Alan's Blog

My new iPod

Back in November last year I posted about my iPod. As I said , shortly after I bought it, Apple released a new version for the same money with double the memory. I found the 2Gb limit too small, and have splashed out on a new 8Gb version. First of all, I was impressed by the smooth way it installed on my PC and connected to iTunes. There was a new version of the firmware available, and iTunes automatically downloaded it and installed it on the iPod without any difficulty.

I also liked the much longer-lasting battery; before, using it to go to and from work, a total journey time of about two and a half hours a day, it needed a recharge every other day. The new battery only requires a recharge once a week. It is also faster when recharging. Since the new nano only cost slightly more that the first, but has four times the capacity, I reckon it's a lot better.

My iPod

I finally got around to buying an iPod about six months ago. Of course, shortly afterwards, Apple doubled the memory, so if I'd waited a couple of months, I'd have been able to get a 4MB nano for the same price as I paid for my 2MB version.

I found my daily commute to work was made more bearable. I was also struck by the number of fellow commuters I saw using an MP3 player or similar. Before I got the iPod I only noticed the occasional person whose earphones leaked their music to the whole train carriage. Now I saw that roughly half those travelling with me seemed to have earphones as well.

My musical tastes were set some thirty-odd years ago - think Led Zeppelin; Ten Years After; Emerson, Lake and Palmer - and they don't get much airplay these days. I am really enjoying hearing again the music of my youth.

One tip - I suggest you invest in a pair of headphones instread of the "bud" type earphones supplied by Apple. While the sound seemed not too bad, when I tried a decent pair I noticed a tremendous difference. Apart from a much less "tinny" sound, quiet passages were still audible. Before, I found myself checking that the iPod was working properly as I could hear nothing at all.