Korean Job Discussion Forums

PECisDplace2B · Joined: 19 Aug 2003

I'm seriously considering getting one of these things for my girlfriend for christmas. She is in love with them, because "they're so cute!!!!"
The dealbreaker for me is the battery issue. Is the battery replaceable? I haven't seen any concrete posts on this issue. If it isn't replacable then what's the point?

Secondly, I have about 50GB-100GB's worth of MP3's, stored on various platforms. Will they all play on the Ipod? From what i've read and experienced myself it should be no problem. If they play on Itunes they should play on the Ipod, shouldn't they?

These are my two issues. That said I think the Itunes software is the best platform for sorting, burning and playing MP3's on your p.c. I've used dozens of programs and it is the only one that gets it right. I think the quality of the Itunes software is indicative of the quality of the player.

Sage Monkey · Joined: 01 Nov 2004

Hank Scorpio · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Just to throw in my two cents...

The iPod easily has the best interface, but on every other metric other players have it beat. It really depends on what's important to you whether paying the Apple premium is worth it. For me it wasn't.

iTunes is the best PC audio player out there. I spent a month just reordering my collection (uniform naming conventions, etc) and attaching album artwork. It's sorting and database functions are better than any other player out there, I wouldn't use anything else even though I've never once used the Music Store. As to how easily it interacts with an iPod, that really doesn't seem like a big deal to me. With the iPod you upload through iTunes, with every other player you upload through your file manager (whether you use Windows, Linux, Unix, BSD, whatever).

As far as battery life goes, the iPod is horrid. You'll start with a good amount of battery life, but in a few months time it'll start to degrade rapidly if you're a consistent user. Now don't get me wrong, the other players will as well. The difference is that the iPod has an internal battery and the only way to replace it is to send the whole unit back to Apple. It will cost you a good chunk of change to have this replaced (this is Apple's ensured revenue stream). By contrast, a lot of the other players have a detachable battery that can be replaced far more cheaply.

If you want my advice, listen to Poddubny and go with an Archos or iRiver (personally I like Archos better, but they're both great). The iPod is sleeker and the UI is a dream, but that's just not enough to offset it's other huge disadvantages.

poddubny · Joined: 03 Aug 2004 Location: i have NO avatar privileges!

for those of you who'd like to get more indepth answers to those burning ipod questions, you should visit the forums at:

http://www.ipodlounge.com

wuzza · Joined: 02 May 2003

if you buy the 40gb, you get the dock and the cables included. YOu still have to buy the remote control id you want that.

Apple accessories have always been ridiculously expensive. They talk about quality and design....well if that's what's important to you then go for it. I'm about 90% happy with my iPod, only had a couple of months though.

the upload/download system through iTunes is excellent, except if you have two iPods; without a plug-in from the net, you can't use two iPods on the same computer.

what Apple were thinking when they put in these many restrictions is anyone's guess, but you can be sure as hell, it revolves around getting more dollars in.