So I went ahead and bought an iPod. I’d resisted the charms of the iPod since its release. Dunno, just kinda felt like too many people were jumping on it because it’s the it thing to do. Also didn’t help that I found the damn things to be overpriced.
And somehow, I wound up in the Apple store using an expired school ID to get the educational discount on the Pod, taking the price down to a paltry $394.
I just spent $394 fuckin dollars on this thing.
*Breathe*
So yeah, that’s what I did today. Regular updates next week, unless I wind up in Atlanta hanging out with my brother. That won’t be good for posting.
13 Comments
by aliajsmith
Welcome to the future, Bo. Your life will never be the same. iPromise.
by Kirk
“…resisted the charms of the iPod…”? That’s like saying you resisted the charms of gonorrhea.
by Kirk
Sorry, for some reason, the rest of my comment got cut off…
I’ve never understood the appeal of the iPod, other than that damn wheel they got, which truly is great, I’ll admit.
I’ve had my 20 GB Sony since Xmas ’04, and it still outperforms any iPod I’ve ever listened to, even as recently as 3 weeks ago. Better sound quality at half the bit rate.
Style is subjective, and the perception of style is what has kept the iPod going. Apple’s marketing was absolutely perfect when the iPod first came out. If it hadn’t been, the iPod would probably be nothing more than a paperweight.
by Rex
Kirk wrote:
Style is subjective, and the perception of style is what has kept the iPod going…
I think your opinion is subjective too. I mean, dude, comparing the iPod to gonorrhea?
I am on my THIRD iPod. I’ve tried others too and they aren’t as easy to navigate, they don’t sync with iTunes, the most revolutionary online store since eBay, and they have hundreds of accessories that work with it… Not to mention the photo slide show and video capabilities. The 2 1/2″ screen is remarkably vivid, and if that’s too small, hook it to the boob tube for near DVD quality.
As for sound, unless you compare the SAME digital file loaded on each device, with the same headphones, you can’t compare. The varied differences in sound quality from MP3 to AAC to WMV and various bit rates brings out too many variables. Or maybe you did load the same file…
Anyway, glad you’re happy with your Sony device. Let the debate begin, and no hard feelings!
by nikki
it simply had to be done, bomani. either the ipod or your life…
by Kirk
If you’re on your third iPod, then that probably means it’s either because you wanted to upgrade (in effect, a style consideration), or because they broke, which also tends to happen with iPods. That still doesn’t change my argument. As far as whether the same file is loaded on different players, etc., that can’t be done because of what file types each will accept. However, even if it can be attributed to a difference in the file type, that only supports my argument.
In any event, I understand why some people like/love their iPods, I just think that they’re overrated, and that the primary reason they’re as popular as they are is because of the marketing rather than anything to do with performance.
I will agree with you about that comparison being a bit off base, however. I’m no gonorrhea fan, but, clearly, there’s no way that an iPod could ever compete with gonorrhea.
by jaedalaurez
Happy ITunesing….(or uh, Limewire-ing if you’re me)
I think IPods are okay, but I use my PocketPC for basically the same thing and it works just fine.
Sure I don’t have the lil white headphones that mark me as an IPodian, but I also can run other stuff as well.
by Rex
Kirk, here’s your third reason, and the reason I have bought three iPods. Not because of style, not because they broke (I’ve never known any of my friend’s to have broken their Pods), but because of drive size. I have over 100GB of songs. Almost 20,000 songs. I am a musicphile. And, with each increasing iPod drive, it means I can fit more songs on it. I sell my old one, or pass it down. I could choose to manage two iPods and split my songs between the two, but I’m happier with just one.
As for forrmats, I really don’t believe their is ANY out there that can beat Apple’s AAC (MPEG-4). It is so good that the Audio DVD industry chose it as their format to use. They even have lossless compression as well. TRUE lossless sound. Like I said, unless you listen to the SAME MP3 loaded on each from the same source, you can’t really compare the sounds.
Anyway, happy listening…
by Rex
Bo, is there anyway to “edit” our posts? I hate when I type “their” instead of “there,” or vice versa.
Oh, Kirk, actually you can load the same file on both. Yours accepts MP3s, right?
by Kirk
Sorry, no, it doesn’t accept MP3. I got the first gen version of the 20GB Walkman, which only accepts the proprietary Sony format…haven’t felt the need to upgrade.
by Big Bro
Funny thing abut the ipod is that while the marketing is superb, somehow once you get one, you never want to try anything else. In other words the best marketing is done by the device itself. I’m an old head, so I started with the Creative Labs 6 gig Nomad. Six gigs was a ridiculous amount of hard drive at the time. It still works. I am on my 6th ipod (2 broken, one lost, 2 in play). I know that probably says something less than flattering about me, but here’s what I can say.
There is an emotional component to owning an ipod. The ipod somehow plays on the relationship between you and your music. Granted, other devices have the same potential, but somehow the ipod does it better. When your ipod craps out, which it will eventually, your response will be to get a new (better) one. It’s kinda like your girlfriend leaving you. You don’t start dating dudes. You get another, hopefully better, girl. You should see the looks on people’s faces at the genius bar at the Mac store waiting to see if there is hope for their device. It’s like next of kin in the trauma center. There is something aobut the ipod that grows on its owners. You can try to argue about ipod functionality with me, but you’re missing point. It’s MY ipod and you need to watch your tone.
by Kirk
Not exactly sure what tone it is I’d be watching, but sorry if something I typed came across the wrong way.
I don’t completely disagree with anything you say. Yes, there is an emotional connection that people seem to have with their iPods, and that’s fine. However, I think that that connection is as much, if not moreso, a function of marketing rather than performance. Having used an iPod, the Sony player, and a couple others, to varying degrees, I still think that the iPod is overrated in terms of its performance. As far as the emotional connection, that’s just not something I need from a music player.
by Big Bro
Sorry Kirk, I didn’t mean you specifically. I just meant that people can’t be talked out of loving their ipods. The point was that people respond as if you were talking about their children.