Buying Guide to IPods
Jaclyn
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When looking into purchasing an iPod, you should take into account certain factors: how many songs it will hold (or videos), the battery life, the price, and of course, the ease of use and vi 
able features.
Let's take a look at the iPod Shuffle, shall we? It's 512 MB, holding about 120 songs. That's pretty good. Who really needs 500 songs on their iPod? It supports MP3, MP3 VBR, AAC, Protected AAC (from iTunes Music Store, M4A, M4B, M4P), and WAV. It's compatible with Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later and Windows 2000 with SP 4 or Windows XP Home or Professional with SP 2. It takes four hours to charge and lasts up to 12 hours. Also, it's smaller than a pack of gum and very lightweight. The price is approximately $70.
The drawbacks: The Shuffle does just that - shuffle. You never know which song is going to play next. That can be a problem for many users who've painstakingly selected and edited their playlist. Not only that, but there is no LCD screen that allows you to view what songs are coming next or select a specific song. The lack of a display will turn many consumers away.
So, what are your other options, you might ask? Your "new" version iPod, iPod with Video, or Nano. The difference between all iPod's are the price and the capabilities.
The 30 GB iPod with Video Playback is almost $300. However, it stores up to 7,500 songs, 20,000 photos, or 75 hours of video playback. If you are a true audiophile, this is for you. Most of us don't even have 7,500 songs to put on an iPod. Honestly, the iPod with playback is a little excessive. It has a 2.5-inch (diagonal) color LCD with LED backlight, stores up to 14 hours of music playback; up to 3 hours of slideshows with music; up to 2 hours of video playback. All iPods come with earbud headphones and USB cable and most are compatible with the same versions of Mac and Windows operating systems (see above). It claims to have a 20 hour battery life. You can do A LOT with it, such as create your own movies or purchase music videos, Pixar short films, or select TV episodes via iTunes 6. The multimedia capabilites are extensive. You'll have to decide whether this much power for $300 is for you.
Let's take a look at the iPod Shuffle, shall we? It's 512 MB, holding about 120 songs. That's pretty good. Who really needs 500 songs on their iPod? It supports MP3, MP3 VBR, AAC, Protected AAC (from iTunes Music Store, M4A, M4B, M4P), and WAV. It's compatible with Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later and Windows 2000 with SP 4 or Windows XP Home or Professional with SP 2. It takes four hours to charge and lasts up to 12 hours. Also, it's smaller than a pack of gum and very lightweight. The price is approximately $70.
The drawbacks: The Shuffle does just that - shuffle. You never know which song is going to play next. That can be a problem for many users who've painstakingly selected and edited their playlist. Not only that, but there is no LCD screen that allows you to view what songs are coming next or select a specific song. The lack of a display will turn many consumers away.
So, what are your other options, you might ask? Your "new" version iPod, iPod with Video, or Nano. The difference between all iPod's are the price and the capabilities.
The 30 GB iPod with Video Playback is almost $300. However, it stores up to 7,500 songs, 20,000 photos, or 75 hours of video playback. If you are a true audiophile, this is for you. Most of us don't even have 7,500 songs to put on an iPod. Honestly, the iPod with playback is a little excessive. It has a 2.5-inch (diagonal) color LCD with LED backlight, stores up to 14 hours of music playback; up to 3 hours of slideshows with music; up to 2 hours of video playback. All iPods come with earbud headphones and USB cable and most are compatible with the same versions of Mac and Windows operating systems (see above). It claims to have a 20 hour battery life. You can do A LOT with it, such as create your own movies or purchase music videos, Pixar short films, or select TV episodes via iTunes 6. The multimedia capabilites are extensive. You'll have to decide whether this much power for $300 is for you.