Ipod vs Creative

[willbemcse]

I really cann't decide wheather to get a Ipod mini or creative micro. Most of my mp3 songs are in 128kbps and I dont want to convert them to aac format.

Also the ipod doesn't have a replacable battery like zen does. Does anyone has the zen micro. How much quality will I loose if I downgrade the songs to 64 ??

 

[EightySix Four]

You don't have to convert them for the ipod.
going from 128 to 64 is very noticeable to me.
ipod's battery life is great for me.

 

[LtPage1]

ipod plays mp3, no worries there. ipods UI just cant be beat.

 

[ikickpigeons]

how long is the ipod battery IN REAL LIFE??? I dont believ its 12 hrs like they say. I heard it was like 4 hrs.

 

[clarkkent333]

Depends on the bitrate of the songs and what type of options your using, i.e. equalizer. Also if you start and stop and change the playlist often it uses more power.

 

[Kevlar Coated Tent]

I'd say the zen micro, they have built in FM radio and some other useful stuff, but if all you want to do is listen to MP3s it doesnt really matter. THe zen micro does have more features all of which the ipod is capable of if you buy little things for it and it has a removable battery.

 

[worshipsf]

Also check out the Rio Carbon. Only bad thing I've heard about them is the headphone jack thing, but that is easily fixed with a piece of tape, plus Rio should be fixing that soon if they haven't already.

 

[arswihart]

The zen micro is much better for pc users imho than the ipod mini, since the ease of using these things is really affected by the software you are using to sync/communicate with them from your computer. Creative's zen micro and zen media center are really great to use with wmp10.

can you even use the ipod mini with anything but itunes? I hate quicktime already, and i'd rather go without adding more apple software to my computer.

can anyone talk about how good a peice of software itunes for winxp is?

 

[1336]

I add a vote for the Rio Karma.
20GB, FLAC & OGG support for 245.00 from Newegg.

 

[konakona]

20GB, FLAC & OGG support for 245.00 from Newegg.

the choice between that and dumbed down UI... doesnt sound like a tough choice to me.

 

[essasin]

Originally posted by: ikickpigeons
how long is the ipod battery IN REAL LIFE??? I dont believ its 12 hrs like they say. I heard it was like 4 hrs.

it'll last a lot longer than 4 if you dont seek and just let it run

 

[Gurck]

Pretty much anything beats an iPod. If you want actual features, iriver and iaudios are great... sound quality, rio... inexpensive, dell & creative... the iPod is an expensive (the most expensive, actually) player with no features and a lot of advertising pushing it. It has mediocre sound quality at best, you risk losing everything on it if you hook it up to a different PC (thanks, copy protection :roll: ), you can't just drag & drop music on it in a file manager and have it play the music, and the battery life, which was dismal, is now low-average in the 4th-gen models. If your choice is between an iPod and any other player, you can safely go with the other player.

 

[konakona]

Pretty much anything beats an iPod. If you want actual features, iriver and iaudios are great... sound quality, rio... inexpensive, dell & creative... the iPod is an expensive (the most expensive, actually) player with no features and a lot of advertising pushing it. It has mediocre sound quality at best, you risk losing everything on it if you hook it up to a different PC (thanks, copy protection ), you can't just drag & drop music on it in a file manager and have it play the music, and the battery life, which was dismal, is now low-average in the 4th-gen models. If your choice is between an iPod and any other player, you can safely go with the other player.

thats pretty much what i gathered from well written reviews. i wonder where people get these bogus reviews they dont even care to provide links for?

 

[robertk2012]

Originally posted by: VanillaH

Pretty much anything beats an iPod. If you want actual features, iriver and iaudios are great... sound quality, rio... inexpensive, dell & creative... the iPod is an expensive (the most expensive, actually) player with no features and a lot of advertising pushing it. It has mediocre sound quality at best, you risk losing everything on it if you hook it up to a different PC (thanks, copy protection ), you can't just drag & drop music on it in a file manager and have it play the music, and the battery life, which was dismal, is now low-average in the 4th-gen models. If your choice is between an iPod and any other player, you can safely go with the other player.

thats pretty much what i gathered from well written reviews. i wonder where people get these bogus reviews they dont even care to provide links for?

Id like to see these "well written reviews" probably were wrote by Steve Balmer. The ipod is the best overall player out there. It has style as well as function.

