[K2Grey]

I personally don't think there's anything particularly wrong with the iPod. I do think the majority of consumers overrate it in comparison to other mp3 players (i.e. iPod is the "real" mp3 player, everything else is an inferior knockoff for people who don't have enough money).

 

[DRSpeed85]

I suppose I am an iPod convert, but I still hugely dislike iPod fanboys who claim those included earbuds sound fantastic and that they are an audiophile because they have certain number of gigabytes in their iPods. Thats just absolute rubbish. I cant say I am a complete iPod convert either because I still dont like the regular white iPods, they look like soap and they are indeed everywhere.

What makes me stick with my ipod is it's clean sound, especially with its synergy with super.fi 5 pros. Also it is the best DAP for headphone amps too. And the design of the U2 version is fantastic. Just in your face bold, instead of the regular black or white and chrome monolith.

 

[wnewport]

I own a 30gb black 5g, it is awesome. This might be kind of confusing, but I dislike ipods. Not because of the actual product, but because of the average person that buys them. I don't like their marketing or the way they conduct business. Iaudio and Creative players are better IMO at what they are supposed to do, play music and play it well.

The only reason I bought my ipod was to watch movies, which I now find that I don't do, whoops. It is a cool feature, kinda like phones that take 2MP pictures, fun, but after a week it doesn't matter.

Ipod has become a status symbol which I hate, and the people that made it this are the ones who bought a 30gb ipod to watch Lost then listen to their 400 song 128kbps quality library with the stock earbuds.

Can't blame Steve though, that is a huge market. If every company just tailored to audiophile needs they would be broke.

 

[fguihen]

im a convert. had an iriver and loved it, still think iriver make great players but their customer support sucks big time. i cracked the screen, and it took them 5 months to reply to my emails, and even when i offered to pay to fix it they said no. i got a 6gb ipod mini. used to think ipods were just a fashion accessory,, but honestly, i think its a genuinely good player. it doesnt hav ogg vorbis, but i dont have any tunes in that format, it has good battery life, a super navigation system and is tiny, and sounds good to me with a good set of ear phones. yes, im a convert, and my next ipod will be an ipod 5g 60 gb video. cant wait

 

[ls20]

line-out, smaller size, larger color screen, and 299$ for 30gb (vs 299$ for 15gb when i first considered) makes for a very logical purchase

kinda hard to look at my eeny teeny tiny zen nx screen the same way

 

[dura]

I'm an ipod hater, and I hate being it.
I really would like to like ipods, their great thumbwheel, very good firmware, the transparant itunes.

I actually owned an silver ipod mini and thought it looked cool.
What turned me off was:
- the SQ, I hate the sharp flat sound of all ipods I heart up till now (mini, 2g, 3g, 5g). Probably a matter of taste, but there you are.
- the short batterylife; granted, it gets better every generation, but these things were populair even when under normal circumstances (EQ, higher bitrates, shuffle)you got <6 hrs out of a charge!
My mini made me a neurotic batterylevel watcher; forget to charge it one day, no music the next day. In those days there were players giving 40 hours or more.
- the cheap looking plastic and the way they scratch; look at the reports of the nano. And seeing my friends 2 year old ipod, it looks almost too dirty to touch!

So now I own a NW-HD1, with the annoying ATRAC and SS, and haven't looked back; it looks compact and stylish in its all metal case, still no scratch, I love the sweet sound and it does more then a week with one charge.

I'll get my coat then...

 

[Sparky191]

Had a loan of a mini iPod a few hours ago. The sound (earphone socket) wasn't a patch on the iPod Shuffle or the Zen Micro I have. Same with a 4th gen iPod I previous compared. Both lovely looking and tactile units though.

 

[neversummer]

I think the 4G cooled down some of the anti-ipod sentiment. Once apple addressed the battery life issue I think one of the major gripes was erased.

Personally, I used to own an IHP-120 and upgraded to a used Photo 40GB for a little extra cash. I think that both machines have their strengths and weaknesses. Mostly I was just ready to swap problems for a while and enjoy the extra storage space.

I think that I prefer some of the ipod features over the iriver, even with rockbox. I like the ability to rate songs on the fly and have them instantly updated simply by plugging into my laptop. I also really like the album art and the navigation by click wheel. It's just nicer to use. Playlist management is simple and the updating is seemless. Ipod/itunes is just more convenient for me.

I will say that the transition period was a bit painful because I had windows ME. Once I upgraded to XP and installed Itunes all my problems were solved.

 

[adfinni]

I vowed never to buy an ipod because of the amount i hate apple. But the 5G is a stunning product compared to the 4G, and i went for it.

Never looked back

Cmon. Those new sony's just play music, and do nothing else. BORING

 

[Jahn]

The first time I converted a New Order music video into my 5G, I was hooked. Temptation, Live at Montreaux, Hooky slinging that axe around the ankles, and you can't get that version anywhere else for that SQ...no brainer!

 

[ls20]

i dont know about this battery issue... mines a 5g and it still seems TERRIBLE. not anywhere close to the advertised... actually ill run a test right now.. i bet it gets no more than 5 hrs continuous

 

[Electric_Mofo]

Yeah! my ipods battery life isnt that great either, it still gets me through the day with ease but It would be nice if I didnt have to charge it everyday.

 

[rextrade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ls20 i dont know about this battery issue... mines a 5g and it still seems TERRIBLE. not anywhere close to the advertised... actually ill run a test right now.. i bet it gets no more than 5 hrs continuous

If by 5g you mean fifth generation, there is something wrong with the ipod or the battery and you should send it back (assuming you are playing music, not videos). Even with lossless and eq, you should get way more than 5 hours.

 

[ls20]

192 cbr or ~192vbr, mp3, no video, no photos, no eq, 50% volume level

 

[ricola_pak]

I am a convert.

I bought the Creative NJB3, then the Zen Micro. Then I tried iTunes and found out how convenient it was, I bought an iPod (4G 20Gb).

I am now waiting for my 5G 30Gb to arrive