do you think i-pods will contribute to the distribution of "decent" music????

glasshouse

i think so.

glasshouse

i-pods are becoming somewhat of a novelty these days. to some extend i'm sure i-pods will ensure somewhat of a decline to the number of people tuning their radio - especially considering the potential capacity of music being stored on an i-pod complimented with its portability/accessibility.

now, lets say your mates drop by for a beer/bbq/sport/whatever you decide to "spin spin the black i - pod" - and this happens all around your neighbourhood, and as an end result we have some serious music in rotation as suppose to a couple of random CDs or the fucking FM.

i don't know. maybe. whatever. blow me.

catefrances

i don't own an i-pod but whenever im in my daughter's car and her's is plugged in, a song takes my fancy and when i ask who it is, she always replies 36 crazyfists.
so is that contributing to the distribution of good music? i don't know.

Brisk.

what do you mean by decent?

and how can ipods contribute to the distribution of decent music?


ipods are the worst mp3 players ever

dunkman

I BrisK I wrote:

what do you mean by decent?

i presume he means non-radio1 shite

and how can ipods contribute to the distribution of decent music?

just like he said.. you're at a party and instead of Now Thats What I Call Hits 27587 playing you could plug in your iPod and have a shitload more 'decent' music being played instead

ipods are the worst mp3 players ever

Aldi do one thats 59p and holds 3 songs... i'm pretty sure iPods are better than it

Brisk.

dunkman wrote:

Aldi do one thats 59p and holds 3 songs... i'm pretty sure iPods are better than it

hah

Well I mean like if you have a 20gb ipod then there are waaay better 20gb mp3 players than the ipod etc same with the mp4 versions.

Its a shame how ipods are just taking over the world now.... even when i had examinations it was like... "anybody have any mp3 players or ipods"...they are the same friggin thing

glasshouse

I BrisK I wrote:

what do you mean by decent?

"decent" in terms of the music most people on this board relates to. not your typical "what has been hot and happening for the past 5 minutes pop culture" shockwave that's been sending the quality of music in general spiraling down
the drain the last 25 years at least. (in general)

I BrisK I wrote:

and how can ipods contribute to the distribution of decent music?
ipods are the worst mp3 players ever

read my second post, i think it is pretty straight forward. got nothing to do with the quality of the sound of the music, but everything with what's being played.

example. pearl jam live at the gorge (on my i-pod) [plugged into my hi-fi] as suppose to umbrella flooding the radio/MTV while my friends are all wondering where the fuck they've been for the past 10 years.

glasshouse

catefrances wrote:

i don't own an i-pod but whenever im in my daughter's car and her's is plugged in, a song takes my fancy and when i ask who it is, she always replies 36 crazyfists.
so is that contributing to the distribution of good music? i don't know.

exactly what i'm talking about.

Brisk.

glasshouse wrote:

"decent" in terms of the music most people on this board relates to. not your typical "what has been hot and happening for the past 5 minutes pop culture" shockwave that's been sending the quality of music in general spiraling down
the drain the last 25 years at least. (in general)



read my second post, i think it is pretty straight forward. got nothing to do with the quality of the sound of the music, but everything with what's being played.

example. pearl jam live at the gorge (on my i-pod) [plugged into my hi-fi] as suppose to umbrella flooding the radio/MTV while my friends are all wondering where the fuck they've been for the past 10 years.

yeh i just dont want people to buy ipods

you could have written mp3 players instead of ipod

glasshouse

dunkman wrote:

i presume he means non-radio1 shite




just like he said.. you're at a party and instead of Now Thats What I Call Hits 27587 playing you could plug in your iPod and have a shitload more 'decent' music being played instead

dunkman got it down

glasshouse

I BrisK I wrote:

yeh i just dont want people to buy ipods

you could have written mp3 players instead of ipod

i have a 8 gig nana i-pod, and i'm really enjoying mine. catch is i bought myself some Bose headphones that cost me an arm and a leg, but now my i-pod musical experience is basically top notch!

catefrances

glasshouse wrote:

exactly what i'm talking about.

the white room as well.

tybird

I think that it is helping the spread of "decent" music....for argument sakes lets refer to "decent music" as anything that is not on TRL, in a Walmart sale ad or being played on Top 40 radio. In the last couple of weeks, I have been able to go to the Itunes store and download music that I have not seen as being commercially available since the days of vinyl.....and then it required massive efforts to locate. This is music that was not available on cd that I ever saw. The Mp3 revolution has also allowed bands such as Pearl Jam, Primus and others to provide their fans with reasonably priced "official bootlegs" of all the shows on a tour. So, I think that the mass marketing success of Ipods and other Mp3 players is a good thing for "decent music."

