As most people are already aware, new iPods were released last week (while I was skiing)… Since I'm such a gadget junkie, what did I do? Go out and order one on Monday!
I ordered a 40Gb model ($584.10 with an Educational discount) from the Apple Store at UNSW (where I used to work) and it arrived sometime yesterday, and was couriered to work. By the time it arrived, I had gone home, so I got to open it up this morning.
After using it for a short while on the trip home, I can say I'm pretty pleased with it. I *like* the new click wheel. The old touch-sensitive ones on the 3G iPod were pissing me off as of late, because they wouldn't respond to presses when I wanted to changed songs. The fact that I actually have to despress the click wheel is a bit different, but I get feedback ('clicking') when I press the button, which is a good thing!
I noticed the wheel is a bit more sensitive than before, especially when changing the rating of songs. I found it quite hard to do - harder than on a 3G iPod. Hopefully Apple fixes this up.
Although I've heard reports of static problems and cosmetic blemishes, I was lucky enough not to get an iPod with those problems. It's in pristine condition!
Other sites (such as iPodLounge) have mentioned that Apple has gone cheap on the packaging… and they'd be right. But don't fret, Apple hasn't stopped there! The contents of the box are placed in two sections of the cardboard frames in the box, which is quite different to the layered setup of the 3G iPod box. The 40Gb iPod comes with a Dock (while the 20Gb doesn't), but it seems to be missing the remote control and a pouch for the earphones, which is a bit annoying. These were included with my mid-range 3G 15Gb iPod at the start of last year, so I'll probably use those, but it's a bit of a shame we have to shell out more for these…
So… I basically see the 4G iPods as just an evolutionary step (hence 3rd generation -> 4th generation), with some minor improvements. I also bought it because I need more space for my music and files. 
According to an article in Time, the 4G iPod is a "ground-up reconstruction" and has some secret features that are… well… secret! Hopefully Apple enables them soon…
[EDIT] Oops… Forgot to mention, since I've got the 40Gb iPod now, I have a 3G 15Gb iPod which I'm going to sell. It was purchased with an educational discount, so it still has a little under a year and a half of warranty on it. If you want more details, please email me. I'm going to put it up on eBay in a couple of days if there's no interest.
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