Smaller than ever (just 0.62 inches thick), this iPod fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and slips easily into your pocket and your life. At 5.6 ounces, it weighs less than 2 compact discs, and even many cell phones. And yet the iPod gives you a huge 40 GB hard drive -- that's 10,000 songs.

  Once again, Apple turns the portable digital music player market on its ear with hassle-free functionality and stunning, well-considered design that place iPod far ahead of the curve and the competition. Building on the success of the touch wheel (which made scrolling through an entire music collection quick and easy), the new iPod has been re-engineered with a all-touch interface for enhanced durability and sensitivity.

  With an LCD screen and buttons that feature a backlight for clear visibility in low-light conditions, iPod is designed for easy one-handed operation. So the best way to take an entire music collection anywhere is now even better.

  The 40 GB iPod comes with a dock that makes charging and syncing easier than ever -- no more reaching around, looking for the right port. An elegant, convenient home base for iPod on a desk or connected to a home stereo system, the dock provides syncing via FireWire or USB 2.0, charging via FireWire and audio line out for connecting to powered speakers or a stereo system.

  Designed to give you the best portable digital music experience ever, the iPod delivers the highest sound quality from input to output. iPod supports the most popular audio formats, including MP3 (up to 320 kbps), MP3 Variable Bit Rate (VBR) and WAV, giving you access to a wide range of audio file types. And iPod is the only portable digital music player that supports the AAC format (Mac-only), which features CD-quality audio in smaller file sizes than MP3, so that even more songs fit on your iPod.

  The iPod now lets you do a whole lot more in addition to maintaining your contacts, calendar and to-do lists. iPod now includes Solitaire, Brick and Parachute, three great games you can play anywhere (a feature you’re sure to appreciate the next time you’re standing in line or waiting for someone). You can even use your own music as the soundtrack to a game.

  iPod also includes a notes reader that lets you download text-based information and read it on the screen. This way you can have the information you need, on everything from restaurant reviews to nightlife guides, and from news articles to exercise routines, at your fingertips.

  The iPod features a sleep timer, so you can fall asleep to your music. And with the iPod’s new alarm clock, you can choose either an alarm tone or your favorite music to wake you up.

  You can synchronize your music and data effortlessly, without having to tweak settings each time you transfer files between your iPod and your computer. In fact, the iPod's Auto-Sync feature more than lives up to Apple's reputation for plug and play ease of use.

  Auto-Sync makes transferring and updating music from your computer to your iPod fast and simple. Just plug the iPod into your Mac or Windows PC, and your music syncs automatically. And as you add new music or rearrange your playlists in iTunes or MUSICMATCH Jukebox, everything gets automatically updated on your iPod the next time you connect it to your computer. You can also sync your iPod with contacts, calendars and to-do lists (Mac-only).