How to distinguish between generations of iPod touch. What is the difference between iPod Touch different models or the evolution of iPod Touch

Lately our readers have been asking a lot of questions about players. iPod touch. Many of them are related to differences between models of different generations. Indeed, at the moment, almost all generations of the device can be found on store shelves and flea markets. How to distinguish iPod Touch 1st generation from iPod Touch 2nd generation etc. we will tell you in this article.

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is an evolutionary development of the iPod line. They differ from previous models primarily in their large screen and the presence of a wireless Wi-Fi module. Among the technological features of the line, it is worth noting the multi-touch that migrated from the iPhone (the screen recognizes more than one touch at a time) and the ability to wirelessly connect to iTunes and the App Store. Thus, the first generation of iPod Touch allowed additional paid and free content to be loaded onto the device. At the moment there are five generations of the player.

It was announced on September 5, 2007 first generation iPod Touch(1 gen). Its appearance was due to the great demand for. However, not everyone needed a device with a GSM module to make calls. The iPod became a cheaper copy of the phone with almost identical capabilities. The players went on sale 4 days after the announcement. In general, it is worth noting that iPod players did not lag behind the iPhone in development and always kept pace with them in terms of “stuffing” and the screens of the devices were always almost identical. The differences between players and phones are the dimensions and design of the back panel. All iPod touch had a metal “back”, unlike the iPhone, and the players did not yet have a built-in digital compass and GPS. It's worth noting that Apple's policy applies to all devices. All devices without a GSM module do not have GPS. Likewise, iPads with and without 3G differ in the presence and absence of GPS, respectively.

A year later, on September 9, 2008, the world saw second generation iPod Touch(2 gen). The developers made the player more similar to the iPhone 3G released in the same year. With the exception of the back cover, the iPod remains metal. The player received an external speaker, volume control buttons and a reinforced battery. The player allowed you to enjoy music for up to 36 hours and watch videos for up to 6 hours. The weight of the device increased slightly and became 115 grams. Since this generation, a personal trainer has appeared on the iPod - the Nike+ application.
On September 9, 2009, the line was updated again. Design third generation iPod touch(3 gen) of the player has not changed, just as the design of the iPhone 3GS has not changed, but the insides of the device have significantly improved. A faster processor with a frequency of 600 MHz, double the amount of RAM, which was 256 MB, and an additional PowerVR SGX535 graphics chip allowed the player's performance to be taken to a new level. Now it was possible to watch high-resolution videos and play the most modern games at that time. The improvement in hardware did not at all affect the autonomy of the gadget.

Fourth generation iPod Touch(4 gen) appeared on September 8, 2010. The player had many differences from its predecessor and was as close as possible to the iPhone in terms of the hardware installed inside. Like the revolutionary iPhone 4, which appeared in the same 2010, the fourth generation iPod Touch received a magnificent Retina display with a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels. At the same time, the player was twice as thin as the phone. Both devices were equipped with an Apple A4 processor. IN iPod touch 4G The Voice Control function for voice control and an external microphone, previously implemented in the iPhone, appeared. The iPod has two cameras. For the first time in the line, devices with a white front surface appeared; before that there were only black options. The weight of the device has dropped to 101 grams, and autonomy, as always, remains at the same level.
In 2011, Apple did not release a new generation of player with the release of the iPhone 4S. The latest one, at the moment, was published on September 12, 2012. The player received a screen enlarged to 4″. The color palette has expanded significantly and now players are available in white, black, red, blue, pink and yellow. The model began to be equipped with a new headset. All innovations (except for color) are dictated. For the first time in the line, the connector for the cable and docking station has changed, it is a new .

For greater clarity, all characteristics are presented in the form of a comparative table:

15 years ago, on October 23, 2001, Steve Jobs introduced the original iPod to the world. This device was destined to revolutionize the music player market, influence the way people around the world listen to music and lay the foundation for the iPhone and iPad - the most popular smartphones and tablets in the world. How the iPod has changed over these 15 years is shown in this material.

First generation iPod (2001)

The same player that started it all. Released 15 years ago, the original iPod was priced at $399, had a monochrome screen, a 5GB hard drive, a FireWire port, and a physical scroll wheel. The second iPod turned out to be completely identical to the original, with one exception. Its scroll wheel was replaced with a touch wheel.

Third generation iPod (2003)

The first major redesign of the iPod occurred in 2003. In their proprietary third-generation player, Apple decided to seriously experiment by placing the multimedia control buttons separately, above the scroll wheel. In addition, this iPod was the first to introduce a 30-pin connector, which Apple subsequently used in all its mobile devices until the introduction of Lightning in 2012.

iPod Mini (2004)

An intermediate iPod model that is actually one of the most important in the line. The thinner and lighter (and at the same time less roomy) iPod Mini came in several fun colors, but most importantly, it became the first iPod model with the proprietary Click Wheel control element, which has become the hallmark of Apple players in general.

Fourth generation iPod (2004)

The fourth generation iPod is the classic iPod. This is what most people think of when talking about original Apple players. The first models of the player (already with the branded Click Wheel) were produced with black-and-white displays, but after that a special version of the iPod Photo with a color screen was released.