 

[konakona]

says who? if you like the styling of ipods, good for you. i personally feel it only appeals to metrosexulas and thats exactly where they are getting at. i did provide a link unlike blind zealots of ipods present in this thread. function? what does it have other than the big ugly wheel? if you are you calling dumbed-down interface a feature i guess you arent competent enough to use common electronic appliances like a dvd player.

 

[robertk2012]

guess im one of those millions of stupid people that love the ipod. Big ugly wheel......Sometimes the greatest inventions are the most simple. And if the styling sucks why is it most everyone out there is out to copy them. And a dumbed-down interface....Why make it difficult when you dont have to. And a link to reviews isnt nessesary from anyone I would rather hear their own unbiased opion rather than some writer who probably doest know sh-t and is just good and making it look like he does.

Originally posted by: VanillaH
says who? if you like the styling of ipods, good for you. i personally feel it only appeals to metrosexulas and thats exactly where they are getting at. i did provide a link unlike blind zealots of ipods present in this thread. function? what does it have other than the big ugly wheel? if you are you calling dumbed-down interface a feature i guess you arent competent enough to use common electronic appliances like a dvd player.

 

[konakona]

iriver never copied anything from apple. one of the only things you rave about ipods is ease of use, but like taejin said in another thread other players are more flexible without being any difficult unless you are mentally challenged. personally i feel most comofortable with the way iriver does it - manage files by folders not by tags. who organizes files on harddrive by tags anyway? the point is no mp3 player is difficult to use as long as you have enough intelligence to read instructions. you obviously havnt followed my link, the guy is just a DAP enthusiast who posts regularly at head-fi, not some writer paid to write advertisement reviews for ipods.

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: robertk2012
guess im one of those millions of stupid people that love the ipod. Big ugly wheel......Sometimes the greatest inventions are the most simple. And if the styling sucks why is it most everyone out there is out to copy them. And a dumbed-down interface....Why make it difficult when you dont have to. And a link to reviews isnt nessesary from anyone I would rather hear their own unbiased opion rather than some writer who probably doest know sh-t and is just good and making it look like he does.

You're saying a scrollwheel is more important than sq, price and features combined? As far as looks, I think only a child could like it, all white plastic and garish lights (or worse, day-glo colored plastic and garish lights)... but regardless, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt there and say that looks are subjective. Millions of people love AOL as well, the fact is most people aren't bright enough to do their homework and just mindlessly buy whatever TV ads tell them to. Good business, bad product.

 

[robertk2012]

Im not going to argue with you. Ill keep my ipod and you can get whatever you think is best. Thats the good thing about choice. And the reason AOL is still there is switching costs or percieved switching costs. (email addy ect.) People are willing to pay a little more than change, insane as it might be. Comparing AOL to the ipod is a false comparison as it is different factors that have contributed to the ipod sucess. The ipod wasnt the first mp3 and most people dont relize that. For most people mp3 player=ipod kind of like to xerox something is to copy it or kleanex is to tissue paper.

Originally posted by: Gurck

Originally posted by: robertk2012
guess im one of those millions of stupid people that love the ipod. Big ugly wheel......Sometimes the greatest inventions are the most simple. And if the styling sucks why is it most everyone out there is out to copy them. And a dumbed-down interface....Why make it difficult when you dont have to. And a link to reviews isnt nessesary from anyone I would rather hear their own unbiased opion rather than some writer who probably doest know sh-t and is just good and making it look like he does.

You're saying a scrollwheel is more important than sq, price and features combined? As far as looks, I think only a child could like it, all white plastic and garish lights (or worse, day-glo colored plastic and garish lights)... but regardless, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt there and say that looks are subjective. Millions of people love AOL as well, the fact is most people aren't bright enough to do their homework and just mindlessly buy whatever TV ads tell them to. Good business, bad product.

 

[Gurck]

Sorry, but it's an excellent comparison. For many people AOL = the internet (or, more likely, intarweb). It's not fear of switching costs, it's their laughable opinion that AOL is the only provider or *gasp* the best :laugh:. The ipod may or may not have been the first player, but it was the first one with massive advertising behind it. Seriously, sell yours and get a good player. With the extra dough you can get some good headphones to go with it.

 

[Taejin]

Originally posted by: robertk2012
guess im one of those millions of stupid people that love the ipod. Big ugly wheel......Sometimes the greatest inventions are the most simple. And if the styling sucks why is it most everyone out there is out to copy them. And a dumbed-down interface....Why make it difficult when you dont have to. And a link to reviews isnt nessesary from anyone I would rather hear their own unbiased opion rather than some writer who probably doest know sh-t and is just good and making it look like he does.

