Apple iPod photo 4th Generation (20 GB) MP3 Player

I jumped on the bandwagon and bought this and have since often wondered if some of the others might have been a better buy. Yes, there are more accessories for this one, it has a cool look when it is new, the click wheel is cool, and more people are familiar with it. However, it has its drawbacks.
The iTunes interface isn't very flexible for personal preferences. My files previously were stored in folders by genre, then sub-folders by artist, etc. I could then play all music of an artist, genre, etc, and shuffle the songs within those choices. The only way you can shuffle with iPod is shuffle all the songs on the iPod. You may get some 80s heavy metal song, then follow that with some bubble-gum pop song you still aren't sure why you ever saved. The only way to change this is by going through a very tedious task of creating playlists.
One other big problem is that the iPod is very prone to scratches. The screen scratched the first day when I put it in the inside pocket in my jacket, which has a soft liner and shouldn't scratch anything. The chrome back is also cool looking, but also very prone to scratches.
I would also like to see them add some equalizer type functionality to the iPod for listening preferences.
The thing plays music just fine and hasn't had a functional problem yet, but I would suggest considering other options before purchasing this item.

I LOVE my IPOD! I use it everyday and if u love music, you will probably love it as much as I do. A few secrets when buying an ipod. GEt the Apple Protection Plan!(Don't get the best buy or retail store one) If u have a problem, you call apple. Rather than you driving to best buy and haveing them shipping down to who know's where and then you get it back 20 days later. Apple know's more about the ipod than Best buy does.

Another seceret. Ipod's get really scrached up! Buy a silocone or any old case for it. Don't buy one in the store, get it on ebay

Last secret. I had my ipod for about 10 months and i have always wraped my headphone wire around the ipod. Good solution for a messy problem---THINK AGAIN. The head phones on my Ipod have over time have been broken because this wraping causes the joint between the conector and the cable to become weak and brittle.....so what ever you do! DON"T WRAP!

Apple has been churning out upgraded iPods at a light-speed pace, so why would a buyer want to settle for this product when it already is "outdated"? That's easy, if you qualify yourself as a music lover, which I do. In younger years, did you ever make a "mix tape" for someone? You had car mixes, date mixes, dinner mixes, and even broken heart mixes... didn't you. And all the while, you were satisfied with ejecting and flipping the tape, rewinding, and scanning because you had no idea something better (like the CD) was on the horizon.

Not only does the iPod demolish those archaic means, but it transends its status as a hot fad. I can tell you right now that I use my iPod for hours each day, I've even gone into the business of making cute little cases for them, and I have no qualms about the fact that there are upgraded versions out there. If anything, new developments make more work for me, because I have to keep up with the infinite sizes when I create my cases.

The first time I saw an iPod with album cover art on the screen, in full color, no less, I was wowed, but I quickly realized that this feature was little more than cosmetic. If you truly value your music collection, album covers have little to do with your playlist selection. Now you can watch full color video on the new iPods, and that's probably really neat, but unless you think that's a "must have" feature, again it seems like an "oooh, aaah" kind of thing.

I love my iPod. If I ever lost it, I would fling myself into the river... well, no, but I would be compelled to buy a replacement within 24 hours. That's how amazing this tech device is, and no, I'm not rolling in the dough by any means.

Are there niftier iPod developments on the horizon? You can be sure of it. They will probably catch my eye, but nothing, I repeat NOTHING, beats this lovely little appendage that I've grown, with its earbuds connecting me to a day and night full of sweet music.

As a seller, I have sold everything from a 512MB shuffle to a 60GB iPod Video. I have seen and tested just about every iPod Apple has come out with, and ironically, for my personal use I prefer the July 2004 release 20GB 4th generation. The next big question is why.
1) Price
These are one of the most affordable iPod units available. When I hear someone had their iPod stolen and are looking to replace it, or do not have much money to spend and want an iPod, I point them this way.

2)Storage
The storage that comes with these is just amazing for the price. Want to put 5,000 songs on an iPod? No problem. I know there are now much bigger hard drives out there for iPods, but you cannot beat the value for storage comparison on the 4th Generation.

3)Simplicity
For those who do not need color to hear music, or a video screen, or a sleek design, this iPod just gets the job done. It has all the standard features, and a TON of storage, making it simple to use and easy to enjoy all your favorite music. Again, sparing the extra features spares your wallet.

Final note: These are very rarely sold new because they are no longer in production. The majority of the 4th generation units are used or refurbished. They will most likely be pretty well used since the unit was released so long ago, so a silicon case is a good investment (especially since the shiny back of these picks up scratches very easily). But, the most important thing is to remember when purchasing is to make sure you buy off a seller who offers a warranty so that if any problems come up you can have your unit replaced or repaired.

