The iPod Classic from Apple is the decendent of the device that started the media player craze. This latest iteration comes in  in 80GB and 120GB models, which retail for $170 and $249 respectively. The software has had a few upgrades over the years, and the screen is in full color now, but the overall interface, feel, and physical shape of the device remain consistent. If all the iPods are geared towards different audiences, the Classic is made for people who like having a media archive travel around with them. The 120GB Classic can hold every song you've ever heard, plus a handful of movies.

Of course, while the software will provide you with an easy-to-use interface, you'll still be wedded to iTunes (or some third-party workaround) for media transfers. the hardware is still questionable. Additionally, the iPod Classic looks a bit big compared to modern media players. The size is partially due to the expansive memory and partially to keep the original iPod's look alive, but neither of these reasons will stop it from creating a rectangular protrusion in your front pocket.

Performance (read the full lab performance results at MediaPlayerInfo.com)
The iPod Classic performed very well on our audio tests. The frequency response was very even, which means the device didn't output sound with any added or subtracted emphasis. There was very little noise or distortion, so the Classic won't be altering your music either. It was capable of outputting a decent amount of power as well, which means that even headphones with a high impedence should be able to play at loud decibel levels. The one performance area that the Classic—and all other iPods we've reviewed so far—could improve on dealt with the packaged-in headphones. They weren't very good at all. We recommend getting a better set of headphones so you can fully enjoy the good audio quality the Classic is capable of outputting.

Comparisons (read the full lab performance results at MediaPlayerInfo.com)
The iPod Classic, unfortunately, doesn't really compete with many other modern media players all that well. We'd recommend it to someone with thousands and thousands of songs who always wants to have their iPod ready if the one at the party breaks. Typically this kind of size would make the device a great choice for movies, but the screen is very small. If you're looking for capacity and physical size isn't too big an issue, you should check out the Archos 5. The Archos 5 has a big touch screen, comes in sizes up to 250GB, and can even be upgraded into a GPS or DVR with separate purchases. If capacity in the hundreds of Gigabytes isn't one of your top features in a media player, give the iPod Nano or Touch a try, the former for music-heavy users and the latter for a good all-in-one video player.