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Photograph: Courtesy of Apple
Apple iPod Photo 30GB
| Ease of use | Very Good |
| Features | Outstanding |
| Internal memory | 30GB |
| Memory card slot | 0 |
| Formats supported | AAC, AIF, Apple Lossless, Audible, BMP, GIF, JPEG, MP3, TIFF, WAV |
| Voice recording | Yes |
| Battery | Lithium ion |
| Software | ITunes |
| Other features | Photo viewing, FireWire, optional dock and remote |
| Support policies | Very Good |
| Policies | One-year parts, 90-day labor warranty; 12-hour daily toll-free support |
Apple IPod Photo
iPod Photo 30GB Review, by Cathy Lu April 12, 2004
[Editor's note: Since this review was first published, Apple has released a 30GB model of the IPod Photo, which is identical to the model reviewed here except for its capacity and price ($349). You'll find the 30GB model ranked in our latest Top 10 Audio Players chart.]
Carrying a wallet full of pictures around with you is so last year. Apple's IPod Photo makes looking at your most beloved pictures while on the go as easy as listening to your favorite tunes. But it isn't cheap.
The IPod Photo comes in two sizes. I tested a shipping 40GB version, which costs $499--$100 more than the plain-vanilla 40GB IPod. A 60GB version of the IPod Photo comes priced at $599.
This IPod variant is the first in Apple's line of digital audio players to feature a color screen. The 2-inch, 65,000-color display is beautiful and crisp, though a bit small for viewing photos. It can also display tiny versions of album art while music plays.
You load photos in the same way that you would load music, via ITunes 4.7 software. Scrolling through thumbnails--even hundreds of them--is lightning fast. You can choose to look at a single photo, scroll through photos manually, or start a slide show. The Slideshow Settings menu lets you specify, among other things, how long each slide displays, as well as a playlist to aurally accompany the slide show. An included cable gives you the option of plugging the unit into a TV's RCA jacks for big-screen viewing.
In spite of the Ipod Photo's color screen, Apple managed to improve the unit's battery life. I squeezed nearly 14 hours of listening and viewing pleasure out of one charge (that's up from about 12 hours of run time on current fourth-generation monochrome IPods).
The price may be steep, but the IPod Photo won me over with its gorgeous color screen and high-quality audio. Now instead of suffering through 40 minutes on the treadmill while staring at the calorie counter, I can pass the time looking at my favorite pictures.
Upshot: The Apple IPod Photo is an elegant but pricey way to tote around your favorite photos as well as your music.
Cathy Lu
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User Reviews
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User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: cardopolis
Strengths: Lots of space for music and photos. Sleek design. No hassle manufacturer repairs and replacement.
Weaknesses: Back scratches easy. Battery dies fast when running slide show or have EQ set and backlighting set too long.
Overall: Love it! And the COLOR! I'm a designer and had the 40GB mono color screen. Returned it after learning the photo version was coming out a month later. Wouldn't trade it for the world. I've even used the Svideo output to show clients proofs of concepts of their web sites (once I left my laptop in the car and recalled I had jpegs of the site in iPhoto)...It saved the meeting. Though I wish the OS was bit more intuitive and flexible. And when I got mine Apple hadn't restructured their 'includes' that come with the iPod. Now you have to get the dock separately and firewire cable separately. Overall..wouldn't trade it for the world (well maybe a NEW iPod)
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Reviewed by: biteapple
Weaknesses: every part of it
Overall: purchased to use all the time- thought I would love it- turns out it bites,freezes, battery wont charge proper, plays 2 songs at once, skips,screan flickers,scroll doesnt always work, had it serviced[they had it for 14 days]still has problems, i have been told they are notoroius for all these things, wish I had been informed before I forked out over 400.00 bucks. It is totally frozen again, wont turn on or off, has to go to service again. I despise the ipod, apple should go rot under a tree- and take all thier junk products with them.
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Reviewed by: jgranato
Strengths: Form-factor, User-interface, Photo support, Improved battery life, Color screen
Weaknesses: Price, Single Music Store Option (iTunes), Importing Photo limitations
Overall: I upgraded from 15gb 3rd Gen. before leaving for a trip to Europe. Purchased Apple camera connector to transfer the 1800 photos to the iPod. The screen now support color which comes in handy for viewing photos. Although the screen is small, it is adequate for casual viewing. For slide shows I would recommend using the S-Video output from the dock option.I would recommend some kind carrying case because the case does scratch easily and can be slippery when held. Numerous add-ons are available for this device including: dock, camera connector, photo cables to name just a few.
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Reviewed by: qqq21
Strengths: Best Value Compared to other iPods, Color screen
Weaknesses: more expensive than some other brands
Overall: The Apple 30 gig Photo iPod is the easiest and most efficient way I have found to store my music library and photos. It is essentially a plug and play device that should be as plugging in a power cord. I am impressed with the ease at which I can call up an artist, song, album, or playlist. Photos are the same way. Setting up a slideshow is also very easy. I recommend the iPod to anyone who wants to have there music library with them wherever they go without having to carry 100's of cd's.
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Reviewed by: daisyfresh
Strengths: Easy to use, compact, tons of accessories
Weaknesses: iTUNES -- Hateful program
Overall: I love my iPOD 60gb - everything you could want in a player EXCEPT iTUNES is confusing and not intuituitive. Transfering music from my existing music folder continues to be a hassle. iTUNES wants to look in a folder of it's own chosing and there has been little support from the iTUNES "Help" desk. BUT---- the iPOD is so great iTUNES is just a minor problem...
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