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Apple 60GB iPod

Over the years I have intentionally stayed away from iPods choosing other options like the iRiver or Creative Labs models of MP3 Players instead. But last December, I received the latest 60GB iPod with Video as a present and was kind of forced into the Apple music revolution. Poor me. I have lived with this beautiful piece of hardware for the past month now. The way music works is pretty good, with top integration with the online iTunes music store. It all works great, although I miss the ability to create hierarchical playlists that match how my folders are organized on my computer. I wish playlists could contain other playlists and so on. There is also no way to make it so that the player moves from one playlist to the next so that you can have music playing for hours on end unless you have a large playlist. The overall sound quality of the iPod is good although the lack of treble and bass controls is an issue. Preset settings never seem to work right. On the battery front, Apple has made great strides as my iPod has run for a good 15 hours without recharging.

Where I think Apple dropped the ball is with the integration of photos and videos. The iPod itself is absolutely gorgeous, with a fantastic bright and colorful screen. Photos look great and videos play smoothly. However, iTunes does strange things. Photos take up an inordinate amount of space on the iPod. My collection of some 2,000 pictures takes about half a gigabyte of disk space on my computer, but takes close to 2GB on my iPod. Why do pictures take up 4 times the amount of disk space even though they are resized for the iPod screen, making them much smaller than their originals? On the video front, Apple chose not to support the ubiquitous MPEG 1 or 2 format and provides very little support to convert common video formats to the ones it supports on the iPod (H264 and MPEG4). With the latest iTunes update V6.0.2, there is progress, but still not general support. From the iTunes store, you get access to great video content and video podcasts (you have to try Happy Tree Friends and Flash TV). Finally, managing videos along with music is complicated. Playlists are not kept separate for instance, and videos can be accessed from several different places, but don't play the same. For example, video podcasts show up along audio podcasts and opening a video podcast from the general podcast tab only plays the audio. Another area where Apple dropped the ball was with the iPod package itself. For $399, you get the 60GB iPod. Great value you say? Well, that's without a power adapter or an audio/video cable, which will cost you an extra $60 if you go the Apple route. So, price wise, the new 60GB iPod is not so cheap. 

In spite of numerous software design issues, and minor quibbles on my part, the iPod with video remains a gorgeous object that feels fantastic in your hand and forgettable in a pocket. With 60GB, you have ample room to keep a lot of music and a lot of video too (a ripped 2h DVD reformatted for the iPod takes about 500MB). I use it to show cartoons to my kids when on the bus or subway. I listen to it all of the time and overall, I really like the device. I wish I could eschew the iTunes software, but we are all stuck with it. If you disliked iPods before, the new models won't change your mind. It's more of the same, just thinner, lighter, with bigger capacity and more features. Coming from that perspective, I wouldn't say I love my new iPod, but I certainly am happy with it. It has changed how I experience my music and video.

iPod speakers

The latest iPod models are such beautiful objects that as soon as you whip one out of your pocket, people assemble around you. However, the iPod is pretty much built for a very personal experience, even if with 60BG in the latest models, they start to pretty much include all your stuff and quickly become the one device that has it all. The first accessory you might buy for your iPod then is a pair of portable speakers so that you can listen to your music pretty much anywhere, and satisfy a small audience. In the $100-$150 price range, which is what I was ready to spend, there are three models that stand out. I wanted something that sounded decent (none of those speakers have anything that can remotely be qualified as good sound), with a remote control, that could recharge the iPod while plugged in, that could work on batteries and finally, one with a power adapter that could travel around the world. I looked at the JBL OnStage, the Logitech MM50 and the Altec Lansing IM3c. With a combination of dock adapters, those speakers support all the iPods except the Shuffle or older iPods without a dock connector. For those models, you will have to connect via a regular audio cable, and won't be able to benefit from the remote control or recharging capabilities of the speakers of course.

The JBL OnStage gets great marks for its looks. Shaped like a cross between a flying saucer and a donut, the speakers get noticed instantly. The sound is also pretty good, with a good balance and surprisingly ok bass (I was expecting none whatsoever). The drivers are positioned on each side of the saucer and so they produce a decent field with acceptable stereo. You can find it online for around $115 fairly easily. However, the unit does not have any remote, does not work on batteries, and has a US-only power adapter. When docked, your iPod recharges though. The newer OnStage II model is just coming out, but can be found for around $150 online and all it adds is a basic remote control. All in all, I simply did not see enough value in this model to go that route. The sound is really good for this type of speakers, but the lack of battery operation is a killer.

The Logitech MM50 is a solid set of speakers. It has a built-in rechargeable battery that rates at about 10h, and an international power adapter. The unit is a solid block and slightly larger and heavier than other speakers on the market. The remote control is Ookay, but has a fairly short range (20 feet more or less), and because it's IR, it must be lined up in plain line of sight to work. Not great, but sufficient. On the sound department, it has the best sound I have heard for speakers that size, with a great stereo field (thanks to its 3D feature) and surprisingly good bass. However, at higher volumes, the sound really gets muddled and the unit is clearly being asked to do too much. Start listening to music with a lot of bass, and the whole unit vibrates considerably. This was of great concern because the iPod snuggles comfortably against the unit and starts vibrating too. That's not so good for a device with a hard drive in it. I listen mostly to music with lots of bass, and I like to have some volume, so the unit pretty much didn't satisfy me. But if you are not a volume freak and listen to music that is not so bass heavy, give it a try because at moderate volume, the speakers sound really nice. You can find them online around $140 or so.

The Altec Lansing IM3Cs are a marvel of engineering. They are about the size of a small paperback book and weigh less than a pound; they are perfect to throw in a laptop bag. With a clever design, they unfold when in use to accept your iPod. Make sure you get the IM3c model, not the older IM3 model (without the 'c'), which doesn't support the latest iPods. They have an international power adapter, with a nice IR remote control (with the limitations as noted above), and room for 4 AA-size batteries which will give you between 15h and 20h of juice depending on what you listen to and how loud of course. The fact that you can use any AA batteries is an advantage over those models such as the Logitech MM50 which have a built-in rechargeable battery. It's easy to bring a few extra packs of batteries for those long trips where you may not have access to a plug for a few days. When plugged in, the speakers can recharge your iPod even while in use, which is nice. On the sound side, the speakers sound in between the Logitech MM50 and the OnStage units. The bass is comparable to the JBL OnStage (ok for that size, but not great), but the sound is cleaner with a decent stereo field if you are close by, and sound that remains fairly clean at higher volumes where the unit sounds better than the Logitech MM50. You can fill a good sized room with sound from these— they are great for a dinner party for example. You can find these online for around $130.

I think there is still no iPod portable speaker on the market under $150 that is really a slam dunk in terms of features and sound quality. The JBL OnStage's lack of mobility (no batteries, no remote unless you pay a lot extra for the model II, and no international AC) is a crime as the unit is otherwise pretty good. The Logitech MM50 had great sound at moderate volumes but fell apart as soon as you start cranking things up a bit. Its larger size and weight also causes it to not score as high as it could have. Finally, the Altec Lansing IM3c strikes the best balance with all the right features, size and weight, but sound that feels small otherwise, even if it is balanced and the volume can be cranked up. The lack of good bass on those models simply limits how nice those speakers can feel to the ear. If you are ready to spend an extra $100 or more, the Altec Lansing IM7 is a great buy, with bass and sound that will satisfy most college students, if not your higher-end classical and jazz lovers. The Klipsch iGroove and the Bose SoundDock are both in the higher range in terms of price and overall sound quality, but start to suffer in terms of portability.