iPod & Other Digital Music Devices

[mel]

I am interested in who uses an Apple iPod or another digital music listening device. As most may know, Apple's iPod, despite its high price, is one of the top digital music playing devices on the market. The iPod plays Apple's own AAC formatted tracks as well as standard MP3. The device can also be used as a simple PDA-like device. The iPod seemlessly integrates very well with Apple's iTunes music management, playback, recording and online store software.

Apple is not the only player in the field as other companies such as Rio and Sony have digital players. Firms such as Roxio have their own online digital music stores where you can buy tracks for as little as 99 cents each. Walmart has a digital store that sells tracks for 88 cents each.

I was wondering how many people around here use these devices and online music services. As a Macintosh owner and user, I have seriously considered buying the iPod, but am leary of issues dealing with the battery and the durability of the device.

I would like to know if there are any iPod users out there who have had their iPods prematurely fail on them. Also what about those who own other devices. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using those devices?

What about the online music services? Are they worth the time, cost and hassle? Finally what about those of you who are hangers-on in the free downloading world of digital music? Kazaa? Limewire? Whatevers....

[pzarquon]

Hi Mel! I got my wife a 3G 15GB iPod for our 10th anniversary, and she loves it. It's practically become a borg-like implant. We sprung for the FM transmitter which, while not having the best clarity, makes sharing and bringing your tunes with you even easier. Of course, it's two months old, so we hope not to have any data points on "early failure" for a while.

Otherwise, the iPod is as sturdy, well-built, and as elegent as you might imagine for something coming out of Apple's design house. I haven't handled another MP3 player that felt half as good.

I share your aversion to proprietary power systems, actually. The fact that all the digital cameras I covet today requires special, $70 batteries is part of the reason I never upgraded from my current, rechargable-AA camera. I remember the whole flap over the iPod battery, which was somewhat overblown, but did get Apple to better clarify their policies. Frankly, if my wife's iPod battery goes the way of the dodo, I expect to just use the thing plugged in. (We're not joggers or anything... it's either FireWire AC powered or powered by the auto cigarette lighter.)

I love the iPod, but of course, that's because I love Apple. The seamless integration from the retail level (iTMS) to the PC (iTunes) to the device is great. But the specific file format (DRM AAC) is an issue to be sure. It can play straight MP3s, of course, so they make up 80 percent of what's on my wife's iPod. But when we buy a tune from iTMS, we know we can't do much else with it.

That's not to say we don't like shopping at their online store. It's the only one I use (versus WalMart or any of the other track sellers). My wife wants an iTMS gift certificate for Mother's Day!

The thing is, all the devices use some form of DRM, so none really appeal to me on that level. I know folks who regularly burn DRM tracks to a standard audio CD, just to rip them back to plain MP3.

I've been thinking of getting one of the other leading players for myself, if only to have a comparison (and to save some money). While I know an iPod can very nearly carry an entire CD collection, I wouldn't mind having only 4GB or so (like with the MuVo (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001BXCFS/)) for the price. If I want the space, the Zen (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000DFZ67/qid=1083515987/) is selling well. I even know a couple of folks who own Dell's odd entry into the marketplace.

Being such a young corner of the tech world, I figure things will turn upside down soon enough, and Microsoft will own the industry by 2007. But for now, there's a reason iPod's are the far-and-away leader. They're the ones to beat!

[adrian]

I for one love my 10gb 3rd gen iPod. I bought it last summer as a HS graduation present to myself, and I only had to return it once (got compUSA's 1 yr warranty) because of button problems (I kept it in my lint filled pocket, and it screwed it up). I bought a case later to protect it, and it never failed me once.

The iPod can also be used as an contacts list, notepad, game player, and a calendar (but you can only input data via computer).

I though I'd never sing praise for a Apple product (I've been a pro-Windows computer user for about 10 years), but this is one of the few Apple products I'd continue to upgrade (thinking of getting the next version of iPod when it comes out as a college graduation gift).

With the accessories, you can play your music through any FM radio (boombox, desk radio, or car radio); with the digital camera storage, you can literally turn your iPod into a 10gb photo storage device; and other products are compatible w/ iPod that I can remember off the top of my head.

And if you're interested in downloading music onto the iPod, then it does it seamlessly with iTunes.

As for the durability of the product, it's not that durable, but if you put it in an URL=http://halfkeyboard.com/ipodarmor/index.php]"iPod armor"[/URL], then that thing is virtually indestructable. I dropped it once from getting out of TheBus, and it fell onto the sidewalk, and the music was still going. The armor got scratched up a little, but if it was a "naked" ipod, then it'd be history.

Some of the advantages of having a Hard Drive based player (eg iPod or Creative's "Zen" [or whatever it's called]) is the ability to turn the extra space into an external Hard Drive. Yes, you can carry your files in your music player, and when you connect it to a computer, then it'll read the files like a regular Hard Drive. But, a HD based player sometimes skip when jarred too much. (not good for joggers).

As you may have noticed, I got a lot of info on the iPod, and if you want, you can either PM me, or post the question in this thread.

