Apple's 10GB iPod offers twice the music storage of its predecessor, adds new features, and in a radical departure from the industry norm, doesn't cost twice as much.

Apple has followed up the successful launch of its original iPod with a new model that offers 10GB of storage (as opposed to 5GB) and updated firmware, so you now get some additional features, the most notable of which are an equalizer and a contact-list manager. However, since owners of the original iPod can update the firmware on their devices, the real upgrade here is only the extra storage space, for which ups the price from the 5Gb iPod by AU$200. In other words, Apple has made a good thing even better, though we still wish that the company would include a carrying case and a belt clip, particularly considering the iPod's rather hefty price tag.

Near-perfect design
From a design perspective, Apple did everything right with the original iPod. Thankfully, it didn't make any changes to the cosmetics with this version. When you open the box, the first thing that you notice (after the multilingual sticker urging you not to steal music) is the casing, which is made of shiny stainless steel on the back and a thick slab of Lucite on the front. A large screen enables you to easily view the device's straightforward menu structure, and songs categorized by playlist, album, or artist are all easy to find. We particularly appreciated the scroll wheel on the front of the iPod that allows you to effortlessly navigate through the menus. When holding the 185gm device in one hand, you can click through every song, album, or playlist very rapidly.

Unlike other jog dials or button navigation systems, the scroll wheel accelerates as you turn it, allowing for the kind of maneuvering that's necessary to get through 10GB worth of MP3s (about 2,000 songs encoded at a bit rate of 160Kbps) in mere seconds. The iPod's sonics are quite good, producing clean sound through decent earbuds and featuring no fewer than 31 EQ settings, thanks to new the new firmware. As noted, the equalization feature was absent in the 5GB version.

One problem that we wish Apple would address in its next firmware upgrade is the lack of a Resume feature. When listening to audiobooks, we had to scroll all the way through the long recording to find where we'd left off. As of right now, the iPod resumes only between songs.

But in all of our testing, the iPod never missed a beat because it plays tunes from a skip-free flash-memory buffer that relays music from the hard drive. Still, if you want something specifically for jogging, you might be better off with a lighter flash-based MP3 player, which doesn't have moving parts. No one knows the effects that jogging has on hard drive-based players as of yet.

I sync, therefore iPod
Before the iPod appeared, USB was the fastest way to transfer files to an MP3 player. Thanks to the iPod's FireWire (IEEE 1394) connection, filling up all 10GB takes only 20 minutes. Performing the same feat via USB would take at least 10 hours. And the iPod not only has the fastest file transfers but also the smartest. It's the first MP3 player to automatically sync to jukebox software (in this case, iTunes 2.x). Just plug the iPod into your Mac, sit back, and watch iTunes start up and transfer every new song, album, and playlist onto the unit. At the same time, your new contacts transfer from compatible applications--currently Palm Desktop 4.0 or later and Entourage for Mac OS X or Mac OS 9, although any application that supports standard vCards (Outlook, and so on) can export to the iPod if you manually place them in the Contacts folder. The FireWire connection also recharges the iPod's battery, which lasts 10 hours. If you're not near your computer, you can recharge the unit with an ultracompact folding adapter that plugs into any wall outlet and powers up the iPod through the same FireWire socket.

The iPod doubles as a portable storage device to transport all file types between two compatible computers. Out of deference to copyright holders, it can sync MP3s to iTunes only on a single Mac. However, by activating the View Hidden Folders preference, you can get around this protection and freely ferry MP3s between computers. The iPod has a plate on the back that Apple in the US offers to engrave for US$50; unfortunately this option isn't open to Australian buyers yet.

Take that, Bill!
One common complaint has been the iPod's lack of Windows support. At the product announcement, Apple CEO Steve Jobs mentioned that such compatibility would eventually arrive, but he didn't seem to be in a big rush to add it. Alternatively, Windows users can turn to an often-updated piece of freeware called EphPod , which in addition to the FireWire card requires MacDrive or MacOpener, both of which cost extra. However, PC fans still won't be able to autosync contact lists or files (although both can be transferred manually). If this seems less than ideal, you may need to forgo the speed of firewire in favour of a USB Windows-friendly MP3 player.

The perfect MP3 player--for some
Besides its steep AU$1095 asking price, the only problems with this new iPod are its lack of a belt clip, a carrying case, and a Resume function, as well as the native Windows incompatibility. Third-party manufacturers have solved most of those problems, and Apple will likely add a Resume function in future firmware upgrades, but it would be nice if the company included everything up front. That said, this is still the best MP3 player we've tested to date.

Apple 10GB iPod
Company: Apple Australia
Price: AU$1,095
Phone: 13 36 22

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