REVIEW: Apple 4G iPod
Geeks.com sent us in one of their best and cheapest mp3 players in their catalog, the 4G iPod. Read on for more.
The G4 iPod was first released in summer of 2004. Sure, it's an older model, but it holds a significant value in the history of the main iPod line: it's the last "true" mp3 player from Apple. Since then, Apple added picture support, then video, then touchscreens... but the 4G version is still the last iPod for purity lovers who don't like convergence devices.
In the version we received --a refurbished model from HP-- we found in the box the actual iPod, a USB cable and the white earbuds. There is no wall AC adapter, dock, manuals or other accessories that you would find in the original retail version. The iPod came with about 30% battery charge, and getting it to 100% took about 2 hours of time. After that, we were able to easily sync our iTunes library in its internal 40 GB drive and also upgrade its firmware version (iPods come with version 3.1.0, while latest is 3.1.1). The six-line, four-grayscale screen is very vibrant (more so than the iPod Mini), with or without its backlight support. Other hardware features include the 3.5mm headphone jack, the "lock" button that prevents you from accidentally pressing buttons during playback, and the standard iPod port at the bottom used for charging, data exchange and custom accessories.
The 4G iPod had few new features over the previous 3G generation, and these mostly have to do with the clickwheel now also accommodating the menu/play/next/previous buttons, and the bigger battery capacity. We managed to use the iPod for a good 10 hours straight before it started giving up, which is a good track for that iPod generation. The device felt pristine in our hands, easy to grab and use. We experienced no scratches or other blemishes, even after a week of usage. The front of the iPod is a thin layer of clear plastic polished coating that makes the device shine, while the back of the device features a chrome-like metal. At 158 gr, the device has a good size and weight, being the hard drive-based device that it is.
The iPod is able to playback mp3, AAC, Apple's lossless codec, WAV and AIFF. It is also able to playback audiobooks and podcasts. Among its extra features, we found a notes application, a Contacts application, calendar and alarm functionality and three games. There is no FM radio in the iPods, but this is easily added via accessories -- and speaking of accessories, what a vibrant third party manufacture community exists for these iPods!
The biggest feature of all the Apple products is really the user interface (UI). Apple engineers have made an amazing work providing one of the best user experiences with mobile devices. All actions take place with the clickwheel, which is so simple and so easy to learn. The central button let's you go through menus and confirm actions, while the "menu" button gets you to the previous menu. We loved how the iPod is able to "remember" your last position in a long list of 10000 songs. When you get back to that menu, it will have selected the file you were browsing in your last visit. There is a sense of perfection and well-thought process in the way menus and actions are organized.
Sure, the 4G iPod won't playback movies, won't let you install third party games, or view pictures, but it's a perfect music player -- if not for one single missing feature: gapless playback. That's the only feature we believe that Apple should have had in their iPods from day 1 (the feature was added in the 5.5G iPod, just a year ago). Nevertheless, this model remains one of the purest, to the point music players ever released, so for that offering price, it's a good deal.
Rating: 8/10