First generation iPod Shuffle (2005)

The original iPod Shuffle was the first iPod to have flash memory. In appearance, the player resembled a flash drive, which was especially facilitated by the removable cover of the USB connector. Distinctive features of the Shuffle are also the lack of a screen and a low price tag.

iPod Nano first generation (2005)

At one time, the iPod Nano shocked technology fans. The player had a thickness of only 7 mm, while in offline mode it could work for up to 14 hours. The only drawback of the iPod Nano, beloved by millions, was not the largest amount of memory (1, 2 or 4 GB).

Fifth generation iPod (2005)

The 2005 iPod received a wider body, and with it a screen on which you could freely view videos, TV shows, clips, and later full-length films. It was with the advent of the fifth generation iPod that video content appeared in iTunes.

First generation iPod Touch (2007)

The iPod Touch, a device almost identical to the original iPhone, has become a favorite among music fans. Especially for those who wanted to have a player as a player, and not a smartphone, and also for those who, for some reason, were not delighted with the first Apple smartphone.

iPod Classic (2007)

The latest model of the original iPod, the iPod Classic, received minor design changes and updated software. A special feature of the player was the maximum storage capacity of 160 GB - no iPod has ever managed to surpass this figure. Apple stopped selling the iPod Classic completely in September 2014.

Fifth generation iPod Nano (2009)

Apple used the Nano brand to experiment with different form factors, including a "squashed" version of the third Nano and a stretched version of the fourth. In the fifth and final version, the engineers decided to add a camera and speaker to the player to complete the mincemeat.

Fourth generation iPod Touch (2010)

New players from the iPod Touch line continue to take the best from the latest iPhone models. The design improved, the “filling” became more and more cool, and in the fourth generation cameras and a Retina display appeared.

Fourth generation iPod Shuffle (2010)

After experimenting with the third generation Shuffle, which had no physical buttons at all, Apple decided to stop inventing anything. The fourth model of the iPod Shuffle became similar to the second generation - a miniature case with physical elements to control music playback.

Seventh generation iPod Nano (2012)

The latest iPod Nano is more similar to the iPod Touch than to players from its line, although not in functionality, but in appearance. The player has a touch screen, a proprietary Home button and excellent battery life (up to 30 hours when listening to audio).

iPod Touch sixth generation (2015)

And finally, the sixth generation iPod Touch. The “filling” of the iPhone 6, a selection of cheerful body colors, support for iOS 10 is an excellent modern player for those who still don’t want to listen to music on their smartphone.

This is how the iPod line has changed over the past 15 years. Her future does not inspire much hope. Most likely, we won't see new iPods again, unless, of course, Apple figures out how to revolutionize the industry again.

Read and use.

In its sixth incarnation, the iPod received a solid Classic prefix. It was deservedly received, because over the years of its existence it has truly become a classic of jukeboxes.

Other models experimented with the form factor; they were at the forefront of the fight for a new audience, a fight that was successful for the company and made it a market leader. But Apple remembers where it all began, what the first iPods were like, the very ones that formed the foundation of today’s prosperity. These were capacious players for those who lovingly collected multi-gigabyte music collections. Nothing superfluous: just a hard drive, a clear display, a high-quality audio path and a proprietary control system. From the mechanical wheel in the very first iPod to the ClickWheel, as we see it in the new models from Cupertino.

Naturally, over the years of six generations, the classic iPod has changed quite a lot. But the most important components, listed just above, have not gone away; they have only changed in the spirit of the times. The disk capacity increased from twenty gigabytes to one hundred and sixty, the display first became color and then suitable for watching videos, and the controls received touch elements and evolved to be as convenient as possible. The sound has also improved, although not much, since the player has always had decent sound.

Nevertheless, for all six years, the iPod remained a familiar “to the eye” white (and then black and silver) “brick”, which became an element of a short but era. The player has appeared in countless films and video clips, appeared on the pages of all notable magazines and almost became on a par with cowboys, cars, McDonald's and Coca-Cola as a symbol of the American way of life. True, many people, those who supported the device from the first models, see it as one of the locomotives of the “digital revolution”. The player is initially associated with the Internet generation, those who grew up on the Internet and cannot imagine themselves without it. It’s not for nothing that Apple has already released a model designed to work with the Internet and on the Internet - no other way, soon they will get their hands on the classics.

Today, the sixth generation iPod is still the same recognizable player in the world. It received another “face lift,” thereby closing the theme of white plastic, which has become iconic for the company and is still associated specifically with Apple. Since the beginning of September 2007, two versions of the iPod Classic have been produced and sold, with 80 and 160 GB disks. In all other respects, both options differ only in dimensions.

Functionally, the devices remained the same; some modern features common to Classic and Nano were added, such as support for Cover Flow and a new, modified menu. In any case, the possibilities and features, both old and new, will not hide from our eyes.

