I didn't love any of my earlier iPods or iPhones -- but this one is lovely.

It's thin and light. I can hold it in front of my eyes while lying down without any strain. So it's great for watching movies. I'm watching a Frontline special about the choice between Obama and Romney. It's in HD, and the iPod does a great job with HD video.

The screen is large enough to read and write. My eyes aren't so great. So I haven't been able to use earlier iPhones for email or reading web sites. Maybe in an emergency. But I much prefer to use my iPad -- more screen real estate. But this one is different. I set up all my apps there, and used them -- and I think I will continue to do so.

I know other people love to look at and hold their iDevices, but I've never felt that way -- until this one. It really is beautiful and light. The five years of work on this product really show. It feels like it's the size of one of the smaller iThings, but it has all the power of an iPhone, minus the phone (which I truly do not need).

It was only $299 plus tax. I feel like it was a total bargain.

I thought at first that the earbuds would work in my ears, but not when I'm walking. They still fall out every few steps. I think when my ears warm up they cause the buds to slip out. So far the only buds that work for me are the $8 Sony's. So the Apple buds go into my upper-right desk drawer along with all my other unused Apple stuffff.

I also like that Apple got me to buy something that wasn't a replacement for something I already had. Some people like buying shoes. I used to like buying stereo equipment.