Jeremy1012

I BrisK I wrote:

ipods are the worst mp3 players ever

do you actually own one or are you just saying this because its cool to hate the popular fashion accessory type mp3 player?

I have been using my 30gb video iPod since december 2005. I have had no major problems with it and it is without doubt the easiest to use and the best looking mp3 player.

tybird

Jeremy1012 wrote:

I have been using my 30gb video iPod since december 2005. I have had no major problems with it and it is without doubt the easiest to use and the best looking mp3 player.

My little 20 gb U2 Special edition iPod has been kicking away since February 2005.....through long plane flights, hot and cold days out in the field (I have bird songs loaded on it, and this helps in field identification of bird songs that I might not hear on a regular basis.)

even flow?

The more they compress music, you must explain how putting an I-pod on at a party will enhance listening.


Is it really that tough to get up and put on a cd or five or even an album while enjoying time with friends. Sorry that comes from a person who actually likes to listen to music. Properly.

Brisk.

Jeremy1012 wrote:

do you actually own one or are you just saying this because its cool to hate the popular fashion accessory type mp3 player?

I have been using my 30gb video iPod since december 2005. I have had no major problems with it and it is without doubt the easiest to use and the best looking mp3 player.

yes im saying it to be cool..... idiot...

I have owned one and took it back

This is what i think

Longevity problems, dare I mention the battery issues that have plagued the iPod, batteries in a device with this kind of price should not fail or lose a significant amount of charge for years - months and weeks is simply not acceptable, what's more if (or when) the battery fails this actually requires Apple to sort it because the batteries aren't removable, a critical flaw in the design. Apple don't cover this in their warrantee, so that's hundreds of pounds down the drain.

Poor sound quality. I don't know what Apple can get away with among it's Mac OS users but Windows users are used to far better sound quality. Virtually every portable media player (even bargain basement players) I've listened to has exceeded the iPod in sound quality, this is one area where Apple need to do a lot of work to catch up, I'm not saying they'll ever be able to match what Creative have with their Zen players, but for a several hundred pound device not to compete with a £60 device in this department certainly raises a few eyebrows.

Poor control system - yes I'll admit the wheel looks like a good idea, and it's easy to control if you've got it out in front of you, but what about in your pocket? Where these players are suppose to be? It's virtually impossible to control, another gimmick feature out of Apple.

Poor compatibility - this is probably the iPod's worst defeat. Zero support for Windows Media Audio, the best lossy codec there is today and no support for Ogg Vorbis, an open source ultra-high quality codec that enjoys mass support from Linux fans (and myself) and then it lacks support for lossless formats like, WMA-lossless and Monkey's audio both very popular among audiophiles. Apple are bent on using the fringe format AAC, with their own copy protection bolted on the side for the iPod, a format that has almost zero support, a format that requires lots of unstable plug-ins on other players to actually work.

No support for Windows Media Player - the most popular media player in the market by far. Over 70 devices support the latest version of Windows Media Player (version 10) these you simply plug them in and WMP will auto-sync, transfer media the lot - all automatically if you want, you don't need to install any software you just plug them in - simple, how things should be. Not the iPod. Apple want you to install their own software called "iTunes" which like a lot of Apple software, is slow, it's buggy it's glitchy it just isn't very well thought out. It places icons on your desktop, start menu and quick launch all without asking, it installs several other applications that you never asked to be install and secretly boots them with Windows. Forcing users to install your own software and having the software do things behind your back is not on at all, you could quite easily compare that to the behaviour of a virus.

