Hands on with the New 80GB iPod Classic

Before I get into this article, I have to let all my faithful readers know that I have never owned an iPod or any other type of MP3 player. However, since it is required to have some sort of MP3 player in order to enjoy music, I have decided to join the new millennium and buy an iPod.

I decided to invest in the iPod classic, since Radio Shack did not have the new iPod touch available. I paid about $250 for the 80GB version, and the 160 GB version would have cost one hundred dollars more.

One of the things I like about Apple products is that they tend not to overpack them. In this case, the iPod classic came with the unit itself, the earphones, the USB connectable cable, and little instructions. It also came with a little plastic cradle thing that will come in handy

Hooking the 80GB iPod classic was simple, and if you already have iTunes, it was a very simple process of downloading it to the iPod. Oddly enough, the iTunes that I used to make a mixed CD had somehow stayed on iTunes, which meant that I had everything on my computer was now on my iPod.

My wife found that downloading the iTunes was as easy as pie, and she also downloaded the movie Chicago. I suppose Apple wants you to buy up as many legal downloaded tunes as possible, so any one can be an iPod iTunes consumer in just minutes! I found out later that if you don't like iTunes, you can put in any CD and rip the songs from there. I suppose that will keep CDs in the stores, for now.

Pictures were also easy to download too. I believe the picture gallery is something to sing about, just by spinning the clicker wheel. I have no idea if this was on previous iPod versions, but I liked how it worked. I was able to take pictures from the MyPictures file from my computer, provided all the pictures are in a folder in MyPictures. You should know if a picture folder is in a folder within a folder, you can't access that folder. In other words, it's all or nothing.

Well, now I can see why this little device has changed the world as we know it. As someone who was a stranger to iPod culture, I am certain that this thing will soon be running my life.