Case and design

With the release of the sixth generation iPod, it became clear that plastic had finally lost its position in the eyes of Apple designers and designers. All currently produced models have metal cases with a minimum of plastic parts. It would seem that what's wrong with this? There is nothing bad, but looking at the metal iPod Classic, you can think and feel a little nostalgic: for five generations in a row, the main color of the iPod was milky white. This color is inextricably linked both with a series of players and with other Apple products: computers, laptops and all kinds of accessories. However, apparently, the company believes that the idea has exhausted its usefulness, and lately they have been actively moving away from boring material. If we talk about the iPod, then about two years ago, with the release of the fifth generation, the player received a black version “officially” for the first time. Before this, there was only a limited edition of U2 edition players with black and red colors. Now the iPod has changed from white to silver, and the black version has replaced plastic with anthracite-colored metal.

The company's new choice is largely controversial, although, of course, within Apple, I am sure, there will be a lot of arguments in favor of silver metal; it is unlikely that the company would have taken such an important step without first thoroughly researching user expectations. Apparently, even today, mass preferences go in circles, and a full revolution is completed, depending on the area, in 5-10 years. There is no other way to explain why the silver color appealed to manufacturers so much, if years ago we already saw and have not yet forgotten silver players, silver phones, silver home audio-video and household appliances, and so on and so forth. The list can be continued almost indefinitely. Any options during the dominance of silver around were received with a bang, including the two most universal colors, black and white. White players, phones and laptops still attract glances and attract attention, but now, apparently, other manufacturers will take up their use while Apple is experimenting with black and silver. Perhaps the silvery color seems secondary only to me, so it would be useful to add a postscript: all of the above is the personal opinion of the author. The following, however, too.

Structurally, the case consists of two panels, both of them are metal, but have differences in the execution technology. The front panel has a slightly rough anodized finish, the back panel is polished to a mirror finish, as is traditional for an iPod. Unfortunately, as practice shows, this coating tends to become covered with a network of small scratches and lose its original shine. Apple has already received complaints about the susceptibility of its players to scratches, but, apparently, a mirror finish is more expensive for its designers. Or making a one-piece structure like the second generation Nano with Classic dimensions is extremely unprofitable.

The arrangement of all elements on the body is the same; fortunately, Apple understands the value of preserving an already streamlined layout in relation to the model with the Classic prefix. On the front panel there is a horizontally oriented display, below it is a ClickWheel. There is quite a lot of free space between the elements, but it is traditionally not occupied by anything. Both side panels and the back panel are left free, the proprietary dock connector is located on the bottom end, and the lock switch and headphone jack are located on the top. As you can see, everything is in its place, where you would expect to find the desired element. Frankly, for the first couple of days after I received samples of the new Nano and Classic, the latter sat in the box. And it was all the more pleasant to discover that the lock switch remained where it was before, and no evil genius began to move it to the bottom end of the case, as was done with the Nano.

There’s not much to say about the player’s design; it’s not for nothing that it’s called classic. The old rectangular shape has not gone away. ClickWheel is already inseparable from the player and almost acts as the main element. Relatively expensive jukeboxes are traditionally aimed at the more solvent and, accordingly, adult segment of the audience, and the iPod Classic is no exception. Therefore, its design is universal and everyday, it will be appropriate everywhere and will not say too much about the owner. However, a similar trend in design today All manufacturers of the top five are actively exploiting them, their products today look much more “mature” and more elegant than just two years ago. Still, portable media players have become established as a product, and today everyone buys them, and not just those same Internet enthusiasts who are talking about. I mentioned at the beginning of the text.

Control

This section can be safely copied from previously written reviews, since the ClickWheel operating scheme remains unchanged in several generations of Apple players. In light of the smaller ClickWheel on the new Nano, it's worth mentioning that the dimensions of the element on the iPod Classic have not changed, they are exactly the same as on previous models. Accordingly, the work scheme remained the same, as well as convenience. There are no complaints about the performance of a single ClickWheel on the tested sample, the element in its socket does not play and works like a clock, although I have already seen references on the Internet about a somewhat careless installation of the ClickWheel in some Nano and Classic batches. Perhaps these are the costs of the first batches, perhaps just rumors.

For those who have never held an iPod in their hands, as usual, a description of how ClickWheel works: the “rim” of the wheel is sensitive, it is very convenient to move your finger along it in different directions, this way you can scroll through lists and menus. The button in the center is used to confirm the selection. In addition to touch functions, the “wheel rim” also contains four buttons. Two of them are used to switch between songs, the rest are for calling up the menu and returning to the previous level, starting and stopping playback. There are other applications, but these are unnecessary details. They are mastered during operation, and no effort is required.

Observation in practice: the surface of the ClickWheel, compared to the iPod 5G, has become rougher and, it seems to me, a little less sensitive. This does not bring a noticeable decrease in convenience, but it would still not be superfluous to indicate this fact.

Display and menu

The Classic is equipped with the same diagonal and resolution display as the previous two generations, the fifth and “fifth and a half”, namely two and a half inches diagonal and 320x240 pixel resolution. In general, compared to the new Nano, where the same resolution is squeezed into two inches, the Classic does not look very advanced, but that’s why it’s a classic, so as not to rush into the avant-garde. Additionally, VGA would require a larger (and significantly more expensive) display, and intermediate resolutions are generally better suited to widescreen displays. And for those who like higher resolutions, Apple already offers its advanced iPod Touch.

In any case, the Classic display provides a very pleasant “picture” with rich and rich colors, it seems that it is brighter than the displays of its predecessors. This is quite possible, fortunately progress does not stand still, and the official website specifically emphasizes the presence of LED backlighting on the display.