No support for 3rd party music stores. Thinking about using your iPod with many of the other music stores, Napster, MSN Music and the many others? Think again Apple force you to use their own music store linked via the before mentioned virus known as iTunes. The music you download from this store has extremely restrictive rights, you will only ever be able to play the AAC files you download on your iPod and on your computer, thinking about transferring some songs to your new player at some point in the future? Dream on, you'll have to buy it all again, and most likely from another store anyway. Apple are deliberately trying to trap users into their own media empire, a very shady business activity indeed, but then for a company that's been declining for over a decade what can you expect? I only hope people wake up and realise this before they have several hundred (or thousand) pounds worth of music that suddenly becomes totally worthless when Apple find themselves being squashed out of the market, by all their competitors that do offer choice.

iPod symbolizes lack of choice. In this day and age this is unacceptable. If you go for any Windows Media Player there are over 100 of them ranging for double digit costs and up, you can use them with virtually any online stores (except iTunes - cheer!) you'll have the choice over which licenses to go for, which prices you like and other packages that are suitable for your needs. Something that iPod users will critically lack, and something they will in the end suffer for. With Windows Media players you can just plug it in to your PC and let it fly, no installing complicated software that does things behind your back.

The choice is clear - don't go for an iPod. It's an evil hugely over-priced, parasitic device with virus like software that attempts to trap you and limit your options.

glasshouse

even flow? wrote:

The more they compress music, you must explain how putting an I-pod on at a party will enhance listening.

:rolleyes:

even flow? wrote:

Is it really that tough to get up and put on a cd or five or even an album while enjoying time with friends.

no, but it is more of a mission than just scrolling up and down your i-pod play list, and here's the catch - as your friends scroll up an down your i-pod artist list they'll most definitely notice some bands they've never even heard of. you know? those buds of yours who couldn't care less whether there's a disk spinning in the hi-fi or not:)

ultraviolet77

I BrisK I wrote:

yes im saying it to be cool..... idiot...

I have owned one and took it back

This is what i think

Longevity problems, dare I mention the battery issues that have plagued the iPod, batteries in a device with this kind of price should not fail or lose a significant amount of charge for years - months and weeks is simply not acceptable, what's more if (or when) the battery fails this actually requires Apple to sort it because the batteries aren't removable, a critical flaw in the design. Apple don't cover this in their warrantee, so that's hundreds of pounds down the drain.

Poor sound quality. I don't know what Apple can get away with among it's Mac OS users but Windows users are used to far better sound quality. Virtually every portable media player (even bargain basement players) I've listened to has exceeded the iPod in sound quality, this is one area where Apple need to do a lot of work to catch up, I'm not saying they'll ever be able to match what Creative have with their Zen players, but for a several hundred pound device not to compete with a £60 device in this department certainly raises a few eyebrows.

Poor control system - yes I'll admit the wheel looks like a good idea, and it's easy to control if you've got it out in front of you, but what about in your pocket? Where these players are suppose to be? It's virtually impossible to control, another gimmick feature out of Apple.

Poor compatibility - this is probably the iPod's worst defeat. Zero support for Windows Media Audio, the best lossy codec there is today and no support for Ogg Vorbis, an open source ultra-high quality codec that enjoys mass support from Linux fans (and myself) and then it lacks support for lossless formats like, WMA-lossless and Monkey's audio both very popular among audiophiles. Apple are bent on using the fringe format AAC, with their own copy protection bolted on the side for the iPod, a format that has almost zero support, a format that requires lots of unstable plug-ins on other players to actually work.

No support for Windows Media Player - the most popular media player in the market by far. Over 70 devices support the latest version of Windows Media Player (version 10) these you simply plug them in and WMP will auto-sync, transfer media the lot - all automatically if you want, you don't need to install any software you just plug them in - simple, how things should be. Not the iPod. Apple want you to install their own software called "iTunes" which like a lot of Apple software, is slow, it's buggy it's glitchy it just isn't very well thought out. It places icons on your desktop, start menu and quick launch all without asking, it installs several other applications that you never asked to be install and secretly boots them with Windows. Forcing users to install your own software and having the software do things behind your back is not on at all, you could quite easily compare that to the behaviour of a virus.