I got my iPod a year ago before the Apple debuted whole nano and color-screen thing, but I still love it anyway. With 20 gigs, it holds plenty of songs (I currently have 1800+), and I couldn't imaging being limited by the mini, shuffle, or nano...it's just not enough space! I only have a few playlists, but I am working on more (it takes a long time to scroll through that many songs!). I carry my iPod with me wherever I go, and listen to it in the car, taking walks, and I bought speakers so I can listen to it in the shower and other times when earbuds just aren't appropriate. While a color screen would be nice, it's not an important feature to me...I don't know why anyone would want to watch their favorite TV show on such a small screen. However, I didn't understand how great an iPod is until I actually owned one! I can't imagine being without it now. I have my entire music collection in the palm of my hand. No more CD visors in my car crammed with mix CDs! Yay!

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amazing mp3 player. be part of the cool crowd with an ipod. this has a great capacity and looks great as well. must buy!!

I also love my Ipod!! Like all of us busy moms, we have no time to sit & read directions on anything besides kid’s toys! The Ipod is the perfect MP3 player for the mom on the go. I just plugged the thing in my computer & everything was set up & finished in just a few minutes. The "music store" is awesome too! Another good feature is that my friends can plug their IPod in my computer to get music out of my library that they do not have(I think this only works with IPod-IPod but not sure). I take this thing with me everywhere & with 2(one who is a toddler) kids it has taken a beating! IPod is very small (same size as my cell phone)& light & I just slip it into a little front pocket of my bag. For anyone who exercises this thing is perfect! I run with mine & it just clips on & stays in place. With a Jack Russell on a leash in one hand, I can't take anything too bulky or heavy. The sound quality is great & I love the easy to use scroll wheel. While running I can easily change the options(takes a little practice to scroll & go to songs, playlists, find which playlist I want to run to at that time & then change back to main library when I want to hear something else but you will get the hang of it in no time). Most people do not go thru as many songs as I do while running I'm sure. At night, the glow light makes it easier to see what may be slithering in front of me on the road. IPod has the option of light being on/off & how long you want it on or always have it on. My roads are pretty dark with just a few street lights & I have to say that the IPod's glow light's up a pretty good size area around me. I also use this feature to flash at the vehicles that are approaching so they see me! I cannot be more than pleased with my Ipod. Update for IPod: I can officially say my IPod must know I love it! On vacation last week I was jogging on the ocean shoreline when my dog pulled unexpectedly on her leash I guess thinking she was going to get a seagull. The IPod was in my hand & I accidentally dropped it! At the same time it fell to the sand a wave came & my 2nd fav. running partner was in the water! I blew on the bottom components thinking maybe drying it might save it. By the time I got back to our beach house the Ipod was stuck on the song I was listening to “pause" mode must have been one of the last buttons I was pushing after I picked it up out of the water. I then propped it up & hoped it would work later. On our way to dinner my son asked if I would plug the IPod in (I have the vehicle adapter too) & I told him what I did (you should have seen the look on his face!). I plugged the thing in after holding it in front of the AC vent....thinking maybe one last attempt at drying might help &...... IT WORKED! Right before I snapped it to the adapter I was telling my husband that I was going to have to buy another IPod when we get back. It has been a week since my IPod accident & I haven't had a problem with it, listen to it on a daily basis, run with it almost every day & even dropped the thing again (2 yr. old thought she needed to "play" with it). I thought adding this little story might help with decision making & wondering how "durable" they are. I think I am going to fork out the extra money for the jogger sleeve that goes on your arm(I haven't bought it because I do not like running with anything on my arm). 12-2006: IPOD still works as if it were brand new & I have dropped it a few more times while running.

I bought my Apple Ipod about one year ago. I have been incredibly pleased with it. The sound quality is amazing and the easy to use interface adds to this items functionality. The 20GB hard drive gives a seemingly limitless amount of space for music. I currently have over 300 songs on mine. All of them are easily accessed by the use of the scroll wheel and sound amazing. The interface is very easy to get used to and is very intuitive. The Ipod is small enough to carrying in your pocket but not too small for easy use. The lighted screen makes for easy night time viewing. Overall I am very satisfied with this product. Sound quality and interface are excellent. Also, it just looks good. The only complaint I have is that the battery life on mine seems to be a little shorter than advertised. I am not sure if this is a defect with my unit or not. All is all this is a great .mp3 player and I highly recommend it.

Pros: Great intuitive interface, awesome sound quality, and it just looks good.
Cons: Battery life seems a little shorter than advertised.