[malia]

Thanks for all the information! I've been wanting one for some time now and think that because of the hard year I've been having at work, I want to "treat" myself to something with what I got from the tax return. I had a bunch of questions, but you guys answered them all :) (such as if you can only use earphones or can you put it through the radio, the PDA thing, if it can hold your whole CD collection, what formats, etc.) Thanks guys! I think the only thing I have left is whether to get the iPod Mini, or the standard one. Although I love the colors you can get with the Mini...if for only $40 more I can get the standard one which will be able to hold 2700 songs more...however, would I need that much more? The Mini has 4GB, which I think you were mentioning, Ryan. Do you think that's sufficient enough than the 10GB of the regular iPod? I don't think I'll use it for file storage (I have a tiny portable HD for that) but in regards to the games & PDA thing, would I need more space? (I'm always the type who thinks I have lots of HD space, just to find out 3 months later, I need even more!) So I'm thinking just go with the standard one...but I so love the colors of the Mini... ahh, decisions. :confused:

[adrian]

Thanks for all the information! I've been wanting one for some time now and think that because of the hard year I've been having at work, I want to "treat" myself to something with what I got from the tax return. I had a bunch of questions, but you guys answered them all :) (such as if you can only use earphones or can you put it through the radio, the PDA thing, if it can hold your whole CD collection, what formats, etc.) Thanks guys! I think the only thing I have left is whether to get the iPod Mini, or the standard one. Although I love the colors you can get with the Mini...if for only $40 more I can get the standard one which will be able to hold 2700 songs more...however, would I need that much more? The Mini has 4GB, which I think you were mentioning, Ryan. Do you think that's sufficient enough than the 10GB of the regular iPod? I don't think I'll use it for file storage (I have a tiny portable HD for that) but in regards to the games & PDA thing, would I need more space? (I'm always the type who thinks I have lots of HD space, just to find out 3 months later, I need even more!) So I'm thinking just go with the standard one...but I so love the colors of the Mini... ahh, decisions. :confused:

I'd get the 10gb iPod. The minis are for people who don't want to carry all of their songs w/ them, and want something small.

As for the PDA functions, I heard that they have some limits (only a certain amount of memos, contacts, etc) and it won't take up that much Harddrive space.

Also, you have the option of "customizing" a regular iPod (add in different colored buttons, engraving the back, etc.) and some companies are even colorizing iPods (very expensive, and not worth it IMO).

As I would say, get the "best iPod for your money". If you have the money to blow on a 40gb iPod, then go ahead, but most people will stick to the 10gb ones.

[zztype]

Hiya! Had to weigh in on the iPod stuffs. I bought a 10gb 1st gen with the mechanical scroll wheel. I loved it!!! But then I filled it up. :(

So then I bought a 20gb 2nd gen with the touch wheel. That oughtta hold me for a while.

But I do like the original mechanical scroll wheel. It feels better to use, more controlled. But I couldn't live with the lack of space! :eek:

I love my iPods. Standard equipment now, with me. I keep all my music on there, plus use the extra space for shuttling files around.

Haven't had problems with battery life. Pretty much as expected. You can get replacement batteries for about $40 now, change um yourself.

As far as iTunes store music, I buy plenty. If I want others to listen, I burn a CD and re-rip to AAC (unprotected).

At work, a bunch of us regularly "share" our playlists over the network (built in....look in your prefs!) and listen to each others' music. I've bought a couple of albums because of being able to sample them from my friends, first.

Aloha,
Blaine

[mel]

You can get replacement batteries for about $40 now, change um yourself.

I've seen those battery changing websites... looks a bit knarly.

The day Apple releases an iPod model that has a user friendly, self-service and easily replaceable battery is the day I buy one of these. Expendables such as batteries should be easy enough for any user to change.... just like a digital camera.

[zztype]

Here ya go, Mel. Get plenny peechas:

http://www.ipodbattery.com/ipodinstall.htm

Doesn't look that bad to me.

Blaine

[malia]

Thanks for the advice, everyone! :) I guess the mini is out...now just gotta decide how much gb I want...if I get the 20 or 40, it comes with the dock, wired remote, and carrying case...but it's so much more than I expected to spend, though! Maybe I should add it to my AppleLoan...Anyway...thanks for all your advice, it's very helpful! Appreciate it! :)

[mel]

Here ya go, Mel. Get plenny peechas:

http://www.ipodbattery.com/ipodinstall.htm

Doesn't look that bad to me.

Blaine

If digital cameras were this difficult to replace a battery, I would not buy one. Batteries should be the easiest thing to replace whenever they become weak beyond recharge. Having a battery molded shut in a device is a marketing scheme to get you to buy another iPod rather than simply replacing the battery.

Prying apart a molded electronic device just to replace a battery is not something that I would call user friendly!

Regardless, keep us posted about the longevity of your iPods. Like old Macs these things should last as long as we keep them. I can't imagine tossing a $250 to $500 device out after only 18 to 24 months of use, which is what Apple really wants users to do.

