to make the decision based on screen size, but felt tempted by feature creep to creep up to the Touch. Those small $50 increments are very dangerous indeed! I wasn't hot on going with a Touch or iPhone because they're closed platforms. I could go cheap, but how would I stand the device up if I wanted to watch TV shows whilst exercising? Was it worth an extra $50 to get the audio jack on the top? But then why not just spend another $50 for a bigger screen? Maybe I should go cheap now and wait a year or two for better options and a more established situation regarding third party apps and the Touch/iPhone?

I decided that last strategy was the way forward. Throwing away $200 in a year or two isn't a big deal, but wasting $300-400 would make me unhappy.

So I spent $212 on an iPod nano and $3 on a package of sticky tack, a blob of which does a superb job of holding my new Phatty in whatever position I desire.

posted by Sid at 20.33 / 106 in Apple     [ Comments: 0 ]