Apple recently updated its popular iPod music players making them thinner and adding great new features that make it worth considering an upgrade for old iPod users.
There are three iPod models — 10, 15 and 30GB. The 15 and 30GB iPods $299 and include software for use with Windows or Macintosh systems.
The new iPods are about half as thick as the older ones, and there is a dock for the 15GB and 30GB models. Instead of connecting via a Firewire cable to charge the battery or download music, the new iPod slides easily into its rectangular dock, which is connected to a power source or to the computer.
The new controls are backlit and touch sensitive, which means there’s no longer a spinning wheel that collects dirt. There’s also a great new feature called the On-The-Go playlist. Previously, if you wanted to listen to a particular group of songs on the iPod, you had to make a playlist in the MusicMatch for Windows or iTunes for Macintosh software provided with the device. With the new On-The-Go feature, you can click on a song in the iPod and add it to the playlist without having to hook the iPod to a computer. The playlist is cleared when...