[pzarquon]

Well, a few weeks ago, Apple unveiled the fourth-generation (http://www.apple.com/ipod/) models of its popular iPod players. They seem to hit a great new price point for capacity - $299 for 20GB (instead of 15GB) and $399 for 40GB - plus a reworked "clickwheel" interface, a few new software features, and a slimmer body.

The 15GB third-generation iPod I got for my wife and gushed about above died a horrible death (user error, not device error!), but this upgrade to the line makes it hard to resist jumping into the fray yet again...

Anyone seen 'em in the Apple Store yet? Own one or play with one?

[mel]

I still want to hear any reports of battery life in older iPods and what users around here did after the battery in the iPod would not recharge.

[adrian]

... what users around here did after the battery in the iPod would not recharge.
I just keep my iPod charged everytime I'm at home, and its not in use.

And to increase the battery life, turn off the backlight, EQ and sound check. And don't put that much "extras" (contacts, notes, games, etc).

[mel]

Does anyone here use a digital music player that is not an iPod?

[pzarquon]

I've used a few "flash memory" players - ones without hard drives, but instead just 256MB or 512MB of capacity playing off the same chips that are in those USB "thumb drives." I messed with the whole range of Rio players in the store (and now Costco carries them!), and my wife had a Seal (http://brighthand.com.com/Seal_sfp-190/4505-6490_7-30690122.html) player that was small and worked as promised... These are just fine, actually, if you don't mind making your music mixes separately and won't need more than a couple dozen songs around at a time, and are considerably more affordable!

Rio does make a hard-drive player, the $249 20GB Rio Karma (http://brighthand.com.com/Rio_Karma_20GB/4505-6490_7-30474134.html), which a lot of folks are calling the best challenger to date to the iPod. But the only other gigabyte-capacity player I've actually handled is the Dell DJ (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/dj?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs). Comparable capacity, much better price, and reasonably smart hardware and software design.

Of course, Apple now as a 20GB out for $299 (instead of $399), making the Dell's $279 price less tempting.

[DaFerret]

Reviving a dead thread... :P
I got the iRiver iHP-120 (http://www.iriveramerica.com/products/H120.aspx). It's pretty nifty. I thought of getting an iPod but likened it to the path to the Dark Side. For those who want an example, read next paragraph, those who don't, skip it.

The iPod leads to the iBook. The iBook leads to the Powerbook. The Powerbook leads to the Gx and the Gx leads to suffering. Financial suffering that is.

Anyway, start up and shutdown takes a few seconds. Start up takes a bit longer than usual because I use its database feature so I can browse by title, artist, genre and album. If I don't, I can only browse by directory. The iHP (recently renamed to H120) comes with an LCD remote (That's right, LCD and it has the same backlighting as the base unit). The supplied earbuds are crap but without it, you need the remote and its cord to listen to radio stations as the earbuds and remote have antennas. You don't have any todo's, calendars or games on the unit, but you do have digital/analog in and out ports. It can record via its built in mic or with the supplied mini boom mic. The unit also comes with a leather case. Battery life is wonderful at 10 hours. iRiver claims 16 hours and some reviews claim 10. I've been getting half power roughly into 8 hours, so I'll assume the 16 is closely accurate.

For those who are spoiled by the scroll wheel on the iPod, you will be disappointed with the iHP. Scrolling can be tedious at best. Text too, is a bit small, but designed for those in my demographic, so I don't notice it. The play and stop buttons are tiny, but you can feel and push them.

I'd recommend it to anyone (with the alteration that they should get the 40GB version) who wants a hard drive mp3 player that's not iPod.

Speaking of iPod, call me a freak but, I actually liked the touch sensitive glowing buttons that were removed from the 4th generation iPod. If they bring them back in the fifth generation, I would probably pick one up.

[mel]

The iPod leads to the iBook. The iBook leads to the Powerbook. The Powerbook leads to the Gx and the Gx leads to suffering. Financial suffering that is.

Not really. Sure, Apple would love iPod users to buy into the Macintosh platform. But Apple is not forcing anyone to buy a Mac. Windows users can simply buy the iPod and use the included iTunes software to manage their music library and buy music and other audio files from the AppleStore if they so wish. No one is forcing anyone to buy into anything.

Now as many know, I own several Macs but have no iPod. I love Apple's iTunes and use it to rip and burn compilation CDs from my collection. I have never bought a single song file from the Apple store, though I have downloaded whatever free track Apple offers weekly from their iTunes store.

As I stated earlier, I do have some issues with the internal battery in the iPod as well as other music players. Like how long are these batteries to last before you have to replace them by either prying open the device and installing a non-user friendly internal battery yourself or just abandoning your expensive music player and buy something else.

That is the main reason why I have not bought an iPod or any of the other music player devices. (My 10 year old Sony walkman cassette tape player works fine and uses standard replaceable AA batteries)... Do any of the flash memory or hard drive based music players have user friendly removeable batteries? If manufactuers can build digital cameras with removeable batteries why can't the music player companies like Apple, Roxio and Sony?

[pzarquon]

The iRiver H140 (the same as the 120 but with 40GB) won PC Magazine's Editor's Choice award (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1623026,00.asp), I think one of the first times a non-iPod led the portable music player category (though they still love the iPod, PC-centric as they are). Then again, their head-to-head review was done just before Apple released their new version (see the Editor's Note (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1622992,00.asp)), which improved the interface, battery life and price.