The updated menu looks great too. The signature smooth fonts were complemented by “polished” graphic icons and a background. The list of sections and items now takes up about half of the display. And the second half displays either graphic icons corresponding to an item or section, or, in the case of photos and videos, part of a randomly selected photo or frame from a video. The icons from Apple designers turned out to be very smooth, attractive, and can be appreciated in the screenshots. The backing also looks pretty good, but its appearance depends on the image quality of the album cover or the resolution/compression level of the video. If on the two-inch Nano display this is almost imperceptible, then on the noticeably larger Classic display the image flaws are proportionally more visible. However, pictures for albums can always be replaced, and videos can be found in better quality. The display and menu will remain the same.

The convenience of the menu has remained at the same high level, all elements are in place, and mastering the menu is still easy. The ability to customize items and sections of the main menu has not gone away; their list remains the same, with “video” and “podcast” sections added. Additionally, unlike the new Nano, the Classic now has a Cover Flow option in the main menu rather than the Music section.

So, the default composition of the main menu is: Music, Cover Flow, Videos, Photos, Podcasts, Extras, Settings, Shuffle Songs and Now Playing.

Music. From here, playlists are called up, music is sorted by artist name, album title, song title, genre and author of the music. There is also a song search function item, as well as a new “trick”: viewing album covers, familiar from the iPhone called Cover Flow.

Cover Flow. View all available album covers, select an album to play by cover.

Videos. Watching videos. All files are divided into simple videos, TV programs and video clips (refer to the iTunes store). Here you can also call up video playlists and configure parameters such as video output image format, full-screen playback and subtitle activation.

Photo. Contains all the folders with downloaded images, as well as all the associated settings, from the time between switching slides to the choice of accompanying music, repeat, activation of shuffle and choice of transition type.

Extras. Additional player functions: appearance and settings of the system clock, games, notebook, organizer, notes, stopwatch, alarm clock and password.

Settings. The most voluminous section of the menu, it contains settings for all aspects of the player’s functioning. From this section you can view information about the firmware version, configure the main menu, enable random playback of songs, select repeat playback mode, adjust the backlight operating time and playback speed of audiobooks. In addition, there are settings for the address book, system date and time, and menu language. Separate items allow you to enable or disable trial playback modes, automatic creation of compilations and signals from the built-in speaker - by default it emits quiet clicks when working with the touch area.

Power and PC connection

Continuity is observed here too. The Classic has a built-in lithium-ion battery.

It charges via USB, but if you wish, you can purchase a network adapter, branded or not. It is unlikely that the battery capacity has increased much, but the operating time has increased significantly - for this alone you can award a lot of prize points to Apple. The numbers speak for themselves; to be honest, I have only one explanation for such a significant increase: the transition to a new, much more cost-effective platform. The fifth-generation iPod with a 30 GB drive lasted 14 hours on a single charge, while the Classic with an 80 GB drive and similar dimensions lasted 30 hours. And the 180 GB version lasted 40 hours. The data is for audio and video, both players play 5 and 7 hours respectively.

Traditionally, for all iPods, files for transportation can be recorded on the player like on any removable media (you need to activate the appropriate mode in iTunes), but you won’t be able to view/listen to them on the player. All media is recorded on Classic via iTunes. As I already complained in the review of the third generation Nano, one version of iTunes replaces another, and the “built-in” video converter for all common types of files never appears in them. Apparently, Apple expects that users will receive all video content from iTunes, and it is 100% reproduced on the company’s players. But in Russia, the new Nano and Classic will come with a disc with iTunes, so as not to cause unnecessary complaints from those who still pay for each megabyte of traffic or do not have constant access to the Network at all. For those who are thinking about how to ultimately convert video for the player, I recommend going to Google with a request like “free video converter for ipod.”

The copying speed of devices with a hard drive is traditionally higher than that of their flash counterparts. For the iPod Classic it is approximately 12-15 MB per second, which is very good.

Video, photo, other functions

Still, the half-inch difference in the display diagonal makes a big difference, and it’s still a little more comfortable to watch video on the Classic than on the Nano. True, some coding artifacts and individual pixels are already becoming visible, although perhaps the impression of the Nano is simply still vivid in memory.

I spoke a little higher about the fact that the videos will have to be recoded, so we will start from the fact that a couple of dozen videos and films have already been recoded and “uploaded” to the player. Loading movies before playback takes minimal time and is almost unnoticeable, but otherwise we have the same good old iPod 5G. You can watch the video on the TV screen, that’s basically all the settings. The navigation interface inside the video is clear and familiar. Those who see it for the first time are unlikely to spend any significant time mastering it. Like the Nano, the Classic supports video with a resolution of up to 640x480, although I don’t see the point in storing videos at this resolution on the player’s disk; it is still limited by the display resolution. Although they may be useful for showing others on a large display, so it’s up to the owner to decide. The main thing is not to forget to purchase the required cable.

In general, you can watch movies from the player, I personally watched my favorite Human Traffic while lying in bed, but this activity is still not for everyone. I have repeatedly said that relative comfort begins at three and a half inches (a sample of one such player from Apple is already rushing to the editor at full speed, so keep an eye on the site).

