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the_beaver
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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 Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 2:13 pm Post subject: |
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| jg wrote: |
| I have used the latest Ipod and IRiver and the Iriver has its problems too, coming on automatically and you need to use clumsy Windows media to load it. |
Clumsy? It's just drop and drag. |
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OiGirl
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: Hoke-y-gun
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| Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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| SuperHero wrote: |
| couldn't pay me to own an ipod. I'm not interested in joing the cult of mac |
I am completely absorbed into the cult of Mac, and you still couldn't pay me to own an iPod. |
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OiGirl
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: Hoke-y-gun
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| Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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I'm not buying anything with a rechargable battery that can only be "replaced" by sending it back to the factory.
I'm not buying a portable audio player that can't play Windows Media files. Even though I hate Microsoft and love Apple. |
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Nowhere Man
Joined: 08 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:11 am Post subject: ... |
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Funny how the portable mp3 market isn't nearly as robust as the portable CD market was.
Not sure what you mean by this. |
Actually, there's a lot of selection in the flash player market. All kinds of shapes, gimmicks, and do-hickeys.
But, you have Apple style vs. a bunch of little black boxes if you want 30 gigs+.
I bought a used mini, the loser of the ipod line because 6 weeks later people were sporting nanos. Doh!
But I'm holding off on getting the unit that would hold my whole music collection. 60 gigs doesn't seem to be enough, and at this point I'm wondering if I'll just end up purchasing something like a next-gen blackberry/palm.
And while I'm at it, I do agree with Oigirl re: Mac computers. I think they're superior in terms of design/ease-of-use. The major holdback is software availability. |
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Zulu
Joined: 28 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 5:15 am Post subject: |
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| SuperHero wrote: |
| Zulu wrote: |
I find iTunes a brilliant piece of software - very nice and intuitive. The only problem I ever had with an iPod was with the first generation models a long time ago, which admittedly had crap batteries. But the new ones are superb- nothing comes close. |
Are you the Grand Pubah of The Cult of Mac? |
Not at all. As a matter of fact it was only a few years ago I broke free of the cult of the Samsung 'mp3' player. Thank God too, the thing was a total waste of time. Are you another Korean wannabe up the arse of all things local? |
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 5:22 am Post subject: |
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| jg wrote: |
Bulsajo, I mean besides Sony there was Panasonic, Philips, Toshiba, Aiwa, and several other companies that offered CD players. Sure Sony dominated the market, but you could easily find offerings from the other companies.
If you want an mp3 player bigger than 1 GB, the pickings are slimmer. Or at least it seems to me.
1 GB for 50 $CDN? Nice! |
Well, the problem could be your current location...
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=30&Nav=|c:1695|&Sort=2
Toshiba, Apple, Creative, Archos, SanDisk, iRiver, plus a whole host of smaller brands. |
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SuperHero
Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 5:22 am Post subject: |
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| Zulu wrote: |
| Not at all. As a matter of fact it was only a few years ago I broke free of the cult of the Samsung 'mp3' player. Thank God too, the thing was a total waste of time. Are you another Korean wannabe up the arse of all things local? |
Not at all, I'm just anti-Cult of Mac. |
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 5:24 am Post subject: |
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| the_beaver wrote: |
| jg wrote: |
| I have used the latest Ipod and IRiver and the Iriver has its problems too, coming on automatically and you need to use clumsy Windows media to load it. |
Clumsy? It's just drop and drag. |
My current MP3 player has no software at all- it's 100% drag and drop. I can use my current software (MusicMatch Jukebox or Windows Media Player) if I choose, but I find drag and drop is so simple and fast I've never needed to do it differently. Plus I can change batteries anytime and keep on listening without having to go home and recharge. |
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Zulu
Joined: 28 Apr 2006
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Zulu
Joined: 28 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 5:37 am Post subject: |
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| SuperHero wrote: |
| Zulu wrote: |
| Not at all. As a matter of fact it was only a few years ago I broke free of the cult of the Samsung 'mp3' player. Thank God too, the thing was a total waste of time. Are you another Korean wannabe up the arse of all things local? |
Not at all, I'm just anti-Cult of Mac. |
Ha. Fair 'nuff. Sometimes Mac users do get a bit overenthusiastic about their toys, I'll be the first to admit. Going to switch over to a Mac notebook
within the year all the same. Anyone here using a Macbook Pro? |
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the_beaver
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 6:08 pm Post subject: Re: ... |
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| Nowhere Man wrote: |
| And while I'm at it, I do agree with Oigirl re: Mac computers. I think they're superior in terms of design/ease-of-use. The major holdback is software availability. |
Okay, I've been playing with a Mac for a couple of weeks now. What's so fucking special about the design and my ass on the ease-of-use. |
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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Well, there is the obvious one- perfect o/s and hardware interface.
