# IPod vs MP3 Player--what's the diff? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897 "2009-11-01T00:58:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/21 "2009-11-01T13:05:33Z")
I bought my gadget from Radio Shack. 8 gigs memory and a screen that I can watch cartoons on. About $60. Holds plenty of free audiobooks from [Librivox.org](http://Librivox.org) and as many cds as I care to borrow from the library and copy. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/22 "2009-11-01T13:18:47Z")
So, 8 gigs? Is a 2 gig model OK? ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/23 "2009-11-01T13:37:46Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Yeah, where’d the idea that iPods aren’t hard drive based come from? Sure, the Nano, Shuffle and Touch are flash memory, but all the “standard” iPods are hard drives. There is only one hard drive based iPod offered these days. The iPod 160gb iPod Classic. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/24 "2009-11-01T13:40:09Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > So, 8 gigs? > > Is a 2 gig model OK? Depends on what you use it for. I loaded Mrs. FtG’s iPod with a bunch of songs. Filled about 3/4 of a 4Gig hard drive. She plays it in shuffle mode from a dock all weekend long while she cooks (and she cooks a lot). So it’s like a radio except no commercials and you get Muddy Waters followed by Bach. She also uses it when exercising. My first player was a basic flash-drive stick model with 1Gig. Not really enough room and the no-display, fixed order parts a pain. But it is small and I still use it for non-music. I have a 20Gig iPod for myself. Will never come close to filling it up. 2 is on the low side for occasional use. 8 for moderate. Video models need a lot more of course. (I would never buy iPods for myself and would get a comparable non-Apple model for a lot less. FtGKid2 bought the busted iPods off of eBay and gave them to me as a present. I like fixing things for fun and I did. So that worked out well.) ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/25 "2009-11-01T13:57:09Z")
Just browsing through my music files, it looks like AAC music tracks are just under 1MB per minute. That’s about 400 5-minute tracks. You can do some rough estimations based on that. For videos, there doesn’t seem to be any obvious relationship between file size and clip length. I have some Quicktime videos that are about 10MB per minute, while others seem to be 2MB per minute. I think the smaller ones probably started out as flash videos and at some point I converted them (or maybe iTunes did it for me). ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/26 "2009-11-01T16:34:57Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Yeah, where’d the idea that iPods aren’t hard drive based come from? Sure, the Nano, Shuffle and Touch are flash memory, but all the “standard” iPods are hard drives. If you’ve been to a college recently (where I tend to see the most iPods), the Classics haven’t been “standard” in years. First it was the Mini, then everyone started having Nanos, and now it’s a mix between various gens of Nanos and iPhones/iPod Touches. The Classic iPod actually stands out from its rarity. YMMV, of course. * * * **Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor** , my suggestion is to get an iPod Nano or a Classic if you want more space. Either a lower-capacity current-gen model or a refurbished one from Apple (consider Applecare, their extended warranty plan, if you get a refurbished one). I’m not an Apple fanboy; far from it… I don’t even have an iPod right now. But I’ve tried dozens of different non-iPod MP3 players in my lifetime, including the one I have now, and none of them come close to the iPod’s simplicity and ease of use. If this is your first MP3 player ever, it’s worth the extra dough to get something that just works, and works well. The iPod also has the largest accessory market… need a case, screen protector, whatever for it? Any electronics store will have some. Not so for the lesser-known players. And a lot of the minor players have terrible user interfaces, and chances are you won’t be able to tell until you buy it and it’s too late. Stick with the iPod, at least for your first device. In terms of DRM, let me suggest something else right off the bat: GET DRM-FREE MUSIC. DRM-free music means songs that you can copy to any number of computers and devices without restriction. It also means your music isn’t dependent on the solvency (or whim) of the company that sold it to you. Several online music stores have closed over the past decade, permanently disabling their users’ music (usually with a refund/credit of some sort, but it’s still a hassle). All of [Amazon’s MP3 catalog](http://www.amazon.com/MP3-Music-Download/b?ie=UTF8&node=163856011) is DRM-free. So is[iTunes Plus](http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/05/30itunesplus.html) (NOT regular iTunes). [eMusic](http://www.emusic.com/) is a good choice for indie music. The only worthwhile DRM, in my opinion, is “subscription music” – you pay, say $15 a month for all the music you care to download, but the songs will only be playable as long as you retain an active subscription.. ---
**Author:** ![Add99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@Add99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Add99)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/27 "2009-11-01T16:54:58Z")
I have two Ipod Classic 160gb that I use every day. They do not play “flawlessly”, they have a distinct flaw in which they randomly chop mute the final 10 seconds of a song due to an antiquated codec which Apple used. There is no fix. It has to do with corrupt song headers blah blah blah. I live with it for the storage capabilities. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/28 "2009-11-01T16:59:02Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > There is only one hard drive based iPod offered these days. The iPod 160gb iPod Classic. How weird. This 120GB iPod Classic I just bought must be some kinda mutant. > [@Add99](#): > > I have two Ipod Classic 160gb that I use every day. > > They do not play “flawlessly”, they have a distinct flaw in which they randomly chop mute the final 10 seconds of a song due to an antiquated codec which Apple used. There is no fix. It has to do with corrupt song headers blah blah blah. > > I live with it for the storage capabilities. I have not had this problem with the 120GB. