Buy Now
To buy an iPod Video, simply follow one of the links to your favorite store.
The Apple iPod Video comes in a 30 GB version for $299 and a $60 GB version for $399.
Prices don't vary much, so you can buy your iPod Video from your favorite retailer
knowing that you are getting the best price. If you are not yet sure whether you
want to buy an iPod video, read on to learn more about it.
The New iPod Lineup - Shuffle, Nano, Video
In the last year we have seen the introduction of the iPod Shuffle, the iPod Photo, the iPod Nano, and witnessed the demise of the iPod Mini and regular bread-and-butter iPod. Now, with the introduction of the iPod Video, the iPod Photo is out of the picture and Apple is down to just three products, a convenient simplification of their product line, just in time for the holiday shopping season.
iPod Shuffle - As simple as it gets. Stylish, durable, and smaller than a pack of gum, the iPod Shuffle starts at $99 and comes in a 512 MB and a 1 GB version. There is no display to waste you time with, and the songs you upload to it via the simple USB interface and iTunes can be played linearly or in shuffle mode, hence the name. The battery lasts 12 hours on one charge, and you can carry it around in your pocket, on a clip, or on a lanyard. Take your pick.
iPod Nano - This little marvel of engineering caused a sensation when it was first released, and it continues to delight portable music lovers all over the world. Smaller than a credit card and as thin as a pencil, this iPod holds up to 3 days' worth of music and can go for 14 hours on one battery charge. It comes in a 2 GB and a 4 GB version, and starts at $199. The crystal clear color screen displays album art and even your photos. Go running with it, you won't even know it's there.
iPod Video - The jewel of the iPod family, the new iPod Video is lighter and thinner than all its predecessors. It measures in at half an inch thick, but yet still manages to provide up to 20 hours of battery life and hold 30 GB or 60 GB of music, pictures, and video starting at $299. The new 2.5 inch screen is super bright and razor sharp, so you can take all your favorite shows and videos with you and watch them at your leisure.
The iPod Video's Updated Design
While still the same height and width as the old iPods, the new iPod video looks considerably
different because of it's larger, 2.5in screen, and its' slightly smaller click wheel. Also,
the new model is at most 0.55 inches thick, making this the thinnest full-size iPod to date.
The new LCD is the most notable change. The iPod Video's new screen is a bright 320 x 240 pixel TFT display measuring in at 2.5 inches compared to the old 2-inch display. The colors are vibrant and the contrast is sharp, and powered by a new Broadcom VideoCore chip, the video delivered is smooth and easy to watch.
The iPod's click-wheel is now made in-house by Apple and has shrunk a bit from previous models. This has not impacted usability at all, however, and the click-wheel is just as responsive and easy to use as it is on the older models. The iPod's headphone jack has moved from top center to the top right corner.
The look and feel of the iPod Video has also changed a bit. Whereas the previous iPod versions featured all rounded edges, the new iPods have a flat front face, reminiscent of first generation models. Also, the top front is dual layered, with a clear resin on top of white platic, much like the iPod Nano. This is different from previous generation iPods whose front was composed solely of a bright white resin. This change brings the look of the whole iPod lineup in sync, and the layer of clear resin serves to protect the new LCD screen of the iPod Video.
Finally, the new iPod Video is available in two colors, black and white. Convinced? Then go ahead and buy your iPod Video today.
Can you honestly watch a whole show on the iPod?
At first sight, it seems like watching video on the iPod might be uncomfortable because of the small screen and the form factor. But giving it a try proves that this isn't the case. The sharpness of the image make the 2.5-inch iPod Video screen appear larger than it is, and it's easy to read text such as subtitles or credits. Also, the video is smooth and bright. The iPod is small and light, so it's easy to hold it in your hand or on your lap during a normal 30 minute show. The one caveat to watching video on the iPod is that the smooth finish is likely to cause glare if it is held at the wrong angle in any brightly lit space.
The ability to play and store digital video is not a new one to portable devices, but as it did with digital music, Apple is providing the ecosystem to make digital video content successful. TV shows, movies, and music videos are now available for purchase and download through iTunes. This means it now takes only a few dollars and a couple of clicks to download your favorite shows to your iPod for your morning commute (which is hopefully on a bus).
Features, Battery Life, Scratches, and Accessories
Like the previous iPod, the iPod Video plays music in stereo and allows you to carry and display your pictures on the iPod's screen, or externally on a TV. You can also synchronize your contacts and your calendar to your iPod, and the new iPod adds two new software features - a timer, and the ability to lock the iPods controls with a PIN number.
Even more exciting is the iPod's new ability to pipe video to an external TV. This requires the purchase of an AV cable from the iPod store, but the results are great. Video from the iPod played on a standard TV is impossible to discern from a regular TV or cable TV signal. The sharpness and smoothness are the same, the colors are good, and the sound is decent over the TV's speakers.
The iPod Video promises 20 hours of battery life for listening to music, or 3 hours during video playback. There was some worry about how resistant the face of the new iPod is to scratches, since it's similar in design to the Nano, which is known to have scratch issues. Happily, scratches seem to be less of a problem with the iPod Video, and because of it's size, it's much more likely to be carried in a case anyway.
The new iPod Video also serves to expand Apple's accessory offering. First of all, the iPod dock has been updated to include an S-video out for hooking it up to your TV, and more importantly, it now supports the new Apple Remote, so you can control your music, video, and photo slideshows from afar. The offerings of course include a myriad of cases, and the obligatory AV cable which plugs right into the regular headphone jack. Also, there is a camera connector so you can download pictures from your camera directly to your iPod and view them on the go. This is great for when you are travelling but don't want to bring that bulky laptop with you. And this hasn't even gotten us into the third party accessories. Speaker systems, arm bands, special headphones, voice recorders, radio tuners, car integration...you name it, and they are probably making it by now.