Why is everyone wanting an iPod over the rest? - Page 2 - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

Proteosome · 2007-11-19, 07:38 PM

Before I bought my iPod I had my heart set on a Zen. I figured it would do everything the ipod could plus have FM capability and digital recording.

I went to the store to check it out and play with the Zen. The user interface was terrible. I found it difficult to use, not only from a hardware perspective but also from a software perspective.

I picked up the ipod sitting next to the zen and after a few seconds figuring out the sensitivity of the scroll wheel I was hooked. The iPod has a great interface.

For "newbs" (which I am not) the iPod is even better because it is an all-in-one solution. They control the front end and back end. It just works.

The great thing is, for those who know what they are doing this isn't a limitation.

The iPod is more expensive and lacks some features but the user friendliness plus the accessories and support make it a great mp3 player for everyone.

classicsat · 2007-11-20, 09:23 AM

iTunes DRM (and its official player) is rather benign, as far as hidden files it may install on your system.

I'd be more concerned what 3rd party DRM breaking apps may leave behind.

lawofgravity · 2007-11-20, 10:20 AM

I bit the bullet and bought a 16GB Ipod touch last week while doing a bit of cross border shopping in Seattle. To preface this, I was never a big Ipod fan before because of the whole Itunes thing. But after playing with the Touch, it was just too cool to pass up. The interface is incredible, audio fidelity and video PQ is outstanding. With the wifi, I can sit in a coffee shop typing this out, while everyone else is using their heavy, clunky laptops to surf the web.

bgclarke · 2007-11-20, 12:27 PM

Prior to getting the 2nd Gen iPod nano, I had a Creative Muvo TX.

When the Muvo worked, it worked well. It would need to have the firmware reloaded on a regular basis as it would just up an die for no good reason. I got fed up with it and just stopped using it.

I use the nano almost daily on the bus ride to and from work. We have since picked up a couple of Teac radios that also have iPod docks on them.

My only beef with the nano is that it can't play DRM infected WMA files.

hugh · 2007-11-20, 12:31 PM

Quote:

My only beef with the nano is that it can't play DRM infected WMA files.

That's why I have the Sansa. For my daughters nano and wife's shuffle, I have to import the DRM free tunes into iTunes which takes a long time.

Anteater · 2007-11-21, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ViciousVulcan

Hey thanks elJay but I guess I need to be more clear. I am not just looking for a music player but an all around unit. I mean if I am going to spend around $200 why the iPod? I want to play music yes but not be limited to the iTunes format. I want to load anything I feel like, pictures, videos etc. I am actually looking at the Zen 8g as it does all that and plays FM radio. You also don't get pinned to iTunes but can load any mp3 format. I just don't understand what it is about the iPod that makes everyone drewl. Is it simply just the fact that through Apple marketing the sheep are flawking? Someone please convince me that the iPod is better then anything else, bet you can't.

You can put MP3s on an iPod too. :/

jacksparrow · 2007-12-01, 04:19 PM

It's that whole grade school and high school mentality of owning something that everybody else has or is wearing. Am with you on this one mate....I just picked up today a sandisk sansa 4GB for my daughter for xmas ( she doesn't know yet ).

She flat out told me before that she does want an ipod, or I poo'ed as we have been calling it lately. Wal-mart had it for 119 dollars, a damn good price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ViciousVulcan

I don't get it. Can you iPod ppl explain what the big deal is for wanting an iPod? I'm serious here, what is the big deal? The cheapest iPod is the shuffle and all it does is play music and if I understand correctly you HAVE to use the iPod software format only. Then the next most expensive iPod is the Calssic for $399 which can play videos and more.

With other mp3 players like the Zen and Samsungs' version why is everyone running for an iPod without even looking at anything else. I am seriously asking here as I want to be on top of the latest and coolest but I am not necessarily a follower just trying to understand if there is anything I am missing here before I shell out $400 bucks.

talljak · 2007-12-01, 04:46 PM

I dont use an Ipod of any type
I use a creative I touch zen mp3 player
20gigs and better battery life then any Ipod.
Ipods are the most stolen small electronic and I like to be different from the crowd
The only downsize, very very few accessories for any other type of mp3 player everything is geared towards the Ipod.

DJDiggler · 2007-12-02, 05:39 PM

I also don't fall for all the ipod hype, I was very impressed with the iRiver Clix I looked at, (bought a Creative Zen on sale instead... unfortunately). The Clix is a sweet looking player and the interface is close to perfect.

I agree though... ipod accessories are a dime a dozen everywhere.... you can get them pretty cheap at liquidation stores like xscargo too.

que3jxp · 2007-12-02, 06:03 PM

I fought the desire to become an iLemming.

