The super-slim iPod defines what a digital music player should be. It’s lighter than two CDs, can hold up to 10,000 songs, thousands of digital photos and works as a personal voice recorder.

Now you can sync with iTunes for Mac and Windows at blazing speeds, and take your entire music collection with you wherever you go. The iPod started out as a high-end music device for sophisticated gadgeteers, but subtle refinements, price decreases, and media attention transformed it into a truly mainstream product. Rather than trying to choose between different brands of digital music players, people now ask us, "how do I know which iPod to buy?" For some, that's a daunting decision. After all, the iPod and iPod mini look a bit different, have different numbers on the sides of their boxes, and have very different price tags.

While there are differences between the various iPod models, it's actually easy to choose an iPod that will meet your needs. Most new iPod buyers are concerned about the first four factors: number of songs each iPod can hold, the size and look of the iPod, and of course, the price tag.

But there are three types of people who should consider higher-capacity iPods: music hoarders, audiophiles, and gadget power users. People with lots of music, or plans to own more music, surely shouldn't get the smallest-sized iPod. Nor should audiophiles. As it turns out, the 1000-10000 song estimates are based upon medium-quality music recordings that sound great through typical headphones, but reveal recording flaws when heard with better headphones or sophisticated ears. Higher-quality recordings consume more space - 50% or more than the estimates above.

And finally, gadget power users will discover that iPods are capable of more than just music storage and playback. Full-sized iPods can also store digital photos, act as voice recorders, and more, each of which will share the iPod's hard drive and reduce its music storage capacity. Notably, the iPod mini can't do anything but store and play music, so it's not the best option for techies.