iPods. Are they worth it?

[Mr. Downtown]

Hey Everyone,

May I have your advises again on a different matter. I am looking to buy an MP3 player and the one that is being touted to me is Apple's iPod. With all the required attachments, its well over $600+ (yips!!). Are they that good or are there other competing product(s) that offer equivalent (or lesser player capacity) but of greter value? It would be great to hear from those who own various brands and models. Thanks!

PS: I did end up buying a BBJ, I mean BBQ - a Napoleon, its great.

 

[kona]

I have one and it rocks! The question is, do you need 15, 20, 40GB?? For me, the answer was yes. I had a Nomad2 and it was great, but I found myself not updating the songs often, so I would be listening to the same songs for months on end (yeah, I'm THAT lazy, lol). So when I saw the Ipod, I had to have it.

Then the Dell came out. That confused me alot. Sleepless nights...which one should I get... I bought both to try and the things that I hated about the dell was the fact that it was bigger than the Ipod, its ugly, the songs are stored in alphabetical order, and the dell has no FM transmitter. Also, I wanted more capacity...room to grow.

The Ipod, although great, is not perfect. the touch sensitive controls are a little touchy, so I find myself scrolling past songs all the time, but to have 40GB is AMAZING!

Oh, if you're thinking at all about getting a PALM for MP3 playback...DON'T. The sound quality is horrible and I have the Tungsten T3, which is supposed to be the best model!!

 

[Mao Tse Tongue]

The downside of the iPod is that the battery will eventually give out, and it is expensive to have it replaced. The battery is good for several years, but they definitely have a end of life issue.

That's a myth. Replacement batteries are now cheap and ebay plentiful.

 

[onthebottom]

I love mine, us a FM transmiter for my car. I boutht the 15g version becasue it was enought storage and it's thin.

OTB

 

[i am one]

If money is an issue, then get the Nomad Zen, that one from Dell or any other brand that isn't Apple because you'll get more storage for less money. This isn't to say that the Ipod isn't a good deal, only that it's different.

I would personally get an Ipod because:
1.) It looks great.
2.) It's smaller than the Zen (all the current harddrive-based MP3 players are small so this isn't a big issue unless you're anal about size).
3.) The accessories are great (Itrip FM transmitter, the dock, in-ear headphones).
4.) It can be used as a portable harddrive (but you have to install the software of each computer).

The downside however is that unless you use different software with it, you can't transfer MP3s from the Ipod to your computer because the RIAA made a big fuss about copying and piracy to Apple. The battery thing isn't an issue with the 3rd generation Ipods (the current model), but if you do get a bad one it's easy to find 3rd party replacements online.

 

[Crimsonhart]

I have a 40gb iPod and constantly wonder what I'd do without it. The fact it's good for MAC & PC, doubles as an HD, holds pretty much every piece of music I own at the highest quality RIP and not to mention the total convenience and portability.
Really isn't much anything quite like it. Now that audiobooks are readily available...it's even better.

my 2 cents

 

[xarir]

I've got an older 20GB iPod and I absolutely love it! The downside with the older models is battery capacity - it only lasts about 8h. The newer ones can handle external battery packs which give you 20+ hours of juice.

Overall the iPod is very easy to use when you're on the move and it's also easy to transfer your favourite tunes into it. I started off transferring entire CDs. Then I quickly realized it was a snap to create my own mixes. The cool part about this (besides how easy it is to do it) is that you can just keep mixing and mixing and mixing ... Unlike a CD you're not restricted to 80min; with the Ipod you just keep adding tracks to your heart's delight.

I've owned portable cassette players, CD players, Minidisc a couple of small & cheap mp3 players and the iPod is the best unit by far. I also own a Belkin FM transmitter which enables me to use my iPod in cars & hotels.

 

[Speedo]

My iPod is one of the best personal "toy" investments I've made, for the reasons described elsewhere in this thread. I love it !

