The iPod Classic is Apple's iconic hard-drive-based MP3 player, with design roots that date back to 2001's original iPod model. If you can resist the fashion appeal and gee-whiz features of Apple's slimmer iPods, such as the iPod Nano and iPod Touch, the 160GB iPod Classic (AU$329) still delivers the most bang for the buck.
Design
The third-generation iPod Classic is indistinguishable from its predecessor in all external physical characteristics. An anodised-aluminium faceplate covers the front of the Classic in either black or silver, while the back of the iPod is covered in the same scratch-showing, smudge-loving chromed steel found on most iPods.
The third-generation iPod Classic fits a whopping 160GB hard drive into the same enclosure as its 120GB predecessor, a pocket-size 103.5x61.8x10.5mm. The screen is still made from plastic, making it the only remaining iPod that hasn't yet switched to a scratch-resistant glass screen.
The third-generation iPod Classic is also now one of the only iPods to use a split-screen main menu layout, displaying menu items on the left half of the screen and a picture related to the selection on the right. For example, highlighting Music on the main menu causes the right half of the screen to display a drifting close-up of cover artwork from your music library. This split-screen effect is more beautiful than it is distracting, and applies to menu items such as movies, podcasts and photos, as well. You also have the option to browse your music using the Cover Flow view made popular by the iPhone; however, the novelty of Cover Flow wears thin without a touchscreen display. Users with large music collections to sort through will prefer browsing using the list mode or search function.
Features
Like its predecessor, the third-generation iPod Classic offers the capability to create instant Genius playlists. The Genius feature lets you create an instant 25-song playlists based on the musical characteristics of a single song, offering a new way to group together similar songs in your collection. Genius is easy to use, and the results are fun, provided your music collection holds enough songs to make interesting connections (with 160GB of storage, that shouldn't be hard). You can create and save Genius playlists directly onto your iPod, and with automatic syncing enabled in iTunes you can also transfer them back to your computer. Oddly, the Genius feature won't work if you haven't enabled Genius on your computer's iTunes software. If you find iTunes' Genius feature too demanding on your computer's resources or too invasive of your privacy (the feature reports your listening habits to Apple), then you'll need to live without the feature on your iPod as well.
The third-generation iPod Classic is also capable of recording voice memos, although you'll need to pay a little extra to get the feature working. Many third-party iPhone headsets are compatible with the Classic's voice recording feature and Apple sells its own line of compatible headsets, as well. Without purchasing a compatible headset, however, there is no built-in way to create voice recordings with the iPod Classic right out of the box.
The iPod Classic supports H.264 or MPEG-4 video in MOV, MP4 or M4V file formats, with a maximum resolution of 640x480 at as much as 30 frames per second. You can buy or rent videos through the iTunes online store or import them into iTunes and convert them for playback. (Many third-party software video converters also do a great job converting videos for the iPod.) The Classic supports many of the video features we look for in portable video players. For instance, the Classic can recognise and skip between the DVD-like chapter markers embedded in QuickTime movie files. It also does a dependable job automatically resuming video playback at the point at which you last left off. Closed captioned subtitles can be switched on and off for video files that support them.
Apple's audio file format support remains the same. The iPod Classic allows for manually adding and deleting music and video files, but with 160GB of storage, many users will prefer to have their entire media library sync automatically. The Classic can also double as a USB hard drive in a pinch.
Performance
The iPod Classic's sound quality is clean and crisp, but still uninspired when it comes to sound enhancement options. Users do get more than 20 equalisation presets to choose among — but half of them are either useless or indistinguishable from one another. Compared with products such as the Creative Zen, the Samsung P3 or the Sony X-series Walkman, the iPod's sound quality still leaves room for improvement. That said, after listening with our Ultrasone HFI-2200 headphones as well as a set of Shure SE310 earphones, we can say with confidence that the Classic's fidelity will certainly satisfy most users.
The Cover Flow mode on the iPod Classic is a little slow, but it's a fun way to view your music collection. (Credit: CBS Interactive)
Video playback was the most impressive aspect of the iPod Classic. While we were impressed by the crisp resolution of the iPod Nano's smaller 2-inch screen, the 2.5-inch screen found on the iPod Classic is easier on the eyes. Both players share the same 320x240 resolution and are capable of playing files encoded at 640x480. By purchasing an additional component AV cable from Apple, it's possible for users to output resolutions up to 480p (720x480) to a television.
The iPod Classic's enhanced battery life is one of the better reasons to fork over your money to Apple. The 160GB Classic is rated for 36 hours of audio playback and six hours for video, and if it's anything like its predecessor, this player will likely beat those times when CNET Labs puts it through drain tests (check back soon for those results).
Is it worth upgrading?
If you're looking for an iPod that can store more than 64GB of music and video, the 160GB iPod Classic is the only option now available to you. Before you leap, however, you should know that the iPod Nano, the iPod Classic and the iPod Touch, all require iTunes 9 or later in order to be compatible with your computer. We recommend testing the compatibility of the latest version of iTunes with your computer before making the purchase.
The iTunes factor
No iPod review would be complete without mentioning Apple's iTunes music software. For better or worse, the integration between an iPod and Apple's iTunes music software is nearly airtight. If this is going to be your first iPod, it's worthwhile to download iTunes ahead of time to see if it works well on your computer and is intuitive for you to use. You should also be aware that most of the music and movies available for purchase on the iTunes online store will play only in iTunes or on an authorised iPod and cannot be transferred to a non-Apple MP3 player.
Final thoughts
As the availability of high-capacity hard-drive MP3 players seems to be on the decline, we're happy to see that Apple is continuing to develop them. The iPod Classic doesn't deliver the futuristic novelty of the iPod Nano or the iPod Touch, but it is still one of the best-designed high-capacity MP3 players on the market.
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