Apple had released the newest innovation in its line of portable media players in the form of iPod 5.5 generation. It was termed so because the changes are not as drastic as the changes from generation four to generation five. The color of its case is still limited to black and white, but this newest update is available in 30GB capacity and in an amazing 80GB hard drive capacity.
This new model supports more downloadable games via iTunes 7, has an audio support for AAC, MP3, AIFF, Apple Lossless, WAV, protected AAC from iTunes Music Store, and can also play Audible audio books. The supported photo formats are JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TIFF and PSD as well if you are using a Mac. The only supported video formats are the H.264 encoded with the .m4v or .mp4 extension, MPEG4, and MOV. Videos can be seen at a maximum rate of thirty frames per second at VGA quality with maximum bit rate of 1.5 Mbps for H.264 and 2.5 Mbps for MPEG4. The supported audio format for video is AAC-LC with a maximum bit rate of 160 Kbps. Most videos that are not obtained from the iTunes Store require conversion in iTunes or in a third-party video transcoding utility.
The battery life is longer compared to the previous generations. The audio’s battery life is up to twenty hours and the battery life for video is about 6.5 hours. The video feature is basically the same as that of the preceding generation; only this time, Apple claims that the video quality is sixty percent brighter than that of the fifth generation, thus making images appear smoother and more defined. The 2.5-inch screen is more suitable for watching TV shows than widescreen movies. Movies can also be downloaded from iTunes 7.
Certain improvements are also installed with respect to audio playback. The space-time between songs that is present in the previous generations is eliminated in iPod 5.5 generation. Listeners of live and classical albums will love this seamless, gapless playback. The play listing options are still excellent. You will be able to create several playlists without a PC. You can create playlists on the iPod directly, the only problem is that you will not be able to rename, edit and delete the saved playlists. The iPod 5.5 generation is also capable of voice and line in recording, but you have to use third-party products to avail of these features.
Included in the package is a set of newly designed iPod earbuds that is more comfortable to the ears. They are smaller than the previous earbuds and have silicone rims around the edges. These earbuds, however, do not block that much noise. The sound quality is still very good, though, because the earbuds have improved transducers that allow the highs and bass to extend farther. However, the package does not include a bundled CD since iTunes is already downloadable online.
The iPod 5.5 generation still has the click wheel, but it also has an enhanced power scroll and search feature for more efficient track navigation. When you are scrolling rapidly through a long list, the power scroll will be automatically activated. A shaded square will appear on the middle of the screen with a letter on it, allowing you to scroll by first letters instead of individual items on the list. As an alternative, you can choose Search from the Music Menu, and locate podcasts, songs, artists, albums or videos by keyword or by letter.
And now, let us go to the iPod 5.5 generation’s physical specifications. The 30GB model measures 0.4 by 4.1 by 2.4 inches and weighs 4.8 ounces. The 80GB version measures 0.6 by 4.1 by 2.4 inches and weighs 5.5 ounces. The screen in both versions measures 2.5 inches diagonally with a 320 by 240 color display. The iPod 5.5 generation also include ports such as dock connector and stereo minijack. It can be connected via USB through the dock connector. Composite video can also be connected through an A/V cable that is to be bought separately, and audio connectivity is possible through the headphone jack or line out on the iPod Universal Dock, also to be bought separately. The charge time is about four hours.
I have been looking everywhere to find out what the power rating of the factory battery for the 5.5g 30 gig ipod. If anyone can find this for me, please post it here and e-mail me pileot-at-hotmail-dot-com
thanks!
Oh ya, the 5.5g owns. My 30 gig lasts easially 10 hours of music playing… i listen all day at work, a 10 hour shift, and it lasts me till i get home and plug it in. Total time is about 10.5 hours. The more you switch songs, tho, and the longer the backlight is on, the less battery time you have.
Comment by Jon — April 12, 2007 @ 12:45 am