5stars
34ratings4stars
12ratings3stars
5ratings2stars
1rating1star
4ratings
Good sound quality100% agree
Easy to use100% agree
Long battery life66% agree
54 Reviews
The one thing you can live without... but shouldn't...!
This iPod only gets a "good" rating because now I own the 5th generation video iPod, which does excede this one. However... the iPod in general is a fantastic thing. The 30 gig memory is enough for my entire music library... plus my wife's, sister's, mother's, best friends' entire music libraries. And its about 1/2 full. Plus, I can hold lots of pictures for a quick photo show. The games are good quality and the screen quality is also clear. Its easy to use, there are a million other accessories that are compatible. iTunes, which came with the iPod, is easy to use as well. No complex set-ups and the program couldn't be more user friendly. I recommend getting an iPod to EVERYONE I meet. And I never miss an oportunity to show it off to friends and family. Having my entire music library at the tip of my fingers is worth every penny. Not to mention the ease of the iTunes store and the array of opportunites that the podcasts offer. Can you live without owning an iPod... yes. But who would want to?Read full review...
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU BUY IPOD VIDEO
The video ipod is the next best thing from apple, ever. The video ipod is no more than the size of a slim digital camera, and it can play all the songs you can imagine! The video ipod is great, but it has some problems:
PROS:
Very Thin and Small For Something of its capabilities
Works Well, Usually
Comes With Award-winning iTunes Software
Includes everthing you need right in the box
Cons:
Scratchs Easily,(put it in your pocket and it comes out scratched, even if there was nothing in your pocket.
Headphones are awful so you will need to pay twenty bucks for another pair.
Has random gliches that are annoying.
Apple's customer service is awful and after 90 days you have to pay for your customer service.
So, to conclude, if you are in the market for the video ipod, buy it! But take good care of it and treat it like your only child.Read full review...
good iPod design, but it's bulky and batteries go bad
I know about all the iPod models and this one has all the great things about every iPod like the touchwheel design and easy menu system. This is probably one of the worst iPods, however, for a few simple reasons.
First, it's as big as the 40gb version but holds less songs. Second, the 3rd generation iPods are notorious for having bad batteries - so make sure if you're buying one that the battery has been replaced or is in good condition. This goes for all 3rd generation iPods (not just the 30). Replacing an iPod battery yourself isn't very easy to do.
I don't want to bag on this model completely, if you get a great bargain you're set. Just don't spend a ton on this 30gb version - consider the 20gb or 40gb 3rd generation or newer models instead.Read full review...
Apple iPod 30GB
This was purchased as a Christmas present for my youngest son (17). The iPod is a very popular .mp3 player and the latest generation has even more features.
PROS-Very compact and large storage capacity. Latest models have video and picture capability. Good battery life. Cost is about $100-$150 less than 60gb and 80gb models (Do you really have that much music?) Really slick looking design.
CONS-Not many but a few. Some may be considered nit-picky but here goes.
1. Controls take some getting used to. They don't work like you intuitively think they should. I realize that this is not a big thing.
2. For what you pay for these things, you'd think they could include a decent case.
3. What you don't hear and my biggest gripe is that, yes it has video capability - in APPLE format ONLY. It won't play .MPEGs or .AVIs or DVD formats. Not that this can't be gotten around, but you have to jump through some hoops to do it.
4. Finally, you have to load it from iTunes. Again not a real big thing but annoying.
Overall, I think it is great. Once you understand a few ground rules, you will have an absolute BLAST with the iPod no matter what model you choose.Read full review...
I am a music lover ONCE AGAIN, ipod is responsible
First of all, this machine was designed and manufactured with excellence. I was first impressed by its extreme ease of use. The memory at 30 GB is more than enough for most people. It has enabled me to listen to all my music (2500 songs) during my daily drive yet not distract me from driving. I build playlists on my computer at home and then in my vehicle, I press play and leave it set on random. Its like listening to a radio station with only songs I like and no commercials. I now listen to music that I wouldnt before because when you have to change cds you usually listen to at least a few songs so you dont have to change cds after each song you like, so some cds I wouldnt even listen to because they only had one or two good songs. Not having to carry around a bunch of bulky cds is another huge benefit. The IPOD is so light you can take it anywhere. I bought a case at walmart for $5 with a belt clip to help protect it. These are just the music benefits. The ability to use this thing as an extra external hard drive to your computer allows you to store important documents on the ipod just in case your computer gets hit by lightning or something. All in all I cant say enough about how this little machine has added to my enjoyment of music in my life. I also bought an I groove so I have a portable music station anywhere, like on the patio or at a friends Bar-B-Q, etc.,. I bought a couple headphone to rca plugs (like $5 each) and have a plug in to my stereo in the garage and my home stereo in the living room. I also bought a car charger for when I'm on the road, but the battery lasts so long I rarely need it. To summarize, I compare the usefulness of this machine to a cell phone. If you dont have one, you dont know what you are missing. Once you have one, you wonder why you didnt buy it sooner. If you spend a lot of time in a vehicle (more than 1 hr a day)it is a must. Being stuck in traffic now that I have good music isnt so bad for me any more. Thanks for reading my review and hopefully my insight helps your understanding of what this machine is capable of doing.Read full review...
