choose the pure holiday gift can be hard , particularly when it comes to determining the appropriate Apple portable medium player to give to your love and nearest . This class , however , it ’s the midget bit well-fixed . And it is because Apple has done us all the favour of bequeath last yr ’s iPod batting order in place . If you liked the tone of last class ’s iPod shuffle , iPod nano , iPod Classic , and iPod touch , you ’ll like them just as much this year as they ’ve changed very little .
Which to buy — either for yourself or as a giving — depends a lot on the money you have to pass and what you ’d like that iPod to do . Do you need an iPod that play medicine only — no TV ? You have exactly two option ( and only one of them has a exhibit ) . Need an iPod that stores a large clump of a massive iTunes library right there on the iPod ? Apple offers one perfect iPod . How about an iPod that ’s evenly at home plate playing games and sending email as it is playing euphony , podcasts , and movie ? You have up to three choices ( depending on how special you are about the gimmick actually bearing the “ iPod ” name ) . To help make those choice more cleared , have ’s look at this ( and last ) year ’s lineup of Apple ’s portable medium player .
iPod shuffle
Today ’s $ 49 4 G iPod shuffle ( ) looks very exchangeable to the 2 G shuffle of yore but , unlike that earlier iPod model , if you care to you’re able to pilot the gimmick by holding down a VoiceOver button ( or pressing the controller on the optional $ 29Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic ) . Doing so do the iPod to announce the name and artist of the currently playing racetrack . Press and hold the VoiceOver or headphone controller clitoris and the iPod lists all of its play list .
The nearly substantial 4 G iPod shambling is offered in a single 2 GB capacity . you could suit approximately 500 4 - minute call encoded as 128 - kbps AAC in that 2 GB of fanfare storage . It ’s useable in five colors — silver , blue , gullible , orange , and pink . Like shuffling before it , this one bears a clip , let you to firmly attach the affair to your clothing , haversack , or purse . And , like the 2 gramme iPod shambling , it has no exhibit but rather , on its face , Volume Up , loudness Down , Next / Fast - forward , Previous / Rewind , and encounter / break push button .
The missionary work of the iPod shuffle remains the same . It ’s Apple ’s least expensive iPod and holds over a day’s - worth of music ( again , with music encoded as 128 - kbps AAC ) , make it a solid choice as a workout fellow traveler or a careless kid ’s first iPod . Although navigable through VoiceOver , there are far easier iPods to operate . And , of course , no display means no video or extra features that require a exhibit ( contacts and calendars , for illustration ) .
well for : Athletes ( and wanna - be athletes ) ; nestling ; those who wish to press gaming and go about their business ; anyone seeking a spare , kick - around iPod .
Not for : People look for sluttish sailing of their medicine subroutine library ; those wanting to carry band of music ; individuals desiring an iPod on which to watch out videos .
iPod nano
In 2010 Apple alter the nano ’s shape , but , in a turnaround of custom , the company removed feature rather than sum up them . Specifically , 2009 ’s Click Wheel fifth - propagation ( 5 grand ) iPod nano could play TV ; lark about a depressed - resolution video recording television camera ; and could display middleman , calendar , and notes . The6 G iPod nano ( ) has a smaller screen ; a touch user interface rather than Click Wheel ; ca n’t pip or exhibit video of any kind ; and dispenses entirely with inter-group communication , calendar , and government note . It does , however , admit an FM radio set capable of buffering 15 minute of audio , just as did the 5 G iPod nano , and it can display still images you synchronise to it . A software update issued in the declination of 2011 added a number of stylish clock face to the nano for those who like to wear it as a sentry . The iPod nano is now very much a music role player and little else .
usable in 8 GB ( $ 129 ) and 16 GB ( $ 149 ) capacity and in seven colors ( silver , gray , blue , unripened , orange , pink and Product Red ) the 6 G iPod nano is , in some ways , more like a display - conduct iPod shuffle than a heir to the 5 G iPod nano . It make this compare due to its small sizing and lack of ironware play controls — you play and pilot through it via on - CRT screen touch control or with an optional headset that feature an inline accountant . And for some people — those who want a lightweight , more navigable , higher - capability iPod for their workouts , for model — that ’s perfect . It ’s also a cute little matter .
Best for : Exercising iPod owner ; elderly kids who can be trust to not lose it ; public transfer commuters ; anyone who wants to express a reasonable amount of euphony in a fashionable package .
