My daughter turns 14 here in September and has been dropping hints that ALL she wants for her birthday is a new MP3 player. About 2 years ago we bought her a little IPod Shuffle and she has taken great care of that little machine, but lately it has been showing signs of wear and tear, etc.
So my wife and I have decided to get her a new one–but the question is which one? I want to get her something that will last a few years as she moves into her mid teens and she has demonstrated that she can take care of things, so I don’t mind spending the money on something nice. Music is a huge deal in her life right now and I want to give her something that expands and has the capabilities to expand with her.
So I am looking at either the 120GB Zune or the 120GB IPod. They both are about the same price, but it seems the Zune has a lot of nice features such as Wi-Fi, FM tuner, wireless sync, etc. They also offer something they call a unlimited download for $15 a month and you can keep 10 songs a month—does anyone here have experience with that?
I am seeking any advice on either of these two devices–or other devices if you have one you particularly like. I haven’t made up my mind–just in fact gathering stage right now. So fellow Dopers–what MP3 player do you use and/or recommend? Thanks!
The Zune HD is highly anticipated and the specs are very attractive. But it’s a direct competitor to the iPod Touch, not the iPod Classic.
The iPod is still a safe choice though, and the easiest upgrade for someone who already uses an iPod Shuffle.
Personally I’m very happy with my iPod Nano. It’s so small and light that I can (and do) carry it in my shirt pocket every day. (The iPod Classic is too big and heavy for that.) I have the 16GB version, and that’s plenty of space to carry all the music I listen to regularly or semi-regularly.
When I was shopping for a player I chose an iPod over a Zune simply 'cause I like the feel of the iPod features. Many of the featues of the Zune has a clumsy feel and took too many clicks to get to.
Now obviously that is a personal preferrence, but you may want to consider asking your daughter that if the present isn’t a surprise.
I recently wanted and bought an MP3 player. The iPods are undeniably cool, that’s for certain, but I also think that what you’re buying when you purchase one is marketing. When I was looking, that marketing added at least another $50 to the price.
I ended up with a Sony Walkman (the 8 gig). It’s not loaded with features, but all I wanted was for it to play music at a cheapish price. The (small) video screen and radio and such were bonuses. Cost me under $100 at Best Buy. I’m really happy with it.
All that said, one thing to consider is your daughter’s existing library. Does she use iTunes a lot? Is she happy with it? Are most of her songs from iTunes or in AAC format (instead of MP3)? If she’s bought a ton of music from iTunes already, those songs might not play on the Zune. It might be worth going for another iPod just because of her current library - I believe it’s possible to transfer them over to the new iPod.
I’m a huge iPod fan, but the new Zune HD has me intrigued. But that’s not a model you’re considering. My question is: Why aren’t you considering the Zune HD or the iPod Touch?
120GB is a LOT of space. And that’s fine - but I don’t know a ton of people capable of using it all. Those who do have been collecting music for decades and decades, and have incredibly wide, genre-crossing interests.
I’d ask her what she’d be more interested in - a huge hard drive capable of carrying 23 years of continuous music (number made up for hyperbolic purposes), or a smaller harddrive on a device that lets you surf the internet?
You can convert one format to another easily as long as you don’t try to upconvert, you won’t really notice. (Upconverting is trying to go from 128aac to 320mp3)
You have to select the same bit rate range when you convert.
You pretty much hit it on the head here. I asked her to send me a list of what she wanted for her birthday. She sent me via text a list of about 8 items, the number one being a ***‘purple or green iPod Nano 8gb or 16gb’ ***and that is what she will get. I misunderstood her and thought she wanted more then that, but I am glad I asked. Her current library is all iPod and it makes sense to go iPod given her age, etc. The Nano was more in the price range I was originally thinking so I think everyone will be happy. Thanks again to all of you for your insight.
Was it on the high or low side (if you don’t mind me asking)? Because deep down, she might REALLY want a Touch. (But I have no idea if 14 is still too young for that fancy of a piece of mobile electronics.)