When you can design the operating system to function ONLY with the parts you specify (and, as sole vendor, sell) and you can design the parts for only one line of operating system, it makes life easier from an engineering perspective.
So, I'd guess that MACs crash a lot less.
If MS started making hardware and said "we can only guarantee our operating system's efficacy with our hardware" I'd bet you could find the same success rate regarding system crashes.
And that's the achilles heel of the Mac, imo, at least as far as desktop models are concerned:
You can't say, gee I'd like to swap out my video card and put this more powerful and cheaper non-Apple card in my gMac.
As for the O/S, IBM machine users have not only a wide range of hardware and software options, they can ditch MS altogether if they choose by using OpenOffice instead of MS Office, Firefox instead of IE, and Linux instead of Windows.
More choice = better, IMO.
But it's an opnion thing.
If I were a technophobe and never wanted to modify my box, were deathly afraid of viruses, crashes, reformatting, upgrading etc. I would want a Mac. I get what I pay for with no surprises. That's worth something. |
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little mixed girl
Joined: 11 Jun 2003
Location: shin hyesung's bed~
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| Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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i'm not into the whole ipod thing.
i give them points for creating a nice design though.
i'm happy with my mpio, however i would like to change to a sony mp3...if only i could find the 1gb model...
honestly, i wouldn't care so much about ipod except for the fact that:
-ppl assume that "ipod" means "mp3 player"
-everyone and their mom who goes to my university has one and thinks they are soooo hot because of it
-i can't hang it around my neck
-for the price i can find something that looks cooler...and ends up costing less. |
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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| little mixed girl wrote: |
i'm happy with my mpio, |
Me too.
| Quote: |
| however i would like to change to a sony mp3...if only i could find the 1gb model... |
On sale here for $50 CDN!
| Quote: |
| for the price i can find something that looks cooler...and ends up costing less. |
I don't care much for the cool look factor. Nothing iPod that Apple had appealed to me, until the 4BG Nano. I may yet buy one of those. |
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Zulu
Joined: 28 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 12:37 am Post subject: |
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Forgive the lengthy post and move on if ipods and Apple are of no interest to you.
That out of the way it sounds like some of the posters here may be talking about earlier generation ipods, which had battery issues, and not the current 5th Gen (with video) which has solved this problem. The new machines are by far the best offering on the planet, and I speak as an ex- iRiver/Yepp user.
Rocklee, you've posted a few inaccuracies regarding Apple gear in particular and the level of foreign tech availability in Korea, so I�ll respond at length to help clarify your misunderstandings. But this may be the last time because I can�t write books like this every day (I have to work you know;).
| rocklee wrote: |
| You can get any Apple, Dell, Nokia or Asus products here, the market isn't all that restricted. At the same time, the demand for foreign brands isn't all that demanding. |
Believe me I want this to be true, but it's simply not so my friend. Far from being 'world-tech leader' as we can read in the Korean Times, Korea is well behind a lot of other countries in getting new tech, I�m sad to say. For example, as the links below prove (as of today) the MacBook 13.3 still hasn�t made it to Korea despite being available in the US, Canada, Europe and Japan.
Apple COEX, Seoul http://www.applestorecoex.co.kr/
Apple Store, Ginza, Tokyo
http://store.apple.com/0120-APPLE-1/WebObjects/japanstore/
See? For your information Macbook 13.3 is the newest Macbook and the 15 inch Macbook Pro was available in Japanese and North American Apple Stores back in February, and only came to Korea recently.
Even the Apple shop manager in Seoul told me stuff comes to Korea later than most places. Nor does Korea yet even have a full sized Apple Store, so many products and accessories are not stocked here either.
