Apple iPod Video 5th Generation White (30 GB) MP3 Player

Music has been my hobby and passion for a long time now. It originally started with mixtapes using tapes, then grew into DJ mixtapes on CDs. Even though I have a relatively small library of songs (about 1,600), I kept the people around me entertained. Playing these songs have been mostly limited to about 20 tracks per CD. Then I discovered that my Alpine radio was capable of playing MP3 data CDs and this expanded the count to about 140 songs per CD. However this never seemed to be enough. I began my journey to an iPod with my sister.
She bought what I believe was the fourth generation iPod for $300 nearly one year ago. I was immediately amazed at this small device's space and possibilities. A few months passed and the video iPod was released. News reporters and critics said that this version would not sell and was taking Apple into the wrong direction. They were proved wrong with excellent sales during the holiday season. Anyway, a fellow classmate acquired his own copy for a cool $300 (with a student discount). I didn't think Apple could top itself but when I say the videos and photos, I had to get one.
Sure enough I found myself in an Apple store in January. I browsed around the store while most of my attention was in the iPod video section. After asking a store associate like 100 questions I decided to get one... but which color? Black or white? I thought to myself "White is classy. Remember the commercials?" Then I thought "Black is original. How many people have a black iPod?" Well after a few minutes a secluded deliberation I chose white. The associate directed me to the enormous line leading to the counter.
After a surprisingly short wait, I was next. I told the woman at the counter I wanted a white iPod with video. She pulled one box out of the shelf under her desk and began asking me questions like I was applying for an Internet service provider; What's your e-mail? Address? Name? Well I was patient and asked about a student discount and indeed I was qualified with my student I.D. and driver's license. The total? Without tax and an extended service plan $270. And that was that.
While driving home I could not contain my urge to turn it on. The white backlight and large color screen was a definite plus. However, I was slightly disappointed with the lack of pre-loaded songs or videos. No big deal. Upon arriving home I quickly read through the "manual" which was a fold out piece of paper. It said to charge for 3 hours or until fully charged so that I did.
OK, ready to download. I left the iPod to sit on my computer desk while all of my songs and photos were being uploaded. The time was now, the time to experience the hype. My first impressions were: pretty screen, it got all of my songs, oh there are games, and these headphones are loud. After about an hour of use I saw the battery and was shocked that it was more than half empty! I researched a while and found out that this was nothing out of the ordinary; expected continuous playback was 12 hours, and if you keep playing with it like I did then expect less battery life.
That was one of the problems I had with the iPod. Another thing that bothered me was the headphone sound quality. When the volume is less than half-way up to its highest capacity, there is some subtle distortion. I know for a fact that the problem doesn't come from how my songs were recorded. Not a big deal but it bugs me because I can identify sound frequencies and distortion better than most people. Also, my headphones seemed to have been where Apple cut corners because they started vibrating under high volumes. Next problem was the video. The problem is you HAVE to pay for it through the Apple website. Apple's marketing made sure that this was not revealed in their commercials and they have a good reason to. Just like the Sony PSP, Apple is trying to cut down on pirating and illegal copying of movies by using unique video formats. Yes, this may protect their profits, but people have found a way around this and don't have to pay to get videos on their iPods. Oh yeah, a home/wall charger is not included in the box. Only the USB cable is given which must be plugged into your computer in order to charge the iPod.If you want charger you have to pay extra. Tedious? I think so.
Now don't get so upset reading this review, the pros heavily outweigh the cons. For example, the capacity to hold up to 7,500 songs. If you so choose to put videos on your iPod then you have 30 gigs of space to play with. I already filled half up 5 gigs of videos on my iPod and I love it. Picture quality on the videos is outstanding. I was watching "A Man Apart" and showed my mother who was totally amazed. If you do decide to buy the movies from Apple then you have the ability to get new episodes from many shows which also have excellent video quality. What else is great is the selection of accessories. Chargers, cases, holsters, headphones, docking stations, etc. I only bought two accessories. One was a car/home charger from InCase which in my opinion is the best there is. The second was two sets of RCA cables that plug from my iPod to my Alpine radio via an AUX input. This brings me to my next point. You can use your iPod in your car stereo. You can buy a variety of overpriced adapters that use either AUX inputs on the back of you radio or an FM transmitter. If you have an aftermarket radio with an AUX input like me, then I would strongly suggest using the less costly alternative which utilizes RCA cables and a radio specific plug.
At the end of the day, when all is considered, I love this iPod. It was worth every penny. No other MP3 player has the iPod's capacity/price/value ratio. But to answer the question in my title... yeah kind of.