Apple iPod (5th generation)
The King

MUSIC Support for MP3, AAC, Apple lossless, AIFF, WAV and Audible formats.
MEMORY 30GB and 80GB models available.
BATTERY Up to 14 hours of music playback/ 4 hours of slideshows with music/ 3 hours of video playback (30 GB models); Up to 20 hours of music playback/ 6 hours of slideshows with music/ 6.5 hours of video playback (80 GB models).
MISC 2.5-inch QVGA transflective color screen with 320 x 240 pixels. Can store and display photos saved in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG file formats. Dock connector for USB 2.0 interface and standard stereo headphone jack. Available in two colors: white and black (both models).


Known as the fifth generation iPod, the Apple iPod video was introduced in the late 2005. Taking portable video entertainment to a different level than it ever has been, it features a color screen and video playback capabilities. A stunning and slimmer design than the iPod photo, this latest iPod development has support for up to 150 hours of music videos and a 2.5 inch color display. With up to 20 hours of battery life, it shows an increase of five hours than the previous iPod. Under half an inch thin, the 30GB takes 45% less room than the original larger iPod, with the 60GB model at 10% thinner than the fourth generation 20GB iPod. What this all means is that the newest iPod has more in it with less space, while appearing to look fragile - yet not.

People who would benefit from iPod video are those who want to watch videos, TV shows, store photos, and view photos - in addition to having a very large music collection. To make things easier, the iPod is navigated by the Apple Click Wheel, a trademark of Apple. The click wheel has been the navigation wheel of the fourth and fifth generation iPod, along with the iPod mini and nano. The wheel's navigation buttons consist of "menu", "previous", "next", "play/pause", while the select button is in the center of the wheel. The set-up is fairly simple on the iPod video, with the wheel on the front, the dock connector on the bottom, while the headphones jack and hold switch are both on top. The feel of the wheel on the iPod video is smoother, yet raised, while the wheel of the nano is rough.

All of this combined with the ability of the people at iPod to present a user-friendly product makes this a buy that almost makes the $299 on up, price tag look do-able. The idea of storing your entire music collection in one place was mind-blowing enough, but the ability to do the same with video is simply unbelievable. The iPod video uses a hard drive, unlike the flash memory of the iPod nano and shuffle, which makes it slightly more sensitive to damage than the flash players. The iPod runs on both PCs and Macs. The PC needs to have a USB port on Windows 2000 SP4 or Windows XP SP2, while the Macintosh also needs a USB port, running the Mac OS X 10.39. What accessories come with the iPod Video is a software disc and Apple stickers, a USB dock connector cable, a universal dock adapter, headphones, headphone covers, and a thin iPod case. What is NOT included are the AV cables if the user is interested in video output. But other accessories which may need to be purchased are the dock, remote, and wall charger.

The biggest complaint is front and center with the iPod Video - the repair cost. Though all electronics break, the lasting electronic devices are the ones that are easily repaired (computer, radio, etc.). Apple charges through the nose to repair a faulty iPod product, almost as much as the original, so purchase at your own risk. And for some reason, the metal casing always gets scratched up from the minute a person begins using it, in addition to the face and screen of the 60GB. Review after review has said this and so far, nothing has changed.