Apple iPod Classic

When Apple announced that it was bringing out a 160GB iPod all other MP3/PMP manufacturers must have dropped a brick. Apple subsequently cut the Classic down to 120GB, which would have pleased them a little, but that still holds a whopping 30,000 songs or 150 hours of video!

The Classic came along at the same time as the new Touch and new Nano, and seems to be targeted at those afraid of change. Retaining the original’s ‘classic’ looks, this pocket-sized exercise in silver-hued elegance has an excellent 2.5-inch colour LCD (non-touch) screen, has a few flashes of new brilliance (like Cover Flow) and a Lordly disdain for all other MP3 players.

Back to Cover Flow, then, and it works well via the Click Wheel, but not as well as on the new Touch that lets you glide through album colours by swiping the screen. Similarly the menus are a bit more stilted here, but still surpass most UIs found on other players.

Everything else about the iPod you probably know already: it works like a charm with iTunes, has average-sounding but exceedingly white earbuds, and is controlled by the wonderfully tactile Click Wheel. Something you probably didn’t know, is that Apple’s kitted this out with a 36-hour battery, rectifying an irritating shortcoming of previous models. It’s that larger battery and hard drive, though, that make the Classic a bit of a bloater. But sometimes a bit of meat between your fingers is good.

Apple has tried to blow its MP3 rivals out the water by fitting the Classic with a whopping hard drive. Partner this up with the nano and touch and Apple’s got the music market sewn up.