Your iRiver also got a four-star review (http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,114003,00.asp) from PC World. So... clearly good choice if you don't want an iPod.

One thing that I find interesting... it seems if you want to compete with the iPod, you have to give up competing on price. That's surprising when everyone says you pay a premium for the iPod... but instead, it's the features that have become a deciding factor.

Other players have more bells and whistles, while the iPod still leads the space with its industrial design and ease of use.

[DaFerret]

I apologize for my miscommunication. I wrote that without giving a short bio on myself.

I am a gadget freak. Out of my friends, I am the one who has to "get it all". When I meant that the iPod will lead me to the dark side, I wanted to convey that the cool factor will get me to buy more Mac products. The reason why I haven't given in yet is that my financial status can't afford to support me in my GFA (gadget freak addiction) situation if I were to get into Macs. Why? Because I'm going to want all the good stuff. I don't see Apple trying to force people to buy Mac products, I see the coolness of the Mac line to be an addiction I want to avoid until I can actually afford to be addicted.

So, pardon the confusion. :)

Not really. Sure, Apple would love iPod users to buy into the Macintosh platform. But Apple is not forcing anyone to buy a Mac. Windows users can simply buy the iPod and use the included iTunes software to manage their music library and buy music and other audio files from the AppleStore if they so wish. No one is forcing anyone to buy into anything.

Now as many know, I own several Macs but have no iPod. I love Apple's iTunes and use it to rip and burn compilation CDs from my collection. I have never bought a single song file from the Apple store, though I have downloaded whatever free track Apple offers weekly from their iTunes store.

As I stated earlier, I do have some issues with the internal battery in the iPod as well as other music players. Like how long are these batteries to last before you have to replace them by either prying open the device and installing a non-user friendly internal battery yourself or just abandoning your expensive music player and buy something else.

That is the main reason why I have not bought an iPod or any of the other music player devices. (My 10 year old Sony walkman cassette tape player works fine and uses standard replaceable AA batteries)... Do any of the flash memory or hard drive based music players have user friendly removeable batteries? If manufactuers can build digital cameras with removeable batteries why can't the music player companies like Apple, Roxio and Sony?

[DaFerret]

... while the iPod still leads the space with its industrial design and ease of use.

This, I cannot agree more. Although the iRiver does look pretty cool, the simplistic, sleek and clean look of the iPod is stunning.

And as for the rating, that's one reason I bought the iRiver. Bells and whistles? That's the other reason I got the iRiver. Not that I use the radio receiver much... or the digital in/out but it's there if I need it. <- my typical gadget freak excuse.

[mel]

Does the iRiver have the same kind of internal battery built in or does it have a removeable, rechargeable battery? Do any of the digital music devices have this?

[adrian]

Does the iRiver have the same kind of internal battery built in or does it have a removeable, rechargeable battery? Do any of the digital music devices have this?
I think the iPod is the only one with an internal battery. But with the iPod, you save money on having to buy more batteries, or throw away worn out rechargables.

And I know no one who'll use up the 3rd gen's 8 hours of battery life.

BTW Mel, are you still looking for an MP3 player? Apple's 4th gen iPod is better, and IMHO, it beats the competition (again). (sorry if this was already posted, as I'm too tired to go back and check).

[Miulang]

Apple announced today that they are selling 3 new models (http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/23/technology/personaltech/apple_new/index.htm?cnn=yes) of iPods with bigger drives. The 4-Gb model price has been reduced to $199, and a new 6-Gb model will sell for $249.

There's also a 30-Gb iPod photo unit that will sell for $349 and a 60-Gb model (that can hold up to 15,000 songs) for $449. Both iPod photo units can hold up to 25,000 photos.

You could carry your whole musical and photographic life on one of those iPod photo units! :eek:


Miulang

[adrian]

My 10gb 3rd gen iPod just died out on me while was asleep on the bus coming from school today, and that was the second time this month. Its almost 2 years old, so I guess its time to move forward and get an new MP3 player.

I want these features:
- be able to hold my 2gb of music, and store files
- Either a long lasting rechargable battery, or one that can use AA batteries if I need to
- Be able to make playlists w/out a computer (on the fly playlists)
- Good sound
- User friendly

If it wasn't for the battery option, then I'd get myself another iPod, but I want to keep my options open so that I can get the best for my money.

I'm completely broke right now, so it'll be purchased within 4 months to a year (most likely, on my bday, which is in sept).

Mahalo for your suggestions in advance!

[islandguy]

I bought a ipod mini, they should call it G-pod for GARBAGE.

Get a zen micro 5GB! They have them at wal mart for $199 here.

5 gigs
AM/FM tuner BUILT IN!
VOICE RECORDER built in..
You can replace the battery without having to take
your mp3 player apart

Zen Micro 5gb is smaller, sounds 10x better, and is more
user friendly than the ipod.

http://us.creative.com/products/products.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=10795

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3377723

Hope that helps!

