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November 2008
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The 5 Best -- and 5 Worst -- iPods of All Time, Ever!
Posted 09/24/2008 at 4:26:00am | by
Michael Simon
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It‘s hard to fathom, but since the iPod burst onto the scene in October 2001, Apple has released no less than 104 different capacity and color combinations of its iconic media player. From lavender aluminum to glossy black, clickwheels to back-lit buttons, the iPod has evolved far beyond its monochrome beginnings, blending fashion and function into a package that continues to defy expectations.
Among all those models, however, there are bound to be a few that stand out among the sea of white, for better or worse. So, in case you don’t want to go rummaging through all 100-plus models, we’ve made a definitive list of the best -- and worst-- iPods ever:
2G iPod
By the time the 2002 New York Mac Expo rolled around (the final hurrah for the once-heralded East Coast event), Apple was struggling to gain any sort of foothold with the iPod. However, the second generation got things back on track, with twice the capacity, a solid-state scroll wheel, remote, calendar, clock, Audible playback and the big kahuna: Windows support. While iTunes wouldn’t follow for another 15 months, Apple wisely brought the iPod to the PC masses as quickly as possible, raising the visibility of a device at the forefront of a bubbling revolution.
3G iPod
No one really knew what to expect when, in April 2003, Apple sent out invitations for its first standalone iPod event, and nothing could have prepared us for what was waiting behind the black curtain. With an entirely new lineup dressed in an ultra-thin enclosure, the first audio-out dock, On-the-Go playlists, back-lit, touch-sensitive buttons, and AAC decoding, the 3G iPod was (and, by all accounts, still is) the greatest update the iPod had ever seen.
iPod mini
It took Apple more than two years to sell its 2 millionth iPod, but at the San Francisco Mac Expo in 2004, it set its sights a little higher. Armed with an even smaller version of its diminutive music player, Steve Jobs kicked the digital music revolution into high gear with the release of the mini, a multi-colored, ultra-chic version of the iPod that was as much a fashion statement as a tech gadget. The mini vaulted the iPod to heights unseen and sent a message that Apple wasn’t going to settle for a measly 2 million sales.
3G nano
When the mini was retired in September 2005, Apple threw down a gauntlet to its competitors with a jaw-dropping replacement: pencil-thin, feather-light and silky-smooth, the iPod nano brought the game to a whole new level. Two years later, however, Apple gave the nano an extreme makeover, building the enclosure around the screen and Click Wheel to create a fitter, slimmer player with a drop-dead gorgeous, all-metal enclosure. The 4G nano reverted to its tall enclosure, but the “fatty” will always hold a place in our hearts.
1G iPod
With a $399 price tag, a strange name and an uncertain market, the iPod was declared DOA by some, ridiculed by others and praised by few. Unmistakably gorgeous and irresistibly touchable, the iPod seemed doomed to the dungeon of Apple products just slightly ahead of their time. Little did we know that the iPod was simply the first step in a global strategy that would change the face of the music, computer and wireless industries. Seven years on, Apple has stayed (mostly) true to Jonathan Ive’s original design, but sadly, it looks like the spinning wheel is gone for good.
4G iPod
In 2004, the iPod was so big, Apple was given the cover of Newsweek as a launch pad. Borrowing cues from the wildly popular iPod mini, Apple finally incorporated the clickwheel into its fourth-generation player, but brought little else to the table. The 4G iPod trimmed $100 off the price, but aficionados had to wait until the following September for anything worth buying (unless, of course, they absolutely had to have the new “Shuffle Songs” menu item).
iPod Photo
Released just three months after the lackluster fourth-generationn model, iPod Photo (later changed to a proper lowercase “p”) should have been the iPod of everyone’s dreams. The first of its kind to sport a color screen and break the 15,000-song barrier, iPod Photo certainly changed the face of Apple’s popular music player, but created several problems in the process, most notably a muddy lineup ranging in price from $249 to $599 and capacity from 4GB to 60GB. It didn’t take long for Apple to come to its senses — by the following June, iPod and iPod photo merged, shedding the redundancy (and a few hundred dollars).
