So my iPod (old, click-wheel style, no video, 40 GB) is dying, and I’m looking to get a new mp3 player. I was always pretty happy with it and I’m particularly happy with iTunes still. However, when looking at (and pricing) iPods as they stand now, I’m not sure that I want to continue with Apple. In particular, I won’t use the video features, and I feel like I can probably do better by buying something without those features. I’ve already got more music than I can fit on my iPod as it is, so I’m not averse to buying something with less storage space- 5 GB would be about the minimum, and I think 10 would probably be about right.
What have your experiences been with non-iPod mp3 players? Anything I should specifically avoid?
No personal experience to relate, but MS released their upgraded Zune to lackluster reviews. IPOD still holds 70+% of the market in spite of all the competition, which speaks well. Cite
If you don’t want much space, perhaps a new Nano? Or an older refurbished Nano? If you go to the Apple store online and look at their refurb stuff you can usually get some things pretty cheap. I’m only pushing the Apple because you mentioned that you liked it and you like iTunes. If you don’t care for those, what kind of features and price are you looking for? There are tons and tons of MP3 players out there, most with more features than Apple and lower price to boot.
Well, I love my Creative Zen (that does have video capabilities but I rarely use them, and I got mine fairly cheap from the Creative store on Ebay) and I also adored by Rio Carbon. Both are excellent players—I especially loved my Rio Carbon. After 2 years, the battery began to die.
Reliability would be a major consideration in picking an mp3 player - All the ones I’ve owned have broken, although I do use them for sports most of the time. Cowon make good mp3 players - I have this 8gb one at the moment and its the best performing I’ve found, certainly if you’re not interested in video. That said, my previous cowon lasted about nine months and their warranty was a struggle. At least with the ipod you get a clearly defined and (presumably) rigorous warranty system in place.
I have a 20 Gig iRiver H320 and absolutely love it. The sound quality is great and it has a great set of features including the ability to replace the firmware with the Rockbox firmware. It also comes with a built in voice recorder that I have used many times.