No support for 3rd party music stores. Thinking about using your iPod with many of the other music stores, Napster, MSN Music and the many others? Think again Apple force you to use their own music store linked via the before mentioned virus known as iTunes. The music you download from this store has extremely restrictive rights, you will only ever be able to play the AAC files you download on your iPod and on your computer, thinking about transferring some songs to your new player at some point in the future? Dream on, you'll have to buy it all again, and most likely from another store anyway. Apple are deliberately trying to trap users into their own media empire, a very shady business activity indeed, but then for a company that's been declining for over a decade what can you expect? I only hope people wake up and realise this before they have several hundred (or thousand) pounds worth of music that suddenly becomes totally worthless when Apple find themselves being squashed out of the market, by all their competitors that do offer choice.

iPod symbolizes lack of choice. In this day and age this is unacceptable. If you go for any Windows Media Player there are over 100 of them ranging for double digit costs and up, you can use them with virtually any online stores (except iTunes - cheer!) you'll have the choice over which licenses to go for, which prices you like and other packages that are suitable for your needs. Something that iPod users will critically lack, and something they will in the end suffer for. With Windows Media players you can just plug it in to your PC and let it fly, no installing complicated software that does things behind your back.

The choice is clear - don't go for an iPod. It's an evil hugely over-priced, parasitic device with virus like software that attempts to trap you and limit your options.

I used to be an avid Windows Media user. That software is far from perfect. Microsoft is FAR from perfect.Have you seen a Zune lately? Yes,Most likely filling the shelves of your local Target. Nobody's buying those things. Sound quality was never an issue with either platform. Windows Media files are very easily usable in iTunes. Yes, they have to be converted...but they sound the same to the average ear. Last time I checked, most online music stores sell MP3s, which have always been supported by Apple's software. My iPod's battery has never let me down, either.

tybird

I'll be even be happier with the Itunes stores when they sell me a digital copy of the Buckingham/Nicks album.....that vinyl copy ain't getting many listens these days.

glasshouse

I BrisK I wrote:

yes im saying it to be cool..... idiot...

I have owned one and took it back

This is what i think

Longevity problems, dare I mention the battery issues that have plagued the iPod, batteries in a device with this kind of price should not fail or lose a significant amount of charge for years - months and weeks is simply not acceptable, what's more if (or when) the battery fails this actually requires Apple to sort it because the batteries aren't removable, a critical flaw in the design. Apple don't cover this in their warrantee, so that's hundreds of pounds down the drain.

Poor sound quality. I don't know what Apple can get away with among it's Mac OS users but Windows users are used to far better sound quality. Virtually every portable media player (even bargain basement players) I've listened to has exceeded the iPod in sound quality, this is one area where Apple need to do a lot of work to catch up, I'm not saying they'll ever be able to match what Creative have with their Zen players, but for a several hundred pound device not to compete with a £60 device in this department certainly raises a few eyebrows.

Poor control system - yes I'll admit the wheel looks like a good idea, and it's easy to control if you've got it out in front of you, but what about in your pocket? Where these players are suppose to be? It's virtually impossible to control, another gimmick feature out of Apple.

Poor compatibility - this is probably the iPod's worst defeat. Zero support for Windows Media Audio, the best lossy codec there is today and no support for Ogg Vorbis, an open source ultra-high quality codec that enjoys mass support from Linux fans (and myself) and then it lacks support for lossless formats like, WMA-lossless and Monkey's audio both very popular among audiophiles. Apple are bent on using the fringe format AAC, with their own copy protection bolted on the side for the iPod, a format that has almost zero support, a format that requires lots of unstable plug-ins on other players to actually work.

No support for Windows Media Player - the most popular media player in the market by far. Over 70 devices support the latest version of Windows Media Player (version 10) these you simply plug them in and WMP will auto-sync, transfer media the lot - all automatically if you want, you don't need to install any software you just plug them in - simple, how things should be. Not the iPod. Apple want you to install their own software called "iTunes" which like a lot of Apple software, is slow, it's buggy it's glitchy it just isn't very well thought out. It places icons on your desktop, start menu and quick launch all without asking, it installs several other applications that you never asked to be install and secretly boots them with Windows. Forcing users to install your own software and having the software do things behind your back is not on at all, you could quite easily compare that to the behaviour of a virus.

