Apple iPod U2 Special Edition (20GB)

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Reviewed by: Jasmine France
Edited by: James Kim

Reviewed on 10/26/04    Updated on: 5/27/05    Release date: 10/26/04    Quick Take: Late last year, amid much hype, Apple announced two new iPods: the iPod Photo and the iPod U2 Special Edition. After many previous collaborations, Irish rock group U2 and Apple again partnered to release the sole special-edition iPod to date. The iPod U2 (20GB only) shares most of its characteristics with the fourth-generation iPod but boasts a few key differences. The most noticeable is the player's black body and Ferrari-red scrollwheel--it definitely pops. Flip over the device, and you'll find another distinguishing design tweak: the signatures of all four U2 band members have been laser-etched in the iPod's shiny, silver rear casing, which also features a U2 stamp and the words special edition.

On a related note, Steve Jobs also announced an Apple iTunes exclusive: the world's first "digital box set," comprising the entire collection of U2's albums as well as unreleased demos and live recordings--more than 400 songs in all. Entitled The Complete U2, the set costs $149 and became available for download on November 23, 2005; understandably, you must use a broadband connection to get it. The $349 iPod U2 is also currently available. Purchasers of the new player will be rewarded with a coupon for $50 off the price of U2's digital box set as well as a poster of the band.

When we put the U2 to the test in CNET Labs, its performance mirrored that of the fourth-generation iPod. Although the U2's average transfer time of 9.38MB per second was notably faster than that of its all-white sibling (which came in at 6.79MB per second), this likely has to do with the fact that CNET Labs received all-new test systems between the time of the two recordings, and all products tested on both the old and new test computers exhibited slightly faster times on the latter. Battery life was about the same, with the U2's 13.3 hours just shy of the 13.9 hours recorded for the fourth-generation iPod.

File-transfer speed
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

MB per second

Samsung YEPP YH-920GS (20GB; USB 2.0)

14.15 

Apple iPod U2 (20GB; USB 2.0)

9.38 

Apple iPod (fourth generation, 20GB; USB 2.0)*

6.79 

Sony PSP (USB 2.0)

2.17 

* = This player was tested on CNET Labs' old test system. See review text for details.

Battery life
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Hours

Apple iPod 4th-gen (20GB)

13.9 

Apple iPod U2 (20GB)

13.3 

Sony PSP

11.2 

Samsung YH-920GS (20GB)

9 

Basic Specs

Product Specifications:
Weight: 5.6 oz
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year warranty
General:
Product type: Hard drive
PC interface(s) supported: FireWire , Hi-Speed USB
Flash memory installed: No built-in memory
Digital storage: Built-in 20 GB Hard disk drive
Digital player supported digital audio standards: AAC , MP3 , WAV , AIFF , Audible , Apple Lossless
Dimensions (W x D x H): 2.4 in x 0.6 in x 4.1 in
Battery technology: Lithium ion
Color: Black
Mfr estimated battery life: 12 hour(s)
Included accessories: Earbud headphones , Docking station , AC adapter , FireWire cable , USB 2.0 cable
Software type: Apple iTunes for Mac , Apple iTunes for Windows
Product Basic Spec:
Dimensions (W x D x H): 2.4 in x 0.6 in x 4.1 in
Audio system built-in display: LCD
Diagonal size: 2 in
Resolution: 160 x 128
Video software included: None
CD system type: None
Cassette system type: None
Tuner type: None
MD system type: None
Remote control: Remote control
Headphones type: Binaural Ear-bud
Cable(s) included: 1 x , IEEE 1394 cable - External , USB cable - External
Battery: Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated