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

I remember when my husband bought his first iPod.  I was completely baffled.  Why would you want to have so much music with you at one time; what was the point of that?  I could listen to whatever I wanted to at home easily, and I could play multiple CDs in my car.  I soon caught on to why he liked his iPod, but didn't feel that I needed one myself.  Then for Christmas a few years ago he gave me an Apple iPod 30 GB MP3 Player.  This was the 5th Generation iPod and the first with video capability.  I admit it… despite thinking it was something I would never want or need, I fell in love with it.  I'm still using it, almost four later and it is still working well for me. 

Description

My 30GB iPod came in a lightweight black box.  Along with the iPod itself, it came with a c.d. to install iTunes, earbuds, a grey slipcover, and a syncing cable. 

This is a cute little device; it’s a slim rectangle with a white front and a silver backing.  The front features a small color video screen upon which you can either watch videos or navigate the menus.  The design of this iPod, like most Apple products, is elegant and simple.  My husband had the back engraved with a sweet message, but that’s not standard.

Use and Experience

Using the iPod is extremely easy and straightforward.  There’s a clickwheel on the front; to turn it on, press any button.  Turning it off can be accomplished by pressing the bottom of the wheel.  Sliding a finger around the wheel scrolls up and down the menu that appears on the screen when the iPod is on.  The main menu offers options like choosing music (where your music is stored), photos (if you store personal photos on your iPod), videos (for tv shows, movies, or video podcasts), extras (such as games, contacts, calendar, notes, and even a stopwatch function), settings, and a “shuffle” function for everything in the iPod.

The different menus have varying submenus, but they are all extremely easy to negotiate and fairly self-explanatory. 

Adding music or other content to the iPod can be accomplished by syncing it with iTunes on your computer (Mac or PC).  By default, whatever you have in your iTunes library is transferred, although you can modify what you want to have synced with more precision using iTunes if your library is too large to fit – or you can simply make choices if there are things you don’t want to carry around.

I use my iPod frequently in two places; at home and in my car.  At home, I plug it into my stereo using a stereo miniplug to RCA adapter.  In the car I use a cassette adapter, although you can also use an FM transmitter.  I’ve used it to listen to music, but I’ve also enjoyed downloading many of the free podcasts available online and listening to them on this device.  I’ve also used this iPod as a study device; some of my nursing textbooks offer free audio review materials.  During the classes the featured frequent quizzes and tests, this made my one hour commute very productive.  I have used this iPod on outdoor walks, but I don’t have an armband for it, so it’s a bit clunky to carry around.  However, cases and armbands are available as accessories for this purpose.

I don’t often use the video function, but the picture quality is quite good.  The screen is very small and the battery is used up more quickly with this feature than when listening to music, but it’s quite watchable. 

I honestly have never played games on my iPod, but it comes with a Pong clone called “Brick,” Solitaire, Parachute, and a Music Quiz that takes music from your music library.  The Music Quiz looks kind of fun… I’ll be trying that soon!

By far my favorite feature of my iPod is the ability to create “on the go” playlists.  This is accomplished by finding the songs you want to add (one at a time) and pressing and holding the center button to add them to your list.  The song will flash at you to let you know it’s been selected.  I’ve had a lot of fun creating various playlists this way, but it’s been most useful when we’ve been in the car with the kids.  While my husband drives, I create playlists on my iPod that feature requested songs from everyone in the car, one at a time.  The playlists stay – and they sync back to your computer – until you delete them from iTunes.

When I first had my iPod, the battery lasted 12 hours or more.  Now when it’s fully charged, I get maybe 2 hours of music or podcasts.  This still works well for me in my commute to school, but it isn’t great for long car trips.  I have used a cigarette lighter to USB adapter in the car to keep it continuously charged with great success. That being said, my iPod is almost 4 years old; it’s a bit tired and I probably will need to replace it in a year or two.

The only problem I've ever encountered in using this device is when I've used it in the car during very cold weather.  My practice is always to choose an album or playlist before I start driving, sitting my iPod on the seat next to me.  Sometimes before the car warms up, I find that the iPod will "skip" little bits of whatever I'm listening to.  As soon as the ambient temperature is warm enough to be considered "room temperature," the problem disappears.

I have dropped my iPod several times over the years and it has continued working.  I don’t recommend dropping any kind of electronics, but sometimes it does happen.  I’ve been very pleased and surprised that my iPod has survived my clumsiness.

As to the question of whether 30GB is a large enough capacity, that depends on the size of your music collection and how much you want to have with you at any given time.  For me, this is more than sufficient; 30GB of music translates to approximately 18 days worth (according to iTunes’ calculations).  Video takes up more space, but 30 GB is still more than sufficient for about two days worth of movie-watching if that is what you choose to use this for.

Cost and Where to Buy

My iPod was a gift from my husband, and I’ve been totally unable to pry what he paid for it out of him.  Wikipedia.org tells me that they sold for $299.00 at the time.  This model is no longer carried at the Apple store, having been replaced by the iPod Classic in 2007, which is currently available with a 160 GB capacity.  If you want the 30GB model, you’ll probably need to visit www.ebay.com, and expect to pay between $40.00 and $75.00.  That’s a great price.

My Apple iPod 30 GB MP3 Player is not only attractive; it has worked well for me for several years.  While I don't use the video-playing capability often, I'm happy to have it when I need it.  I love this little machine!  5 stars.