No support for 3rd party music stores. Thinking about using your iPod with many of the other music stores, Napster, MSN Music and the many others? Think again Apple force you to use their own music store linked via the before mentioned virus known as iTunes. The music you download from this store has extremely restrictive rights, you will only ever be able to play the AAC files you download on your iPod and on your computer, thinking about transferring some songs to your new player at some point in the future? Dream on, you'll have to buy it all again, and most likely from another store anyway. Apple are deliberately trying to trap users into their own media empire, a very shady business activity indeed, but then for a company that's been declining for over a decade what can you expect? I only hope people wake up and realise this before they have several hundred (or thousand) pounds worth of music that suddenly becomes totally worthless when Apple find themselves being squashed out of the market, by all their competitors that do offer choice.

iPod symbolizes lack of choice. In this day and age this is unacceptable. If you go for any Windows Media Player there are over 100 of them ranging for double digit costs and up, you can use them with virtually any online stores (except iTunes - cheer!) you'll have the choice over which licenses to go for, which prices you like and other packages that are suitable for your needs. Something that iPod users will critically lack, and something they will in the end suffer for. With Windows Media players you can just plug it in to your PC and let it fly, no installing complicated software that does things behind your back.

The choice is clear - don't go for an iPod. It's an evil hugely over-priced, parasitic device with virus like software that attempts to trap you and limit your options.

ok, read your whole post and I’m intrigued by some of your views - i respect them. but, from my point of view apple is establishing some sort of monopoly with their i-pods, and i don't really see them loosing their firm grasp on the current market in the near future whatsoever.

as for i-tunes behaving like a virus (:rolleyes: ) - yes and no - from my experience. I’m more contempt with i-tunes than not though. no serious hassles.

the one point you made with which i concur and see as a potential future problem, is the compatibility of tunes downloaded from i-tunes

as for sound quality - get some decent headphones and you can't complain (at all) as far as I’m concerned - and i feel it important to state that sound quality is of utmost importance to me.

glasshouse

ultraviolet77 wrote:

My iPod's battery has never let me down, either.

i second that. none whatsoever. all in all i kind of love my i-pod

dunkman

I BrisK I wrote:

yes im saying it to be cool..... idiot...

I have owned one and took it back

This is what i think

Longevity problems, dare I mention the battery issues that have plagued the iPod, batteries in a device with this kind of price should not fail or lose a significant amount of charge for years - months and weeks is simply not acceptable, what's more if (or when) the battery fails this actually requires Apple to sort it because the batteries aren't removable, a critical flaw in the design. Apple don't cover this in their warrantee, so that's hundreds of pounds down the drain.

Poor sound quality. I don't know what Apple can get away with among it's Mac OS users but Windows users are used to far better sound quality. Virtually every portable media player (even bargain basement players) I've listened to has exceeded the iPod in sound quality, this is one area where Apple need to do a lot of work to catch up, I'm not saying they'll ever be able to match what Creative have with their Zen players, but for a several hundred pound device not to compete with a £60 device in this department certainly raises a few eyebrows.

Poor control system - yes I'll admit the wheel looks like a good idea, and it's easy to control if you've got it out in front of you, but what about in your pocket? Where these players are suppose to be? It's virtually impossible to control, another gimmick feature out of Apple.

Poor compatibility - this is probably the iPod's worst defeat. Zero support for Windows Media Audio, the best lossy codec there is today and no support for Ogg Vorbis, an open source ultra-high quality codec that enjoys mass support from Linux fans (and myself) and then it lacks support for lossless formats like, WMA-lossless and Monkey's audio both very popular among audiophiles. Apple are bent on using the fringe format AAC, with their own copy protection bolted on the side for the iPod, a format that has almost zero support, a format that requires lots of unstable plug-ins on other players to actually work.

No support for Windows Media Player - the most popular media player in the market by far. Over 70 devices support the latest version of Windows Media Player (version 10) these you simply plug them in and WMP will auto-sync, transfer media the lot - all automatically if you want, you don't need to install any software you just plug them in - simple, how things should be. Not the iPod. Apple want you to install their own software called "iTunes" which like a lot of Apple software, is slow, it's buggy it's glitchy it just isn't very well thought out. It places icons on your desktop, start menu and quick launch all without asking, it installs several other applications that you never asked to be install and secretly boots them with Windows. Forcing users to install your own software and having the software do things behind your back is not on at all, you could quite easily compare that to the behaviour of a virus.