As far as technical aspects are concerned, everything is calm: the video is smooth, the sound is not in a hurry and does not lag, frames do not disappear, “there are no brakes.” It’s unlikely that something like this can be expected from pre-recoded and “tailored” videos for the player.

Photo browsing is traditional for the company's players; if you've seen one, you've seen them all. When you select a folder, fifteen thumbnails are displayed on the display; you can even see some details on them. You can switch between photos by pressing the ClickWheel or using the touch “rim”. If you click play, the slideshow will start. There are quite enough possibilities; no extra “chips” were added to the viewing experience. But, like all new iPods, you can choose the type of transition for a slide show; the effects are well executed and interesting to watch. The value of this little thing increases significantly when viewing photos on a TV or any external monitor.

As expected, the player does not have a voice recorder or FM tuner, but there are new games Vortex, Klondike and Music Quiz 2. Vortex is a rather interesting game and deserves attention. Its essence can be briefly described as a pseudo-three-dimensional circular arkanoid, when the ball flies “deep” into the display, and the racket moves around the circle, obeying the movements of the finger on the ClickWheel.

Klondike is a classic solitaire game, no less, no more. But Music Quiz now not only asks questions about the music recorded in the player, but also has a separate database of questions dedicated to music and cinema.

The rest of the additional functions have not gone away; the player still has a fairly decent calendar and a stopwatch, which can suddenly come in handy. There is a function for reading notes, with its help you can read guidebooks or regular books.

Sound

Regular, classic iPods in the Apple line have always been standards for sound quality and volume; this also applies to almost any jukeboxes that are traditionally equipped with high-quality audio paths. But with the Classic the situation turned out to be difficult. The fact is that the sample that ended up in our tenacious hands, turned out to be European, intended for sale in Europe, including in France, where, as you know, there are strict restrictions on the output level of portable audio. This is how one single France ruins everyone’s life. No, you. Of course, you can disagree with me and open my eyes to the fact that this is how the health of citizens is taken care of. To which I will answer no less reasonably: adult citizens have the right to manage their own health at their own discretion, as long as it does not interfere with those around them. , who have not reached the age of majority, there are parents or official guardians who are obliged to instill in children and adolescents a desire for self-preservation. But no, it’s easier to limit the volume, and in one fell swoop for all countries, instead of selling “cropped” players in France and in all others. countries - full-fledged.

What am I talking about? And besides, due to artificial limitations, I cannot reliably tell readers how powerful the sound of the iPod Classic is. There is no doubt, the sample plays quite loudly, it easily pumps up the in-ear headphones, but it lags behind the combat editorial iPod 5G by about a third, if not more. And jukeboxes, which include Classic, are very often bought in order to listen through large over-ear headphones. I don’t know about others, but in the case of the Audio-Technica ATH-A500, on which I listened to it, the result was not impressed.

One thing is good: officially in Russia it is the “loud” versions that are and will be sold, but if the player is “gray”, then you can make a mistake. Therefore, I recommend large and trusted stores. In addition, for those who plan for the iPod Classic to be their first jukebox, I can report that Apple is unlikely to make the new player quieter than the old one, and the aforementioned iPod 5G boasts a very decent output level.

Separately, it is necessary to say about the results of the RMAA test: the fact is that the program has a certain “qualification” for the level of the signal at the input, and quiet players are often simply impossible to test, either an error is displayed or absurd data. Therefore, you have to record the signal into a WAV file and feed it to the program. At the same time, the signal level in the file is raised slightly by software so that RMAA can “pick it up”. I don’t think that such simple manipulations make serious changes, but I want to side with the player in one aspect: the measured noise level is actually lower, and the result produced by the program should be perceived a little better than what is reflected in the table.

General results

Overall rating: Good

Frequency response

Noise level

The Classic did not receive manual adjustment of the equalizer, this is quite predictable, but now all the presets, of which there are more than two dozen, are illustrated with an eight-band spectrum analyzer graph, so you can select the one you need simply “by eye.”

Headphones remained the last stronghold of branded white plastic, the set includes “second generation” headphones, they are equipped with “iPods”, starting with the second generation Nano and iPod. They sound quite decent, at a good level for a complete model. There is nothing more to say, with higher quality headphones the player “opens up” much more, this is obvious.

Conclusions and impressions

You can hardly expect a range of opinions, opposing points of view, or subsequent heated debates on forums from iPod Classic reviews. This player appeared because it could not help but appear. At one time, it brought fame to Apple players, and not updating it would be simply disgusting. There will always be a layer of people (albeit not too large) who will prefer players to everyone else, where you can upload files for days on end, and there will still be room. Again, the capacity of the disks has practically exceeded the “musical” needs (there is no talk of clinical cases), but then a video appeared, and the carousel began to spin more than ever.

I think that the iPod Classic, despite the ability to watch videos, will still be bought by those for whom it is important, but not too much, those who listen to music, a lot of different music, and would not mind watching a video or two from time to time. In principle, I myself fit this description very well.