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/29 "2009-11-01T17:12:41Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > If you’ve been to a college recently (where I tend to see the most iPods), the Classics haven’t been “standard” in years. First it was the Mini, then everyone started having Nanos, and now it’s a mix between various gens of Nanos and iPhones/iPod Touches. The Classic iPod actually stands out from its rarity. > > YMMV, of course. Interestingly enough, Apple has been giving away iPods to any student purchase of a new Mac every summer before school starts for quite a while now. They used to give away Minis, then Nanos, and now iPod Touches. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/30 "2009-11-01T17:33:18Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > Interestingly enough, Apple has been giving away iPods to any student purchase of a new Mac every summer before school starts for quite a while now. They used to give away Minis, then Nanos, and now iPod Touches. First one’s always free… ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/31 "2009-11-01T19:38:31Z")
> [@Add99](#): > > I have two Ipod Classic 160gb that I use every day. > > They do not play “flawlessly”, they have a distinct flaw in which they randomly chop mute the final 10 seconds of a song due to an antiquated codec which Apple used. There is no fix. It has to do with corrupt song headers blah blah blah. > > I live with it for the storage capabilities. Is this what you are experiencing? [http://forums.ilounge.com/archive/index.php/t-9300.html](http://forums.ilounge.com/archive/index.php/t-9300.html) If so, sounds like the iPod is not to blame. ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/32 "2009-11-01T20:45:36Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > [Anythingbutipod’s search results for hard-drive based players](http://tinyurl.com/hdmp3players) > > Be warned. They’re fugly. I have an ancient (4 years old) iRiver H10 20GB (hard disk based) that I wouldn’t call at all fugly. It also has a radio, plays videos, has a built-in microphone so it can be used as a voice recorder, etc. Amazon product page [here](http://www.amazon.com/iRiver-H10-Player-Recorder-Grey/dp/B0009H9Q04). (Note: this is an insane price - it was around $200 new). I’m not suggesting that you go out and buy one of these - after all, it’s obsolete - just pointing out that there are well-thought-out iPod alternatives out there. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/33 "2009-11-02T03:18:29Z")
Kleenex v. tissue Xerox v. copy machine IPod is a brand name that is substituted sometimes for any mp3 player. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/34 "2009-11-02T03:33:41Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Kleenex v. tissue > Xerox v. copy machine > > IPod is a brand name that is substituted sometimes for any mp3 player. Cue fanbois and Apple lawyers in 3…2… ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/35 "2009-11-02T03:49:14Z")
sansa, sandisk has a line of quality players ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/36 "2009-11-02T03:57:52Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > IPod is a brand name that is substituted sometimes for any mp3 player. Sorta like “Walkman,” for those of us who were around during the 80’s, was a brand name for Sony’s personal cassette player, but was often used to refer to one of any brand. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/37 "2009-11-02T04:01:33Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > So, 8 gigs? > > Is a 2 gig model OK? That depends. If you plan to use it to store your music collection on, no. If you store your collection on your computer (or have it on old-fashioned media like CDs), but want to load some music (or podcasts or audiobooks or whatever you listen to) onto it to have with you during the day, the way people would carry around a few tapes or CDs in the Walkman days, then that may be plenty. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/38 "2009-11-02T04:14:11Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > [eMusic](http://www.emusic.com/) is a good choice for indie music. Yes, yes it is. And recently, they added a huge amount of back catalog from Sony(/BMG?). So there’s lots of good classic major-label stuff on eMusic now too (those of us who’ve been subscribers for a while do like to gripe about the effective price increase because of this, though, but it’s still way cheaper than iTunes). ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/39 "2009-11-02T07:13:05Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > In terms of DRM, let me suggest something else right off the bat: GET DRM-FREE MUSIC. DRM-free music means songs that you can copy to any number of computers and devices without restriction. It also means your music isn’t dependent on the solvency (or whim) of the company that sold it to you. Several online music stores have closed over the past decade, permanently disabling their users’ music (usually with a refund/credit of some sort, but it’s still a hassle). > > All of [Amazon’s MP3 catalog](http://www.amazon.com/MP3-Music-Download/b?ie=UTF8&node=163856011) is DRM-free. > So is[iTunes Plus](http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/05/30itunesplus.html) (NOT regular iTunes). YES, regular iTunes store is [DRM-free](http://www.macworld.com/article/137946/2009/01/itunestore.html). ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897/40 "2009-11-02T09:31:17Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > YES, regular iTunes store is [DRM-free](http://www.macworld.com/article/137946/2009/01/itunestore.html). Wow, I stand (happily) corrected! Thank you. Hurray for Apple making this move 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-vs-mp3-player-whats-the-diff/515897.md?page=3)