26 October 2005
by Noah Kravitz
Reviews Editor

Part One: The Product Experience

But not that hard. Once I found a buyer for my "Great Condition 3g iPod with Accessories" on Craig's List and the transaction was complete, I headed straight for the Emeryville, CA Apple Store with Faculty ID and credit card in hand. No lines at lunchtime, so not five minutes after finding a parking spot I was $292 and change poorer (the educator's discount saved me $30 off the $299 retail price) but the proud owner of a black, 30 gb iPod.

Let's savor this, shall we? Half of the Apple experience these days is marketing: From press conferences to advertising to packaging, they sure do have a line on building hype and aura around a new product. When the nice young man at the Apple Store opened the cabinet behind the register to pull out my new Pod, I actually had the nerve to say, "No, not the nano. I want the full-size." The box is so small! Lucky for me he was nice and probably used to dealing with overly excited, know-it-all customers.

Part one of my review is the photo blog. Click any image to view the full-size version:

The allure of the semi-opaque	Apple [heart] Gorillaz	Apple [heart] U2
So Thin	Inside the Box: Yes, it's a Black iPod	Smaller than a Pen, But Holds More Music
More Opaque White: Media, Cables & Buds, Slipcover	New Top Panel: I Sense an Onslaught of New Third-Party "5g Compatible" Gear	Turn on the Bright Lights, It's a Wider Color Screen

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Get the best price for your new video iPod at PCPrices/iPod

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Noah Kravitz is an educator, musician, and writer who lives in Oakland, CA and is the author of Teaching and Learning with Technology. You should go buy a copy. Now. It's awesome.