The New iPods Are In Town (Pics and Verdicts)
September 7, 2007 by Lauren
You knew it was coming; the new suite of drool-worthy Apple iPods have arrived, and they are looking spiffy as ever. Of course, there's plenty of things I'm not so fond of to balance out the good. With that, let us dive into a brief analysis of the new iPods.
We'll start with the smallest, and the least exciting: The iPod Shuffle. There isn't a whole lot to be said here; the Shuffle's previous design was simple, and there's hardly anything to redesign.
Shock and awe, it returns to us in an updated color spectrum. In addition to the old hues, your options now include dark red, purple, light blue, and light green. Also, just as rumored, the Shuffle should become available in a Product Red edition. As usual, you can shell out $79 for 1GB of Shuffle-ness.
The verdict:
...Meh.
That is all.
Moving right on along: The iPod Nano. Unlike the Shuffle, the Nano has definitely come back with some noticeable changes.
Yes, it's available in new colors: black, dark red, silver, light blue, light green, and the RED edition. The biggest change to be mentioned here is the new, video-playing screen. The Nano is now just that, a literal nano-version of the Classic iPod. The screen has moved up to two inches at 320x240 pixels, crammed in just above the click wheel.
This is nice, I'm sure. The thing is, the new screen looks awkward on a Nano, and furthermore, perhaps even defeats the purpose of a Nano to some degree. Maybe it's just me. The new Nano comes in at $149 and $199 for the 4GB and 8GB models respectively.
The verdict:
It has more capability, but it looks chubby and somewhat cancels out the reason to buy a Nano.
The iPod Classic; Mother of Pearl. It isn't terribly different, just...upgraded, as the Nano is.
On a small note, I'll take this opportunity to point out that white iPods are officially dead. It is a sad, sad day for many Apple fans, and I'd speculate that the white MacBooks are next on the chopping block.
As of now, your Classic color options are silver and black. In addition to the new color, iPod Classics now come in the same anodized aluminum as the Nano. It doesn't have quite the same aesthetic appeal, but a no-smudge surface is nice.
As for the prices, you can pay $249 for 80GB or $349 for 160GB (this is where "Mother of Pearl" becomes relevant). And for the record, the 160GB model is thicker than the 80GB.
The verdict:
No more white iPods? Boo.
Aluminum? Boo.
160GB? In the words of the Kool-Aid man, "Oh yeeeahh!"
And finally (drumroll): The new iPod Touch.
This is 'completely new' so to speak, though if you want the short version, it's an iPhone minus the phone.
As if I need to tell you, it's gorgeous and will drown you in eye candy. Surprisingly, it isn't hard-drive based; nonetheless, it comes standard with Safari, YouTube, and the iTunes Store. How is this possible? Oh yes, it has Wi-Fi.
As I said, this is an iPhone without the phone and without the headache of service agreements. You get all the nice little functions, Wi-Fi, full touch screen, and a customizable dock. How much will it set you back? An 8GB iPod Touch will cost you $299 and the 16GB costs $399.
The verdict:
Everything we wanted from the iPhone without the hassle. It's beautiful and it gets a huge thumbs-up for the Wi-Fi. The big dilemma is deciding whether or not you need a new phone.
So there you have it. What will you choose? The Shuffle is as uninteresting as ever, the fat Nano has gone to video, the Classic is huge (in terms of GB), and the Touch is pure sex [minus the phone functions]. Then again, I suppose you could always just opt to turn the other cheek on Apple. That works fine and saves you money.
Apple (iPods/iTunes)
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