The iPOD is nice (Particularly the nano) but it is just another brand of Apple Kool-AID. The things that turned me off:

iTunes (Although it is the best podcatcher)
Can't change the battery
Can't add memory
Costs more than other similar devices
Will not play wma natively

All of these were taken care of by the 2GB Sansa I bought:

Use whatever software to upload music/pics
Changeable battery
Has MicroSD slot
Costs the most reasonable overall (IMO)
Plays most everything

And as for the accessories equation, the only player series that can compete with the iPod right now is the Sansa. I assume the Zune will get there but as of today, if a "insert widget" is available for the iPod family, it very likely exists for the Sansa family either from Sandisk or from a 3rd party.

Of course, the solution for my wife was a far different solution. I got her a Sony Ericsson W580i. Rogers is tossing them with a free 8GB memory card so it made for the very best music/pics/video solution for her and it is a phone too. However, I feel dirty having bought a Sony product...

VoltesV · 2007-12-02, 06:38 PM

i have a creative zen - 8 gb
about $40 less, and with radio compared to the ipod.
unlimited songs if you ask me.
the coolness factor of the ipod almost goes away considering you
hide it in your pocket 99% of the time.

DJDiggler · 2007-12-02, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Of course, the solution for my wife was a far different solution. I got her a Sony Ericsson W580i. Rogers is tossing them with a free 8GB memory card so it made for the very best music/pics/video solution for her and it is a phone too. However, I feel dirty having bought a Sony product...

Thats another thing... it's the same kind of hype around the iPhone.... many other phones do more than a iphone but people will pay twice the $$ to be "cool"

BTW: A humorous article about the iPhone by Maddox (Caution: Explicit language and graphics... and admitidly lowbrow humor)

JohnnyG · 2007-12-03, 10:10 AM

The iPods are very, very slick...no question about that. If you put one in your hand and use it for a few minutes, you get that high-quality and high-tech feeling right away. However, iTunes is probably the worst music manager imaginable, so I would really be hard-pressed to purchase an iPod for myself for that one reason alone! I have to suffer through iTunes for my step-daughter's iPod, so it's not like I haven't used it.

Here's one example....here at work, I have ended up with tons of duplicate songs in my library (my own fault), so I thought I'd use iTunes duplicate finder function to tag and delete the dupes. I clicked on the check boxes for all the duplicates (which took a long time!) only to find that you can't then duplicate all the checked items! How counter-intuitive is that? In fact, I can't even figure out what good checking them does? I can't move all the checked items, nor can I add them to a playlist. STUPID!

Dog Byte · 2007-12-03, 05:49 PM

I'm not sure what you're trying to do. Show duplicates just shows matching song-artist matches. Then you select the ones you don't want (one at a time or using <ctrl> to multiselect) and hit <delete> to remove them from the iTunes database. The checkbox in front of the name is used for smart playlists -- there's a checkbox to "Match only checked items" when you edit the playlist.

I have 900+ duplicates but they're usually the same song name on different albums so I want them all (for completeness).

I have no idea why you would "duplicate the checked items".

JohnnyG · 2007-12-05, 05:17 PM

Because of a system problem I had, I ended up copying the songs back into the same folder 3 times and there are now 3 copies of every song.

I want to DELETE the items I checked.

2007-11-19, 07:38 PM	#16
Proteosome Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: London Posts: 1,793	Before I bought my iPod I had my heart set on a Zen. I figured it would do everything the ipod could plus have FM capability and digital recording. I went to the store to check it out and play with the Zen. The user interface was terrible. I found it difficult to use, not only from a hardware perspective but also from a software perspective. I picked up the ipod sitting next to the zen and after a few seconds figuring out the sensitivity of the scroll wheel I was hooked. The iPod has a great interface. For "newbs" (which I am not) the iPod is even better because it is an all-in-one solution. They control the front end and back end. It just works. The great thing is, for those who know what they are doing this isn't a limitation. The iPod is more expensive and lacks some features but the user friendliness plus the accessories and support make it a great mp3 player for everyone. __________________ Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid.

2007-12-01, 04:46 PM	#23
talljak Moderator Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Edmonton AB Posts: 2,122	I dont use an Ipod of any type I use a creative I touch zen mp3 player 20gigs and better battery life then any Ipod. Ipods are the most stolen small electronic and I like to be different from the crowd The only downsize, very very few accessories for any other type of mp3 player everything is geared towards the Ipod. __________________ I have a photographic memory, trouble is most times the lens cap is on.

