Digital Trends

Apple iPod Classic (80GB)

September 12th, 2007 | by Brandon King

Features and Design

A possible refresh of the iPod line had been making its way through the rumor mill since the day the previous generation hit the market. One thing seemed clear though, amid the speculation: Flash memory was not quite at the price level it needed to be to usurp hard drives when it came to 16GB+ capacity players. Bearing this in mind, Apple was faced with two choices: either leave a gaping hole in its product line by not including hard drive-based models, or bite the bullet and bring them on-board, thereby keeping the gravy train rolling for those of us with 20GB+ music libraries and a poor penchant for playlist creation. Enter the 80GB and 160GB iPod Classic.

First, the basics… no one would argue that Apple doesn’t know how to package a product – frankly, they give the consumer the best out-of-the-box experience in the industry. In keeping with tradition, the packaging for the Classic is a nicely scaled down box of minimalist design. To add a touch of class, the front surface picturing the player is also raised along the edges of the image. Pop it open and that virtual cardboard fantasy becomes a cold metal and plastic reality. In a sense, you are almost unveiling the product to yourself. This is actually kind of interesting, as it plays nicely on a psychological phenomenon called object permanence.

Apple iPod Packaging and Contents

Under the tray holding the multimedia mega-monster, there is a scant quick start/warranty/disclaimer notice, followed by a bag containing the ‘accessories.’ These include ear bud headphones, a USB sync/charging cable, wall adapter and a docking station adapter to Apple-approved docking stations. (Note that there is no docking station included, but we had no trouble using our 4G iPod Photo dock.) What’s more, the new iPod Classic finally jettisons the iPod White color scheme entirely, and is offered only in black or silver, though you’ll still find those signature white ear buds in the box.

The Apple iPod Classic