[james on bass]

Are Ipod's worth the hype? I want to get an MP3 player but notice that there are a lot of small MP3 players out there that are quite a bit less $ than the IPODs.

Is there a good reason to go IPOD?

 

[torndownunit]

The thing with the iPods is, it's the whole experience of using one not just the iPod itself. iTunes and the iPod work so well together. When you take the time to play around with the preferences of both the iPod and iTunes too, there is a lot of cool stuff you can do. That is the main reason I use an iPod.

As far as the quality of the player itself, I have no doubt the Creative players are just as good.

 

[GuitarsCanada]

I would like conclusive evidence of some kind that these iPods are so much better. The kids keep asking for them but I don't see (or maybe I am too stupid) to understand the cost difference/benefit.

 

[torndownunit]

Again, if you compare player to player I don't know if one is 'better'.

But the software and the ease of use is a HUGE factor with mp3 players with a large capacity. Pretty much anyone could easily learn to use an iPod and iTunes. And the advanced features of the software are great too.

So for, yes the iPod is worth more money. I use a Mac as well and it was worth more money as well.

It's not the same for everyone.

 

[james on bass]

Again, if you compare player to player I don't know if one is 'better'.

But the software and the ease of use is a HUGE factor with mp3 players with a large capacity. Pretty much anyone could easily learn to use an iPod and iTunes. And the advanced features of the software are great too.

So for, yes the iPod is worth more money. I use a Mac as well and it was worth more money as well.

It's not the same for everyone.

So what is iTunes? There program for saving and loading songs? Would I not just use my own play list on an MP3 player?

 

[torndownunit]

iTunes is for organizng your library, importing your music etc, tagging the files, making playlists. Organizing several GB's worth of mp3's on the player itself would be really hard.

Most players come with some kind of software. iTunes and iPod are just designed to work together lot better though.

 

[SCREEM]

i have 2 ipods 1 4th gen and the ipod video, I liked the 4th gen so much, bought the new one and gave the other to my significant other:tongue:

the ease of use and speed of the interface is amazing, the sound is pristine and there is more support, trinkets and mods thean any other player, it was an easy decision for meNone

 

[Xanadu]

well iPods can be up to 80GB, mp3 sticks are generally 1 or 2. iPods also talk really well with iTunes, and theres alot of companies making aftermarket things for iPods; ie. car chargers, docking stations.

 

[Rumble_b]

I like my ipod. It's just a small 2g nano. But it works great and easy to use.

 

[noobcake]

Well I have a 5th Gen 30gig ipod video and I think it's a great player. I upgraded from a creative muvo 256 mb "mp3 stick" and the extra space and features are definitely worth it. iTunes is great and super easy to use, it's much better than loading songs onto the player via windows explorer like I had to on the Creative.
It all boils down to this really, if you want a nice small, simple and portable mp3 player go for one of the small Sony "mp3 sticks" They come in 1,2 or 4 gig I think. If you want a feature packed player with tooooons of space then go for an ipod.

 

[torndownunit]

For the ultimate in 'small and simple' there are the new iPod shuffles too. I am likely going to buy one for the gym even though I have a lrger capacity ipod. They are 1 GB and are about the size of a matchbook. $89.

 

[noobcake]

I never understood why people even bother with shuffles to be honest:confused-smiley-010 . They're not all that cheap and they don't even have a screen. Especially the older ones, which are as big as any other "mp3 stick" minus the screen.

 

[torndownunit]

I would never have wanted one of the older ones.

The fact is at the gym though, I never look at the screen on my iPod anyway. I leave it on shuffle while I work out. And I never listen to more then an hours worth of music while I work out anyway. The new suffles being so small are perfect. And I use a Mac and iTunes, so I get the benefits of it being an iPod too.

 

[noobcake]

Hmm I guess it could prove useful in some situations. But with a 1 Gig mp3 player you don't really need all of iTunes' organization tools really. Just any other mp3 player of similar size with a screen set on shuffle mode is more useful in the long run no? But since you already have an iPod I guess a Shuffle would make sense, but for those who want 1 player to carry around everywhere, the shuffle seems like a pretty bad option if you ask me:tongue: .

 

[Jeff Flowerday]

I'm not an Ipod guy. For me, it boils down to not wanting to convert my library of wma files just so I can used them on the Ipod. There are many other options out there.

 

[torndownunit]

Hmm I guess it could prove useful in some situations. But with a 1 Gig mp3 player you don't really need all of iTunes' organization tools really. Just any other mp3 player of similar size with a screen set on shuffle mode is more useful in the long run no? But since you already have an iPod I guess a Shuffle would make sense, but for those who want 1 player to carry around everywhere, the shuffle seems like a pretty bad option if you ask me:tongue: .

You'd have to be really familiar with iTunes to see why. It has all these great synching and 'smart playlist' features you can use for updating and iPod/Shuffle etc. It's usefull even for a shuffle. Again, I know a lot of people don't like iPods but 90% of people I know who have owned one or tried one have never even explored the full features of the iPod or iTunes.

I am not saying there are the best player, and I totally recommend looking at other players. I will say they do give the best user experience from the beginner to the advanced level. Even my parents could figure out iTunes and iPods. And for advanced users there is so much you can do. That is why you see people who own multiple iPods.