iPod MP3 Player

Apple was not the first company to produce an MP3 player, but what it  did with the iPod was take the MP3 player from a curiosity to the mainstream of music consumption. In fact, the first portable MP3 player was launched in 1998 in the US by Eiger labs; their EP10 had 32MB of memory and cost $199. Apple didn't get into the game until October 23, 2001, when the first iPod was launched.

Over the next several years Apple would come to dominate the music industry with both their iPod music players and their iTunes music store. Today Apple controls over 70% of the music player market in the U.S. and their iTunes music store is the large music retailer in the country.

The iPod has gone through many iterations over the years. Starting as a small white block with a black & white screen and a physical click wheel later iterations would add color displays, photo & video playback, a touch sensitive scroll wheel and new form factors.

The descendant of that original iPod is the current iPod classic, which is the only hard drive based device left in the lineup. Apple has moved most of the iPods, including their most popular Nano and their newest Touch to flash based storage. With the Touch Apple has also abandoned their traditional scroll wheel interface to go with a new touch screen interface that originally debuted in the iPhone, their first foray into the cell phone market.

• Apple iPod Touch 16GB MP3 Player Review
  
  $115.97

  Casting the rules of grammar aside, Apple describes the new 2nd generation iPod Touch as "the funnest iPod ever". But while copy editors everywhere are grunting in disgust, this upgrade to the 1st generation Touch does much to live up to its hype, with a number of improvements that round out an already attractive package. These include volume buttons and a sleek new design that makes it even smaller. And we were impressed by the audio quality, the screen and the overall usability of the device; it sounds great, looks great and is easy to use. 

  Read full {{page_count}}-part review
• Apple iPod Shuffle 1GB MP3 Player Review
  
  $35.49

  The iPod Shuffle is an interesting study in extremes. First of all, the device is extremely small: it's a shirt clip with a media control buttons and a wee Gigabyte for storage. Secondly, the Shuffle only has two settings: randomly play a song that was, before hand, randomly placed on the device, or repeat one song for all eternity. Really, the Shuffle sounds more like the grounds for a philosophical discussion than a media player. The Shuffle is not for the faint of heart. If you like your media player to give you information about what song is playing, or you like to be able to choose what you listen to, the Shuffle isn't for you. Also, since it doesn't have a screen, there isn't much option for the Shuffle to do anything but play your music. This is both limiting and utilitarian, which is refreshing in the age of modern media players.

  Read full {{page_count}}-part review
• Apple iPod Classic 80GB MP3 Player Review
  
  $244.49

  The iPod Classic has the face that launched the MP3 Player industry. Years later and it has a bit of a different look, but still retains its old charm. This newest iteration comes in 80GB and 120GB models, and we've reviewed the 80GB in this very review for your reading pleasure. he Classic is still equipped with its old scroll wheel, which, unfortunately, hasn't improved much. The control it provides is a bit spotty. If this were a cell phone, we would laud the Classic for the ability to quickly scroll through menus. On a media player, where playlists can have thousands of songs, the scroll wheel feels a bit inadequate. The software for playing back music and videos is great, aside from the above issue of scrolling through huge lists. The Classic, in conjunction with iTunes, also manages podcasts well. The photo album, on the other hand, is a bit lackluster.

  Read full {{page_count}}-part review
• Apple iPod Nano 8GB MP3 Player Review
  
  $149.00

  The iPod Nano has undergone quite a transformation since it was first released. The last iteration was short, squat, and obliterated the iPod Mini from existence. The new Nano is ridiculously small and thin, and somehow manages to fit an accelerometer in as well. If you're familiar with iPods, you're familiar with the Nano. The tiny device can play music well, has a screen that's a bit too small for frequent video watchers, and doesn't have that many fluorishes included out of box. But don't even bother plugging the packed-in headphones into this thing, because you'll just be wasting its nearly flawless output. Invest in some nice headphones and enjoy. The Nano is currently available in nine different colors, each of which are $150.

  Read full {{page_count}}-part review