Low side-- so now I can give her money for music too What she has had for 2 years is a little iPod shuffle. But it doesn’t hold all of her music. She likely needs something that has another GB. The 8 or 16 GB Nano will likely suffice for several years. After I posted this thread I started thinking about it and realized buying her 120Gb of room was a waste–by the time she filled it up, the techonology would be so much more advanced that what she had would be obsolete. The Nano was what I had intended way last year, but I let my emotions (and the drugs for my hip injury) take over.
Oh I am quite sure she would like the Touch, but I also know she would be very happy with the Nano too. To 14 years old girls that is all relative. Her computer died (old laptop) and we bought a new one. Gave my wife the new one and gave my daughter, my wifes old laptop. She was thrilled! I thought she might throw a fit and say ‘my computer was the one that broke–why don’t I get the new computer’–but to her credit she didn’t. She is very happy with my wifes old computer (hell I would be too, it is a nice computer). So I think she has a good perspective on these things and realizes asking for the moon isn’t the right thing. She asked for what she realistically could expect, but I am quite sure if I gave her the Touch I would be Dad-God!
My daughter (now age 12, then 11) heard last fall that a girl in her Scout troop was to receive an iPod touch for her birthday.
And she commenced whining for one herself.
I sweetly pointed out that “but A’s mother LOVES her!!!”.
As expected, this earned me the Glare of Death ™ and a laugh.
Yeah, it’d make me (you, in your case) the Parent God, but they’re expensive, and my kid would have been delighted with a Nano upgrade. She as it happens already had one, a 4G, and she’d be delighted with an 8g or 16g even though she has nowhere near enough stuff to fill one up.
Anyway - I think your kid will be delighted with the Nano. She’ll be stunned at how much easier and more fun it is than the shuffle! The Nanos are real workhorses too; my daughter swings hers around, drops it, and it works perfectly.
As a music-library datapoint, I just checked mine and it is just under 13g. This is after ripping a hundred or more CDs plus miscellaneous downloads from iTunes. The 16G nano should be plenty for your daughter.
(oh, and happy birthday to the Little Miss Matata!).
thanks Mama Zappa - that is my thought as well. When I posted this thread I have to admit I was under my pain pills for my hip So perhaps I was in a more generous mood then I normally would have been. I mean looking back on this now, I am 'WTF? The kid would take 10 years to fill up 120GB! What was I thinking?"
You know–sometimes it is the smartest thing to just ask the damn kid what she wants. She is a smart kid and she knows if she asks for something way out there, that she likely isn’t going to get it, and at best would get a cheap imitation. Her mother (not my current wife) is notorious for this. She would find some cheap off brand iPlod Nanno or something and give that to her So my daughter has learned to be VERY specific as to what she wants.
She even gave me the color. She isn’t asking her mom for the Ipod, she will likely just ask her for money to buy music or something. Sure kid–give Dad the big expense–all I can say is it a good thing I love her.
And she turns 14 this year. Yikes! Thanks though for the birthday wishes.
The real reason to get a 120GB device is if you want to use it for video and movies. I got my wife the 120GB Zune because it interfaces with Windows Media Center to wirelessly sync the shows that we DVR on the computer. Pretty handy feature.
But if you aren’t going to watch video, there’s no point. I’ve been collecting digital music for a decade, and I have maybe 45 GB total. I certainly don’t want to listen to it all at once, so a 20 GB ipod is plenty big enough for me.
What she has had for 2 years is a little iPod shuffle. But it doesn’t hold all of her music. She likely needs something that has another GB. The 8 or 16 GB Nano will likely suffice for several years. After I posted this thread I started thinking about it and realized buying her 120Gb of room was a waste–by the time she filled it up, the techonology would be so much more advanced that what she had would be obsolete. The Nano was what I had intended way last year, but I let my emotions (and the drugs for my hip injury) take over.
So perhaps I was in a more generous mood then I normally would have been. I mean looking back on this now, I am 'WTF? The kid would take 10 years to fill up 120GB! What was I thinking?"
So my daughter has learned to be VERY specific as to what she wants.