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Gandhi · Fri Jul 30, 2004 9:53 am

I just purchased couple of mini iPods for myself and my fiancee (she would have killed me if I did not buy one for her). Blue one for me, green one for her. I still have a month before they ship to cancel my order but I need convincing to change my mind.

I like the small form factor, simple interface and overall looks. I also like how I can use it like a harddrive. I do not have that many songs, so 4 gigs should be plenty for me. Contact manager and other functions are a nice plus as well.

My current MP3 "player" is my Dell Axim X5 PDA with a 256 mb SD card. Too cumbersome interface for playing music, too bulky form factor, and not enough storage. Not to mention the music sonds tinny.

So I just wanted thoughts from iPod owners on these forums on how much they like (or hate?) their iPods. Not just those with the minis, but the large iPods as well. Likes, dislikes, complaints, shortfalls in the software, restrictions on importing music, etc. Are there any other MP3 players comparable or better then the iPod?

So, what do iPod owners on the TR forums think ?

Please be honest and frank. Thanks.

etilena · Fri Jul 30, 2004 11:52 am

I own a 15GB iPod. Absolutely love it.

Used to own a Creative Jukebox Zen. It was bulkier, the buttons were hard to press, the interface just wasn't as intuitive. It broke and Creative never honoured their warranty. :evil:

As for my iPod, only use 1GB of it for songs. Although I ditched the earphones for a pair of Sennheisser PX100s. Absolutely love those too.

I also love that it doubles as a portable HD. Firewire is so fast it's amazing.

Only qualms about the iPod is that it scratches too easily. And fingerprints are a big problem as well.

Gandhi · Fri Jul 30, 2004 11:59 am

Thanks for the response. I held a mini iPod in my hands recently and absolutely fell in love with it! I just had to have one. Yeah, it is purely an impulse purchase and an extravagance.

I did some search on previous discussions on these forums and looked at the other alternatives given by fellow forum members. I think I will stick with the mini. Hopefully I will get them within the month, as Apple promised when I placed the order.

Gandhi · Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:51 am

In case anyone is interested or care (not that anyone would, but humor me here :wink:

), I canceled the order for the mini and ordered the new 20 gig model with click wheel.

With student discounts available on both models to varying degrees, the price difference came out to $40, but I get 5 times the storage space and 50 percent better estimated battery life compared to the mini.

Plus it ships in 2 days, versus 2 months I keep hearing on forums and such. And Apple is throwing in free engraving

Can't wait to get my new toy next week

etilena · Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:53 am

Gandhi wrote:
In case anyone is interested or care (not that anyone would, but humor me here ), I canceled the order for the mini and ordered the new 20 gig model with click wheel.

With student discounts available on both models to varying degrees, the price difference came out to $40, but I get 5 times the storage space and 50 percent better estimated battery life.

Plus it ships in 2 days, versus 2 months I keep hearing on forums and such. ANd Apple is throwing in free engraving Can't wait to get my new toy next week

Heh, lucky you.

the_silver_bullet24 · Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:55 am

Get an iRiver 20GB or 40GB. Way better than any iPod.

etilena · Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:58 am

the_silver_bullet24 wrote:
Get an iRiver 20GB or 40GB. Way better than any iPod.

Heh, would you at least quote why you think so?

Gandhi · Mon Aug 02, 2004 10:08 am

the_silver_bullet24 wrote:
Get an iRiver 20GB or 40GB. Way better than any iPod.

I actually looked in to the iRiver products, but ultimately decided on the iPod. iRiver 20 gig model costs $329, while I paid $269 for the iPod 20 gig model. I can buy the remote and FM transmitter for the iPOd and it would then have all the features of the iRiver. But I am not interested in the remote or FM transmitter and would rather keep the savings.

I played around both players at my local Best Buy and compared them since they were sitting side by side. The iPod wins hands down in terms of ease of use and sheer beauty compared to the iRiver. The interface is just so much better. PLus there is iTunes - makes it so much easy to download LEGAL songs of the internet at a great price, and tansfer my extensive MP3 and CD collection in one easy to use program.

Working full time and going to law school, I do not have time to mess with different software, hunting for mp3 of my favorite songs on the internet, etc. The iTunes software just makes all this so much easier. Plus, I can manage multiple iPods easily and keep the songs seperate - I got one for my fiancee as well :wink:

the_silver_bullet24 · Mon Aug 02, 2004 10:25 am

etilena wrote:
Heh, would you at least quote why you think so?

Its too early... Oh well.

Well for one thing, You have to use the remote in order to see how nice it really is. I sometimes run it up my jacket and down my sleeve down to my hand where it is more accessible.