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I've had a few other mp3 players, and a apple ipod and I must say the Apple IPOD blows other mp3 players away. A cut above the rest, by far! The 4th gen apple ipods aren't very expensive anymore so this is the best deal as far as ipods goes.

I bought my Ipod over a year ago, and quickly spent the weekend loading all my music. A year later I'm still glad I made the purchase. Yes bigger and better have come out, but with all my music loaded, I'm still just over 10 GB full. It's been a life saver on road trips, and my nieces locate it as soon as they step foot in my house. It is then permanently attached to one of them until they leave. It's amazing how one small electronic can replace shelves full of CD's. I can now listen to my music wherever I go.

Description reads "MODERATE COSMETIC CONDITION which means that the unit will have scratches, blemishes and possibly a ding or two. This iPod is in EXCELLENT OPERATIONAL CONDITION". The unit I got was so scratched on the back, it looked like a belt sander had been taken to it, there was a ding in the metal back, the display screen is scratched so much that it is hard to read if you are looking at it from an angle, and there is a crumb and dust caught behind the display screen that I cannot get to. Hardly MODERATE. Based on this, I thought I was VERY fair saying that the item came in a little worse shape than expected and gave neutral feeback on the transaction. Seller gave me negative feedback even though I paid within seconds of winning bid, kept good communication, and decided to keep the item despite the shape to not stir up trouble as it did operate properly. I am a very fair ebayer.

The good: Incredibly thin and intuitive design; beautiful LCD; supports photo and video playback; seamless integration with iTunes, which boasts the world's biggest music catalog and a new video store; smooth video; lots of extra features, such as a world clock, a stopwatch, and PIM applications; a galaxy of accessories designed for the iPod; great overall value.

The bad: No extras included, such as a dock, A/V cables, or a power adapter; poor battery life for video; slight delay when playing video; no guarantee that your non-iTunes Music Store video will play on an iPod, even after using converted third-party software.

The bottom line: Get the affordable, sleek, and sexy 5G Apple iPod for its audio virtues. Although video looks great, poor video battery life and a relatively small screen hamper its appeal to video heads.

I love this model although it is a few years old because it holds more music than I can possibly imagine. I use it for work to play through my jobsite radio instead of listening to the same old stuff on the radio everyday. I highly recommend this item new or used as I purchased it (so I wouldn’t have to worry about scratching it). Definitely the best way to go.

Vince

There are a lot of MP3 players out on the market today and they all have the same basic functionally but when Apple introduced the Ipod it was, not just a step, but a leap in technology. The first, second, and third generations were a great beginning, as for the fourth generation Apple took all they learned from the previous generations and truly produced one of the most functional MP3 players on the market.
What makes it stand out from the rest is a true MMI, man-machine-interface, with is click wheel to the remarkable menu system, to is docking station, slim lines and music storage capacity to rival some desk top computers and not forgetting the sound quality.
I have three fourth gen Ipods that I use, one in my Silverado, another I take to the gym for my workouts, and the third I use in my high-end audio gear as the source, playing through a TP-E9000ES preamp. I have a TP-S9000ES that I play auto CD’s with and in playing the same songs from both I cannot tell the difference in sound quality.
When down loading songs the menu system, when linked to the Apples itunes allows you the freedom to choose virtually any configuration, from sorting by genre, play list that you can create, to allowing the ipod to randomly play songs.
When it comes to the cons, there are no cons, this is the best MP3 player bar none.

Even though it's older, this iPod is a great value. It has a great price, plenty of battery life (up to 12 hours), and capacity to hold all of your music (up to 5000 songs).

This model is relatively thin, not bulky. The clickwheel on the front is still in use on the newer models today, so Apple has stuck with that successful design.

The only drawback on this model is that the screens will sometimes break if it's abused, so don't toss it around or sit on it in your back pocket. If you need something more sturdy, get an iPod mini or iPod Photo with color screen (also out of production).

Overall, if you're looking for an iPod that does a good job of everything - this one is it.

Loved it, had it 6 months, problems, mailed to Apple, of course I had to pay for shipping...they sent it back saying nothing wrong, tried the R's again (for 20th time) still stops gives me a sad face and all for a mere $300 plus to ship it out plus the time spent trying to restore, etc. with NO HELP with the so called warranty that Apple offers. I would advise anyone to buy a 8 track before one of these,,,see some of you don't even know what an 8 track is. Need I say more????

I have used many Mp3 Players and I think the Ipod is the easiest one to use. Has alot of features and sound quality is just great. Only downside is that it does not have any custom equalizer settings for bass and treble and it is kinda pricey - but you know that old saying "You get what you paid for" and the Ipod is worth every cent if you're hardcore into music or electronics.