7G iPod (iPod Classic)
Sitting on shelves alongside a new nano, touch and shuffle, the new iPod Classic (as it’s now called) is surprisingly disappointing. Targeting music junkies who have 40,000 songs, and apparently need to carry them everywhere they go, Apple last year wrapped the iPod in anodized aluminum and took away much of the guesswork, stripping the line down to just two models — 80GB and 160GB — available in black or white. But when the line was refreshed a few weeks back, Apple didn’t cross the 200GB threshold many were hoping for; instead, a lone 120GB model was announced. Sure, each gigabyte may be cheaper, but we’d sure like to know what happened to the other 40GB.
Celebrity iPods
First there were Madonna-, Beck- and Tony Hawk-etched autographs. Then, a U2 model with a red Click Wheel. And who can forget the Harry Potter Collector’s Edition? Trying to increase the iPod’s cachet and visibility through cheap gimmicks and high-profile stunts, these so-called Special Edition iPods smacked of desperation and didn’t offer much for anyone who wasn’t already a die-hard fan: Did anyone really need 400 U2 songs? And how many nuts were going to pay $548 for an engraved Hogwarts crest? Thankfully, we haven’t seen any Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers tie-ins, but with all those new teeny-bopping colors, you never know.
iPod + HP
Just hours after releasing the iPod mini at the San Francisco Mac Expo in 2004, Steve Jobs shuttled over to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to join then-HP CEO Carly Fiorina in announcing an alliance to deliver “an HP-branded digital music player based on Apple’s iPod.” Apparently, “based on” really meant “exactly the same,” and “HP-branded” meant nothing more than a honking HP Invent symbol positioned just below the Apple logo. The partnership was an exercise in confusion, with Apple refusing to support HP-branded units, HP often selling models past their expiration dates, and consumers caught up in a mix of tattoo residue and rebates. A year and a half later, the two abruptly ended their partnership, which accounted for some 5 percent of sales, and Apple’s flown solo ever since.
COMMENTS:
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to each their own I guess
Submitted by frankly on Wed, 2008-09-24 08:16
Wow, this list is completely off target with what I would have expected. I'm especially surprised to see the 3G iPod on the best list. That iPod was by far the worst iPod ever because it was the first (and still only) iPod where you had to move your hand from the scroll wheel to a completely different position in order to fast-forward, etc. I agree with the iPod mini being on the best list but where is the original iPod nano. The Nike+ option for that device was easily in the top 5 for best iPod accessories ever and until the new touch the nano was the only device it worked with. After looking at this list I have to really question whether or not you laid out a list of all the models with their respective features and breakthroughs when deciding which model did or did not make it onto each list.
Submitted by Michael Simon on Wed, 2008-09-24 08:54
Thanks for your comments.
I thought long and hard about this, and literally went through every model and came up with a list based on the entire feature set, improvement over the prior model (or lack thereof), design, reception, etc. And I agree, if I did a best iPod accessories (Nike + iPod came out between nano releases), Nike + iPod would certainly be near the top of the list, but I did my best to focus on the iPod itself. If you notice, there's no iPod touch, either, a decision that didn't come lightly.
Pods Unite
Submitted by mrreet2001 on Wed, 2008-09-24 10:51
I wonder where in the list the Apple / VW "Pods Unite" 3G ipod fails.
Submitted by Michael Simon on Wed, 2008-09-24 12:06
Ha! And remember the iCar concept?
Submitted by lzdenek on Wed, 2008-09-24 12:36
I wouldn't say it's the best but it's up there with my wife's now dying mini. I rarely have to reset it and the dock connecting itrip is way better than loading stations as a playlist.
I loved my 3Gen iPod
Submitted by StoneCRM114 on Wed, 2008-09-24 13:32
Have to disagree with one of the posters. I didn't mind the buttons (though they were out of the norm for an iPod0 and was overall blown away with the 3Gen iPod. Of course, maybe I'm a little biased since it was my first. Not to mention I was the first to have one of anyone I knew (directly that is).
The Words too @*#!-ing busy shouldn't be in a waitress' vocabulary. - Mr. Pink
Submitted by Michael Simon on Wed, 2008-09-24 23:06
It was LOTS of people's first iPod.
Submitted by jaycrafter on Thu, 2008-09-25 05:03
I love my iPod photo, 60 Gigs. My wife has the 30 Gig version and we both use them all the time. Although the when they did come out, the price range was varied as you reported I don't think that puts it in the worst 5 range. Interesting article but I agree with 'frankly' about questioning whether all iPods were looked into fully.
