Pros: More storage for the same price as the previous generation. More battery life.
Cons: Some people may not like the new screen layout with the menus cut in half.
The bottom line: Apple never ceases to keep it's products changing and update, the iPod Classic is not simply a name change, it's a new iPod, and you'll like the changes
Don't let the name "Classic" fool you, this is a new iPod. The naming scheme basically comes into play because of the new iPod Touch which was released in the wake of the iPhone. Apple decided to give those of us who aren't all ga-ga over the touch screen some new upgrades.

The first thing you'll notice is the storage space. The previous iPod generation consisted of a 30GB and an 80GB offering. For the same price ($249 and $349 respectively) we are now given a choice of 80GB and 160GB! I recently passed my 5th gen 30GB off to my husband in exchange for an 80GB Classic. Not because I had filled it up... Not even close.

The differences in the "Classic" and the 5th Gen iPod are numerous and quite noticeable even though they basically appear the same. Upon opening the box you realize the Classic doesn't sport that shiny exterior the older models did. It's more of a matte surface and the case is all metal this time around. I'm hoping there won't be problems with paint wearing off... not that I would notice that since mine goes into a silicone skin the second it comes out of it's box and only comes out when I plug it into my iHome speaker system.

On power-up you see another big change. The screen has been reformatted. The days of the plain white screen with it's vast expanse of unused space is done. The right half of the screen now shows random samples of your photos or cover art when the menus are being shown. Once playing a song, the cover art is there with the song details instead of having to push the center button multiple times. Not a necessity, but it looks nice. Of course there's also an option to have the screen revert to a clock when listening to music, with a play/pause indicator and battery meter under it.

Size is the same, maybe a hair thinner, as the 5th generation iPods. My 80GB Classic slid neatly into the silicone sleeve the 30GB used to habitate. I'm still wondering why Apple decided to go with Black and Silver as color choices this time around and completely drop what has always been the trademark look of an iPod... WHITE. Silver just doesn't look right to me. I chose white for my 30GB, because it had that classic iPod look. Got black this time, just looks way better to me than the silver.

Battery life is supposedly longer in the Classic, reporting 40 hours of music for both the 80 and 160 gb models. The 5th Gen iPods had different batteries depending on the size with the longest lasting being the 80GB which was good for 20 hours.

So far, I'm very happy with my new iPod Classic. I grew to love my old iPod in a very short time, and was a little sad to pass it on. But c'mon, who wouldn't trade 30 GB for 80GB?