Is it rational to bring your iPod on vacation?
I just took my 2TB 7th gen on vacation with me for a week and here’s my thoughts:
1. It’s great on the plane ride
An airplane ride is one of the areas an iPod really shines, an ultraportable device that has movies, TV shows and your whole music library is amazing. Most times I’ve noticed people tend to keep their windows shut on the ride, so sun glare was no problem, and with an extended battery life, watching 1-2 movies on full brightness didn’t drain my battery more than 50% which is incredible.
2. Headphones do matter
Kind of a side note here but headphones do matter when enjoying media on a flight or in a loud environment. I had just bought Thruthear Crinacle Zero IEMs on a recommendation from a friend and honestly I was very surprised with the passive noise cancellation they offer. I haven’t really dove deep into the realm of IEMs personally but I would recommend these as the fit was comfortable, it had a good sound range with distinct base and highs and again the passive noise cancellation honestly about matched my AP2’s ANC.
3. Some critiques
This is a close to 16 year old device, so you may come into the occasional crash and reboot, especially with higher storage, but it holds up well to this day! If you’re to take an iPod traveling, I’d definitely recommend one made from aluminum or at the least have a good case on it. Now for some of my critiques. This depends on where you’re traveling but overheating can be a concern. Out on the beach during peek sun and in 80°F weather can get devices, especially ones with a completely metal chassis, pretty hot. I didn’t see any physical signs of the device struggling, but that’s definitely not good on components like the battery long term. Also on the subject of sun, like most screens, the iPod screen struggled to be visible in harsh sunlight. Wearing sunglasses will help, but it’ll also make the screen dimmer. I wouldn’t recommend trying to watch content in this situation, but playing and controlling music is completely fine. Finally my last critique is that the iPod has some pretty big ports on it, ports that can have sand easily get into. Mind you I wasn’t sticking my iPod into a sand bank, but some loose particles from my travel bag found their way into the headphone jack and 30 pin port. Granted this could be mitigated, but for the average user they’re not going to be as cautious as an enthusiast.
4. Lastly, charging.
If you’ve modded an iPod to add a bigger battery like me, you’ve probably noticed a slower battery charge from USB. That’s why FireWire charging is a must even today. However it’s too much of a hassle to bring a separate cord. That’s why my adapter, the WyMod Supercharger, was a must on this trip. Unironically, not even hyping myself up, I would’ve had a harder time justifying bringing my iPod without this adapter. Bringing this small adapter made life so much easier, having the choice between switching from USB to FireWire on the fly and also adapting that to USB-C is NECESSARY for modern day iPod users. I’m strictly USB-C now so bringing an extra cable is out of the question. My adapter also essentially eliminates the “finicky charging issues” 6 and 7th gen iPods have by bypassing USB mode while charging from FireWire, so any power supply and cord works. And now that I’m back, production will start again on my boards. This trip was an awesome way to field test my adapter in another country, and I can’t wait till you all can have your hands on it!
TL;DR: Yes! Bring your iPod with you silly, it’s what it’s meant for!
I just took my 2TB 7th gen on vacation with me for a week and here’s my thoughts:
1. It’s great on the plane ride
An airplane ride is one of the areas an iPod really shines, an ultraportable device that has movies, TV shows and your whole music library is amazing. Most times I’ve noticed people tend to keep their windows shut on the ride, so sun glare was no problem, and with an extended battery life, watching 1-2 movies on full brightness didn’t drain my battery more than 50% which is incredible.
2. Headphones do matter
Kind of a side note here but headphones do matter when enjoying media on a flight or in a loud environment. I had just bought Thruthear Crinacle Zero IEMs on a recommendation from a friend and honestly I was very surprised with the passive noise cancellation they offer. I haven’t really dove deep into the realm of IEMs personally but I would recommend these as the fit was comfortable, it had a good sound range with distinct base and highs and again the passive noise cancellation honestly about matched my AP2’s ANC.
3. Some critiques
This is a close to 16 year old device, so you may come into the occasional crash and reboot, especially with higher storage, but it holds up well to this day! If you’re to take an iPod traveling, I’d definitely recommend one made from aluminum or at the least have a good case on it. Now for some of my critiques. This depends on where you’re traveling but overheating can be a concern. Out on the beach during peek sun and in 80°F weather can get devices, especially ones with a completely metal chassis, pretty hot. I didn’t see any physical signs of the device struggling, but that’s definitely not good on components like the battery long term. Also on the subject of sun, like most screens, the iPod screen struggled to be visible in harsh sunlight. Wearing sunglasses will help, but it’ll also make the screen dimmer. I wouldn’t recommend trying to watch content in this situation, but playing and controlling music is completely fine. Finally my last critique is that the iPod has some pretty big ports on it, ports that can have sand easily get into. Mind you I wasn’t sticking my iPod into a sand bank, but some loose particles from my travel bag found their way into the headphone jack and 30 pin port. Granted this could be mitigated, but for the average user they’re not going to be as cautious as an enthusiast.
4. Lastly, charging.
If you’ve modded an iPod to add a bigger battery like me, you’ve probably noticed a slower battery charge from USB. That’s why FireWire charging is a must even today. However it’s too much of a hassle to bring a separate cord. That’s why my adapter, the WyMod Supercharger, was a must on this trip. Unironically, not even hyping myself up, I would’ve had a harder time justifying bringing my iPod without this adapter. Bringing this small adapter made life so much easier, having the choice between switching from USB to FireWire on the fly and also adapting that to USB-C is NECESSARY for modern day iPod users. I’m strictly USB-C now so bringing an extra cable is out of the question. My adapter also essentially eliminates the “finicky charging issues” 6 and 7th gen iPods have by bypassing USB mode while charging from FireWire, so any power supply and cord works. And now that I’m back, production will start again on my boards. This trip was an awesome way to field test my adapter in another country, and I can’t wait till you all can have your hands on it!
TL;DR: Yes! Bring your iPod with you silly, it’s what it’s meant for!