The “cavalry charge” does not reveal any flaws in the iPod Classic. Well, unless, of course, you consider the features of the specific sample being tested as such. A couple of times, slight “brakes” of the animated menu were noticeable; on the Nano, surprisingly, it “runs” more quickly. Several times the player refused to play a song from the search list when pressing the central button, starting it only the second time. These rough edges are quite harmless, especially if you remember that the first thing iTunes offers when you connect the player is to download and install the latest, wonderful firmware. I will repeat myself if I say that in the eyes of the overwhelming majority of potential iPod buyers in Russia, its main drawback was and remains iTunes, and everything else is almost pure advantages. With all this, the Classic is still the same long-familiar iPod for those who want to have all their music with them. A sort of old soldier surrounded by new recruits.

Specifications:

• Capacity: 80/160 GB
• File formats: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, Audible, Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF, JPEG, M4V, MP4, MOV
• Display: color TFT, 2.5 inches, 320x240 pixels
• Battery: Li-ion, built-in
• Dimensions: 103.5x61.8x10.5 (13.5) mm
• Weight: 140 (162) g

The iPod is a phenomenon. iPod is any player in the USA and many other countries. iPod is culture. The iPod is sales and what allowed Apple to survive in difficult times, and then rise to the top of modern business, because for a long time Apple received most of its profits from sales of the player.

In this article I want to tell you the history of this wonderful device. It appeared back in 2001. It wasn't supposed to revolutionize the market, but it did.

year 2001. First generation

Started selling on October 23, 2001. The first generation, as I already said, was not supposed to make a revolution. It was not equipped with record-breaking storage space and was quite bulky... But it made people talk about it. Just as they later discussed the iPhone, and later the iPad, users before the release of the first iPod argued furiously about whether the device would be a success, or whether it would fail miserably and “Apple should not be poking its nose into a market that is foreign to itself.” Do I need to tell you who was right?

The first generation of devices had a number of disadvantages, and the main disadvantage was that they only worked with Mac computers.

The volume of the hard drive installed in them was 5 gigabytes (later a version with 10 Gigabyte storage was released), and the interface for connecting to the computer was not a port familiar to everyone, but a FireWire interface. And the branded touch wheel did not yet exist.

Second generation and year 2002

These players were released on July 17, 2002. In them, Apple took into account the sales experience of the previous generation. In particular, support for computers running Windows has appeared. True, it consisted of releasing two different versions of the player - one for Mac, and one for Windows. The amount of built-in memory has also increased. Now these were 10 and 20 Gigabytes, on which up to 4 thousand songs could be recorded, according to Apple.

Third generation, 2003

The release of the third generation of the player on April 28, 2003 was a big milestone in the history of the iPod. It was in this generation that the player acquired those features without which it would be impossible to imagine the iPod for a very long time. A 30-pin proprietary port and a proprietary Touch Wheel appeared. The range of available memory sizes has expanded: 10, 15 and 30 GB, then 15, 20 and 40 GB.

This generation also introduced branded accessories for the player: a case with a clip for wearing on a belt, headphones, and a control panel, which were supplied with the player.

2004: Fourth generation, iPod mini

In the fourth generation of players, in addition to numerical improvements: increasing the amount of memory, for example, player control was also improved - touch buttons migrated to the touch wheel, thereby completing its formation and leading to the form in which it still exists.

iPod mini covered two directions at once: they were bright and beautiful, and, at the same time, they were smaller and cheaper than their “big brothers”, although they provided a relatively modest volume for storing music - only 4 GB (even less than the first model 2001), while still being equipped with a hard drive.

2005: iPod photo, iPod Video, iPod mini 2g, iPod nano, iPod shuffle

This year was probably the most generous year for new iPods.

The iPod Photo came out, which was essentially a 4th generation player, but equipped with a color screen. There is, as the name suggests, the ability to view photos.

At the very beginning of the year, the iPod came out, “betraying all the behests of our ancestors” - equipped with flash memory instead of a hard drive, miniature, without a screen and with a ridiculous price. The iPod shuffle arrived triumphantly. Not much can be said about him. Its main feature was playback in shuffle mode. Such a “stripped-down” device at first glance quickly fell in love with young people and athletes.

iPod Video was released on October 12, 2005 and replaced its photo counterpart. His screen got bigger and he could watch videos. In top models, the operating time has increased significantly - from 15 to 20 hours of continuous playback. Need I say that the capacity of the hard drive has increased?

iPod mini 2g was not much different from its predecessor. A 6 GB version of the player has appeared, and battery life has increased significantly. In the same year, the model was discontinued, giving way to the following new product for this year:

Before the announcement on September 7, 2005, there were rumors that a “full-fledged” iPod would be released, equipped with a flash drive. And so he came out. However, a shock to the public was the discontinuation of the then extremely popular iPod mini. But, as always, Apple was not mistaken and soon the snow-white or mirror-black players won a huge army of fans. How could it be otherwise - they were small, light, fit comfortably in the hand, had a color screen and a chic Touch Wheel and reliable flash memory instead of a hard drive. The only drawback was the small amount of built-in memory, but for those who considered this drawback critical, there was the iPod Video.

2006, iPod nano 2g, iPod shuffle 2g

This year there were no updates to the “large” models, which, by the way, happened for the first time in the entire history of the player.

