So right after the special event I ordered one of the new iPods; a 30gb, the same size as my third gen iPod.

In white
So it would match my computers; I fully intend to buy a new iBook after the Intel switch. Although I get a sense iBooks might start coming in black.

Anyway, why replace 30 gig with a 30 gig?
Because the 5g is SPECTACULAR. The 3g was just okay - the buttons were a serious misstep. This one is hot as hell. The screen is vibrant and almost as big as it can be without changing the form factor. The click wheel is great. Plus it’s half the thickness of the 3G. Fucking half.

About storage size
I’ve got 200 gigs of music online, maybe another 150 offline. This is not a lot. If music collections were rims, mine would be dubs but plenty of ballers out there are sitting on 26s. Terabytes. For real. Apple’s coming with a 200gb iPod in about three years, maybe a little sooner, and that will be great, but it’s never going to be enough. The point is, I’m happy with 30 gigs. A 4 gig nano isn’t workable, but I can get all my favorites in 30. I keep lots of records around for when I make mixtapes; I don’t actually need Bape Sounds vol. 2 in my pocket.

Video
I could care less. I’m going to throw some video of my adorable niece on, but otherwise, why? I’m not paying for Lost; I’m not paying for shit but hardware, hear me? Maybe if I make a short film I’ll carry it around to show my friends or something. MCE to iPod, which I explained how to do, is a pain in the ass. If I could plug the iPod in and hit sync, that would be another thing. But Apple’s NEVER going to do a media center that grabs TV.

I’ll be honest: I considered a Portable Media Center
but that would have meant switching away from iTunes. No fucking way. Will I buy a PMC just for watching TV on airplanes? Nope!

Problems
• The hold switch is a little hard. I’m sure it softens with use.
• The black dot on the dock is ugly. I didn’t buy a dock.
• The video looks like shit when you send it to a TV.
• Too few games. “Music Quiz?” C’mon. Tetris. How much for the license per unit?

In summation
The 5g iPod is almost perfect. Buy one. They include a little sleeve so it won’t get scratched. It makes almost every other piece of consumer electronics look like underdesigned garbage. Simple is hard.

But realize
This isn’t the last iPod. I do think that we’re at the end of obvious features to add in. There’s radio, but FM won’t happen. There’s wireless, which I think will come to pass when a good low-power part shows up, or the new standard is finalized or whatever. Lighter, thinner, and better battery life are always in the works. Don’t expect cheaper; I think $299 and $399 are the price points forever. This is an awesome rev, though. I had the first 5g iPod and this is like that squared.

Final thought
Where’s the 2g shuffle?