[Argent]

The SoHo Apple Store received a shipment of 4th gen iPods today, and I picked up a 40GB model this afternoon. The thing's beautiful sleek and thin; a nice upgrade from my trusty but aging, original, 10GB iPod. The click wheel is really nice it's perfectly flush with the surface of the iPod and each compass-point depresses slightly when clicked on. I'm still a little peeved that the remote and case are no longer standard accessories, but other than that, I'm very happy.

[althe3rd]

i got one. the 20Gb very nice. i had the third gen ipod, but i like the idea of some of the buttons not being solid state. (meaning you actually depress a button). Sometimes it was too easy to bump play, forward, or backward on the third gen. Meaning, the 4th gen is a nice improvement.

[ofsomeone]

...pictures?

[Farsighted86]

is the click wheel really that great? it looks kinda dumb to me. I thought that having touch pad buttons and scroll wheel would be really state of the art, and wicked cool. Can I even buy one of these from apple, or are they just selling the 4G ones? Please let me know if this click wheel thing is all its cracked up to be.

[MacCheetah3]

Hi
Is the click wheel (controls) backlighted? That would be great. Thanks!
MacCheetah3
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium 1GHz, 1GB, 60GB, SuperDrive, Airport, Mac OS X, 15GB iPod
Debug Computer Services http://www.click2debug.com

[my58vw]

I just got the 40 GB... my first ipod and I am loving it...

[Argent]

In reply to:

---

is the click wheel really that great? it looks kinda dumb to me. I thought that having touch pad buttons and scroll wheel would be really state of the art, and wicked cool.

---

Trust me, the scroll wheel is a vast improvement. Personally, I can't stand the 3g iPod, with its touch pad buttons and scroll wheel. I know that a lot of people out there own them and are really happy with them, but Jason Snell summed the problem up a lot better than I ever could when he called the controls on the 3g iPod catastrophically poor interface design:
"Why so bad? Because if you can't see the iPod (for example, if it's pitch black), there's no way to feel and be sure which of the four buttons you're touching. You can't even touch the buttons to orient, because any contact with a button will press it. I've taken to use my iPod remote control in almost every instance, because I can touch those buttons to orient myself without setting them off by accident.
Anyway, the iPod mini doesn't have this problem. The four compass orientations on its scroll wheel are physically clickable -- it's a lot like the four buttons outside the scroll wheel on older iPods. Once you learn what each button does, you can find it in the dark. (Having the wheel be clickable is also cool because you never need to move your finger or thumb off the scroll wheel to operate the iPod. It's a good thing.)"

In reply to:

---

Is the click wheel (controls) backlighted?

---

Hey Cheetah Nope, the controls aren't backlit. It'd look really cool if they were, but for the reasons Jason stated above, I don't think that there's any need for them to be.

[CocoPops]

Any Apple Store web orders that were completed before the "remote and case" were removed are being honoured by Apple.
Call them up, tell them the order was placed before the remote and case were removed from the specs (24hrs after launch) and they will add them free of charge to your order.
I've just spoken to Apple UK (I ordered on 19th) and they are adding them for me.

[pjskelti]

WTF? I called the Apple Store and was categorically told they wouldn't be offering the remote as the online sales didn't mention the remote, so this would've been the contractual obligation they would have operated under. And he even asked me which one I was thinking of getting!
Oh bloody great! Could've had a 40GB'er WITH remote if I'd been told the truth! Hell, I even had to tell them the Canadian store was still showing the remote!
That's feckin' gratitude for you! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

[Argent]

In reply to:

---

...pictures?

---

Someone has posted a nice photo album of the unboxing here.

[althe3rd]

Ok ok, here are some pictures to saisfy the masses.
http://homepage.mac....otoAlbum29.html

[ofsomeone]

Instructions on the back state "backlight", I thought the controls on click-wheel were not, huh?

[pjskelti]

Yeah, the screen IS backlit for night-time usage. They don't need to waste more enegy on another LED to light the controls as they can be felt for before being pushed to activate. This was the big peev about the 3G iPod - the controls were too sensitive and activated when touched accidentally. That's no use to man, nor beast!

[MiKaY]

Just one thing i wanted to know about the click wheel, I know you press down to use the function on the compass bearings, but to increase/decrease the volume and scroll through the menu options and playlists etc, do you still run your thumb around the wheel lightly?
thanks!!!!