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Features
Music Management Software
System Requirements
Features
Compatibility: Unlike previous
versions of the Apple iPod, the 20GB version is compatible with both Macintosh
and Windows operating systems. See System Requirements section below for minimum
requirements.
Storage Capacity: This iPod has
a built-in 20GB hard drive, capable of storing over 5,000 songs (4-minute song
average--recorded in AAC format at 128 kbps). In addition to storing audio, you
can use the hard drive to store data files as well.
Audio Formats: The iPod
supports the following audio formats for each operating system:
- Mac:
- AAC (up to 320 kbps)
- MP3 (up to 320 kbps and VBR)
- WAV
- AIFF
- Audible
- Windows:
- MP3 (32 to 320 kbps and VBR)
- WAV
- Audible
- AAC (requires downloaded iTunes
software for Windows)
- AIFF (requires downloaded
iTunes software for Windows)
Display: The grayscale liquid
crystal display measures 2" diagonally with 160 x 128 pixel resolution,
0.24mm dot pitch, and white LED backlight. In the Settings menu, you can adjust
the screen contrast.
Backlighting: The display's
blue-white LED backlight illuminates the LCD screen and lights the buttons red
for a selectable amount of time each time a button is pressed. The backlight
timer can be set for 2, 5, 10 or 20 seconds, always on or off.
Skip Protection: In addition to
the hard drive, the iPod has a memory cache. Since it is solid state, there are
no moving parts, so it is not affected by movement. The memory preloads up to 25
minutes of music to the cache at a time, and the iPod plays the music from the
cache instead of the hard drive. The 25 minutes of skip protection is nearly
twice the amount found in other hard-drive-based MP3 players.
Controls: The iPod's
touch-sensitive controls are located on the front of the unit. There are 3
Playback Mode buttons (Play/Pause, Previous/Rewind, Next/Fast-forward), a Menu
button, and a circular Scroll pad surrounding the Select button. The Scroll pad
and Select button allow you to navigate through menus and song lists, highlight
the desired selection, and select the item. To avoid unwanted actions due to
accidental button pressing, you can disable the iPod's buttons with the
top-mounted hold button.
Remote Control: The supplied
wired remote control plugs in between the iPod and the headphones. The 4-button
remote allows you to control volume, fast-forward/skip forward, rewind/skip
backward, play and pause. The remote also has a Hold button which disables the
remote buttons' functions. The iPod's Hold button and the remote's Hold button
do not affect one another.
Playback Functions: You can set
the iPod to repeat one song over and over, or repeat all songs in the list
(album or playlist) from which the song was selected. You can also have the iPod
shuffle songs or albums. When set to shuffle songs, it plays all the songs at
random from the list the song was selected. When set to shuffle albums, it plays
all the songs on an album in order, then randomly selects another album and
plays it through in order. During Shuffle play, the songs do not repeat until
all songs have been played.
iPod Dock: The supplied iPod
Dock holds the iPod upright as it charges or transfers music. The iPod cable
attaches the iPod Dock to the power adapter or to your computer. In addition,
the iPod Dock has a 3.5mm minijack stereo line output for connecting the iPod to
a home stereo or external powered speakers.
On-The-Go Playlists: You can
program the iPod to play the songs you want in the order you want. The songs are
queued in the On-The-Go playlist. In addition to individual songs, you can queue
entire lists of songs (albums) in the On-The-Go playlist. There is no limit to
the number of selections you can put in the On-The-Go playlist.
Equalizer: The iPod's built-in
equalizer has 22 EQ presets to change the sound to suit a particular music genre
or style. The presets include: Acoustic, Bass Booster, Bass Reducer, Classical,
Dance, Deep, Electronic, Flat, Hip Hop, Jazz, Latin, Loudness, Lounge, Piano, Pop,
R&B, Rock, Small Speakers, Spoken Word, Treble Booster, Treble Reducer,
Vocal Booster and Off.
Headphones: The iPod comes
equipped with earbud-style headphones with 18mm drivers using Neodymium magnets.
If desired, you can use any headphones with a 3.5mm miniplug.
Clock Functions: The iPod has
an internal clock with time/date settings, a calendar, an alarm clock and sleep
timer. The calendar can be advanced a day at a time or a month at a time. The
alarm clock can be set to any minute up to 24 hours in advance. The sleep timer
can be set to automatically turn off the unit in 15, 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes.
Contacts/Calendar Events: When
using a Mac with OS X and iSync, you can import contact information (name,
address, phone, e-mail, etc.) or calendar events (appointments, to do lists,
etc) automatically into the iPod for use on the go.
Note Reader: The iPod has a
built-in note reader that lets you download text-based information and read it
on the screen.
Games: In addition to enjoying
music and books, you can play one of three pre-loaded games on your iPod. The
games that are available include Brick, Parachute, and Solitare.
Computer Interfaces: The iPod
can be connected to your computer via 4-pin or 6-pin FireWire (also called IEEE
1394 or i.LINK), or by USB 2.0 or 1.1. The unit comes equipped with a cable that
has the proprietary iPod dock connector on one end and 6-pin FireWire on the
other end. It also has a 6-pin to 4-pin FireWire adapter for use with computers
with a 4-pin FireWire connector. To connect the iPod via USB, you will need the
optional iPod FireWire and USB cable (item # 472IPODUSB).