The fact is iPods, like many other products, came to Korea long after they were available in the west and Japan. When the first generation ipods came here the best Korean players (Samsung and those guys) only had 512 MB of memory, compared to 5 GB in the iPod (x10 capacity at the time).
As a sidenote let me share a funny anecdote. This happened to me during a business trip here several years ago: I met some Korean friends who told me several times that they were living in the most �tech-savvy� country. Fine, whatever you like. But with the evidence staring them straight in the face, they told me that that �a 5-15GB mp3 player (ipod) is impossible.� They then said they'd buy a Samsung player because even though the ipod was superior, it wasn�t Korean. Go figger.
| rocklee wrote: |
| The Macbook is not a benchmark for laptops, in fact it has a serious design fault that causes serious heat....In terms of technology, Apple is at the bottom of the ladder. |
Mac stuff the bottom of the tech ladder? Well, that's the first I've heard someone say that. Among many other things, Apple has its own OS, unlike Samsung and LG which have to rely on third party software vendors (Windows), resulting in crap compatibility with the hardware, which is basically slapped together. Hence all the crashes, viruses, and low productivity. The Macs look cool, true, but the main reason I'll be switching is that I can get stuff done with them. Macbooks are in fact highly recommended by pro film and music producers (who love the software) musicians, the military, writers, artists, and scientists at Cambridge University, the world�s top science school. Even the mainstream media have admitted that Macs are the new cutting edge. More work, less crashes, better software.
Apple computers currently have only about 5% world market share (they are a little more expensive) but Windows users are switching to Mac in droves, and Macbooks currently hold Amazon�s top 3 spots in computer sales ranks.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/new-for-you/top-sellers/-/pc/all/ref%3Dpd%5Fts%5Fpc%5Fnav/104-9406687-0723918
Contrary to your opinion the experts give the new Macbook Time�s Gadget of the Week
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1201878,00.html
as was the Macbook Pro http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1168798,00.html
likewise with the iMac
"Wall Street Journal technology columnist Walt Mossberg gave the highest praise possible to not one but two Apple Computer products in his Thursday Personal Technology column, calling Mac OS X "rock solid" and the G5 iMac "the single best desktop computer I have ever reviewed."
ipods, however are the #1 selling music and video player in the world.
Actually if you read the Apple Forums you�ll find the majority of users are not experiencing the heat problem or the mythological high whine either. There was a serious safety problem with Apple�s Powerbooks a little while back which resulted in Apple having to drop LG as its battery supplier, perhaps you mean that?
I'm sorry but comparing Macbooks and Apple computers to Sens and other local models is like comparing a Porsche to a Hyundai Pony.
How many Samdung or LG notebooks have a built-in camera, remote control, Open GL, and can run both Mac OSX and Windows? Not to worry, I�m sure they�ll rush to copy Apple pretty soon.
| rocklee wrote: |
| PC Bangs using Windows 98? Let me check. Ok, XP here. Might be different in your area. |
Seems to be about 50/50 where I am. But still, Windows �98?! I can�t even download itunes with that. C�mon Korea, get with the digital revolution. It�d also be convenient if they�d install some more word processing, spreadsheet and presentation programs in those PC rooms, too. Less emphasis on games and a bit more on productivity, that would be great. That said, the hourly rate in those Korean PC rooms is excellent, and the free yoghurt drinks are a nice touch too.
| rocklee wrote: |
| Since when do Motorola make the best handphones? They are under featured, underpowered and mostly overpriced. |
The same could be said about any brand of cell phone I guess. But the numbers certainly favor Motorola (the ground-breaking American company which invented cell phones) and Nokia, the world #1. Which company is best? I don't know but Samsung clearly has no problem copying Motorola phones, I notice.
http://www.cameraphonefocus.co.uk/samsung/yet_another_razr_clone_samsung.
Which brings me back to the original point, that in spite of your protestations, foreign tech does in fact come late to Korea. My gut tells me this is often intentional so that Korean companies can copy the latest tech designs and corner the local market, or at least sell a local product of any quality. Sometimes corporate and consumer-driven patriotism plays a role too, as we saw when Reigncom (iRiver) recently instructed Koreans not to buy Apple because it was �unpatriotic�. Then again, it isn't the first time Korean companies have tried to sell their stuff using politcs and xenophobia.
�South Korean marketers got into the action with blatant ads that appealed to nationalism.