No support for 3rd party music stores. Thinking about using your iPod with many of the other music stores, Napster, MSN Music and the many others? Think again Apple force you to use their own music store linked via the before mentioned virus known as iTunes. The music you download from this store has extremely restrictive rights, you will only ever be able to play the AAC files you download on your iPod and on your computer, thinking about transferring some songs to your new player at some point in the future? Dream on, you'll have to buy it all again, and most likely from another store anyway. Apple are deliberately trying to trap users into their own media empire, a very shady business activity indeed, but then for a company that's been declining for over a decade what can you expect? I only hope people wake up and realise this before they have several hundred (or thousand) pounds worth of music that suddenly becomes totally worthless when Apple find themselves being squashed out of the market, by all their competitors that do offer choice.

iPod symbolizes lack of choice. In this day and age this is unacceptable. If you go for any Windows Media Player there are over 100 of them ranging for double digit costs and up, you can use them with virtually any online stores (except iTunes - cheer!) you'll have the choice over which licenses to go for, which prices you like and other packages that are suitable for your needs. Something that iPod users will critically lack, and something they will in the end suffer for. With Windows Media players you can just plug it in to your PC and let it fly, no installing complicated software that does things behind your back.

The choice is clear - don't go for an iPod. It's an evil hugely over-priced, parasitic device with virus like software that attempts to trap you and limit your options.

dude... you should quote your sources when you're copying and pasting from review sites


what gave you away was the correct spelling and the use of 'z' instead of 's' in words like 'symbolizes'... thats american talk dude


edit: here is where you got your 'thoughts' from.. when did you move to Vancouver

tybird

glasshouse wrote:

as for sound quality - get some decent headphones and you can't complain (at all) as far as I’m concerned - and i feel it important to state that sound quality is of utmost importance to me.

The $50 buck iPod In-ear Headphones are a major leap from the ear buds.

cornnifer

Jeremy1012 wrote:

I have been using my 30gb video iPod since december 2005. I have had no major problems with it and it is without doubt the easiest to use and the best looking mp3 player.

i enjoyed the heck out of my 30gb ipod video for about a month until my wife accidentally dropped it in the lake. dried out, but didn't really work right after that. i called apple and the very next day had a box delivered to my doorstep with shipping instructions. i sent it off and six days later recieved, again at my doorstep a brand spankin' new one. i was pretty impressed and have been enjoying it ever since.

i admit, i am a bit concerned about not being able to change out the battery when it wears out. My only real concern.

Brisk.

dunkman wrote:

dude... you should quote your sources when you're copying and pasting from review sites


what gave you away was the correct spelling and the use of 'z' instead of 's' in words like 'symbolizes'... thats american talk dude


edit: here is where you got your 'thoughts' from.. when did you move to Vancouver

its like the only time i have quoted here so i forgot...

http://www.dasmirnov.net/blog/2004/11/21/why_the_ipod_sucks

this guy explains it better than me ;p

fanch75

I BrisK I wrote:

Longevity problems, dare I mention the battery issues that have plagued the iPod, batteries in a device with this kind of price should not fail or lose a significant amount of charge for years - months and weeks is simply not acceptable, what's more if (or when) the battery fails this actually requires Apple to sort it because the batteries aren't removable, a critical flaw in the design. Apple don't cover this in their warrantee, so that's hundreds of pounds down the drain.

Poor sound quality. I don't know what Apple can get away with among it's Mac OS users but Windows users are used to far better sound quality. Virtually every portable media player (even bargain basement players) I've listened to has exceeded the iPod in sound quality, this is one area where Apple need to do a lot of work to catch up, I'm not saying they'll ever be able to match what Creative have with their Zen players, but for a several hundred pound device not to compete with a £60 device in this department certainly raises a few eyebrows.

Poor control system - yes I'll admit the wheel looks like a good idea, and it's easy to control if you've got it out in front of you, but what about in your pocket? Where these players are suppose to be? It's virtually impossible to control, another gimmick feature out of Apple.