The second generation of iPod shuffle turned out to be probably the most successful - the form factor changed, turning the player from a “flash drive” into a “badge” that hung on clothes and did not interfere with the owner in the least. The new form turned out to be very successful and “lasted” right up until 2009.

The second generation of iPod nano, released on September 12, 2006, followed Apple's design trends and moved away from a glass-plastic body to an aluminum body. But it acquired new color options, catching the audience that was lost after the mini production ceased.

This date became another milestone in the history of Apple. On this day, the company presented the iPhone (all readers should have had a tear of emotion roll down their cheeks), and along with it the new iPod players

In connection with the release of a completely new iPod, the model, built on the same principle as before, has become morally obsolete. However, it was called a classic in time and thereby satisfied the needs of those who did not need a touch screen and a bunch of programs in the iPod touch.

The iPod nano has undergone a strange metamorphosis - it has been flattened and has become like a small Classic. It didn’t look as good as previous generations, but it did have a larger screen.

And here is the younger brother of the revolutionary device of 2007: the iPod Touch. It became a sort of “stripped-down iPhone” without a radio module and GPS. Apple could well have positioned it as a PDA, which it essentially is, but they caught the trend of the PDA market dying out and very competently presented the new product as a player, not lacking in brains, but a player.

2008 iPod nano 4g, second generation touch

This year was a bit of a bad year for iPods, as it was completely and exclusively devoted to the iPhone. However, there was a novelty in it and a very successful one:

nano is back to its usual look! At the same time, it “smoothed out” and acquired an oval cross-section, which only benefited it. However, in addition to the external changes, there were also internal ones. An accelerometer was added to it and a lot changed: mixing tracks by shaking the device, the Nike+iPod function and many other pleasant moments appeared. A voice recorder appeared.

Touch has become more like an iPhone, and performance has improved slightly.

2009: third generation iPod touch and shuffle, fifth nano

iPod nano has a camera and an external speaker. Otherwise these were only cosmetic changes.

Apparently, this generation of shuffle was an experiment for Apple to gauge how users would perceive the dramatic change in controls. I’ll say right away: they didn’t take it. Of course: the player itself returned to the form of a flash drive (although it did not lose the “clothespin”), it lost all controls, which, for some unknown reason, moved to the headphones, i.e. for consumables.

In the third generation, as well as in the third generation iPhone, there were quite significant changes in the internal filling of the player: the processor frequency and the amount of RAM increased and a separate graphics chip appeared.

year 2010 - iPod touch 4g, iPod nano 6g, iPod shuffle 4g

a year in which the iPod line received many changes. Both radically new and well-forgotten old ones.

The iPod shuffle has returned to what I consider to be the most successful "badge" form factor, allowing it to be worn on clothing. At the same time, it became even smaller than the second generation icon. Thank God, they returned control from the headphones to the player.

The iPod nano has seen the most changes this year. He became... completely different. Of the usual nano elements, only the screen has been preserved... But it has become touch-sensitive, like its older brother. Well, adopting is the best thing. The player has greatly decreased in size, becoming almost as miniature as the shuffle, and has acquired a clothespin for attaching to clothing on the back panel. Removed: camera, microphone, games, search functions, built-in speaker, ability to play video, reminders, calendar, world clock, contacts, notes, ability to select a larger font. The voice recorder function is now available only when a compatible headset is connected. In general, shouldn't it have been worth calling this model, for example, shuffle HD?

But in the iPod touch, all the improvements are for the better: a new A4 processor, a Retina screen, cameras. It would seem like a small list, but all these things brought the player to a new level of quality, making previous models irrelevant.

Well, that seems to be all. When I sat down to write this article, I did not at all expect that it would captivate me so much and grow so much. But it is impossible to write about the wonderful players from Apple in a nutshell - they are all worthy of admiration and a separate large article. I hope you had as much fun reading this article as I did writing it.

In 2007, the whole world was gripped by an urgent desire to purchase a new phone from Apple, so the first generation of the iPod touch music player became in appearance a smaller copy of the iPhone with dimensions of 110x61.8x7.3 mm.

Without a radio transmitting module and GPS, it could not be a means of communication, although it could well be positioned as a PDA thanks to its electronic filling. But the company's sales department noticed in time that they were already starting to go out of fashion, so a smart marketing decision was made to present the new product as a player.

This is a kind of super player controlled by a microprocessor and with built-in memory of 8, 16 and even 32 GB. Its front part is made of black plastic, covered with impact-resistant glass, and the back part is made of metal, which appealed to energetic young people. In addition, the light weight of 101 grams is completely unnoticeable in a shirt or jeans pocket.

Review of the second generation device – 2G

In 2008, the iPod Touch is “dressed” in a new stainless steel case, which is shaped like the iPhone 3G. For greater similarity, volume buttons and a built-in speaker are added, so now owners have the opportunity to listen to music without connecting headphones.

Thanks to the improved battery, music listening time has increased from 24 to 36 hours, and video viewing from 5 to 6 hours. Depending on the models, memory with a capacity of 8, 16 or 32 GB was built into the player, which fully satisfied the needs of consumers. Despite noticeable improvements, the weight of the product has increased to only 115 grams.