The iRiver does not have an FM transmitter but an FM tuner, as in you can recieve FM broadcasts. Its a nice little feature to have when your parents won't stop listening to country. Range was pretty nice considering the antenna was the earphone cord (about 50km in a car)

As for the price, if you did a bit of searching you could get the iRiver for $273 and free shipping

I can't stand Apple software. Quicktime has turned me off Apple very much. If I wanted to download music and pay for it I think I'd goto http://bonfire.puretracks.com/en/Default.aspx. No software

iRiver doesn't really need software unless your gonna build a database of your songs and all you have to do to run this software is right click... oh soo nice.

Gandhi · Mon Aug 02, 2004 11:10 am

Well .... here is another reason I did not go with the iRiver. Here is my fiancee's reaction to looking at the iRiver - "That's ugly, keep the white iPod." I felt the same way when I first saw it too - decision made

sativa · Mon Aug 02, 2004 11:19 am

yup. i've researched them both and know people with both of them.

2 of the 3 people i know with the iriver got it simply because they hate apple. probably because they were forced to use those ridiculously slow Performa macs in grade/high school.

dalamar70 · Mon Aug 02, 2004 11:22 am

The older white iPods scratch pretty easily--I don't know about the latest white ones with the click wheel. The mini iPods seem much more durable in that regard.

My biggest complaint about the iPods, especially the ones with larger capacity, is the remote control. 10,000 songs and the only thing the remotes can do is next and previous track (plus volume and ff/rewind). No way to select a playlist or even forward by 10 songs. On the other hand the mini iPod is small enough that adding a remote might not make a lot of sense.

Another thing the iPods are missing for me is FM radio. Finally, except for the newest model, the iPods have somewhat short battery life.

I have a mini iPod primarily for its size. The new white iPods are tempting because of their lower prices and larger capacity, though overall I'm still happier with the mini.

Gandhi · Mon Aug 02, 2004 11:39 am

The new mini iPod models were what initially got me interested in the iPods in the first place. But this largely an impulse buy and I do not want to wait 4+ weeks to get it. Paid a little more, got more storage space and battery life.

The one thing I do want however is the microphone feature - I want to record my law school lectures - that large 20 gig drive will come in handy for that :wink:

the_silver_bullet24 · Mon Aug 02, 2004 12:01 pm

Gandhi wrote:
The new mini iPod models were what initially got me interested in the iPods in the first place. But this largely an impulse buy and I do not want to wait 4+ weeks to get it. Paid a little more, got more storage space and battery life.

The one thing I do want however is the microphone feature - I want to record my law school lectures - that large 20 gig drive will come in handy for that

My iRiver has 2 mics :lol:

siddman · Mon Aug 02, 2004 12:13 pm

Dell DJ, best bang for the buck IMO. Yes I hate Apple.

There's a chance Steve Jobs will die and all the podheads will be left high and dry or with some vendor who'd take u for a ride.

http://news.com.com/Jobs+has+surgery+fo ... 92388.html

leor · Mon Aug 02, 2004 12:26 pm

I always felt like the physical size difference of the mini ipod did not justify the storage difference.

it really is not much smaller than the hard drive based ipods, maybe 20% smaller, and with 80% less storage capacity then the 20 gig. with the size of those tiny microdrives i would have liked to see a smaller package, or fit 2 in there for 8gb.

plus the fact that it's only 50 dollars less than the standard ipod, i don't get it, but apparently people like to get the newest, cutest thing.

Gandhi · Mon Aug 02, 2004 12:42 pm

the_silver_bullet24 wrote:
My iRiver has 2 mics

It's still butt-ugly, even with the two mics :lol:

Like I said, this is an impulse buy. All practical considerations are secondary to appealing to my emotions. The iPod seduced my heart.

Gandhi · Mon Aug 02, 2004 3:10 pm

siddman wrote:
Dell DJ, best bang for the buck IMO. Yes I hate Apple.

I paid $269 for the iPOd. Dell DJ costs little bit more. Most importantly though, I absolutely HATE the MusicMatch software you are forced use with the DJ. Can't stand that interface for some unexplained reason

siddman · Mon Aug 02, 2004 3:56 pm

I have the 15Gig for $199.00. My bad. THere's no need for musicmatch, Dell released a new file transfer software that lets you take music in & out without any hassle. Officially supports Linux. I use 3rd party Dudebox software. Whatever works 4 U. As long as u & girl are Happy.

Gandhi · Mon Aug 02, 2004 4:07 pm

siddman wrote:
As long as u & girl are Happy.

Yeah, she had ultimate veto power on choice, since it is a birthday gift for her. I figured might as well get the same thing and then be able to share accessories and attachments. Once she is happy, she makes me happy :wink:

siddman · Mon Aug 02, 2004 4:23 pm

Happy Puppies! :lol:

tanker27 · Tue Aug 03, 2004 8:29 am

I love my 4G 20GB iPod. Best damn money I have ever spent. Heck even as I write this I am listening to music on my iPod!

