Apple iPod (20GB, 4th generation) review

The fourth-generation iPod isn't significantly smaller than its predecessor, nor is it clad in flashy colours. Apple, however, has made marked evolutionary improvements to the iconic digital audio player. The adoption of the intuitive Click Wheel (as seen on the Mini), the vastly improved battery life, and a few key firmware enhancements are simply the icing on the cake. The real news here is the iPod's lower price. Do these new ingredients add up to a perfect iPod?

Design

The third-generation iPod received major accolades for its sleek form factor and feather-touch backlit buttons. But sporting the same glossy white face, reflective silver backside, and a light-gray Click Wheel, the new model is the iPod at its most minimal. The latest version, available now in 20GB and 40GB capacities, improves upon an already impressive design.

The newest iPod is slightly thinner than its predecessor, but the most noticeable new attribute is the Click Wheel - similar to the one that adorns the extremely popular iPod Mini. Gone are the four buttons located just beneath the display, which -- as most users of the last iPod would agree -- were hard to identify, inconsistent to the touch, and often difficult to access with one hand. Instead, they are now ingeniously integrated into the touch-sensitive wheel and reminiscent of the original user-friendly iPod.

The new design allows your thumb to stay put rather than having to stretch upward, and you get tactile feedback with each press of a button. Though this iPod has more movable parts, it provides better user satisfaction. Fans of the previous iPod's pretty orange lights will have to do without them in this version, as the Click Wheel doesn't light up when activated. If there is a potential design issue, it's that the Click Wheel doesn't seamlessly blend in with the body. We noticed a tiny millimetre-sized gap at the bottom of the Click Wheel on two of our review units--not a major concern, although tiny granules could get lodged underneath.

This iPod's Click Wheel features the same accelerated scrolling as the previous model's, so we were able to whip through several thousand tunes in mere seconds and manoeuvre with precision between individual songs. The unlabeled multifunctional button in the middle of the Click Wheel typically acts as the Select control.

The crisp, bluish-white-backlit display remains the same, measuring 5.8 cm diagonally with a resolution of 160x128 pixels. Likewise, the headphone and remote jacks, the Hold switch, and the dock connector haven't been modified.

One noticeable item missing from the now entry-level 20GB package is the dock. Although not a deal breaker, the dock is still a convenient element in the iPod experience. Obviously a cost-cutting measure by Apple, the dock is now available as an accessory. However, the 40GB version ships with one.

Two other items that have been accessorized are the remote control, which now sells as the iPod Remote and Earphones and the carrying case. While these items have been eliminated from the 20GB version, the iPod now includes a USB 2.0 cable, with which those using USB 2.0 now have the ability to sync and power the iPod. Otherwise, the rest of the package ships with the same accessories: ear bud headphones, an AC adapter, and a FireWire cable.

Features

The iPod's playback features are all accessible and programmable from the customisable main menu, which now includes the popular Shuffle Songs option. Apple has also swapped out the Browse option for the simpler Music option. You can browse by song, artist, album, genre, playlist, composer, and now Audible audiobooks. Users who love the iPod menu's clicking sound can now hear it through their headphones.

The On The Go function -- one of our favourite recent additions -- now enables you to create multiple playlists even when the iPod isn't attached to a computer. The software update also allows you to delete songs from playlists.

The smart-playlist function lets you rate a song on a scale of 1 to 5 while it's playing; higher-rated songs come up more frequently during shuffle. Mac and Windows users can also rate songs from within iTunes. The software includes access to the iTunes Music Store, which sells downloads. One more great playlist feature: You can set playlist updates from Tunes--a nice combination of convenience and control.

One of the primary reasons for the iPod's success is its seamless integration with iTunes. Once you connect the device to your computer, iTunes starts up and can automatically sync the iPod with your music collection. The player supports MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF, Apple Lossless, and AA files, the last of which currently has 5,000 titles that can be purchased directly from the iTunes Music Store.

In addition, iPod Software 3.0 allows you to adjust playback speed of Audible files without affecting the pitch, though you can't do the same with other audio files. This is a useful feature for those who want more control over spoken-word content. Unchanged is iTunes' ability to resample songs to a certain bit rate, apply volume leveling (a.k.a. normalisation), and digitally enhance songs while transferring them.