Starting with this generation, Nike+ support was added to the iPod Touch, with the help of which it became possible to jog under the supervision of a “personal trainer.” Receiving signals from the sensor built into the shoes, the player counts the distance traveled and calories burned, which it reports in a pleasant voice and plays music during pauses.

Third generation iPod Touch (3G)

In 2009, they did not change the case, but they took the hardware seriously. The model with 8 GB of memory on board remained virtually unchanged, with the exception of the updated iOS bootloader – BootLoader.

iPod Touch 3G models (32, 64 GB) began to install a new ARM Cortex A8 processor with a clock frequency of 600 MHz and an additional PowerVR SGX535 graphics accelerator chip. This immediately improved the quality of video playback and made it possible to run more modern games. Increasing the amount of RAM to 256 MB gave a sharp increase in player performance by 50%.


The device has a 3.5-inch touch screen with a resolution of 480x320 pixels, which is the best in this device segment. Older models (32, 64 GB) began to support OpenGL ES Version 2.0, which greatly delighted gamers and active surfers. Now it has become much more convenient to surf the Internet using the built-in Safari browser. We were also pleased with the slight increase in battery capacity, because the new filling requires more energy resources.

2010 was a defining year for the iPod Touch line of players. The devices have received many improvements and are rightfully considered the best in their segment. If earlier they were perceived as a stripped-down iPhone, now they are very close to it.

The player has become so thin that if you put two iPod Touches of the 4th generation together, they will be as thick as a compact iPhone 4. Moreover, they have the same high-resolution Retina Display screens with a resolution of 960x640 px. In a very clear image, the pixels are completely invisible, so you can safely raise the brightness to maximum. The brightness reserve is quite noticeable, and the use of automatic backlight adjustment allows you to adjust its level depending on the external lighting conditions. So even in bright sunshine you will be able to clearly see the image on the device screen.

The 4th generation iPod touch is equipped with the Apple A4 processor, which is also used in the iPhone 4. It provides more stable operation and faster startup of the device. There is no GPS module, so the player determines its position using Wi-Fi networks. Just like the phone, it is now equipped with a gyroscope, which will provide more fun for active gamers.

The iOS 4 bootloader better supports the Bluetooth AVRCP protocol, so you can now manage tracks, adjust volume, and play the device from headsets and headphones that support A2DP.

When playing music, it is now possible to control the iPod touch with your voice through the built-in microphone thanks to the implemented Voice Control function. The sound of the device itself has also improved - a special port with a new speaker has been installed. This combination of a high-quality speaker and an omnidirectional microphone makes it possible to make Skype/VoIP calls without using a headset. Find a Wi-Fi hotspot and you're already connected.

iPod touch 4th generation has two cameras: front and rear. The front one is designed to capture an image of the user's face, and using the rear camera you can shoot video with a resolution of 720p (1280x720), which is a complete surprise for the player. A light sensor is located next to the lens, which improves the quality of shooting in low light.

Another pleasant innovation is the reduced weight of the device - now the player weighs only 101 grams. So Apple was able to pack as many features as possible into a small, lightweight package.

Meet the fast iPod touch 5G player

Imagine, this is not a marketing ploy, but a real fact. For the first time, the player can boast the performance of a full-fledged iPhone, albeit the 4S version.

Launched in October 2012, the iPod touch 5G immediately attracted attention. Now its body is made not of polished steel, but of rough aluminum, which is much more practical. In addition, it is available in colors: dark grey, silver, pink, blue, yellow and red.

The body has increased in height, but has lost some weight (123?59?6 mm), and the weight has decreased to 88 g. At the same time, the developers managed to increase the battery capacity to 1030 mAh, which allows you to listen to music for 40 hours or watch videos for 8 ocloc'k.

Among the controls, you can highlight the metal Power button on the top end, and the volume buttons on the left. On the back cover of the device there are: a protruding camera lens, a microphone hole, an LED flash, a plug for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth units, as well as a spring-loaded button for the Loop cord. On the bottom edge there is a 3.5 mm headphone connector, a Lightning port and a speaker behind neat holes.

The Retina display in the new iPod touch 5G is similar to that found on the iPhone 5, so the image quality is commendable. With a resolution of 1136x640 pixels and a pixel density of 326 DPI, it has amazing color reproduction, which is distinguished by natural colors and an amazing level of “black”.

Thanks to the wide viewing angle, you won't notice colors inverted on the IPS screen, and in bright sunlight it hardly fades. Add to this durable glass with an oleophobic coating, and you will understand how good the new player is in operation.

The device has two cameras: main and front. The main 5 MP camera, made on the basis of a 5-element lens, allows you to record video in 1080p quality at 30 frames/sec. The front FaceTime HD camera (1.2 MP) is more modest: 720p at 30 fps.

The hardware can please you with a dual-core Apple A5 processor (2 Cortex-A9 cores) with a clock frequency of 800 MHz and 512 MB of RAM. Depending on the model, the device is equipped with 32 or 64 GB of memory, which is enough for music, movies and many applications.

The device runs iOS 6 and after practical tests showed significantly increased performance. The new graphics subsystem provides good interface speed, fast launch of heavy applications and 3D graphics processing. The conclusion is clear - the new device is really good!