Originally posted by: VanillaH
says who? if you like the styling of ipods, good for you. i personally feel it only appeals to metrosexulas and thats exactly where they are getting at. i did provide a link unlike blind zealots of ipods present in this thread. function? what does it have other than the big ugly wheel? if you are you calling dumbed-down interface a feature i guess you arent competent enough to use common electronic appliances like a dvd player.

Sorry man, there's more to an mp3 player than the scroll wheel and how pretty it is.

The only reason the iRiver is "more complicated to use" is because it has MORE FEATURES FOR LESS MONEY. In all honesty, if you can't learn to use an iRiver in 5-10 minutes, please take out a gun and fill your head with lead, because you aren't going to be worth anything to society.

I WILL ADMIT:
1) scroll wheel kicks huge amounts of ass
2) ipod is cute, all white and metallic. down side is that white gets real ugly later on (the dirt shows up better on white)
3) ipod interface is simple to use BUT only because it offers far less

and fyi, I've owned an iPod, many of my friends that own HDD based mp3 players own iPods, but after doing more research, I settled on the iRiver iHP-120, and I've become enough of a fan of the style, features and ease of use (no BS software interface, just drag n drop) of the iRivers to purchase the iRiver H320 as well. In all, I've spent 700 dollars because of iRiver.

Most importantly, the iRiver > iPod in terms of sound quality. I like the bass better, and the treble sounds less tinny than it does on the iPod. The earbuds I use are Sony MDR EX-71SL. (50 retail, 35 at amazon).

 

[Wuzup101]

I'd have to say that I recently purchased an iPod after owning several other mp3 players and I love the little thing. Okay so there are some weak points... the battery only lasts 10 hrs... so I have to remember to charge it at night every few nights. And um... okay can't really think of anything else that I need. I admit it would be nice to have an FM radio in my iPod so that I could never listen to the 2 poorly tuned radio stations that it did recieve. But I think i wont complain as i already have 13gb of music on it that I can listen to.

The one thing I think you all are missing is it's an mp3 player, that's all it was ever ment to be. The reason it's so popluar is it 1) looks good 2) is built well 3) is EASY to use. Yes believe me, I'm an engineering student, I can pretty much opperate anything you give me. I enjoy the ease of use of the iPod. I enjoy not having to screw with it all the time. It just makes life easier. I enjoy having iTunes (which is much better then Win MP IMHO) manage my music. I enjoy it updating my iPod with all the new songs I've ripped whenever i connect my iPod to my powerbook... yes I don't have to drag and drop... it just does it...

 

[robertk2012]

Well said.

Originally posted by: Wuzup101
I'd have to say that I recently purchased an iPod after owning several other mp3 players and I love the little thing. Okay so there are some weak points... the battery only lasts 10 hrs... so I have to remember to charge it at night every few nights. And um... okay can't really think of anything else that I need. I admit it would be nice to have an FM radio in my iPod so that I could never listen to the 2 poorly tuned radio stations that it did recieve. But I think i wont complain as i already have 13gb of music on it that I can listen to.

The one thing I think you all are missing is it's an mp3 player, that's all it was ever ment to be. The reason it's so popluar is it 1) looks good 2) is built well 3) is EASY to use. Yes believe me, I'm an engineering student, I can pretty much opperate anything you give me. I enjoy the ease of use of the iPod. I enjoy not having to screw with it all the time. It just makes life easier. I enjoy having iTunes (which is much better then Win MP IMHO) manage my music. I enjoy it updating my iPod with all the new songs I've ripped whenever i connect my iPod to my powerbook... yes I don't have to drag and drop... it just does it...

 

[robertk2012]

Nah I think Ill keep my ipod.

Originally posted by: Gurck
Sorry, but it's an excellent comparison. For many people AOL = the internet (or, more likely, intarweb). It's not fear of switching costs, it's their laughable opinion that AOL is the only provider or *gasp* the best :laugh:. The ipod may or may not have been the first player, but it was the first one with massive advertising behind it. Seriously, sell yours and get a good player. With the extra dough you can get some good headphones to go with it.

 

[robertk2012]

Oh and why is it Creative, sony, dell and pretty much everyone else tries to mislead consumers about there capacity. They say they have more capacity but have the same size drive. 20 gigs is 20 gigs. I Know they use 64kbs in there measurements but does anyone out there ever use anything less than the 128 that Apple sets its standards by.