Even with multiple generations of iPods currently available for sale, it can be more difficult to decide on a docking station than the actual portable music player itself. Some simply hold the iPod in place for basic maintenance while others are impressive enough to use at parties and other social events.
In the good old days (2003), Apple packed everything that the average user would need to operate their iPod, including a simple hard plastic dock that allowed the owner to charge the internal iPod battery and manage playlists using the iTunes software supplied by Apple. With the exception of the iPhone, iPods these days don’t come with their own docks, so Apple offers a Universal Dock (Suggested Retail Price (SRP): $49.00) that helps with these basic functions and even contains an output port for connecting to a stereo system or television.
The Maxell 191203 Universal Docking Station (SRP: $24.99) is an inexpensive, multi-purpose alternative dock that offers both USB and Firewire connections. Of the two, this is my iPod docking station of choice. FYE carries this docking station, but it looks like it’s slowly being phased out of their inventory.
SDI Technologies makes the sleek and stylish iHome Dual Alarm Clock Radio (Model iH6WR), which comes in several colors. This unit charges your iPod and plays back music through its speakers. The iHome (SRP: $99.00) also offers you the option to wake to the radio, music from the iPod or the tried-and-true annoying buzzer. It’s currently available at retailers such as FYE and Target.
Radio Shack offers a docking station (Model AMA – 200) that actually looks like an alarm clock. The company has been marking these down over the last few months, so you can find them for less than $20.00.
iPod Docking Stations for the Serious Music Lover
A leading manufacturer of iPod accessories, Griffin Technology released the Evolve (SRP: $299.00), an impressive, cutting edge piece of technology that costs about the same as a 160GB iPod. Evolve features wireless speakers with their own power supply, which means they can be placed just about anywhere you can imagine. Griffin Technology products are available for purchase through the Apple website (www.store.apple.com).
Bose, makers of the famous Wave Radio, also makes an simple yet effective docking station (SRP: $399.00) that looks as good as it sounds. It’s available at such electronic retailers as Best Buy and online at Crutchfield (www.crutchfield.com).
The first two iPod generations didn’t have a docking port, so users had to synch their music and charge the battery using the firewire port located on top of the player. This means that the docking stations currently available work primarily with late model iPods that contain dock connections at the bottom. Most docking stations also come with adapters for the various iPod models.
