Given U2's ongoing close relationship with Apple over the past few years, it's not entirely surprising that Apple chose to reincarnate the Special Edition U2 iPod as its way of giving the Fifth Generation iPod lineup a mid-term boost.


And it's far less surprising that Apple chose to give the lineup a boost, as it's done so midway through previous iPod generations with enhancements ranging from capacity to color screens. Unfortunately, this time around, the "boost" only applies to users who opt for this specific model, and even then there are no actual functional enhancements, only stylistic ones. But after spending forty-eight hours with the device, we're left to conclude that the new U2 iPod does indeed do enough new things stylistically, some of which we expect to see incorporated into future iPod generations, that the product merits a full review. Well, an almost full review; we'll bypass the functionality all of you are already familiar with, and go straight for the stylistic enhancements.



We don't normally discuss packaging in product reviews, as packaging usually finds its way immediately to the trash and ends up counting nothing toward the user experience, but we're well aware of iPod users' penchants for keeping their iPod packaging around for sentimental reasons (often under a guise of practical-sounding excuses), and we're as guilty of that as anyone. So it's worth noting that while the new U2 iPod comes in the same half-depth boxes as other recent iPods, the front and back faces of the internal box both feature all four members of the band; the front from the current era, the back from the band's earliest days. As with every other iPod ever released, the film on the U2 iPod's face reminds users to do business with the iTunes Music Store, or "Don't Steal Music" as they phrase it.

Follow up:

To the delight of some and dismay of others, the U2 iPod comes with the same white earbuds as iPods past, as well as a white sync cable, and a white Universal Dock insert. None of these all-white accessories serves to properly prepare the user for the shocking surprise to be found on the U2 iPod's backside: in spite of the pictures on Apple's website which suggest that the back surface is simply a darker shade of silver chrome, it turns out that the backside is as black as black can be. It's shiny, metallic-looking, and just reflective enough to see a darkened image of yourself, but make no mistake: the back of this iPod is as black as its front.

In fact, so are the top, bottom, sides, Hold switch, and plastic lining around the dock connector port and headphone jack. In fact, beyond the band autographs and wording and Apple logo on the back (all grey), the "HOLD" and "heaphone" emblems on top (also grey), and the white wording on the click-wheel, every millimeter of this iPod is black or red. It's the kind of design that many expected when rumors of an all-black iPod first surfaced prior to the launch of the iPod nano, and many were disappointed to find that the "all black" iPod nano and video iPod were sporting the same chrome backside as white iPods. But here, the true all-black nature of the design makes for a surprisingly sleek look which we felt instantly made the standard black video iPod look comparatively obsolete. Of course, for those who don't care for it, the aura is shattered by the bright red click-wheel. But the elimination of silver as a dominant color allows the red to serve as a true highlight color instead of merely fighting the silver and black for screen time.

In fact, with the exception of the red click-wheel, when we look at the U2 iPod we can't help but feel that we're looking at the Sixth Generation iPod, at least stylistically speaking. The actual 6G iPod will undoubtedly feature different angles and widths, as nearly all new iPod generations invariably do. But we highly doubt that Apple went to the trouble of creating the new black backside just to use it on a limited edition model that won't be around for long. So in that sense, even non-U2 fans should be pleased that this new U2 iPod model has reached market, as it provides a tantalizing glimpse into the iPod's future.





So is this new model a better "U2 iPod" than the original Fourth Generation U2 iPod?

That's essentially a two-part question. There's almost no question that the Fifth Generation iPod was an improvement over the Fourth Generation, offering additional functionality and no compromise on existing functionality, and doing it all in a slimmer package. But as for whether this new model makes for a better U2 iPod, that comes down to a question of looks. And while it's difficult to legislate looks in an objective review, the new U2 iPod simply looks more dignified in our opinion, both because of the aforementioned elimination of silver as a competing color, and because the red and black motif simply looks better on the slimmer, less rounded design of the 5G iPod than it did on the comparatively plump 4G iPod.





When it comes to mid-term updates, we typically look for Apple to do something at least mildly groundbreaking before we hand out a Five Star rating to the new model, but this is something of a different situation. For instance, adding a color screen to the 4G iPod lineup represented a major functional enhancement, making it a significantly more attractive model. But this is clearly a different situation, as Apple isn't altering the iPod lineup but instead releasing a distinct new variation of the existing lineup. So in the end we're left to judge the new U2 iPod based on whether it's a good value at its price point. It costs thirty dollars more than the standard 30 GB video iPod, and the included thirty minute downloadable video, which features a mix of concert and interview footage, is something that U2 fans will likely be glad they own, but not something that they would pay thirty dollars for.


So in the end, the question is whether the distinctive styling of the new U2 iPod is worth the added cost. For U2 fans, clearly the model's intended target audience, we would argue yes. This is the U2 iPod perfected, as Apple's taken a styling that worked pretty well last time around and really made it shine this time out. Fans will appreciate the fact that they can once again own a current-model iPod with U2's autographs emblazoned on the back, and the black metal on the back and sides seals the deal. If the Fifth Generation iPod was a Five Star product, and it was, then so is the Fifth Generation U2 iPod – at least for U2 fans. Everyone else will likely have to wait at least a few more months to get their hands on the likely Sixth Generation traits displayed here on the final Fifth Generation model.


Source: iProng.com