Submitted by bubblewater23 on Thu, 2008-09-25 11:36
ok. how could the iPhone or iPod Touch not be up there????????????????
Submitted by Michael Simon on Thu, 2008-09-25 12:04
Whittling down this list was no easy task, and originally I had the touch on there. But looking back through the ranks, I feel that these 5 iPods were more groundbreaking at the time of their release than the touch, which simply followed the lead of the iPhone (which, despite Steve's claim, should not be included on an iPod list). My main criteria for this list was iPods that paved the way for bigger and better updates (or not) and, as much as I love it, the touch has not done that in and of itself.
At least not yet...
Submitted by paulori on Fri, 2008-09-26 07:38
..Until my trusty iPod photo's hard drive finally died the other day after giving many years or very worthwhile service. I'd even gone to the trouble of getting the click wheel fixed a year back to keep it going. And yes I have replaced it with a 120 Classic as, yes my old 'photo' was full and, yes I do like to carry all my music with me as well as all the kids audiobooks (how far have we driven thanks to Harry Potter?!) and now the videos. Oh and I am actually enjoying my new touch very nicely thank you. At least that one was not on the list:-)
What idiot wrote this?
Submitted by racassady on Sat, 2008-09-27 17:45
You to be kidding me. First, you don't mention the iPhone or iPod touch, (stupid), you don't mention the worst iPod was when the got rid of firewire, (stupid), then you put the 160 iPod on the worst list, (extreme stupid). I have an iPhone, which is an awesome iPod, but it lacks space, so I use my 160 iPod every day. That is the biggest size made, it is very small when you consider how big it is, and I have never had a problem with it. You should be writing articles about Microsoft Zunes, at least they are not important all only idiots will be reading what you write, which seems to me like the perfect match. I read MacLife.com every day, but one more piece of trash like this and I will never come back. As for the writer of this article, learn to draw, cause you clearly can't write!!!!
Rich Cassady
www.cass69.com
rich_cassady69@mac.com
Submitted by Michael Simon on Sun, 2008-09-28 00:07
OK, a few things: I've explained the exclusion of the iPhone/iPod touch a few times already, so I'm not going to get into that again.
As far as FireWire goes, if you mean Apple made a mistake by getting rid of the physical port, I have to respectfully disagree, since there's obviously no way it could be so thin had it stayed. If you're referring to the loss of FireWire support, the first iPod (besides the shuffle) to do that would be the nano, which hardly belongs on the worst list. As the iPod got thinner and smaller, Apple couldn't possibly support two protocols, and since USB 2.0 and FireWire had virtually the same transfer speeds, Apple wisely went with the more ubiquitous standard.
And the 160GB is not on the list.
Submitted by racassady on Mon, 2008-09-29 21:40
Rich Cassady
www.cass69.com
rich_cassady69@mac.com
I agree and understand that the iPod could not be as thin if it were stil firewire, I disagree on the transfer speeds though, I believe it was my 3rd gen that was firewire, it transferred files way quicker than my classic USB 2.0 does, I mean really faster. I have seen the specs that say the two are close in speed, but I believe that is wishful thinking. Plus, my 160 Classic is the coolest iPod because I have over 14,000 songs, 15 movies, and 2 games. When I iPhone has this size, life will be good, but for now, the classic still rules.
Submitted by Michael Simon on Tue, 2008-09-30 09:09
FireWire may indeed be quicker, but Apple would be closing off a huge segment of the market if they went that route (many PCs aren't FireWire-equipped). Unfortunately, it's no longer just about Mac users --- in fact, I'd venture to say it's less about Mac users, since we're more likely to buy Apple no matter what.
And I totally agree with you about the 160GB. The only reason I put the 7G Classic on the list is because the capacity dropped by 40GB, a major step backward for a model that offers little else.
Where is the iPod Touch
Submitted by WalrusCP on Wed, 2008-10-01 08:06
How the heck is the iPod Touch not in the 5 best? I completely disagree with the logic that the iPod Touch not being as groundbreaking. It is completely changing the iPod line - far more than some of the different generation "orginial" iPods.
