vadimio's Full Review: Apple iPod mini 1st Generation Silver (4 GB) MP3 P...
Apple’s iPod series has become a staple in the portable audio industry. It is perhaps the most recognized and most wanted portable audio device and the series evolves every few months. The latest batch of iPods has transformed the series, as the iPod has evolved into a Miniature version of itself. Although I haven’t spent too much time with this toy yet, it is a very unique and sleek gadget that warrants a review.
The iPod Mini’s design is very attractive. The player’s exterior is made of anodized aluminum, which is an extremely hard material that appears to be unbreakable. It is also virtually scratch and dirt resistant, which helps the iPod maintain its great looks. The unit is a mere 3.6 x 2 x 0.5 inches, which is tiny. People don’t realize how small it is until they see it, and then they realize it is actually smaller than their cell phone. It also weighs just 3.7 ounces, so when it is inside your pocket, you barely feel its weight.
The iPod Mini comes in five different metallic colors including gold, silver, blue, green and pink. I had the pleasure of fiddling around with the gold version, although from a personal standpoint the blue one is more attractive. The iPod’s shape is very smooth and elegant, which you can see from the picture on top of this page. The back of the unit features the Apple logo, while the sides contain no jacks or ports. The bottom of the unit is home to the USB 2.0/Firewire port for the transfer of songs or to recharge the unit’s battery, while the top of the unit is where the ‘hold’ button (to prevent accidental button presses) and headphone/remote jack are located.
The front of the unit is where the LCD screen and the ‘Click-Wheel’ are located. The top third of the iPod is occupied by the blue backlit LCD screen, which is 1.7 inches in diameter, which is 0.3 inches smaller than the original iPods. The display screen is extremely sharp and when a song is playing, the artist and title of the song are displayed in vivid black letters. The contrast is adjustable. The ‘Click-Wheel’ is a very innovative way to make selections and is available only with iPods. Basically, there is a touch-sensitive wheel and by scrolling it in one direction or the other you can browse through 1,000 tracks in a matter of seconds. By softly pressing the circle in the middle you choose your selection. On the edge of this wheel there are four buttons, which were previously also touch-sensitive on past iPods but now must be clicked – the play, back/menu, rewind and fast-forward buttons.
A major point of concern with iPods in the past has been the battery. The battery longevity is still the same as past iPods – you still get only roughly eight hours of battery life per charge. The battery is a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, which takes 3 hours to fully recharge (strangely enough 80% of the battery is recharged during the first hour, while two more hours are necessary for the last 20% of juice). The battery is once again non-replaceable, so when it dies (presumably in 2-3 years) you will have to get Apple to install a new one for the hefty price of $99. As you can tell, the battery life is still somewhat lacking and the fact that it is non-replaceable is somewhat discouraging.
The iPod Mini features a four-gigabyte hard drive, which can hold up to 1,000 songs. When connected to a computer, it can also be used as an external drive, as you can upload files from one computer and transfer them onto another. The unit costs $250, which is extremely expensive for a four gigabyte MP3 player. If you shop around, you will notice that Apple’s 15-gigabyte iPod costs merely $50 more, so if small size doesn’t mean too much for you, then the iPod Mini might not be what you want. An excellent 20-gigabyte MP3 player from Dell costs only $30 more than the iPod Mini, while Creative Nomad’s four-gigabyte model is $50 cheaper. As you can tell, a high price is one of the disadvantages of the iPod, yet the first iPods were also overpriced yet they still sold like hotcakes, which proves that people will buy the sleeker and perhaps better quality product for more money.
The iPod Mini comes with USB 2.0 and Firewire cables. You can use whichever you want to transfer songs between your iPod and computer, and each provides extremely fast song transfers. You can charge the iPod via the USB cable now, although an AC adapter is also provided. The iPod Mini also comes with a white belt-clip, which snaps onto the unit easily and is very secure, although a case is no longer provided. The ear-buds that are included are fairly good, although for improved bass and pure and amazing sound quality I used my pair of $40 Sony ear-buds. Radio is not available on iPods and the remote is sold separately.
The software bundle that is included is iTunes 4, which is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh. The software is very easy to use, and transferring songs is a synch. Creating playlists is also very easy. The iTunes Music Store is closely affiliated with the software, so downloaded songs legally and transferring them onto your iPod takes no effort whatsoever. You can also create playlists without the aid of a computer, and when searching for a song on the iPod you can quickly separate the tracks by artist, album, playlist or song title. MP3, AAC, MP3 VBR, Audible, AIFF and WAV files are all supported so basically all your songs can be listened to on the iPod.
The iPod features plenty of playmodes, including random play, repeat all and repeat once. While listening to a song, you can rate it on a scale of one to five, and songs that are rated highly by you will appear more constantly when on shuffle mode. The iPod Mini is virtually skip-free, and it also features twenty preset equalizer selections. The iPod Mini also comes with a built in digital clock, a calendar and phonebook that can be synched to your PC version of Outlook, a memo pad viewer and some entertainment. There are three games – Brick, Parachute and Solitaire, as well as a Music Quiz, which tests your music recognition knowledge. All of this is just extras.
I would also like to mention that the Apple iPod Mini is compatible with Apple MacOS X 10.1.5 or higher, and only with Microsoft Windows XP. Therefore, if your computer runs on Windows 98, 2000 or ME look elsewhere, as the iPod is incompatible with your operating system.
Overall, the Apple iPod Mini is a very sleek and ‘cool’ portable audio device. It is jam-packed with features, contains a four-gigabyte hard drive and a rechargeable battery. At a hefty price tag of $250, the ultra-small device is a top-of-the-line device that should be considered by those that have extra money to spend. However, if you are looking for the best possible deal, then the iPod Mini might not be the answer.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 249.99 Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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