[adrian]

<snip>
AM/FM tuner BUILT IN!
</snip>
AM? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/adri1456/smilies/thinking.gif
What dat?

[Glen Miyashiro]

You want extended battery life? How about a 10-year nuclear battery (http://www.physorg.com/news4081.html)? :D :D

[craigwatanabe]

AM: Ancient Media...

In the Military the flightline guys used to call us techies who fixed the electronic boxes (LRU's) their boots broke...FM or F*@kin Magicians.

Pretty soon FM will be a "What dat" when this concept becomes reality: Personally customized Internet Online MP3 songlists accessable thru encrypted Satellite broadcasts. That way who cares how big your Ipod's HD is. Plus you can share with others thru an open channel.

Remember...you heard this concept first right here! Or am I sadly mistaken and missed the boat again :rolleyes:

[craigwatanabe]

You want extended battery life? How about a 10-year nuclear battery (http://www.physorg.com/news4081.html)? :D :D

Dilithium Crystals: Available thru Scotty if he's not shoving them down the reactor cores of the USS Enterprise.

[kamapuaa]

Having a built in tuner would be nicer if all Hawaii radio (with the possible exception KTUH) didn't suck ass.

[islandguy]

I dont know about you guys, but I owned a IPOD mini....it was a piece of junk.

I owned it for 1 week....continual problems.
When I used the itunes software, it would transfer the music, but when I removed the cable, it would not READ IT! Even when I retransferred 4 gigs of music! Back to comp-usa it went.

And talk about accessories? WHAT ACCESSORIES?! It came with NONE!


So what DID I replace it with? A creative Zen Micro 5gb.
Its got 1 gig MORE, and its the SAME PRICE as the ijunk mini!
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3377724

What are the differences...

Zen comes WITH AC ADAPTER CHARGER, Ijunk does NOT
Zen comes WITH BUILT IN MICROPHONE/VOICE RECORDER, Ijunk does NOT
Zen has a REMOVABLE battery, Ijunk does NOT (unless you want to tear it apart!)
Zen comes WITH AM/FM Radio, Ijunk does NOT (that I know of)
etc...etc...etc...
Zen plays WMA/WINDOWS MEDIA FORMAT , I junk does not


I would never buy another apple product....but that is just me...
Your may work fine!
:)

The Zen Micro provides intuitive vertical scrolling to allow users to move through easy-to-use menus with a stroke of the thumb on the face of the player. Vertical movement of one thumb scrolls through vertical menus. In addition, touch sensitive controls enable users to access music with one tap of the thumb on the vertical touch pad.

The Zen Micro also has a high-quality FM radio with 32 presets to access favorite FM radio stations. It has full voice recording capabilities so users can capture up to 10 hours of digital recordings of dictations or notes.

The Zen Micro is 6mm shorter than the iPod mini and unlike the iPod and iPod mini it fully supports both WMA and MP3 files. It supports the recently announced MSN Music service and other services such as Napster and MusicMatchusic, which means access to up to 2 million songs on-line.

see http://www.shahine.com/omar/CreativeZenMicroVsIPod.aspx

[craigwatanabe]

There's nothing stunning about the Ipod's design...it's boring. Simple, not so as you need to be looking at it for most functions.

What made the Ipod a marketing success is simply that, MARKETING. That's how the VHS out did the Beta tape format. The Beta tapes had better sound and video than VHS. The Beta had a better transport system than VHS.

But it was VHS that did a marketing blitz than killed the venerable Beta format.

The Ipod is no exception. They even made the dangling earphone cord something cool to have in their tv advertising campaign. In these days of blue toothed earpieces for cell phones I find it unusual that Apple thinks having a really really really long earbud cord swinging with your music is cool. By the way only you will be hearing your cool tunes so to the rest of the public all they see is some person jerking here and there while walking to school or work with no music to accompany the spastic pedestrian.

For the price the Ipod isn't worth it. One thing to remember is that Ipod uses a micro hard drive that is suseptible to vibration unlike dynamic memory that mostly every other MP3 player uses. With the amount of jerking one does to the beat of an Ipod, it's no wonder they crap out sooner than later. You're shaking the hell out of a hard drive with a spinning platter and a pickup. Eventually that pickup will crash into the hard drive and the only tune you'll hear out of your Ipod is the sound of silence which by the way was a great song back then.

[mel]

There's nothing stunning about the Ipod's design...it's boring.

Some may say the design of the iPod is boring. I say it's simple.

What made the Ipod a marketing success is simply that, MARKETING.

That would be part of it. Apple also launched the first successful online music store, which only supports the iPod. Plus through the iTunes software you can also rip your own CDs and store digital AAC or MP3 files to your iPod.

The iPod/iTunes marketing combination was launched with hopes of Apple eventually selling more Macintosh computers to different users. The verdict is still out on that, though there has been some growth in that market too. However I don't really want Apple to take a really huge chunk of marketshare away from Microsoft PCs because with that success, the potential for people writing viruses and other malware for the MacOS increases. Success is a double edged sword here.