Great toy for those who love gadgets
The 30GB Ipod was a replacement for my wife's identical unit which was stolen 2 weeks prior. Replacing it with a like unit was a no brainer, because she used the original daily.
I have to admit that I am not a gadget person, but its capabilities are impressive. From the amount of music and video it can hold, to the quality of the display, and the variety of podcasts which are available.
I know there are bigger capacity units available, but the 30GB unit is more than enough for most users. The only negative I have heard her mention relates to the accessories, not the unit itself. It seems to be tricky to find an adapter that provides good quality sound when playing through the car radio. Some have to be in "just the right" position to get a clear signal. She also found that some of the cheaper brand adapters worked better than the higher priced name brands (which were stolen as well).
If you buy this for your spouse - be prepared to be ignored (more than usual). You will find yourself talking to them, and realize they have the earbuds in and they are oblivious to your presence. Not always a bad thing.
If you really like your toys, I am sure this will not dissapoint.Read full review...
Not the best purchase for me.
I was looking for an ipod that was bigger than what we currently own (2GB). This seemed to fit the bill. It was mentioned that it had a shorter battery life, but I was ok with that because the plan was for it to sit on a docking station most of the time.
The battery turned out to be worse than I thought and I also didn't realize at time of purchase, but it has a different connection to the computer. I thought it would be a USB, no such luck, so I ended up buying a firewire connector so I could connect it.
Be aware that it does need a Firewire connector in order to use. If I had been aware of that, I would have found something different.Read full review...
You either love it or hate it.
Reviews are supposed to offer real-life thoughts and experiences about a product, and any iPod is going to be a fantastic example of how different peoples' experiences can be. Some people here love this iPod; others hate it.
Based on my score, I'll say that I love it. This is not to say that it's perfect, but we *are* talking about a three year old model. Comparing it to the newer, sleeker, lighter and higher capacity models that we have now is not fair. It was the flagship model in its day, and it remains a fantastic buy.
I never liked the "click" button design of later iPods; this particular generation of iPods had the best user interface, in my opinion.
My 30 gig iPod has been dropped, smacked, scratched, used and abused, and it still works fine. I replaced the battery after about two-and-a-half years, and it still keeps going strong. My particular iPod has about 7000 songs in it, and I never have a problem finding what I'm looking for.
The downsides? The little black-and-white screen isn't as pretty as the newer color screens. Hard disk life is always going to be questionable in these things, and it's anyone's guess when that will go. The pretty finish of the iPod scratches and wears quickly. We prefer to think of it as "having personality", but some people don't like that.
If you don't mind having an iPod that's a hair thicker than the new models, these older ones can be a fantastic buy. Put a fresh battery in (a relatively easy task for a tech-saavy individual), and you'll have a very well-designed, reliable music player. Hopefully for some time to come.Read full review...
Newbie to Ipod
I HAD to switch from my normal player to an Ipod after I heard my nephew's and the superior sound. The disappointing part is that I use windows media player with about a thousand tunes and even though I purchased a conversion program (which is lousy) I can't get my tunes switched over very easily -- converted, yes, but not switched to itune program. So, at this point, new ipod with basically no tunes. Bummer. Love the operation of ipod and I liked my Philips as well... but not as well.Read full review...
My Apple iPod 30GB MP3 Player
I love this iPod. I bought it because I am a singer who can't read music so I need audio to learn my music. My Director plunks out the music for me on a cassette, I in turn go line-in to my computer and generate a CD, then I upload it into the iPod. I can carry my music around with me wherever I go. I just ordered a microphone to use with the iPod and now I can record directly into it so I can memorize my words. What a help this has been. I have the bag speakers, an arm band, the microphone. My husband says I need an iPod intervention! My little grandson is jealous, he wants one, I told him it took me 64 years to get one. It's not just for kids anymore! The iPod is much easier to use than the little thumb drive size one I started with. It was hard to manipulate, too small and hard to read and the directions were even more difficult to comprehend. The iPod is easy to work with.Read full review...