 

[RogerRabbit]

IPod the new bling among fashionistas

FROM CANADIAN PRESS

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...le&cid=1103237410125&call_pageid=968867495754

 

[canucklehead]

OWC installed iPod battery is 50 US . 5 Day turn around. Leave and back in 5 Days.
On that note i have 4 of them a first gen 10 gig i got for 800 bucks and i use it everyday. I have a 20 gig and a new 60 Gig. My daughter has the iPod mini in pink... cutest 8 year old on the block with her iPod.
I have never had an issue other then i had to reset my 60 gig right off the bat. but i do that with all my drives when i get a new toy as factory installs suck.
Plus if you are in the beta program there are some cool flash based games coming to the iPod.
Did you know that 68% of all iPod sales are to PC owners and that 16 % of them buy/or plan to buy a Apple computer with in 18 monthes.

 

[ralph2660]

the MP3 player on my Palm treo 600 works great, i can add capacity (SD cards). Sound is good, no complaints.

 

[djk]

I'm thinking of going the ipod route too.

Which ipods come with their own docking bay and case with the product when you buy it?

I'd buy a ipod sock but they're only sold in packs of five at a very high price and that's total whoring imho.

Also, is there a considerable difference between the headphones that come with the ipod and the ones you can buy from apple?

Cheers,

-djk

 

[Vanessa Valentine]

I have a pink, mini, personalized ipod. It was a gift so I'm not sure of the exact price. It's thin, light, and soooo pretty! Ipod's come in a variety of colors: pink, purple, blue, green, black, white, etc. The best part is the software, you can burn music off of your current cds and put them into your ipod playlists. I use mine at the gym and it keeps me distracted while I do cardio. You can store so many farking songs on the ipod, and the battery lasts forever! My only complaint is that because the buttons are also that touchy slidy thing (like a laptop has...Lol?) my ipod turns on in my purse or pocket and I don't realize it right away. This adds to the battery drainage...annoying.

V.

 

[djk]

the 40 gig ipod comes with a docking bay or you can buy it seperately for about $50. dont think they come with a case tho.

as for socks i've seen them sold individually for about $6......

where have you seen the socks sold individually?

Cheers,

-djk

 

[djk]

I have a pink, mini, personalized ipod.
V.

Ah, that's the ipod mini.

It's small compact size is tempting...

Cheers,

-djk

 

[Manji]

Interested in buying an ipod as well....

I don't suppose anybody can post some links to an ipod site so we can see the types, how much they are and where you can get them.

Thanks!!!!!

 

[Berlin]

It would be great to hear from those who own various brands and models. Thanks!

In terms of product design and sex appeal, ipod wins hands down.

Best bang for the buck, I'd recommend Zen by Creative Lab ( already mentioned in this thread )

http://www.cendirect.com/main_en/tech_specs_JO417834.html

About 480 CAD, 40 gig. Not as good looking as pod but gets the job done. Soundwise it's better than pods ( check the net for reviews )

CL ( of the sound blaster fame ) also owns Emulator, the companies that makes pro hard/software music instruments (e.g the old SP-1200 , old school rapper love that shit along with the MPC...anyway), so they seem to have kept the focus on audio quality.

Info on pods are everywhere, or just go to apple.ca.

 

[canucklehead]

Ms. V lock it with the little hold thingy on top or from the remote........... instruction manual!!!????

 

[lickrolaine]

as an owner of one of the first sony walkmans,which still works although I have not had cassettes since the eighties,lol.I wanted to upgrade,found a hard drive player from a company called i-River,http://www.iriver.com/.I have no issues with the i-pod,but wanted the built in fm,came with an external control panel so it makes a good snowmobile/bike companion.It is pc friendly,drag and drop,and come with mood logic software to organize your songs.It also serves as an external hard drive and being 20 gigs it allows a lot of file storage.I have 1300 songs currently and still have 15 gigs of space.It is also a digital voice recorder,the wife hates that,lol,but I find it very useful.

 

[Garrett]

Re: Re: iPods. Are they worth it?

CL ( of the sound blaster fame ) also owns Emulator, the companies that makes pro hard/software music instruments (e.g the old SP-1200 , old school rapper love that shit along with the MPC...anyway), so they seem to have kept the focus on audio quality.
[/B]

It surprises me the CL actually sounds better (you have the reviews handy?) as CL has always been at the low end for sound quality.