For the price the Ipod isn't worth it. One thing to remember is that Ipod uses a micro hard drive that is suseptible to vibration unlike dynamic memory that mostly every other MP3 player uses. With the amount of jerking one does to the beat of an Ipod, it's no wonder they crap out sooner than later. You're shaking the hell out of a hard drive with a spinning platter and a pickup. Eventually that pickup will crash into the hard drive and the only tune you'll hear out of your Ipod is the sound of silence which by the way was a great song back then.

I recently broke down and bought not 1, but 2 iPods. I have the 40 GB iPod Photo which is hard drive based and a newer, smaller iPod Shuffle which is like a flash memory drive that plays music. No moving parts there except for the off and on switch, and no hard drives to crash.

The only thing I am still skeptical about (other than the hard drive eventually someday crashing on the 40GB) is the life of the built-in battery. But with so many iPod accessories out there, if you are willing to live with a dead battery iPod down the line, you can still run the thing on the optional AC power supply, have the battery replaced or run it through an external battery.

I hope my 2 iPods will last for a long time.

The iPod Shuffle is the one that I would recommend if you are the type that are always on the go and need a fairly rugged portable player. They don't hold as much music as the regular iPods, but I think they will take a beating and keep on ticking a little better than the more expensive hard drive based models.

[808_m3]

What I like to see are better iPod integration packages into car audio systems. Although the FM transmitter options make listening to your music convienent, I am not fond of the sound quality.

I picked up a 20 GB 3G iPod a few years ago along with a kit (http://www.ipodyourbmw.com/) that integrates into the car audio system. I can control the iPod from the head unit. Different playlists on the iPod are interpreted as CDs on the head unit.

The kit works fairly well, with a few bugs. Advancing tracks can be slow at times. In addition, you can not see the MP3 tags, for track and title info. I've also had a few instances where the head unit loses connectivity to the iPod. Upgrading the firmware on the iPod seems to have fixed this issue.

I heard Scion just released car kits for their line of cars. I've also heard some stock audio sound systems coming equipped with AUX inputs, which the iPod can connect into. I'm still looking for a kit for my Honda Pilot.

[mel]

It would be nice to see an ongoing list of aftermarket car CD players or stereos that feature an aux input at the front of the unit so that we can plug our iPods in. I agree about the sound quality of the common FM transmitter type of hookup. I own an iTrip and a cheap plug into the cigarette lighter type of wired transmitter which I bought a few months ago at WaLmart. That works great with my 2 iPods.

[kimo55]

It would be nice to see an ongoing list of aftermarket car CD players or stereos that feature an aux input at the front of the unit



I picked up a cheap stereo am fm casette player 15 bux or so at cinerama auto parts king/kalakaua
It has rca jax in connection. for whatevas...
suppose ipod could be input thru this eh?

[808_m3]

BMW (http://www.ipodyourbmw.com/) and Scion (http://news.designtechnica.com/article7812.html) are auto companies I know of that offer iPod kits.

You can also check out the kit (http://www.alpine-usa.com/products/leading_technology/leading_tech_kca-420i.htm) made by Alpine. You'll need to replace the head unit with an Alpine receiver.

[DaveNSoKona]

I still want to hear any reports of battery life in older iPods and what users around here did after the battery in the iPod would not recharge.

I ordered a new battery for my 3g 30gig iPod from Other World Computing for $25.99 when I found out Apple was charging $99 to fix their bug.

I had no problem changing the battery except I went with a sharp paring knife over their dorky plastic "tool" supplied to open the back.

I use my iPod while working in the coffee, weed eating, painting...I love it. New battery life is about 9 hours.

[mel]

I picked up a cheap stereo am fm casette player 15 bux or so at cinerama auto parts king/kalakaua
It has rca jax in connection. for whatevas...
suppose ipod could be input thru this eh?

Yep, if it has an rca input all anyone needs is a 1/8 to rca patch cord.

[craigwatanabe]

Isnt that Checker Auto where the old Cinerama Theater used to be (still there but different venue now)

Going further on integrating an Ipod with a car stereo or any amplifier (whether it be home or car) as I've mentioned before I'd like to see Apple consider using Blue Tooth technology into their output. You talk about network sharing music/data files, this way two or more people can share your music wirelessly. Now we're talking Podcasting!

Using Blue Tooth you can upload and download either peer to peer or to a Blue Tooth equipped Ipod. With this technology, car radio's can communicate with an Ipod better than using an audio patch cord as Mel mentioned.

Now the reality check...the way cell phones are advancing and how some are already, it's a matter of time when your cell phone will do everything masterfully and seemlessly. Right now my cell phone is my most important "thing" I carry because it contains and does more than answer or make calls.

I believe Apple realizes this and in their marketing they must capture as many Ipod users as they can and cash out before Cell Phones can "do it all" and do it better than individual devices.

A friend of mine (like me) are gadget fanatics and yes we can afford the bulk of em out there. His problem is that he likes to wear most of his stuff so his belt looks like a Batman Utility belt. He had a problem getting in and out of his car with each device snagging onto the seat belt. So now he carries all of his stuff in his fanny pack or what I call his "Butt Bag".