3G
Submitted by macs4me on Thu, 2008-10-02 00:35
I still have my 3G ipod and use it daily in my car. It is the best ipod design and they should have kept the buttons going. I have the very first ipod as well and it still works!
Submitted by AFCdtLoeb on Mon, 2008-10-06 20:48
I completely agree with almost everything on this list. However, I would substitute the fifth generation full size for the fat nano. While the fat nano was cute, it wasn't the huge deal that the 5G was, because the 5G was the first time the iPod could do video. I remember working for Apple at the time, and remembering how quickly they flew off the shelves when people saw video in their hand for the first time ever.
Submitted by Michael Simon on Tue, 2008-10-07 09:23
Good point. I picked the "fatty" because of its design and video capabilities, but the 5G was certainly no slouch.
I think you missed one
Submitted by mongoose961 on Sat, 2008-10-11 08:50
I have to admit among all the glits and glamor of the click wheel and touch iPods, I have to give props to the little iPod that could...
The first gen Shuffle. I have had this 1GB wonder since it first came out and it has been nothing but a joy. I can let the kids play with it and there is nothing to break, the sound is great, and the portability of it is its' best feature. GIVE THE LITTLE GUY HIS PROPS!Taking my Macs mobile & and worldwide
Submitted by ballistik on Wed, 2008-10-15 20:53
We can't forget... the 3g ipod also came with the DOCK (like, a full featured dock, not a "dock insert", and it also came with a REMOTE CONTROL and an IPOD CLOTH CASE and tons of other goodies. What do u get these days? I love the lighted red lights. I still have mine! (as well as my 6 others, lol.) My other favorite is the iPod Touch (the new one) and the iPod Classic 80gig. I disagree with the designation of "worst" for the ipod classic 80 gig.
YES. Some people *REALLY DO* have 80 gigs of music and want to take it with them! Todays measly 8 gigs (etc) of ipods as of late is NOT cool..
B
Submitted by imajoebob on Fri, 2008-10-24 22:27
Except for the B&W screen, the 3G is still the best of the bunch. I'll admit my photo wheel is more "intuitive," but the 3G buttons are more accurate (or is mine the only 4G that sometimes refuses to shut off?) The photo is better on cold days, seeing that I can change tracks without taking off my gloves, but the risk of blowing out my eardrums the other 9 months is much lower with my 3G. [Speaking of which, when will Apple add an objective volume setting in iTunes? Why do I have to fiddle with every song trying to normalize the volumes?]
As for dropping Firewire: STUPID STUPID STUPID! I've had both my iPods apart (dead drives - what a shock), and the circuit boards look like they could fit into any of the new classics. I understood that Firewire was dropped because of video. Apple needed the wires on the connector to move all the video information, so they stole it from Firewire. So they spend R&D to rework the player to handle video and add a new remote, but they can't make a new connector to keep FW? And what good is video on a 2.5" screen? Useless.
So now we're stuck with substandard data transfer on S-L-O-W USB. Don't bother with the 480mb speed, it's a crock. It's 480 if you run nothing else. But since you have to run iTunes it's already slower. Add in mail, Wi-Fi, wireless/bluetooth, anti-virus, and a couple malwares if you're on a PC, and that 480 drops to 250 to 300 if you're lucky. Since Firewire skips using the CPU, it stays at (or very close to) the full 400. If you don't think there's any noticeable difference, try copying 20GB to an external drive on FW, then do the same on USB. Then try loading your entire 73GB iTunes library to your spanking new USB-only classic. You'll curse the day Apple made the video iPod.
Submitted by AppleownsBeatles on Sat, 2008-10-25 12:24
I not only agree with everyone on the iPod touch element, but on the topic of the iPod classic: some people need something more than 8 GB, and some people have a lot of videos. So having 80 GB of memory isn't as a bad as you might think. Also, I don't think the 1G should have been on there. Yes, it was the first, but that doesn't mean it's the best. I would have swapped that one out for the iPod Touch.And, even if the iPod photo didn't add any memory, it DID add a color screen, and if I do say so, that's pretty revolutionary.And really, what IS so bad about the iPod classic? It's just like any of the other original iPods, but it has more memory at a lower price!
Submitted by abw12345 on Tue, 2008-11-11 06:01
I think the 7 GB ipod Classic is a really good ipod!!!!
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