2007-12-02, 05:39 PM	#24
DJDiggler Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Leduc, AB Posts: 1,104	I also don't fall for all the ipod hype, I was very impressed with the iRiver Clix I looked at, (bought a Creative Zen on sale instead... unfortunately). The Clix is a sweet looking player and the interface is close to perfect. I agree though... ipod accessories are a dime a dozen everywhere.... you can get them pretty cheap at liquidation stores like xscargo too. __________________ Epson EX71, Tosh HD-A2, Denon AVR590, Athena P4100, Infinity P362,C250,P162. RCA L42WD22, Pio VSX1016, Athena LS50

2007-12-02, 06:03 PM	#25
que3jxp Veteran Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Fredericton, NB Posts: 3,174	I fought the desire to become an iLemming. The iPOD is nice (Particularly the nano) but it is just another brand of Apple Kool-AID. The things that turned me off: iTunes (Although it is the best podcatcher) Can't change the battery Can't add memory Costs more than other similar devices Will not play wma natively All of these were taken care of by the 2GB Sansa I bought: Use whatever software to upload music/pics Changeable battery Has MicroSD slot Costs the most reasonable overall (IMO) Plays most everything And as for the accessories equation, the only player series that can compete with the iPod right now is the Sansa. I assume the Zune will get there but as of today, if a "insert widget" is available for the iPod family, it very likely exists for the Sansa family either from Sandisk or from a 3rd party. Of course, the solution for my wife was a far different solution. I got her a Sony Ericsson W580i. Rogers is tossing them with a free 8GB memory card so it made for the very best music/pics/video solution for her and it is a phone too. However, I feel dirty having bought a Sony product...

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2007-11-20, 09:23 AM	#17
classicsat Veteran Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Kincardine ON. Posts: 3,945	iTunes DRM (and its official player) is rather benign, as far as hidden files it may install on your system. I'd be more concerned what 3rd party DRM breaking apps may leave behind.

2007-11-20, 10:20 AM	#18
lawofgravity Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 15	I bit the bullet and bought a 16GB Ipod touch last week while doing a bit of cross border shopping in Seattle. To preface this, I was never a big Ipod fan before because of the whole Itunes thing. But after playing with the Touch, it was just too cool to pass up. The interface is incredible, audio fidelity and video PQ is outstanding. With the wifi, I can sit in a coffee shop typing this out, while everyone else is using their heavy, clunky laptops to surf the web.

2007-11-20, 12:27 PM	#19
bgclarke Veteran Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Nepean, Ontario Posts: 1,606	Prior to getting the 2nd Gen iPod nano, I had a Creative Muvo TX. When the Muvo worked, it worked well. It would need to have the firmware reloaded on a regular basis as it would just up an die for no good reason. I got fed up with it and just stopped using it. I use the nano almost daily on the bus ride to and from work. We have since picked up a couple of Teac radios that also have iPod docks on them. My only beef with the nano is that it can't play DRM infected WMA files.

2007-12-02, 06:38 PM	#26
VoltesV Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: ottawa,sony kdfe42a10,rogers 8300HD,oppo 971H,STRDG820,Energy take classic,ps3,macbook,No mon$ters Posts: 99	i have a creative zen - 8 gb about $40 less, and with radio compared to the ipod. unlimited songs if you ask me. the coolness factor of the ipod almost goes away considering you hide it in your pocket 99% of the time.

2007-12-03, 10:10 AM	#28
JohnnyG Veteran Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: North York, Ontario Posts: 10,407	The iPods are very, very slick...no question about that. If you put one in your hand and use it for a few minutes, you get that high-quality and high-tech feeling right away. However, iTunes is probably the worst music manager imaginable, so I would really be hard-pressed to purchase an iPod for myself for that one reason alone! I have to suffer through iTunes for my step-daughter's iPod, so it's not like I haven't used it. Here's one example....here at work, I have ended up with tons of duplicate songs in my library (my own fault), so I thought I'd use iTunes duplicate finder function to tag and delete the dupes. I clicked on the check boxes for all the duplicates (which took a long time!) only to find that you can't then duplicate all the checked items! How counter-intuitive is that? In fact, I can't even figure out what good checking them does? I can't move all the checked items, nor can I add them to a playlist. STUPID!

2007-12-03, 05:49 PM	#29
Dog Byte Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Langley, BC Posts: 863	I'm not sure what you're trying to do. Show duplicates just shows matching song-artist matches. Then you select the ones you don't want (one at a time or using <ctrl> to multiselect) and hit <delete> to remove them from the iTunes database. The checkbox in front of the name is used for smart playlists -- there's a checkbox to "Match only checked items" when you edit the playlist. I have 900+ duplicates but they're usually the same song name on different albums so I want them all (for completeness). I have no idea why you would "duplicate the checked items".

2007-12-05, 05:17 PM	#30
JohnnyG Veteran Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: North York, Ontario Posts: 10,407	Because of a system problem I had, I ended up copying the songs back into the same folder 3 times and there are now 3 copies of every song. I want to DELETE the items I checked.