This iPod buying guide and review is based on my study and research and customer ratings. I make sure that all information given herein is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

iPods are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Before buying an iPod, it is recommended that you do your research and know your own needs and then choose the right one for yourself so that you get the best deal for your money.

Getting the best deal on iPods needs some study. You need to know the hard drive or storage capacity you need. Features, Colour, Battery life and screen size are some of the points to consider and keep in mind while choosing to buy an iPod.

Let us know understand different iPods available in the market and in stores:

First comes the full-size iPods that have a large hard drive of about 30GB or 80GB.

Next is the iPod nano. It is small in size and is easily portable and fits in you pocket. It has a color screen and 4GB or 8GB of storage capacity. It has no hard-drive that might jiggle or even break during high-intensity activities such as doing exercise in gym or playing some sports. Instead, it uses flash memory for storage. It is a good choice if you are an athletes or exercise enthusiasts. Music lovers, commuters and students favour iPod nano because of its mini size, good looks and easy to use user-friendly features.

iPod shuffle is a miniscule gadget. You can easily clip it onto your clothing and enjoy the music. With a memory storage capacity of 1 GB, it can hold upto 240 songs and also has a long battery life. iPod shuffle is loved and favored by fitness-lovers, athletes, commuters, the budget conscious, and minimalists.

The revolutionary and most talked about, iPhone has a 3.5-inch widescreen with a touchscreen iPod to enjoy music, videos, movies, and more.

iPods with newer features have been developed and hit the market over the years. iPods with all kinds of features, style, size, color, and storage capacity have hit the market. This makes older models of iPods to retire.

Here is a list of some of the retired iPods:

First-generation iPod: The first-generation iPods were originally released in November 2001. They have 5GB storage and can play only music. They have a FireWire port at the top, and a standard click wheel design.

Second-generation iPod: The second-generation iPod was the first to have a touch-sensitive click wheel. These iPods are compatible with both PCs and Macs and are available in 10GB and 20GB models.

Third-generation iPod: Apple released third-generation iPods in 2003. These iPods have touch-sensitive buttons and slim iPod-specific connector with USB support in place of FireWire port. Models with 30GB and 40GB storage capacity are available.

iPod mini: The iPod mini was launched in 2004. It has a storage capacity of 4GB and uses a hard drive for storage. In 2005, the limited-edition second-generation iPod mini came out with a longer battery life and a brighter array of colors.

iPod photo: Apple added the feature of photo slide show in its iPods in 2004. iPod photo comes with a 20GB or 40GB hard drive, color screen, and scroll-wheel function control. This is a good choice if you want to go through your snaps and photos on the go.

iPod shuffle: iPod Shuffle was released in 2005. It is available in 512MB or 1GB storage capacities.

iPod video: iPods released after 2006 can play both videos and games. Full-sized Video iPods are available in 30GB, 60GB, and 80GB storage capacities.

Before you can listen to music, podcasts, and audiobooks or watch videos, movies and TV shows, you need to transfer content from your desktop computer or laptop to your iPod.

iPods come with Apple iTunes software to help you organize tracks and transfer music. iTunes is always available as a free download at Apple's Web site.

iTunes is integrated with Apple's online iTunes Store, where you can download most songs for 99 cents and albums for $9.99 or more. Songs purchased from the iTunes Store are provided in AAC format, to help prevent music piracy. This restricts the number of computers and devices that can share the same digital music file. It also limits how many times you can burn the song. There is no issue if you share songs on iPods you own and use.