Small box, containing an even smaller box.
Steve Jobs loves Pirates of the Carribean 2, but he doesn't like it when you steal music.
The simple but ESSENTIAL instructions: To switch on, press center button. To switch off hold PLAY/PAUSE. To reset hold Center and Menu. If you don't get to grips with switching on / off using this method then you're buggered and you're best off without an ipod - why they couldn't just use an on / off button, I'll never know, perhaps it's un-cool. (Remember Apple prioritises cool, over easy to use). The stuff you get with it: Dock adapter, earphones, packet of instructions (no CD, no manual), some white apple stickers for the teenage audience, USB cable, frabric case (hoorah!)
The switch on experience: Choose your language. Use the menus...
Look for the new games, only to find, you have to buy the new games for $5 each.
New quick-scroll feature lets you go to the first letter of the Artist. Neat.
New feature: Search for songs - when you've found what you're looking for it will let you play them as a one-off playlist. Yay! Old feature: mirrored metal back that scratches the moment you get the ipod out of it's plastic wrapper! Boo!
Another scratch above "Designed badly by Apple". And finally: "Do not disconnect" the fun message you get when you connect it to your computer - you can't use the ipod at all when it's connected to a computer. You can't play the games while it's taking hours to transfer over 20GBs of songs and data.
Questions:
1 - Where is the install CD?
2 - Where are the new games!?
3 - Why don't you sync with iTunes 6?
4 - Why does the back scratch the minute you take it out of the box?
Answers:
1 - There is no CD, you have to download iTunes 7 from www.apple.com because we're too tight fisted to provide a CD that would cost us 20p to include. (and we want more of your money)
2 - The games will be installed from your computer when you sync with iTunes 7 - you have to buy the games for $5 each! (alternatively £3.99 in the UK!!) see 1.
3 - Because we want everybody to buy videos for their iPods. see 1.
4 - It's much more important to look cool, than last a long time, plus we don't want people to buy them second hand see 1.
Other issues worth mentioning: Delivery from Apple took 7 days in total. Order from Amazon, and you're likely to get the product next day. You have 14-days to return the product if you don't want it, this will cost you £30, if the product cost more than £300 then returning it will cost you £60, if you had your product engraved then you can't return, you have voided your usual statuary customer rights. If you bought it from Amazon, returning it would cost you nothing. (except possibly Special Delivery postage). I coverted a Madonna video in iTunes, but ended up with no sound!
Links: Beware, iTunes 7 is buggy, but patch is due.
Make your own iPod Dock.
Please excuse the slow load time for images, blogger can't be bothered hosting the images today.
Comments
Either way: Why would one do that?