Apple iPod classic (Late 2008 120GB, Late 2009 160GB)

In 2007, Apple released three substantially new iPods: the biscuit-shaped third-generation iPod nano (iLounge Rating: A), the metal-faced iPod classic (iLounge Rating: B+), and the phoneless iPhone called iPod touch (iLounge Rating: B-). This year, Apple has updated all three models with new features that range from trivial to important, generally improving each while boosting storage capacity for the dollar. Our review of the 2008 iPod classic (120GB/$249) covers all of the key changes and details you want to know about.

Every once in a long while, Apple releases an iPod that isn’t quite the next “generation” of an earlier model, but certainly isn’t exactly the same as its immediate predecessor, either. Such is the case with the 2008 iPod classic, the most recent hard disk-based sequel to the original iPod released in 2001: despite internal changes, Apple has stopped short of calling it the “second-generation iPod classic,” and is instead referring to it solely as the iPod classic (120GB). Properly understood as the “sixth-and-a-half-generation iPod” (or 6.5G iPod for short), here’s how it fits into the family’s history.

The first iPod pioneered the concept of a 1.8” hard disk drive-based music player that used a bright white screen and rotating wheel for navigation. Its second-generation 2002 sequel changed the wheel to a touch-sensitive surface and came in both PC and Mac versions. A completely redesigned third-generation model in 2003 added a bottom accessory Dock Connector, replaced all the clickable buttons with touch-sensitive controls, and added USB connectivity as an option. The fourth-generation 2004 version came in both black and white and color versions, swapping the prior control scheme for the modern Click Wheel controller. Apple’s fifth-generation 2005 iPod was the first to play videos, and an “enhanced fifth-generation” version in 2006 added additional storage capacity. The 2007 sixth-generation iPod was rebranded as iPod classic, and was the first to offer Cover Flow and come with a silver or black metal face. Two versions were available: an 80GB version with 30 promised hours of audio runtime, and a thicker 160GB version with 40 hours.

Apple’s 2008 model is still sold in black- or silver-faced versions, but comes in only one capacity, 120GB, enough to store 30,000 songs or 150 hours of video in standard formats. Like all screened iPods, the classic supports audio and video in MP3, AAC, MPEG-4, and H.264 formats, as well as Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV. Though it looks exactly the same dimensionally as the “thin” 80GB sixth-generation iPod classic, and Apple CEO Steve Jobs spent less than a minute discussing the new model during its unveiling, it has actually changed inside: in addition to the extra storage space, Apple has quietly added new features such as superior 36-hour battery life, headphone port-based remote controls, and headphone port-based voice recording, as well as a number of smaller changes. The pages of this review look at each of the key prior and new features in turn; you can look at the pros and cons here, or skip directly to the conclusions for our purchasing recommendations.




As was the case last year, the 2008 iPod classic comes in a cardboard box that has more in common with the current-generation iPhone than it does the flash-based devices on the iPod family. This year’s box is just like last year’s, but white rather than black, using a foam-padded interior with a hard plastic shell to hold the classic in place. Once the shell and iPod are removed, you’ll find a white envelope with instructions, Apple stickers, and safety warnings inside, plus a sealed white paper pouch containing three white plastic accessories.
There’s a pair of iPod Earphones, a Universal Dock Adapter, and a USB-to-iPod Dock Connector cable. The Adapter is the same one that was included with last year’s 80GB model, and the USB cable is now the smaller-tipped version that debuted with the iPhone last year but didn’t make it into initial iPod classic boxes. As always, these parts enable you to listen to the iPod classic’s music, fit into any Universal Dock-equipped accessory, and charge or synchronize content from any USB 2.0 port-equipped computer.
Other than the 120GB badge on the back casing, there’s literally nothing new dimensionally about the device’s body. It still measures 4.1” tall by 2.4” wide by 0.41” deep and weighs 4.9 ounces, just as the prior 80GB model did. It retains the same 2.5-inch, 320x240 screen and Click Wheel that we’ve seen in hard disk iPods since the fifth-generation, and the Click Wheel is still made from plastic. While the silver version is virtually indistinguishable from the prior 80GB version, the black 120GB classic has adopted the same charcoal gray coloration as the third- and fourth-generation iPod nanos, which Apple still calls “black,” despite the obvious differences between this color and the jet black prior iPods, as well as first- and second-generation nanos.
Though the front of the device is made from scratch- (but not dent-) resilient anodized aluminum, iPod classic’s back continues to use a scratch-attractive polished metal, interrupted by the same top-mounted Hold switch and headphone port arrangement as before, along with a bottom-mounted Dock Connector port. Both of these ports connect the iPod classic to accessories, as discussed below.
As we’ve noted before, our feelings about the iPod classic’s physical design are mixed. While the unit packs impressive storage capacity and features into an easily pocketed device—one with a thickness that we don’t mind given its benefits—the classic looked and felt sort of stale on arrival last year and haven’t improved in any way this year. Red or other colored iPod classic models have never materialized, and the stock silver and black colors are dull by contrast with the continually evolving iPod nano family. There’s little doubt that Apple’s doing nothing to glamorize this product, as its only real improvements are under the hood, and then, not especially well touted.