I like to minimize the junk I have to carry. My car keys, watch, wallet and phone are all I carry at any given time. In due time (and it's already happening to a lesser degree), a cell phone will be as capable as the mightiest Ipod, best digital camera, efficient PDA and Web browser. Right now some phones incorporate some or all of these features but at lack lusture performance. But one day (soon) it'll all happen in one handheld device. I'm waiting for that day before I spend my bucks.

Being a seasoned gadget fanatic (been buying gadgets since the catalog "Things that Think" became "The Sharper Image", I've learned that it's not a wise thing to be the first to buy the coolest thing because in one year or less it'll be not so cool to brag about having to pay twice as much for a beta product only to see the next gen come out more powerful and half the price. McIntosh users know what I mean. Apple has been doing that since the development of the original Apple computer back in the early 80's.

It all comes down to Apple's Marketing department. The unit itself isn't a marvel of technology (yet). It's boring (simple), it's hard drive is prone to failure from repeated dropping, vibration whatever. And like Mel says, better to wait until an Ipod comes out with replaceable standard sized batteries as an option.

But like I said, better to wait until a cell phone comes out that perfects an all in one neat little package that you can buy at a low cost with activation thru your cellular provider.

I learned, I bought my first cell phone in 1984 because I had to have one in my car (yes it was a car cell phone). It cost me $1300 and to make it portable you had to buy the battery pack at around $100. The whole thing with the battery pack was about the size of those Igloo Playmate coolers that can hold a six-pack with a handset.

Then I had to be one of the first in Hawaii to own the first truly pocketable cell phone, the Diamond Tel 99x made by Mitsubishi at again $1300. Thank you Monica at (then) GTE Mobilnet for selling me that one (she was too cute to pass up that sale) Back then there were no calling plans, no free minutes, and no free phone! You bought your phone and paid $1.50 peak and $0.75 off-peak and going interisland meant roaming at a cost.

Yep I've learned that if you see a gizmo you like and gotta have, wait a year and a better gizmo at half the price will come out. People like me help pay for the R&D to get the next gen product out cheaper. In other words gadget fanatics like me are suckers and marketing people know that. Apple knows that too.

[Glen Miyashiro]

A friend of mine (like me) are gadget fanatics and yes we can afford the bulk of em out there. His problem is that he likes to wear most of his stuff so his belt looks like a Batman Utility belt. He had a problem getting in and out of his car with each device snagging onto the seat belt. So now he carries all of his stuff in his fanny pack or what I call his "Butt Bag".Remember when you could tell the nerds by their pocket protectors? Now it's the utility belts. One gadget clipped to the belt I can handle, but three or four? :p

I like to minimize the junk I have to carry. My car keys, watch, wallet and phone are all I carry at any given time. In due time (and it's already happening to a lesser degree), a cell phone will be as capable as the mightiest Ipod, best digital camera, efficient PDA and Web browser. Right now some phones incorporate some or all of these features but at lack lusture performance. But one day (soon) it'll all happen in one handheld device. I'm waiting for that day before I spend my bucks.Eh Craig, one thing you could do is to get rid of your watch and just use the clock on your cell phone -- unless you still want to show off the watch as jewelry rather than as a timepiece.

[mel]

I think a bluetooth enable iPod would be a good idea. However I don't know whether or not the dreadful DRM will get in the way of this if it allows users to download songs from another person's iPod.

While the battery is still an issue, I finally bought not 1 but 2 iPods this year.. the hard drive based one, I use pretty much only with my home stereo system and the iPod Shuffle which is limited to the amount of content it can hold, is used as my go-anywhere device since it is flash memory based and I think more durable in terms of "takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'" use. I dropped the Shuffle a few times and sat on it by accident once. Still works.

As for cell phones, rumour has been circulating for about 2 years now that Apple will roll out a cell phone that will double as an iPod music device and allow for downloads from the iTunes and the iTunes Music Store. Some of the Mac rumour sites had pictures of a possible Apple/Motorola cell phone.

[kamapuaa]

Remember when you could tell the nerds by their pocket protectors? Now it's the utility belts. One gadget clipped to the belt I can handle, but three or four? :p

Embarrasingly enough, I used to have to do this while I was contacting in California. I had:
1. Pager for contracting company
2. Duty pager every 3rd week.
3. Company cell phone
4. Personal cell phone
5. PDA
6. leatherman multi-tool

And at the time, I wondered why I could never find a date. =P

[craigwatanabe]

Funny though that utility belt worked for Batman getting all the chicks :D

One thing I need is my watch. I do use my phone for a watch at times and as a matter of fact my cell phone selection was based on the ability to display (in large numbers) the time on the outside of my flip phone. But I need a watch because a wrist watch is by far the best way to know what time it is conveniently.

Back in the early 80's I carried a Motorola Sensar pen pager because I hated carrying cigarette pack sized pagers. Even pager service back then had no plans and it was a flat rate for island/state/nation/global use. Then cell service came to Honolulu under Honolulu Cellular (Sprint) and GTE Mobilnet (Verizon) and I had to get a cell phone. The service was so new and GTE wanted to get their service out so soon that they leased cell space on Honolulu Cellular's cell sites until they got their own up and running.