Not for : someone desiring an iPod on which to watch television or keep contact , calendars , and notes ; those who receive a feeling interface is n’t appropriate for every purpose .
iPod classic
We ’ve contract to calling this the “ death watch ” iPod around theMacworldoffices . As the one iPod that still holds a mechanical hard thrust — and the model that has n’t examine an update in several years — we keep waiting for Apple to pull the plug on the matter . And yet , year after year , it lives on . And it does for a compelling reason — if you need a lot of storage ( meaning over 100 gigabyte ) , the iPod classic is your only choice .
The $ 249 iPod classic ( ) is uncommitted in silver or black in a individual 160 GB capacity . It will carry 40,000 4 - minute song encoded at 128 - kbps AAC , which work out to a little more than 111 days of continuous music . to boot , it can act videos and show images on its 2.5 - inch color display and hold contact , calendar , and notes . Nothing Modern , nothing particularly flashy , just a whole quite a little of room to stash away all or the bulk of your media library .
Best for : People who desire to take all ( or a big portion ) of their iTunes media library with them .
Not for : Those for whom capacity is n’t as important as an iPod touch ’s feature of speech set ; the visually spoil and blind , who would find it very difficult to navigate this iPod ’s interface .
iPod touch
Thefourth - generation ( 4 gibibyte ) iPod touch ( ) is the closest Apple has come to feature parity with the iPhone with its comprehension of front- and rear - facing cameras , FaceTime support , HD TV recording , support for the wandering interlingual rendition of Apple ’s iMovie , an A4 processor , a Retina display , and a build - in mike .
While the 4 1000 iPod touch ’s and iPhone 4S ’s features are similar , they ’re not the same . Of course , the iPod touch does n’t hold up the iPhone ’s speech sound features — spokesperson career and textual matter and medium messaging . Nor does it include the Siri intelligent adjunct feature of speech . It also miss the iPhone ’s GPS circuitry and ca n’t reassign data over an border or 3 G connection . And while , like the iPhone 4S , it has a rear - confront tv camera and a Retina display , the iPod touch ’s rear - facing tv camera is much small resolution ( .7 megapixels versus the iPhone 4S ’s 8 megapixels ) and the Retina display is not nearly as clear off - slant as that of the iPhone ’s display . At the same time , it also does n’t require a two - yr committal with monthly charges .
The iPod touch come in three capacities—8 GB , 32 G , and 64GB — price respectively at $ 199 , $ 299 , and $ 399 . These models , in rise parliamentary procedure , defend 1750 128 - kbps AAC - encode songs or 10 minute of TV , 7000 songs or 40 hour of telecasting , and 14,000 song or 80 hr of video . While the iPod touch may not pit the capacity of the iPod classic , a 64 GB iPod skin senses that can hold 40 two - hour motion picture is nothing to sneeze at .
One of the things that shit the skin senses such a gravid iPod is the 3.5 - inch ( diagonal ) touchscreen display . Because of its brilliant and fairly large exhibit , this is the iPod you ’ll want to take to bed with you when you ’re in the mood for a later - nighttime movie . Unlike with the iPod classic , this is an iPod you may stare at throughout a double - feature without squinting for hours afterwards .
All iPod touches support the creation of Genius play list and milkshake - to - Shuffle , operate as cyberspace appliances ( for Web browsing , e-mail , YouTube , iCloud syncing , and weather and stocks updates over Wi - Fi ) , let in a work up - in speaker serious enough for FaceTime and game voice , and let you purchase and download mass medium from the iTunes Store , apps from the App Store , and ebooks from Apple ’s iBookstore . They also support iTunes Match . So , while you may store a very large music library on an iPod classic , if you ’ve pay Apple $ 25 a year for iTunes Match , you may access that same media library over a Wi - Fi connexion . And even if you have n’t ponied up for iTunes Match , with a Wi - Fi connexion you’re able to redownload purchased music , apps , TV show , and ebooks you ’ve purchase from Apple ’s on-line stores .
Access to these stores and iCloud media is one of the principal attractions of the iPod touch . With iTunes Store access , you could acquire culture medium on the go ( provided the place you go has Wi - Fi ) . This is highly convenient when you ’re sitting in an airport between flights and wish to download an record album , goggle box instalment , or moving-picture show — if you ’re sure you ’re join to a very fast Wi - Fi meshing — for the next stage of your journeying . Just as commodious is grabbing a spare or low - cost game from the App Store that help you while away the hours in coach . And if you require something to interpret , the iBookstore and the iPod touch ’s Retina showing make it easy to do .