Power Requirements: The iPod
has a built-in rechargeable, non-removable, lithium ion battery (630 mAh). You
can charge the iPod by placing it in the iPod Dock, or plug it directly into the
power adapter via the iPod Dock Connector to FireWire cable. When
fully charged, the battery provides approximately 8 hours of playback time, and
about 2 weeks standby time. It charges via the FireWire connector when connected
to a compatible computer system or the supplied power adapter. The battery
charges up to 80% of capacity in 1 hour and fully charges in 3 hours. A battery
life indicator appears at the top of the display. You can also operate the unit
while it's connected to the power adapter. Note: All Macintosh computers
and some Windows PC computers with 6-pin FireWire ports can charge the iPod
through the FireWire cable.
Specifications:
- Frequency Response: 20Hz to
20kHz
- Weight: 5.6 ounces
- Operating Temperature: 32°
to 95°
- Maximum Operating Altitude: 10,000
feet
Music
Management Software
iTunes: The supplied CD-ROM
software provides iTunes 4 music management software for Mac users. This
software allows you to organize and manage
your music and audio downloads. With the software, you can buy music and audio
books from the iTunes Music Store, create you own custom audio or data CDs,
import tracks in AAC, rate tracks and sort your library based on
ratings, create mixes automatically with Smart Playlists, share and stream
playlists with up to three other Mac users, play audiobooks or learn a foreign
language.
MusicMatch Jukebox: The
supplied CD-ROM software provides MusicMatch Jukebox for
Windows users. This software will virtually do for Windows users what the iTunes
software can do for Mac users with a few exceptions (such as import tracks in
AAC format).
iTunes Upgrade: The Apple
Computer/iPod website includes a free downloadable upgrade for iTunes, which
includes iTunes for Windows. iTunes 4.1.1 is available for Windows XP and
Windows 2000 users only, and will allow you to import music in the AAC format,
as well as all of the other benefits of iTunes for Mac. iTunes 4.1 is also an
available upgrade for Mac users. Note: Minimum requirements for
downloading the iTunes upgrade are different than the requirements for the
supplied software.
Volume Levels: Both iTunes and MusicMatch
Jukebox can adjust the volume of songs automatically, so they play at the same
relative volume levels.
Audio Books: In addition to
music, you can download audio books from the iTunes Music Store (approximately
5,000 titles), or from Audible.com, an independent website with over 18,000
titles. The iPod will keep track of where you left off when you listened last
like a virtual bookmark, and when you sync up with iTunes, the bookmark will
continually update between the iPod and iTunes.
High-Speed Transfers:
Transfer time varies depending upon how much music you want to transfer from
your computer to your iPod. With its FireWire connection, iPod can transfer data
at up to 400 MB per second (Mbps), allowing you to transfer an entire CD in as
little as 5 seconds. When you connect the iPod to your computer via FireWire, it
not only syncs quickly, it charges itself in the process. If your Windows-based
PC doesn't have a FireWire port, you can connect the iPod using USB 2.0, which
transfers data at up to 480 Mbps. Note: Although the iPod is compatible
with USB 1.1, data transfer speeds are much slower.
Auto-Synching: Each time you
connect the iPod to your computer, the unit's Auto-Synch feature automatically
updates it with any changes made to the iTunes program on your computer,
including any new music purchased at the iTunes Music Store.
Song Ratings: You can assign a
rating to a song from 1 to 5 stars to indicate how much you like it. Song
ratings can be used to help you create playlists automatically in iTunes.
Smart Playlists: You can create
customized Smart Playlists from the songs stored in your music library. Smart
Playlists can include only certain genres of music, songs by certain artists, or
songs that match particular criteria, such as songs rated 3 stars or higher or a
playlist that's no more than 3 GB in size. After the Smart Playlist is created,
any songs you import that meet the Smart Playlist criteria will be automatically
added to the Smart Playlist.
System
Requirements
Minimum Requirements for Macintosh:
To use iPod with a Macintosh, you must have the following:
- Macintosh with a built-in FireWire
(IEEE 1394/i.LINK) port
- Mac OS X v10.1.4 or later--some
features require Mac OS X v10.2 or later
- iTunes3 (included on the iPod CD)
or later
- iSync 1.0 and iCal 1.0.1 or later
(optional for synchronizing contact and calendar information with iPod--works
only with Mac OS X v10.2 or later)
Minimum Requirements for Windows: To
use iPod with a Windows PC, you must have the following:
- A Windows PC with 300 MHz or higher
processing speed
- 96 MB RAM (128 MB for Windows XP)
- Windows 2000, Windows
XP or later (Windows Me is not supported)
- A built-in or Windows-certified FireWire
card (IEEE 1394) installed, or a USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 port and the optional
iPod Dock Connector to USB 2.0 + FireWire cable
- MusicMatch Jukebox 7.5 (included on
the CD) or later