At that time Verizon's prefix was 927-xxxx while Sprint's was 227. All Verizon customers had a temporary 227 prefix until they got their own site up. Verizon decided the best place to put their first cell-site was in Waikiki. Back then Waikiki's prefix was 926-xxxx so to distinguish the difference, all initial Verizon customers had the 927 prefix. Nowdays since a lot of inaugural customers have switched carriers, the 927 prefix is available again to Oahu users. I was one of the first few hundred cell users in the State of Hawaii although cell phones have been around since the mid 70's and in select cities like L.A. Washington D.C. and New York.

I think it'll be within a couple of years before we'll see an all inclusive mega cell phone with all the high end bells and whistles.

What would be really neat is to have the cell phone display a barcode that a scanner could read for all of your retail purchases too. Another for identity. Another for your store discount cards and another to start your car and open your house locks. Then I can leave my wallet, watch and keys on my dresser and just carry my super phone.

Hmmm maybe a special function button will turn it into my BMW then when I get to where I'm going that same button turns my BMW back into my cell phone...JUST LIKE GEORGE JETSON! Hey why not! I mean we are living in the 21-century or what I call the Jetson Era. :)

[Glen Miyashiro]

What would be really neat is to have the cell phone display a barcode that a scanner could read for all of your retail purchases too. Another for identity. Another for your store discount cards and another to start your car and open your house locks. Then I can leave my wallet, watch and keys on my dresser and just carry my super phone.They do that in Japan already. See? (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2004-07-22-wallet-phone_x.htm)

[craigwatanabe]

And as usual it'll take a year or two before we see it in the United States. Reminds me of a time when I dated a girl from Hiroshima. She was going to the UH/Manoa doing the ESL thing and she needed a boombox for her dorm room. We went to Shirokiya (back in the mid 80's) because they had a decent selection of the latest Sony products.

When we got there she looked so disappointed. She told me this stuff is old and wanted to see the current electronics. I told her this is the cutting edge stuff here. Even the Sharper Image didn't have anything newer.

She ended up buying a unit that "sufficed". Later she showed me a Daie catalog from Japan and was floored at the COOLEST backlit stuff coming out of Nipponesia! OUT OF THIS WORLD STUFF and I had to have it. Oh man being a gadget freak and finding out the car stereos from Japan couldn't tune in the frequency increments in the United States just killed me.

[Keith H.]

IBut, a HD based player sometimes skip when jarred too much. (not good for joggers).
Found that putting it on an armband and placing it close to my bent elbow keeps it pretty steady, and I haven't had it skip. I have the Marware SportsCase Convertible on my iPod 20GB and it works pretty well. (I remember when I used to jog with a CD player in a neoprene case around my waist...those were the days...)

[Glen Miyashiro]

I've heard good things about the iPod cases from OtterBox (http://www.otterbox.com/products/ipod_cases/index.htm).

[scrivener]

How do people with more than one iPod manage them with their iTunes? Do they create a different user for each iPod?

Also: If the storage capacity for an iPod is reached, how does one keep adding songs to iTunes on the HD, and how do you tell iTunes which of its songs you want to keep on the iPod?

[pzarquon]

How do people with more than one iPod manage them with their iTunes? Do they create a different user for each iPod?How to use multiple iPods with one computer: (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300432)
If you share your computer with other people, the simplest way is to maintain separate user accounts on the computer for each person and his or her iPod. This is useful if everyone has different musical tastes; each person gets to maintain his or her own personalized iTunes music library, and can customize the iPod with his or her music... If one person wants to use multiple iPods on a computer, or you don't want to create multiple user accounts to support multiple iPods, you can set iTunes to update each iPod with only certain playlists. This way, you can put all your music on, say, your iPod photo and keep just your workout music on your iPod mini.
Also: If the storage capacity for an iPod is reached, how does one keep adding songs to iTunes on the HD, and how do you tell iTunes which of its songs you want to keep on the iPod?What if my music collection exceeds the storage capacity of iPod?: (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60920#faq12)
If you have more music in iTunes than you can fit on iPod, you can choose to update selected playlists only or update manually. With the first option, only the tracks in the selected playlists (rather than the entire music library) are downloaded to iPod when you connect. With the manual update option, you manage what goes into your iPod by dragging and dropping selected songs or playlists into iPod.Also, read here how iTunes handles iPod Shuffles (http://www.apple.com/support/ipod101/tunes/3/#2), which not only have limited space but also no display. It can fill randomly from your library or use a specific playlist. I don't know if random autofill is available for other iPods where its capacity is smaller than the iTunes library, but you could always create a "smart playlist" that randomly fills itself and sync that one.

[Fat Jeff]

The way to do that is to manually manage your Ipod. I have far more songs on my hard drive at home than I'd ever want on my Ipod. Yes you loose the convenience of syncing all your new additions to your pod on each attachment, but you can also keep lots of stuff off. I plug my Ipod into my home PC, my work PC, and my Powerbook, so the manual method works best for me with all the switching around.