Ipods and MP3 players...please help!!

pearlygirly

I am looking to purchase something like an Ipod where I can store all my music without having to take my CDs on a trip I'll be going on this year.

I have absolutely no technical knowledge so I don't want to go into a store and pay astronomical prices if I don't have to.

Also, I am an IBM user and don't own a Mac. Does this make a difference? What is the difference between an Ipod and an MP3 player?

I'm so confused!!! Any help will be greatly appreciated!!

mccreadyisgod

Originally posted by pearlygirly
I am looking to purchase something like an Ipod where I can store all my music without having to take my CDs on a trip I'll be going on this year.

I have absolutely no technical knowledge so I don't want to go into a store and pay astronomical prices if I don't have to.

Also, I am an IBM user and don't own a Mac. Does this make a difference? What is the difference between an Ipod and an MP3 player?

I'm so confused!!! Any help will be greatly appreciated!!

Well, this isn't my area of expertise, but you can use an iPod with a PC.

iPods are almost the exact same as an mp3 player, but they have much larger hard drives (20 GB) and they can be used as a traveling hard drive for your computer. I can't remember if they're firewire or USB, but firewire is faster and USB is more universal. mp3 players are usually smaller, have less space. If you're looking for something with LOTS of space for songs, the iPod is in it's own class... I can't remember exactly, but I think it's about 20,000 minutes or 300 hours. An mp3 player usually has 128 MB of memory, and then Flash memory. Which means you can have 2 hours of songs on the player, and then more stuff on little discs.

iPods are great, though... everyone I know who owns one loves it.

who's_pearljam?

Ipod is definitely the way to go.

You can put like 400 CD's on the forty gig one. I just went to an Ibook from pc, and I don't know how easy it is with pc , but I am an idiot at computers and I can just load right into the ipod. They cost more, but they are amazing. Rechargeable battery though, so it depends where you're travelling to. You can get car adapters for them, but if you're trekking in the Andes or something you'll have a hard time charging it.
Of course if you're trekking in the andes, you should be listening to the wind anyway!:D

Brain of mJ

Mac has come under fire lately about Ipod's battery life. Apparently, after about 18 months of usage, the battery life drops vastly. Mac claims it should still run at 75% but people have disputed that. So mac now says you can get a replacement battery for 99 bucks if you feel it is warrented. So I guess time will tell if my ipod will suffer the same fate.

pearlygirly

Thanx guys for all the help. It makes the decision easier!

who's_pearljam?

Originally posted by Brain of (M)J
Mac has come under fire lately about Ipod's battery life. Apparently, after about 18 months of usage, the battery life drops vastly. Mac claims it should still run at 75% but people have disputed that. So mac now says you can get a replacement battery for 99 bucks if you feel it is warrented. So I guess time will tell if my ipod will suffer the same fate.

The battery is no different than any other rechargeable lithium battery, as it will wear out after a while. It depends how much you use it . You're best off not letting those things discharge too far, as it shortens the life. The problem ended up that it is hard to change it. You can get an aftermarket kit for about 60 bucks to do it, but it is delicate, but do-able. It didn't scare me off, though. My friend got the kit and it came with this tiny little toothpick thing like for microsurgery! For 99 bucks you can send it to Apple to replace the battery.

I like the fact that I know how to use the thing! I'm a simpleton at that stuff.