Apple iPod Classic - 3rd Gen Review

“If you are a committed long-term traveller, are a...”

Written on: 25/01/2006 by dipichik (1 review written)

Good Points
It's pretty, and it's small.

Bad Points
Extremely impractical and restrictive. Apple want you to commit to your existing PC for life - or they'll take your music away.

General Comments
If you are a committed long-term traveller, are a victim of unreliable PC's or have not yet been brainwashed into having a permanent PC of your own, then iPod's are not for you.



Unlike other MP3 devices, the iPod only recognises software downloaded onto the original source PC. So, if your PC dies, or if like me you happen to be travelling around the world and not taking a laptop with you, you will be unable to 'add-to' your current playlist without iPod automatically deleting every track file it currently holds.



Having consulted an 'Apple genius' as they're called, at Apple's flagship store in Regent Street, London, I was informed that there is nothing Apple can do to prevent this, and they confirmed that none of their packaging or instruction documents warn customers that files will be lost if trying to import tracks from anywhere other than the original PC.



So, my choices are: listen to the same tracks for the next 2-3 years whilst walking the earth, OR I say goodbye to the 150 tracks I currently have stored (at 0.79p GBP each!), install the software, and start buying another 150 tracks every time I arrive at a new destination.



Thanks Apple - you are a shining example of US Corporate THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX.