The iPod Dilemma

[slackerinabox]

I'm in the market for an MP3 player and I'm a bit conflicted. I usually avoid mass marketed goods and go for the better value/better performer vs. the "popular" item. Own AMD based computers, drive a hyundai, wear inexpensive clothing, etc. etc. etc. But I'm researching mp3 players and the iPod seems, oddly enough, like the best value. I've owned archos players (original jukebox and gmini400) that broke on me and currently cost more than an iPOd, a creative touch that also broke on me, and (yes) a first generation iPOd that was rock solid for 4 years before I dropped it one last time. So, from experience, the ipod seems to be the most rugged player out there.

Then I look at featuresollar - in the $299 range there's just, well, not much competition. The iAudio x5 and the ipod. Creative labs products are clunkier and cost more - shouldn't they try to undersell the competition??? ANd the X5 doesn't seem to be as slick interface wise as the iPod and downloading AVIs is a time consuming process and not as slick as hitting BUY on iTUnes... So, basically, is the ipod the best product in it's range and not just a product that's advertised really well?

 

[Juice Box]

I have seriously grown to like my ipod. I was skeptical at first, but its minimalist design is really what sells it. It only does what it needs to do, no special bells and whistles that aren't neccessary. Also, the video capibilities only sweeten the deal...I find myself using that feature more than I ever thought I would. Overall I'd say go for it, but that is coming from a proud ipod owner.

 

[Asthmaboy]

I still use my Gen 2.
Still works like a charm, as does my newer Gen 3.

 

[xospec1alk]

i like the ruggedness of the X5, and the 35 hour battery life. and watching videos on it? its a gimmick. sure you could watch videos on it, but why would you?

 

[sswingle]

Do iPods play MP3s, or do you have to use iTunes?

If so, can you plug it in and have the iPod be its own drive in my computer so you can drag and drop, or do you have to use iTunes?

I am also in the market for an MP3 player and never dreamed I would buy an Apple product...

 

[kyparrish]

I LOVE my black 5g 30gig. I used iTunes before I had it though, so it was a natural progression for me to get the ipod instead of another player. I've had a lot of fun lately using this guide to convert my movies to .mp4 for free to view on the ipod. Mainly, I still just listen to music on it, but it's fun to crank up an episode of "The Office" or watch part of a movie or something.

For $299, I think it's a great value.

 

[kyparrish]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
Do iPods play MP3s, or do you have to use iTunes?

If so, can you plug it in and have the iPod be its own drive in my computer so you can drag and drop, or do you have to use iTunes?

I am also in the market for an MP3 player and never dreamed I would buy an Apple product...

yup, they play mp3s. I think they play everything except ogg vorbis files and wma files. iTunes is the best way to load songs onto it, but I think there's a program called ephpod that lets you load them some other way.

About the fact that it's an apple product, I was the same way. But, this thing is incredible.

 

[sswingle]

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
Do iPods play MP3s, or do you have to use iTunes?

If so, can you plug it in and have the iPod be its own drive in my computer so you can drag and drop, or do you have to use iTunes?

I am also in the market for an MP3 player and never dreamed I would buy an Apple product...

yup, they play mp3s. I think they play everything except ogg vorbis files and wma files. iTunes is the best way to load songs onto it, but I think there's a program called ephpod that lets you load them some other way.

About the fact that it's an apple product, I was the same way. But, this thing is incredible.

I dont like the loading files concept. I have gigs of mp3s on my drive, and I dont want to use some software program to get them from point A to point B. I wanna just drag and drop from my Drive C, to mp3 player(F). How hard is that, all the other mp3 players do it.

 

[kyparrish]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
Do iPods play MP3s, or do you have to use iTunes?

If so, can you plug it in and have the iPod be its own drive in my computer so you can drag and drop, or do you have to use iTunes?

I am also in the market for an MP3 player and never dreamed I would buy an Apple product...

yup, they play mp3s. I think they play everything except ogg vorbis files and wma files. iTunes is the best way to load songs onto it, but I think there's a program called ephpod that lets you load them some other way.

About the fact that it's an apple product, I was the same way. But, this thing is incredible.

I dont like the loading files concept. I have gigs of mp3s on my drive, and I dont want to use some software program to get them from point A to point B. I wanna just drag and drop from my Drive C, to mp3 player(F). How hard is that, all the other mp3 players do it.

It's not hard with itunes. It just automatically synchs everything up, and sorts them on the ipod with the id3 tags (hopefully your tags are in order).

If you don't want some files on your ipod, just uncheck them in your itunes library, and click the setting that says "load only checked songs."

I doubted it at first, but I really like the system now. Everytime my library is updated now, it's just a quick update to the ipod, to either take songs off, or put new songs on.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

same for me....i keep telling my self no you shall not think about buying a ipod there must be something out there that is better

and there is....the new sony NW-A1000 looks great, its cheaper than the 4Gb nano, looks better, not as flimsy, holds 6Gb of music, its sony so since im used to their warm sound quality it will sound better and crank louder than the ipod and has a stupid battery life of over 20 hours. i was like...great ill get one

but then you have to use sonys crap connect music thing, and ive alot of tunes from the itunes store and itunes is flat out easier to live with, its simply more convenient to get an ipod. as much as i dont want one the ipod is the best choice for me.

 

[pontifex]

there is no dilemma, get anything but an ipod

 

[GeneValgene]

Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
I'm in the market for an MP3 player and I'm a bit conflicted. I usually avoid mass marketed goods and go for the better value/better performer vs. the "popular" item. Own AMD based computers, drive a hyundai, wear inexpensive clothing, etc. etc. etc. But I'm researching mp3 players and the iPod seems, oddly enough, like the best value. I've owned archos players (original jukebox and gmini400) that broke on me and currently cost more than an iPOd, a creative touch that also broke on me, and (yes) a first generation iPOd that was rock solid for 4 years before I dropped it one last time. So, from experience, the ipod seems to be the most rugged player out there.

Then I look at featuresollar - in the $299 range there's just, well, not much competition. The iAudio x5 and the ipod. Creative labs products are clunkier and cost more - shouldn't they try to undersell the competition??? ANd the X5 doesn't seem to be as slick interface wise as the iPod and downloading AVIs is a time consuming process and not as slick as hitting BUY on iTUnes... So, basically, is the ipod the best product in it's range and not just a product that's advertised really well?

i have to agree with you...i am in the EXACT same boat. i avoid the same type of stuff, and have always been a pc fanboi over apple...but for mp3 players, i am an apple convert. i have a 5g 30GB ipod, and must say i am impressed. i am all about minimalistic design, and this is what the ipod is. sleek, no frills, mp3 player with simple interface.

 

[mwmorph]

if you're not confortabel with a ipod, check this out.
http://www.compuplus.com/i-Archos-GMini...nter-500708-1004865~refer-froogle.html
5 hour video playback battery life(2.5x longer than 30 gig ipod)
10 hour music battery life(same as 30 gig)
20 gig(less)
2.2" screen(slightly less)
archos has great id3 databasing too.

 

[slackerinabox]

Originally posted by: mwmorph
if you're not confortabel with a ipod, check this out.
http://www.compuplus.com/i-Archos-GMini...nter-500708-1004865~refer-froogle.html
5 hour video playback battery life(2.5x longer than 30 gig ipod)
10 hour music battery life(same as 30 gig)
20 gig(less)
2.2" screen(slightly less)
archos has great id3 databasing too.

I had the gmini 400 - basically the same player without drm protected wma support. A) I was pissed that they didn't make the 402 features a firmware update away, b) battery life sucked (did they really fix that or are the specs lies?), c) built quality was shoddy - i hate exposed screws on small electronics and the player started to split in the seems . also, the tactile buttons lost sensitivity and d) 30 gigs is better than 20 gigs.
though the price is right - i'd get it if the build quality improved.

 

[slackerinabox]

Originally posted by: pontifex
there is no dilemma, get anything but an ipod

why? not getting a superior product just because it's trendy is the same sort of mass marketing influenced decision that I loathe - if you can name something that's as slick, has 30gb, and is as sturdy for the same or less $$ then I'll buy it without question.

 

[torpid]

The iPod is the best in its price range for the average consumer, because it is user-friendly, the software is easy to use (if a bit of a hog), the online music store is quite good, and there are tons and tons of easy-to-find accessories. It is not the best in its price range if you are concerned about things beyond that, like drag and drop file storage, OGG and FLAC, etc.

 

[TheShiz]

i still use a portable mp3 cd player. $50 ftw for years and years and cheap cdrs.

 

[sswingle]

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
Do iPods play MP3s, or do you have to use iTunes?

If so, can you plug it in and have the iPod be its own drive in my computer so you can drag and drop, or do you have to use iTunes?

I am also in the market for an MP3 player and never dreamed I would buy an Apple product...

yup, they play mp3s. I think they play everything except ogg vorbis files and wma files. iTunes is the best way to load songs onto it, but I think there's a program called ephpod that lets you load them some other way.

About the fact that it's an apple product, I was the same way. But, this thing is incredible.

I dont like the loading files concept. I have gigs of mp3s on my drive, and I dont want to use some software program to get them from point A to point B. I wanna just drag and drop from my Drive C, to mp3 player(F). How hard is that, all the other mp3 players do it.

It's not hard with itunes. It just automatically synchs everything up, and sorts them on the ipod with the id3 tags (hopefully your tags are in order).

If you don't want some files on your ipod, just uncheck them in your itunes library, and click the setting that says "load only checked songs."

I doubted it at first, but I really like the system now. Everytime my library is updated now, it's just a quick update to the ipod, to either take songs off, or put new songs on.

You are missing the point. Why should I have to use a software program like iTunes when I SHOULD be able to plug it in and have it appear as a drive in my computer. Then I can drag my entire MP3 folder over and be done. Thats easier than installing yet another program.

 

[slackerinabox]

Originally posted by: TheShiz
i still use a portable mp3 cd player. $50 ftw for years and years and cheap cdrs.

That's a bit too bulky for me. Though i loved my iRiver slim-X. I love iRiver - i wish they'd make a competitively priced player. Their ur40 (i think) is really slick but costs too much and only has 1 gig max. I'd get the ur40 is a heartbeat if it was at least 20gigs and cost less than $300.

 

[slackerinabox]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
Do iPods play MP3s, or do you have to use iTunes?

If so, can you plug it in and have the iPod be its own drive in my computer so you can drag and drop, or do you have to use iTunes?

I am also in the market for an MP3 player and never dreamed I would buy an Apple product...

yup, they play mp3s. I think they play everything except ogg vorbis files and wma files. iTunes is the best way to load songs onto it, but I think there's a program called ephpod that lets you load them some other way.

About the fact that it's an apple product, I was the same way. But, this thing is incredible.

I dont like the loading files concept. I have gigs of mp3s on my drive, and I dont want to use some software program to get them from point A to point B. I wanna just drag and drop from my Drive C, to mp3 player(F). How hard is that, all the other mp3 players do it.

It's not hard with itunes. It just automatically synchs everything up, and sorts them on the ipod with the id3 tags (hopefully your tags are in order).

If you don't want some files on your ipod, just uncheck them in your itunes library, and click the setting that says "load only checked songs."

I doubted it at first, but I really like the system now. Everytime my library is updated now, it's just a quick update to the ipod, to either take songs off, or put new songs on.

You are missing the point. Why should I have to use a software program like iTunes when I SHOULD be able to plug it in and have it appear as a drive in my computer. Then I can drag my entire MP3 folder over and be done. Thats easier than installing yet another program.

Well, I Do like drag and drop but the problem with that is that my archos was never organized well. Sure, I can be anal and organize my directories properly but that's more work. Also, my gmini supported thumbnails of album art but it rarely had them because drag and dropping meant that I had to download the pictures myself - itunes automatically downloads all thumbnails, which is pretty neat when you're talking about 600+ albums.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
Do iPods play MP3s, or do you have to use iTunes?

If so, can you plug it in and have the iPod be its own drive in my computer so you can drag and drop, or do you have to use iTunes?

I am also in the market for an MP3 player and never dreamed I would buy an Apple product...

yup, they play mp3s. I think they play everything except ogg vorbis files and wma files. iTunes is the best way to load songs onto it, but I think there's a program called ephpod that lets you load them some other way.

About the fact that it's an apple product, I was the same way. But, this thing is incredible.

I dont like the loading files concept. I have gigs of mp3s on my drive, and I dont want to use some software program to get them from point A to point B. I wanna just drag and drop from my Drive C, to mp3 player(F). How hard is that, all the other mp3 players do it.

It's not hard with itunes. It just automatically synchs everything up, and sorts them on the ipod with the id3 tags (hopefully your tags are in order).

If you don't want some files on your ipod, just uncheck them in your itunes library, and click the setting that says "load only checked songs."

I doubted it at first, but I really like the system now. Everytime my library is updated now, it's just a quick update to the ipod, to either take songs off, or put new songs on.

You are missing the point. Why should I have to use a software program like iTunes when I SHOULD be able to plug it in and have it appear as a drive in my computer. Then I can drag my entire MP3 folder over and be done. Thats easier than installing yet another program.

Well, I Do like drag and drop but the problem with that is that my archos was never organized well. Sure, I can be anal and organize my directories properly but that's more work. Also, my gmini supported thumbnails of album art but it rarely had them because drag and dropping meant that I had to download the pictures myself - itunes automatically downloads all thumbnails, which is pretty neat when you're talking about 600+ albums.

check my posts....I linked to sfotware that allows you to drag and drop to an ipod and is free...


if you are willling to pay anapod is fantastic..


ephpod is also good and I beleive free

 

[sswingle]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
Do iPods play MP3s, or do you have to use iTunes?

If so, can you plug it in and have the iPod be its own drive in my computer so you can drag and drop, or do you have to use iTunes?

I am also in the market for an MP3 player and never dreamed I would buy an Apple product...

yup, they play mp3s. I think they play everything except ogg vorbis files and wma files. iTunes is the best way to load songs onto it, but I think there's a program called ephpod that lets you load them some other way.

About the fact that it's an apple product, I was the same way. But, this thing is incredible.

I dont like the loading files concept. I have gigs of mp3s on my drive, and I dont want to use some software program to get them from point A to point B. I wanna just drag and drop from my Drive C, to mp3 player(F). How hard is that, all the other mp3 players do it.

It's not hard with itunes. It just automatically synchs everything up, and sorts them on the ipod with the id3 tags (hopefully your tags are in order).

If you don't want some files on your ipod, just uncheck them in your itunes library, and click the setting that says "load only checked songs."

I doubted it at first, but I really like the system now. Everytime my library is updated now, it's just a quick update to the ipod, to either take songs off, or put new songs on.

You are missing the point. Why should I have to use a software program like iTunes when I SHOULD be able to plug it in and have it appear as a drive in my computer. Then I can drag my entire MP3 folder over and be done. Thats easier than installing yet another program.

Well, I Do like drag and drop but the problem with that is that my archos was never organized well. Sure, I can be anal and organize my directories properly but that's more work. Also, my gmini supported thumbnails of album art but it rarely had them because drag and dropping meant that I had to download the pictures myself - itunes automatically downloads all thumbnails, which is pretty neat when you're talking about 600+ albums.

check my posts....I linked to sfotware that allows you to drag and drop to an ipod and is free...


if you are willling to pay anapod is fantastic..


ephpod is also good and I beleive free

Check my posts....I dont see the need for SOFTWARE when I should be able to drag and drop using windows.

My music is already categorized by folders on the HD by Artist and Album.

 

[ThaPerculator]

Bought an iriver H10 20gb. It has better sound quality than the ipod, while in the same price range for the same features (mine cost $180). Swappable batteries. I have it directly wired up to my system in my car so the higher voltage/cleaner output is definately noticeable. It rocks. WMP10 compatible out of the box, so you can use Napster2go or yahoo music unlimited and all that jazz.

Oh yeah, and I don't have to use itunes for everything like a slave.

 

[skimple]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Check my posts....I dont see the need for SOFTWARE when I should be able to drag and drop using windows.

My music is already categorized by folders on the HD by Artist and Album.

Well then, an ipod isn't for you. You are looking for a specific capability that is not supported by this particular player. That's doesn't mean that an ipod is better or worse than any other player, it just means that you want a specific funtion. This limits your choices to a smaller group of players.

 

[HendrixFan]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
Do iPods play MP3s, or do you have to use iTunes?

If so, can you plug it in and have the iPod be its own drive in my computer so you can drag and drop, or do you have to use iTunes?

I am also in the market for an MP3 player and never dreamed I would buy an Apple product...

yup, they play mp3s. I think they play everything except ogg vorbis files and wma files. iTunes is the best way to load songs onto it, but I think there's a program called ephpod that lets you load them some other way.

About the fact that it's an apple product, I was the same way. But, this thing is incredible.

I dont like the loading files concept. I have gigs of mp3s on my drive, and I dont want to use some software program to get them from point A to point B. I wanna just drag and drop from my Drive C, to mp3 player(F). How hard is that, all the other mp3 players do it.

It's not hard with itunes. It just automatically synchs everything up, and sorts them on the ipod with the id3 tags (hopefully your tags are in order).

If you don't want some files on your ipod, just uncheck them in your itunes library, and click the setting that says "load only checked songs."

I doubted it at first, but I really like the system now. Everytime my library is updated now, it's just a quick update to the ipod, to either take songs off, or put new songs on.

You are missing the point. Why should I have to use a software program like iTunes when I SHOULD be able to plug it in and have it appear as a drive in my computer. Then I can drag my entire MP3 folder over and be done. Thats easier than installing yet another program.

I had this same talk with someone else here a few days ago. You can do this. Just enable "view hidden files and folders" in Windows and you are ready to copy the MP3s over.

You must have them tagged properly, otherwise you are gonna have trouble "finding" your stuff. The iPod allows easy searching through your catalog based on the ID3 tags getting loaded into a database file. You can search through any of the 10+ possible tagged items.

It sounds from your post that you want the iPod to have a "windows explorer" view of your MP3s, which it will not have. Again, it uses the ID3 info as a huge database, which makes searching a piece of cake. You dont get a mouse and a keyboard, you have a scroll wheel. One thing about iPods that all the "haters" dont seem to get, is that it is incredibly usable. Its easy to learn and very natural.