Pity the poor consumer who just decided to get their very first iPod this holiday season. That’s assuming there is anyone left that does not already possess an iPod of some sort. This mythical consumer is faced with choosing from among five different iPod models, as announced at the Apple event on September 5, each of which have been at least minimally enhanced. Which one to buy? It’s not an easy choice. They all have their merits and demerits. For those of you who are facing this happy dilemma, I offer my personal guide to Apple’s new iPod fall lineup:
The iPod shuffle. The only thing new about the shuffle are the new colors it sports. I can appreciate the shuffle as a design marvel (it’s quite cool the way it can clip to your pants pocket and of course it’s incredibly tiny). Still, the only reason I would prefer a shuffle is price. If budget constraints force you to stay under $100 for an iPod, the shuffle (at $79) is for you. Otherwise, the limitations due to an absence of a screen and a 1GB flash drive are just too great.
The iPod nano. Of all the new iPod models, the nano (at $149 for 4GB and $199 for 8GB) is the one that received the most complete overhaul. It sports a new larger screen, a new user interface that supports Apple’s Cover Flow display, and (most significantly) it can play video (TV shows, movies, and video podcasts). This has long been Apple’s most popular iPod model. The new version should further solidify its top position. By making the nano video-capable, Apple is also positioned to increase the sales of its iTunes Store video offerings.
The nano is a nearly perfect iPod. If you (like me) have lamented that you wanted the small size of the nano combined with the video capability of its larger iPod sibling, your laments have been answered. About the only negative of the nano is the more clunky square shape (necessitated by the larger screen required for video viewing). If you use an iPod only for music, you may be disappointed by the compromise in design here, preferring the old rectangular nano instead. Still, this is the iPod I recommend for almost anyone deciding among an iPod shuffle, nano, or classic.
The iPod classic. The newly named iPod classic is the latest iteration of what used to be called just the iPod. It retains all of the assets of the model it replaces while adding two significant enhancements: It uses the same redesigned interface that comes with the new nano and it offers gargantuan storage sizes of either 80GB ($249) or 160GB ($349). Still, I predict that the classic will be the biggest loser, in terms of sales, of any of the new iPods. Compared to an iPod nano, the only reason to prefer a classic is to get the larger storage capability. Given that the previous nano (which had no video features at all) outsold the previous iPod, I don’t see the large hard drive as driving much sales. Still, there are a few people with large iTunes libraries who want their entire library on an iPod. The iPod classic is for them.
On the other side of the fence, assuming you are content with 8 or 16 GB, you can move up to an iPod touch (as described in a moment) for as little as $50 less than a 160GB iPod classic. Some users may prefer the classic’s click wheel to a touchscreen. Indeed, I have written elsewhere about the downsides of using the iPhone as an iPod while driving, precisely because of its touchscreen. That aside, the iPhone touch offers many more features than the classic.
Caught between the nano on one side and the touch on the other, the market for the classic should collapse. I wouldn’t be surprised if the classic disappears altogether by the end of next year.
The iPod touch. The iPod touch ($299 for 8GB and $399 for 16GB) is the only completely new iPod, although it is one that has been expected since the iPhone was first announced. Essentially, it is an iPhone without phone or mail capabilities. If you have been hungering for an iPhone but only to use it as an iPod, if you have been devouring the details of the hacks that allow an iPhone to work as an iPod without paying for an AT&T phone contract, the iPod touch is for you.
But wait — there’s more. In addition to having all of the iPod features of the iPhone, the touch comes with Wi-Fi built-in. This means you can surf the Web, play YouTube videos or — via the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store — download songs directly from the iTunes Store to your iPod touch. The touch also supports a new Starbucks Wi-Fi download option (as described here). The touch even has one feature the iPhone does not: video out; use it to show touch content on a TV or other large display.
Note: Because the touch does not support the EDGE network (which is an AT&T feature), you will not be able to get online virtually anywhere (such as in your car while driving) as you can with the iPhone.
The iPhone. The iPhone is an iPod too. So I include it here. No changes to iPhone’s hardware were announced at the Apple event. However, Apple did make three significant improvements to the iPhone: (1) After a soon-to-be-released software update, the iPhone will support the same iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store that comes with the iPod touch; (2) you can now add your own custom ringtones (at $.99 a pop) from selected music in the iTunes Store; and (3) the price of the 8GB iPhone dropped from $599 to $399 (with the 4GB model vanishing from the line-up).
The $200 price drop is truly stunning. This means you can now get an 8GB iPhone for the same price as a 16GB iPhone touch. For me, this makes the iPhone the better value. I’d happily trade the extra 8GB for all the additional features of the iPhone (the Map program is almost worth it by itself). However, the not-so-hidden extra cost of the iPhone is the required two-year contract with AT&T. If that turns you off, or if you simply prefer to keep your phone and iPod separate, or if you live in a country where you cannot get an iPhone (which is pretty much everywhere except the U.S. right now), then you want the touch.
Note: The iPhone’s ringtone feature is quite slick. You can select any part of a song, up to 30 seconds long, and define it as your ringtone. Fades are automatically added at the start and finish. However, it only works with iTunes Store music. It will not work with music you already own (such as songs copied from your CDs). Don’t despair. There are alternatives (such as Ambrosia Software’s iToner) that easily allow you to convert any of your music into a ringtone for your iPhone. With a ringtone hack, you’ll probably want some audio software to edit songs down to a 30-second or less clip; but it otherwise works quite smoothly. Unfortunately, syncing your iPhone after updating to iTunes 7.4 (the new version that supports Apple’s ringtone feature) will wipe out your existing custom ringtones. Ambrosia is working on a solution.
The executive summary. Which iPod should you buy? I would largely rule out the shuffle or the classic. If you want to keep costs down and are content with the click wheel interface, get the iPod nano. Otherwise, get the iPhone — unless you don’t want a phone, in which case get the touch. If the choices seem especially tough this year, thank Apple for making the entire line-up so desirable. One thing is certain: Apple’s dominance of the MP3 player market isn’t going to decline anytime soon.
Ted Landau is the founder of MacFixit, and the author of Mac OS X Help Line, Tiger Edition and other Mac help books.
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