Best for : Those who need to enjoy most of the advantage of append - on applications , the iTunes Store , the iBookstore , Wi - Fi access to the Internet ( and all that add up with it , including iTunes Match ) , an always - with - you still and video camera , FaceTime , and portable video , but do n’t need a phone .
Not for : Those looking for an exercise - only iPod — it ’s a slight bulky and , with its glass projection screen , you do n’t want to drop it on a locker elbow room ’s roofing tile story or the square up trail . People seeking the best retina display and rear - facing tv camera Apple offer in a portable gadget .
The other guys
Although this is a buying guide for iPods , it ’s possible you or your lucky natural endowment - recipient - to - be might want another Apple gadget that can also act as an iPod — specifically , an iPhone or iPad . So in the sake of no machine leave behind , here ’s a look at your other Apple options .
iPhone 4SIn the linguistic context of an iPod shoppers guide , this is one of the rare fourth dimension when you get to hash out the iPhone while downplaying its phone functionality — what it bestow to the table as an iPod . And the answer to that lies very much in sphere where the iPod touch either entirely or inadequately fails to deliver .
Again , theiPhone 4S()—available in black or white and in 16 GB ( $ 199 ) , 32 GB ( $ 299 ) , and 64 GB ( $ 399 ) capacity — has a better rear - facing camera and Retina video display than the touch . Its EDGE and 3 G connectivity mean not only that you’re able to make calls from anywhere its carrier deigns to allow , but also reach the Internet . GPS circuitry lets you know where you are at all times ( and the Compass app tells you which direction you ’re facing , although perhaps not which way the wind is blowing ) . It has a far estimable speaker than the touch . And , via Siri , you could dominate it to do your bidding .
That means that , as a culture medium player , you have the opportunity to access streaming media ( from Netflix , Pandora , Last.fm , Rhapsody , Spotify , Rdio , and Mog , for model ) even when out of reach of an accessible Wi - Fi connection . It also expand your wireless options for downloading music , podcasts , book , and apps from Apple ’s emporium . And , like the iPod touch modality and iPad , it stand iTunes Match , allowing you get at to your media in the swarm .
But , as ever , the iPhone is a foxy holiday gift . When you give someone an iPhone , you saddle them with a two - year commitment . If he or she is an existing customer of a particular carrier — AT&T , Verizon , or Sprint — that ’s not too fearsome . But if the object of your vacation affection needs to alternate carrier for have an iPhone , your gift becomes a loading .
If you ’re determined to buy an iPhone 4S as a gift , you ’ll find that it ’s light to do than it once was . In - store leverage is no longer required . you’re able to now have an iPhone cede to you and activate it online . Or you could buy aniPhone Gift Cardfrom the online Apple Store . Although the correct and right thing to do would be to fill the card with the purchase monetary value of a new iPhone , you ’re welcome to choose any amount you wish from $ 25 to $ 2500 .
iPad 2The iPad is Apple ’s better way to enjoy music and video in a portable parcel . It is because of its enceinte 9.7 - column inch , 1024 - by-768 - pixel touchscreen , decent interior speaker , and , on some models , the option to utilize a 3 G electronic internet .
The iPad 2 ( ) is available in two example — the iPad 2 with Wi - Fi and the iPad 2 with Wi - Fi + 3G. It ’s usable in black or white . Each comes in three capacities—16 GB , 32 gibibyte , and 64 Gbit . The Wi - Fi - only models be $ 499 , $ 599 , and $ 699 , respectively . And the Wi - Fi + 3 G modelling , which use AT&T or Verizon ’s web , add $ 130 to each price — so $ 629 , $ 729 , and $ 829 . AT&T offers two month - to - calendar month data point plan for the 3 G model—250 MB of datum for $ 15 a calendar month or 2 GB of data for $ 25 a month . Verizon ’s plans are priced at $ 20 for 1 GB of data , $ 35 for 3 GB , $ 50 for 5 GB , and $ 80 for 10 G .
The iPad ’s large show means the best video viewing experience on a portable iOS gadget . Whether you ’re watching telecasting store on the iPad or pour via an app such as Netflix or Hulu Plus , you get a picture that you postulate n’t strabismus to see , and one large enough that you and a friend can see together . ( Yes , the verbalizer is right and loud enough that you usually do n’t need phone or an external speaker for such casual viewing . )