**I am by no means an Apple Fan-boy, but if loving my iPod means that I am then so be it**

Gandhi · Tue Aug 03, 2004 10:26 am

tanker27 wrote:
I love my 4G 20GB iPod. Best damn money I have ever spent.

That's the same model I purchased - glad to hear that you like it so much. Mine should arrive in a couple of days. I can't wait for it to be in my hands.

For a while I was worried about the criticism directed to the new 4G design and it's click wheel. But reading more into it, looks like most of the complaints are from die hard 3G fans. Also ordered the microphone accessory - I need to start recording my lectures :wink:

tanker27 · Tue Aug 03, 2004 11:33 am

Gandhi wrote:
tanker27 wrote:
I love my 4G 20GB iPod. Best damn money I have ever spent.

That's the same model I purchased - glad to hear that you like it so much. Mine should arrive in a couple of days. I can't wait for it to be in my hands.

For a while I was worried about the criticism directed to the new 4G design and it's click wheel. But reading more into it, looks like most of the complaints are from die hard 3G fans. Also ordered the microphone accessory - I need to start recording my lectures

Word of advice..Make sure you go through one full charge cycle before heavy use:

The iPod will come mostly half charged, charge it from this point until max then run it completely down and then charge it max again. This is 1 charge cycle.

From here on out just re-charge as needed. About once a month you should go through a full charge cycle.

Max is when the iPod states "Charged".

As with any LiOn battery this is optimal.

Gandhi · Tue Aug 03, 2004 4:51 pm

tanker27 wrote:

Word of advice..Make sure you go through one full charge cycle before heavy use.

Thanks for the advice/tip. I will make sure to do that.

Gandhi · Wed Aug 04, 2004 9:56 pm

Wulp! My iPods were delivered today at the office. Came home, installed the software off the CD, connected the iPod, and I was downloading songs to the iPod in no time. Took may be about 5 minutes total. Sweet!!!! I am already in love with the whole system (hardware and software)

Showed my Dad how everything works and what you can do with it, and he ordered a 4G 20 gig for himself

trolli · Thu Aug 05, 2004 6:57 pm

its good to see everyone enjoys the ipods. Thats what I'm looking at getting. Trying to pay off some other bills first before I go out and buy it. But that is my next big purchase on my list.

anyone ever have any problems useing itunes to rip music before putting it onto your ipods?

Gandhi · Thu Aug 05, 2004 9:29 pm

trolli wrote:
its good to see everyone enjoys the ipods. Thats what I'm looking at getting. Trying to pay off some other bills first before I go out and buy it. But that is my next big purchase on my list.

anyone ever have any problems useing itunes to rip music before putting it onto your ipods?

No problems ripping for me - and I have ripped about 5-6 CDs thus far. I rip them in MP3 format at 192 kbps. One thing I would recommend for users planning to connect iPod on Windows XP through fire wire is downloading the patch before installing the iPod.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... layLang=en

I did the install, and now everything works smooth as silk

Hizpanick · Sun Aug 08, 2004 1:13 am

For those still deciding on an iPod, here's a nice alternative available end of August:

http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/shop/i ... ?model=267

Differences? Lighter weight, better battery life (20hrs vs 12), 5GB instead of 4GB, built in voice recorder and FM tuner. All for the same price.

Granted, it doesn't have the look of an mini, and it doesn't have the mass cultural appeal but I am seriously considering the Rio since I've learned two things that bother me about Apple in regards to their service for Windows users who use iPods.

1.) A Windows user is only allowed to call for tech support once within 90 days for free. After that it's $49 dollars a call.

2.) If you go to an Apple store to speak to a Mac Genius at the Genius bar, or even a store rep, they will not answer any questions you have at all. Instead, the policy is to direct you to Apple Tech support, and see reason #1 at that point.

Customer service to me is a big issue, and while we folks here won't have issues conencting a simple iPod, that doesn't mean friends and family are equally skilled in even a simple task as ipod installations and setup. Oh, and when I asked our store rep why this new policy is in place, he told me, I quote "Because Windows users are too stupid." Nary a dollar will go to Apple from me. 'Nuff said.

Gandhi · Sun Aug 08, 2004 9:30 am

Hizpanick wrote:
For those still deciding on an iPod, here's a nice alternative available end of August:

http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/shop/i ... ?model=267

Yeah, I saw that too and would have purchased it - except it was announced a day AFTER I placed the order for the iPod

Looks pretty cool, but a question - can it be used as a protable HDD ? I certainly would consider it as a portable back up companion to the iPod and good competition to the mini.

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