This model is enormously better than the previous ipods, especially the 3G, in so many ways. The battery life is at least 50% stronger -- I have definitely listened to my ipod for at least 12 hours, but my old 3G would only last about 5-6. This ipod is really sturdy as well -- it has never crashed or skipped like older models did. The click wheel was a great adjustment too; it's much easier and more accurate to use than pressing on touch sensitive bevel.

This is really worth picking up, especially at a discount on ebay.

Unfortunately, Item Number 140200669097 APPLE IPOD 4th GEN 20GB MP3 MUSIC PLAYER w/iTrip was not what was expected, IT DOES NOT WORK. Although seller states they have not used it in quite sometime and only knows that it turns on. They should not be selling something that they know might not work. How long can it take to check if your own property works properly, and then make it CLEAR that consumer will be purchasing a product that will need REPAIR. Thanks for a product that does not work and to even state that if it doesn't work a refund will be given after product is return AND the amount refunded will be less all the cost and fees that original seller would have incurred for posting product and shipping product. Let's just say that even though I don't know you(mann.ken). Take the money you charged me as a Christmas gift or any Anniversary gift, you choose. Please Be much CLEARER when selling any of your property, especially if they don't work properly. Take good care of yourself...

this is the ipod to get if you just want to listen to music, and not worry about videos and such. it has plenty of storage to put your whole music library on. i like it because i can take all my music on the road with me instead of taking all my cd's.

The fourth gen., 20 GB, iPod gives me what I need. Lots of room for my music. I can carry my entire music library around with me and when I travel. It is tough, rugged and reliable.

Full specifications for Apple iPod (20GB, fourth generation)

Manufacturer: Apple Computer, Inc.
Part number: M9282LL/A
General

Width
2.4 in
Depth
.57 in
Product type
Hard drive
Height
4.1 in
PC interface(s) supported
FireWire, Hi-Speed USB
Weight
5.6 oz
Color
White
Available body colors
Silver
Flash memory installed
No built-in memory
Digital storage
Built-in 20 GB Hard disk drive
Dimensions (W x D x H)
2.4 in x .57 in x 4.1 in
Included accessories
Earbud headphones, AC adapter, FireWire cable, USB 2.0 cable
Packaged quantity
1
Digital storage media capacity
20 GB
Software type
Apple iTunes for Mac, Apple iTunes for Windows
iPod Generation
4G
Digital storage media type
Hard disk drive
Digital storage media form factor
Built-in
Radio

Tuner type
None
Digital Player / Recorder

Digital player supported digital audio standards
AAC, AIFF, MP3, WAV
Digital player response bandwidth
20 - 20000 Hz
Digital player playback modes
Playlist, One track repeat, All tracks repeat, Random play / shuffle
Digital player edit functions
Erase
Digital player supported bit rate
32 - 320
Shockproof memory
1500 seconds
Digital player ID3 tags support
Yes
External hard drive function
Yes
Digital player additional features
Variable bit-rate compatible
Carrying Case

Case type
Optional
Video Playback Features

Games included
None
Video software included
None
Battery

Required Qty
1
Rechargeable Battery
Rechargeable
Battery Enclosure Type
Built-in
Technology
Lithium ion
Recharge Time
4 hour(s)
Battery
Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryBuilt-in
Mfr estimated battery life
12 hour(s)
Audio System

Sound output mode
Stereo
Additional features
Notes, Calendar, Phone book, Hold button, Built-in games, Upgradeable firmware, Playback speed control, Rechargeable capability, Battery level indication
Cable(s) / Peripheral(s)

Cable(s) included
1 x, IEEE 1394 cable - External, USB cable - External
System Requirements

Peripheral / Interface devices
USB port, IEEE 1394 FireWire port
Min Operating system
Apple MacOS X 10.1.5 or later, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP4
Connections

Connector type
1 x Headphones / remote control Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Docking station
Built-in Display

Audio system built-in display
LCD
Diagonal size
2 in
Resolution
160 x 128
Backlight display
Yes
Display illumination color
White
Display menu language
Dutch, Danish, French, German, Korean, English, Finnish, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Japanese, Norwegian, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional)
Features
Adjustable contrast
Power

Power Supply / Device
Power adapter External
Manufacturer Warranty

Service & Support
1 year warranty
Audio Features

Timer
Wake, Sleep
Built-in clock
Timer, Digital clock
CD System

CD system type
None
Playback modes
Skip playback, Random play, Repeat one/all
Digital audio standards supported
MP3, AAC, MP3 VBR, Audible, AIFF, WAV
Equalizer

Equalizer factory preset qty
20
Remote Control

Remote control
None
Microphone

Microphone type
None
Headphones

Headphones type
Binaural Ear-bud
Sound output mode
Stereo
Response bandwidth
20 - 20000