Poor compatibility - this is probably the iPod's worst defeat. Zero support for Windows Media Audio, the best lossy codec there is today and no support for Ogg Vorbis, an open source ultra-high quality codec that enjoys mass support from Linux fans (and myself) and then it lacks support for lossless formats like, WMA-lossless and Monkey's audio both very popular among audiophiles. Apple are bent on using the fringe format AAC, with their own copy protection bolted on the side for the iPod, a format that has almost zero support, a format that requires lots of unstable plug-ins on other players to actually work.

No support for Windows Media Player - the most popular media player in the market by far. Over 70 devices support the latest version of Windows Media Player (version 10) these you simply plug them in and WMP will auto-sync, transfer media the lot - all automatically if you want, you don't need to install any software you just plug them in - simple, how things should be. Not the iPod. Apple want you to install their own software called "iTunes" which like a lot of Apple software, is slow, it's buggy it's glitchy it just isn't very well thought out. It places icons on your desktop, start menu and quick launch all without asking, it installs several other applications that you never asked to be install and secretly boots them with Windows. Forcing users to install your own software and having the software do things behind your back is not on at all, you could quite easily compare that to the behaviour of a virus.

No support for 3rd party music stores. Thinking about using your iPod with many of the other music stores, Napster, MSN Music and the many others? Think again Apple force you to use their own music store linked via the before mentioned virus known as iTunes. The music you download from this store has extremely restrictive rights, you will only ever be able to play the AAC files you download on your iPod and on your computer, thinking about transferring some songs to your new player at some point in the future? Dream on, you'll have to buy it all again, and most likely from another store anyway. Apple are deliberately trying to trap users into their own media empire, a very shady business activity indeed, but then for a company that's been declining for over a decade what can you expect? I only hope people wake up and realise this before they have several hundred (or thousand) pounds worth of music that suddenly becomes totally worthless when Apple find themselves being squashed out of the market, by all their competitors that do offer choice.

iPod symbolizes lack of choice. In this day and age this is unacceptable. If you go for any Windows Media Player there are over 100 of them ranging for double digit costs and up, you can use them with virtually any online stores (except iTunes - cheer!) you'll have the choice over which licenses to go for, which prices you like and other packages that are suitable for your needs. Something that iPod users will critically lack, and something they will in the end suffer for. With Windows Media players you can just plug it in to your PC and let it fly, no installing complicated software that does things behind your back.

The choice is clear - don't go for an iPod. It's an evil hugely over-priced, parasitic device with virus like software that attempts to trap you and limit your options.

The average iPod listener probably wouldn't give a fuck about any of that stuff, truthfully.

I have an 80gb and am thrilled to put my whole collection on there. I paid $350 for mine and I considered that a fine price for what I was getting. It literally changed the way I listen to music. Maybe there are other ones that are better for the reasons cited above, but I'm fine with what I have.

The battery issue sucks, though.

even flow?

glasshouse wrote:

as for sound quality - get some decent headphones and you can't complain (at all) as far as I’m concerned - and i feel it important to state that sound quality is of utmost importance to me.

You roll your eyes about compressed music and then go and say that headphones will make a difference. What ever floats your boat.

Jeremy1012

I BrisK I wrote:

yes im saying it to be cool..... idiot...

I know your post was long, and probably well thought out (or at least your lifting of the text from tech websites was) but I stopped really paying attention after the first line, when you made yourself out to be an arse.

cbbjr

I BrisK I, I'm with you on some points, but like others have said, most people don't care about technical specs. I bought my first iPod in 2003 and before that had a couple other players by Samsung and Creative. When it came out, the iPod and its proprietary software was far easier to use than the other machines that had a basic directory setup.

Also, Apple is improving many of the flaws, like compression by allowing 256kbps downloads. Also, lossless transferring is available if you have enough space to handle it.

Sure there may be a player or two with slightly better sound, EQ, radio, recording options, etc., but I don't think any one player is significantly better than the iPod and iTunes. And regardless, for the 5% of us who are Mac users, we don't have an alternative.

cbbjr

Back to the original question, I think the prevalence of digital music, not iPods, will allow everyone to listen to a greater variety of music. Hopefully better variety will lead to better music, whatever that means. You now longer have to take a big risk by throwing down $15 for a CD for a band that may be great or may be bad. Today you can find at least samples for free online and download songs at minimal cost. It is take chances on new bands now. This wasn't true that long ago.