Refurbished iPod Photo (4th Generation) — 20GB U2 Color Edition

Apple made two U2 iPods on this 4th Gen body: the October 2004 monochrome U2 (M9787LL/A, grayscale screen) and this June 2005 color-display U2 (MA127LL/A, 2-inch color screen, US$329 at launch). Both have the black front, red Click Wheel, and signature-engraved chrome back; this is the later, color-screen version.

Check the order number MA127LL/A and the color screen. The shared model number A1099 appears on every iPod Photo / color-display unit, so the order number is what identifies this exact edition. The order number is not engraved on the case: the back carries the model number (A1099), the EMC number and the serial number.

Confirm the order number, capacity, color and Apple model number against Exact Model Identification — this listing is for 20GB, Black/Red, MA127LL/A. Then test charging, sync/restore, controls, audio, hold switch, display, and several full tracks before loading your library. Two sequences are worth knowing before you need them: to reset, hold Menu + Select until the Apple logo appears; for Disk Mode, reset and then hold Select + Play/Pause. This iPod has no Volume Limit setting in its menus — Apple added that to later models — so there is no volume lock to hunt for. On a collector unit, look as well at the signature engraving and the red Click Wheel, since those are what you are paying the premium for.

Runtime depends on battery age, capacity, storage type, and backlight use. For scale, Apple rated this iPod at up to 15 hours of music and up to 5 hours of photo slideshows without video out from a full charge, and put a full charge at about 5 hours. A new replacement cell in the 616-0206 family is fitted before the iPod ships, unless the listing says otherwise. It is the standard new 750 mAh pack, or the new extended-life 1,200 mAh pack if you pick it under Battery above. A flash build draws less power than the original hard drive, so it plays longer on a charge.

Sometimes, and it is the car that decides. Owners report modern car USB ports answering "unsupported version", or doing nothing at all, with this iPod — one names an iPod photo on software 1.2.1 refused by a 2009 car. This iPod syncs and charges over USB with a computer, so a car port that refuses it is an accessory-support limit in the car, not a fault in the iPod, and there is no software update that bridges it: this model's software ended at 1.2.1. What does work: the car's aux input with a headphone cable, or a dock/line-out cable into aux, and a USB wall adapter or the car's 12V socket for charging. If you are buying for a specific car, check that car's iPod support before you plan on the USB port.