A maker of MP3 players, Reigncom, asked South Koreans not to buy Apple's iPod because it was unpatriotic. KTF broadcast a commercial claiming its mobile phone service even reaches the far-off Dokdo. In a clever scheme, Daegu Bank created a "Dokdo branch bank" that only existed in cyberspace and quickly garnered $100,000 in deposits.�
Full article here. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/GL23Dg02.html
So when I hear that Koreans �aren�t impressed with foreign products� I kind of feel sorry for them in that they're been duped by these kinds of companies. What I really hear is �Korean protectionism and nationalism are alive and well� and that they�re behind the tech curve yet again. The same people who use an iRiver or [insert local product here] even though they are inferior are often the same people who won�t buy a foreign car because it�s unpatriotic. Hence why we see 95% plus Korean cars on the streets of Korea. Still, it's their choice.
| rocklee wrote: |
| Otherwise, the local products like Sharp and Sony are at least a generation over what's available in your country. |
Not sure which products you mean here. And what is my country?
| rocklee wrote: |
| Yeah there are quite a number of kids with iPods, but not a lot. I used to teach in Tokyo so I think I have first know knowledge of what kids have these days. There was a period where a trend come and go and the iPod was one of them. Happens anywhere. Apple bank on hype than substance. |
Sounds like it�s been a while since your days in Tokyo. I was in Japan just two months ago and ipods are (not were) everywhere. Hardly a 'has-been' trend as you implied.
�iPod Takes Japan by Storm
The Godzilla of digital-music players far outsells rivals from local consumer-electronics giants like Sony....
Spend any time hanging around Tokyo's bustling Shibuya retail and fashion conclave, and you will doubtless see electronic shops galore hawking MP3 players such as Sony's (SNE) Walkman, Toshiba's Gigabeat, and the Panasonic D-Snap brand. Yet a determined young couple on hand recently -- Megumi Mizuno, 22, and Takaaki Tokuyoshi, 17 -- bypassed them all, making a straight shot to the Apple outlet. Why? They've been infected by the near-global iPod obsession.
"The iPod design is cool," says Mizuno, a college student majoring in psychology, who wants a replacement for her aging mini-disk player. Tokuyoshi, meanwhile, is looking for a step up from his DoCoMo (DCM) mobile phone, which he currently uses to listen to music. "iPod's sound quality is better, and the cell-phone battery doesn't last long enough to enjoy listening to music," he says. "The prices are reasonable, too." �It seems iPod mania is alive and well in Japan -- one of the most competitive consumer-electronics markets on the planet. Despite an array of well-entrenched Japanese rivals, such as Sony and Matsushita� the iPod had cornered 51.3% of the digital-music player market as of the end of 2005��
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/feb2006/gb20060223_774050.htm
Contrary to predictions, cell phones did not emerge as �ipod-killers� in Japan and Apple�s Japanese market share has risen even more to 61%. You see the same types of figures in 'tech-savvy' Europe, the US, Canada, etc. I�d guess this is because people in these countries are generally less impressed with all-in-ones, and prefer high function over style after all.
| rocklee wrote: |
| My phone - Takes 5 megapixel pictures, receives/sends phone calls. Perfect, I don't need to buy another consumer camera since I have a DSLR. And I have a phone in case I need to make a call. Living in a foreign country, having a dual purpose device like that is infinitely more convenient than carrying 2,3,4 items. |
Great, and like I said, for amateurs this is fine, but how many professional photographers would want to use a cell phone to ply their trade? About the same number of professional music producers or musicians who would use a cell phone to store and play their music collection.
| rocklee wrote: |
| I can't wait till companies like O2, LG and Sony produce 5mp PDA/phones with 5++GB of storage. Only needing to carry one thing is the ideal. |
But 5++ GB will hardly cut it. My pod (30 GB)
can hold a lot more, and they have a 60 GB too. Perhaps you could set your sights a bit higher?
| rocklee wrote: |
| Most Korean phones have excellent display for what they do. |
Key phrase being �for what they do� which is primarily to make phone calls. What they don't do is store anywhere near the amount of an ipod or have such an excellent user interface or display. Nor can they take pictures as well as cameras pro photographers use. Like I said, I think phones are pretty old school when you get down to it.
Last edited by Zulu on Fri Jun 09, 2006 8:02 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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