Apple iPod 4G 40GB Review
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Installing software
You have to install the iPod software before connecting the iPod to the computer.
I was surprised when I saw the following screen.
I tried entering a wrong serial number, and got away with it. And anyway, after you install the software, the (correct) iPod serial number is shown everywhere. So I have no idea what is the point of this screen.
Two programs are installed: iPod Updater, which allows you to update the firmware of the iPod, or format the iPod, and iTunes, which allows you to manage your music library and transfer songs to the iPod.
Transferring files/iTunes
iTunes is similar in functionality to Creative MediaSource. After adding songs to the Library, you can browse the library. The "Genre", "Artist", "Album" panel is also present (like in MediaSource).
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You can create and edit playlists, as well as browse songs on the iPod. Note that all changes are not updated immediately on the iPod. Instead you have to either manually choose to update, or do it automatically (when you plug in the iPod, iTunes will automatically load, and update).
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You can also use iTunes to convert your music CDs to AAC, MP3, AIFF, Apple Lossless or WAV. It took about 5 minutes 20 seconds to convert a 38-minute CD to AAC, and 3 minutes 37 seconds to convert to Apple Lossless.
I chose a 140MB album to transfer, and it took a fast 21 seconds. That works out to about 6.7MB/s, or about 56Mbps.
Transfer benchmark
I decided to benchmark the transfer speed of the iPod. To do so, I used SimpliSoftware's HD Tach.
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The average transfer rate is 14.7MB/s, with a maximum of 18.7MB/s. Note how the transfer rate starts dropping after the 16GB mark.
Comparing with a Hitachi Travelstar 5K80 40GB USB 2.0 hard disk drive.
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The above comparison is just for reference, and will not affect the judgement of the iPod.
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