iPod buying advice

groveratgroverat
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I can stand it no longer. I need a portable mp3 player and I hate them all save the iPod from what I have seen.



These are in my price range (education pricing):

$270 for the 15G iPod

$230 for the 4G miniPod



I can get a cheap Firewire card for my PC to get it to work.



What are your experiences with this? My library on iTunes is 38.64GB as of now (it will get bigger soon, more CDs to rip) so neither one will hold my entire collection.



SPEAK!
«1

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    ipodandimacipodandimac Posts: 3,273member
    15gig. no question with the size of your library.
  • Reply 2 of 23
    mattjohndrowmattjohndrow Posts: 1,618member
    wait till they come out with like a 120 GB! mmm, 120 GB, yummy...
  • Reply 3 of 23
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Thanks for the comments.



    Neither one will hold even half, so coverage isn't a big issue, because even 4 gig will hold a lot, especially since my current mp3 player holds 0 gig. ;-)



    For those who have used both, how nice is the size of the miniPod in comparison?
  • Reply 4 of 23
    messiahtoshmessiahtosh Posts: 1,754member
    I have a large MP3 library and it is growing every month, substantially. I want the mini because of convenience sake, it's less money, and it is useable in a gym setting. Especially, the iPod mini is good for running, and really it is capable of always being with you. The current regular iPod is small, but the mini is sooo small that it is virtually a non issue in terms of being a travel annoyance instead of appliance.



    I'd go mini, you can put 1200 songs on it and change up those 1200 every so often.
  • Reply 5 of 23
    timotimo Posts: 353member
    Since you're looking at editing down your collection for portability anyway, I'd get the mini.



    --Happy original 5 gig owner
  • Reply 6 of 23
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Very helpful.



    Does the miniPod use any different technology than the iPod? Meaning, is it more/less solid?



    Should I be wary that the miniPods are on their first generation?



    I notice the miniPod doesn't have the touch wheel, aren't the rotary wheels prone to failure?
  • Reply 7 of 23
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by groverat



    I notice the miniPod doesn't have the touch wheel, aren't the rotary wheels prone to failure?



    They're touch wheels too, but they're different because they have the play/forward/etc. buttons underneath the wheel.
  • Reply 8 of 23
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    I really need to get my hands on these things. I hate how all these stores have their iPods in this thick plastic case. Useless.
  • Reply 9 of 23
    sailfishsailfish Posts: 163member
    I have a 20 GB 1st generation with a matching Transpod that holds my 2500 song "hit" music arranged in 5 stress level playlists (like radio stations do). This is in my car and great for long road trips where I can set it and almost forget it.



    Then I have a 40 GB new iPod for personal use that holds my entire 5000 song library as well as backup files, doubles as a large transfer device.



    No mini for me.
  • Reply 10 of 23
    joeyjoey Posts: 236member
    OK... here goes... Hopefully someone won't hunt me down for saying this



    Have you looked at Rio's new line of players... namely the 20GB Karma? Personally... I like that player out of all the players out there and it can be had for about the price you listed for the 15GB iPod. It's shorter than the iPod... but slightly wider, uses a different drive (although that's neither a positive or negative) and slightly thicker (due to greater battery capacity). The Karma gets real battery usage in the 15 hour range. It's a little more pants pocketable because of it's stubby shape... meaning if it's in your font pocket... you can sit down without it busting out of your pocket. The interface is on par with the iPod also and audio quality is generally accepted as being better than the iPod.



    You can't play stuff you download from iTunes on it (or any other player other than an iPod)... so it's not really an option if you have a lot of downloaded songs that you've payed for. If most of your files are MP3, then you're OK. The Karma will also play OGG (Vorbis & FLAC - if ya don't know what these are... they you probably don't care). The Karma does NOT come with a carrying case (but there are a few after market options) and a remote is not yet available.



    I'm not pushing the product... I love it... but the iPod is great too... I just happen to think that the Karma is the only viable alternative to the iPod if you're looking to check out a few players before making your decision. The Karma is USB 2.0... and will NOT be recognized as a hard drive by your system. Also... the software does not natively support Macs. The dock has built in ethernet which allows you to access the device through a Java application.



    So there are some drawbacks (especially for a Mac user)... so ya need to decide how often you're going to be doing transfers and which piece of hardware meets your needs.
  • Reply 11 of 23
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Thanks for pointing that one out, it looks very nice.
  • Reply 12 of 23
    thegeldingthegelding Posts: 3,230member
    grat...want to you want to do with it?



    working out, mini

    using as firewire HD to hold or move files...iPod 15 gig



    walking about town, using in car etc...either



    at this point the mini is more likely to get you laid if you are looking for one to pick up chicks....



    i have the 15 gig and it is great for everything except jogging (and it sucks for that...but maybe i just bounce too much)...but the mini is tiny and that is nice...i rarely need the 13 plus gigs of songs i carry about, but it is nice to have...



    g
  • Reply 13 of 23
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    After playing with a 20gig a guy had here in the lab, I'm going with the 15.



    All I need now is suggestions for good accessories. Mainly just a case for now.
  • Reply 14 of 23
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    I have read a lot of concerns about the iPod battery. Does it die after a couple of years?
  • Reply 15 of 23
    tacojohntacojohn Posts: 980member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by groverat

    I have read a lot of concerns about the iPod battery. Does it die after a couple of years?



    I've had my origional 5gig for a long time (when it came out) and it doesn't have any battery problems. I can basically use it all day and I'm fine (listening here and there, while I'm walking to class, while I'm driving around town, etc.)



    I don't know the exact battery life, but I must say- its good enough still- I got it almost 2 years ago (woah- almost 2 years ago) and its still alive and kicking wihile I've been using it almost on a dialy basis. One of the best purchases I've ever made.
  • Reply 16 of 23
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Do you keep it charged as much as possible or do you let it drain?
  • Reply 17 of 23
    joeyjoey Posts: 236member
    Well... all lithium ion batteries will lose capacity after about 500 charges (provided the battery is not defective). I believe they drop to about 80% capacity at that point. That's another good reason to consider a Karma :-)



    With more than twice the battery capacity, you need to charge it up half as often... so it's twice as long before you reach the point where the capacity will begin to degrade... and even at 80% capacity, the Karma would be in the 12 hour range.



    With the exception of the new Creative Zens... I don't think any of the lithium ion powered hard drive players have user replaceable batteries. You can send your iPod into Apple for replacement (or... if you're more daring and tighter on the dollar... you can find kits online to do it yourself).



    I personally think it was a real mistake to sacrifice battery life to shave a few mm off the thickness of the iPod. It's nice that it's so thin... but the previous generation was just a tiny bit thicker with better battery life.
  • Reply 18 of 23
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    I am not worried about how long it can keep juice in one stretch. I will rarely be far from power outlets, I am not going camping for days. ;-)



    I am mainly concerned about the thing dying. It's just cold feet, I'm ordering the little bastard.
  • Reply 19 of 23
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Just dropped $291.19 on a 15gig iPod with the custom engraving "Adam Beckham/Hook'em Horns".



    $22.19 in taxes. Those bastards!



    I also got a PCI firewire card for my crappy PC, but that was only $8.50.
  • Reply 20 of 23
    mattjohndrowmattjohndrow Posts: 1,618member
    only $8.50 for a FW card???!! how'd you swing that?

    well, congrats anyway!
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