Hey, who would have thought that the iPod would go where it’s gone? I was right there with you in that thread. I was quite let down when they first announced the iPod.
These answers are all really interesting, thanks everybody!
There’s one thing that puzzles me, though. I think that brand recognition is a factor, but I can’t imagine that it’s that huge of a deal. There are many “Anti-Apple” people out there, and also people who simply don’t know much about Apple (other than they’re the ones who make the so-called “overpriced” computers), so I can’t imagine that people would want to buy “overpriced” MP3 players from Apple. So I always figured it had to be something more than that.
I really have to re-point out the marketing campaign and timing. Although, I do lke the interface, I have a Mac. One of my good friends was a little put-out when he had to use iTunes instead of his trusty-old-Windows Media Player, but he got over it and like iTunes now too.
But really, the campaign is brilliant, and has only gotten better.
No removeable battery. Once it dies (and it WILL die, all batteries do eventually) you have to send it back to them for a new one. Between the cost of shipping both ways, a new battery, and labor for them to do it, it’s practically the price of a new iPod. It would be so easy to make some kind of panel you remove and to sell batteries separetly, so a new battery could cost you $50 or $75, not $200.
There’s some company I jsut saw an mp3 ad for that looks good. The front panel looks like the iPods, and it seems to be cheaper. I forget what brand it was, though, so clearly it was bad marketing.
FWIW, you can buy third party battery replacement kits. I agree that non-replaceable batteries are annoying, but it also seems to be the new trend in portable electronics.
I recently took the plunge and got a 40 GB iPod. Like the Tivo, as soon as I started using it, it changed everything.
When increasing the size of something, there’s a point where it just becomes something entirely different. I had a 128 MB flash-based player and could carry around 2-3 albums worth of songs, which was pretty decent. But now I’ve got 6 1/2 days worth of music on my iPod (and it’s only 1/4 full). The difference: Every CD I have is now available to me at a moment’s notice. I can find any song I want, holding it in one hand and using the controls with my thumb. (I can also do some limited controls without even looking at it).
Then there’s the integration with iTunes. Omigod. It lets you stroll through your own library or the iTunes store, hopping from link to link, play sample tunes and buy anything for $1. You’re sitting there listening to a 30 second clip from a song you like, and it’s only a buck. Sure, you can afford it. (And there’s a million more where that came from). I think the reason it’s exploding (along with Apple’s profits) is because the minute I downloaded my previously small MP3 library onto it, I suddenly became a dream consumer : I have a thing I enjoy using, and it’s got 40 GB of empty space, yearning to be filled with $1 songs. (See? I know I’m playing right into their hands, but now, to paraphrase another recent thread, it’s my “crack.” I don’t mind it, and I’m even fooling myself into thinking that I own the iPod, instead of the other way around.)
True, and the battery kits go for around $40, with the batteries lasting you over a couple of years. Much better than having to buy four AAs or so and having to replace them every other day.
I read a review of other iPod competitors and it seems like the biggest problem with the other ones is their version of the scroll wheel. Either they don’t have it, and you have to push a button, or their scroller only has two speeds, fast and slow. With the iPod you can adjust how move your thumb quickly to get to the general area of your song and then slow it down to whatever speed you want.
Can someone give me a run down of the iPod and others? I’ve been thinking about getting one, though not much, for the motorcycle. I’d like it to be able to do most if not all of the following.
be able to just play one album
be able to have a couple of different play lists for different moods
be rugged, the motorcycle can really put a beating into things.
be able to randomly play both from all my songs and lists.
have a good long battery, my walkman has a 24 hour battery life for one AA. I don’t want to be charging the thing every couple of hours.
I would say that 3 and 5 are the most important since it would spend most of it’s life on the motorcycle and I don’t want it distroyed.
I wil only speak for the iPod, for that is what I own…
No problem at all on these two, the iPod handles this with grace and style.
If you attach the iPod directly to the motorcycle, you will have trouble. If it is in a pocket, or anywhere else with a decent bit of shock absorption, you should be fine. I’ve had my iPod miss a beat once, bouncing it around a fair bit on a treadmill.
Easy.
I get about 7-9 hours from my iPod battery between charges. not great perhaps, depending on your needs. You can get external AA battery packs for an extra 15 hours of playtime.
Thanks MrFantsyPants, it turns out that my brother just got one and he was talking to me about it. I’m still a bit worried about how well the thing can take a beating on a motorcycle, but it does look like it might work out ok.
I also liked your gift you sent me, you’re right you never can have too many maglights. I lost one last year on my motorcycle.
Another feature is the very nice dock it has. We currently have five docking stations in our house for my mother’s iPod and my father’s iPod. One in the expensive damn stereo (Sounds better than the expensive damn CD player), one in each office, one in the kitchen, one in the workshop. Plug it in, flip on the amp, and ready to rock.
The iPod, Mini iPod and iTunes prepaid $15 card were three of Amazon.com’s five best-selling consumer-electronics products this year, according to this press release.
Hey, who would have thought that the iPod would go where it’s gone? I was right there with you in that thread. I was quite let down when they first announced the iPod.