[Edvard_Grieg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nospam 1) Plug into USB port. 2) iTunes launches, picks a random grouping of music (or a custom playlist you've already selected), copies to player. 3) Unplug and go. Just like the Shuffle The average consumer doesn't want to go digging into multiple levels of directories, find the music files they want, and drag them to the player. In fact, your average consumer probably wouldn't know HOW to do that

Frankly, I don't think the average consumer is a complete moron. (not a flame, just a statement)

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia Besides, if you were a rio, creative, etc fan and all you ever hear was that the ipod was perfect from people and who for some reason automatically assume that everything else in inferior, you'd be antsy too.

Is this in the real world or Head-Fi? In the real world probably sure (when has the general public been right about most of this stuff?), but if Head-Fi, could you point so some posts where members say the iPod is perfect (not perfect for them)? I haven't seen it. And for the counter 'stupid' comments, just scroll through the active threads right now. Find a post where anyone said you'd have to be an idiot to buy a Creative, Rio, etc. player. Sony is the other other company that comes remotely close, and that's almost entirely the ATRAC/MP3 question... so may disappear shortly.

Again, critiquing player advantages/disadvantages by sound or features or even outside color is fine, but the comments about iPods, are often something else entirely around here. People for some reason love to hate Apple like no other. I don't get it, but it says someone about those that really get angry in a situation like this, no?

Anyway, it's continuing to be an entertaining thread.

 

[sclemmons]

Remember that book by Father Guido Sarducci from 20 (+?) years ago? :-
The President is Smarter than You Think.

I don't even remember the president, it has been so long. At the risk of sounding like I belong in the Steve Jobs butt kiss thread, I think the same thing about Apple. It is easy to be smug. Our set up sounds better than the mainstream. We work harder at it. But they are on to something.

Never forget: -They see the whole battlefield and know more than we do. They have smart people who like their job and do it well. Head Fi is a small fraction of the market. They have the data in real time. Now that they have a retail network of their own, now more than ever. They see their customers dressing like Steve at MacWorld. Mocks and tennys. They know what is cool. All I know is that whenever I go to CompUsa they are sold out of the iPod I wanted. If they have a mini at all, it is pink. AAPL have lost the Windows game, but they are winning the MP3 game, they know it, and they are feeling pretty good. Has anybody seen Steve selling stock?

Get used to it guys. What is good for Apple is good for America.

 

[kugino]

wait, why is it that people are upset that the ipod shuffle doesn't have x, y, or z? if you're not going to buy one, why does it matter to you? yes, there are other players out there that are smaller, lighter, with screen, with radio, with whatever the heck you want...so get that instead! i just want something that interfaces seamlessly with itunes...and the ipod is great at that - the best at that. plus, it doubles as a flash drive, which is important for me, too...if i wanted a screen or fm radio functions, of course i wouldn't be buying it...

 

[Damage]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sclemmons Get used to it guys. What is good for Apple is good for America.

Said like a true Cultist. Hear hear, leave your critical thinking at the door.

 

[aeriyn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sclemmons If they have a mini at all, it is pink.

What the hell! I had to go to twelve different stores to find a pink one! *cry*

Bottom line is... the Shuffle will sell well regardless of what I think of it. Why?

Daughter: Mom, I want an iPod for my birthday.
Mother: Are you nuts?! Those things are like three hundred dollars, no way.
Daughter: *cry*

Later, at a consumer electronics retailer, Mother sees iPod Shuffle, or more accurately she sees the word iPod and the price $99. It'll sell more on that than anything, considering how most everyone I know who has an iPod Mini got it because it was a cheaper iPod, not for the practical reasons (and aesthetic reasons) that I bought mine.

Of course, when our hypothetical daughter unwraps the present and sees the not so amazing STICKPOD!...

Daughter: What?! This isn't an iPod! *cry*

Hey, that would be my reaction... >.>;

 

[azesty]

Seems to me that you are saying that the other flash drives wont interface seamlessy with iTunes?

Is that the case?

 

[blessingx]

Well... early signs looks like the Shuffle may do well in Japan.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by azesty Seems to me that you are saying that the other flash drives wont interface seamlessy with iTunes? Is that the case?

yes, that is the case.

 

[azesty]

Surely thats a problem with iTunes, I mean, they all have the same sort of memory and chips dont they?

Have they crippled iTunes so it wont work with the opposition? That way if you go for the Apple format you are stuck with Apple as no other players use it.

 

[IstariAsuka]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kugino yes, that is the case.

Most of the Rio players are able to be used with iTunes. I've not tried it personally, cause I don't have *any* HDD or flash player at all, so I'm not sure exactly to what extent and how well. I'd assume it'd work like normal except for iPod-centric things.

Obviously, an iPod would be the most seemless, that's inevitable.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IstariAsuka Most of the Rio players are able to be used with iTunes. I've not tried it personally, cause I don't have *any* HDD or flash player at all, so I'm not sure exactly to what extent and how well. I'd assume it'd work like normal except for iPod-centric things. Obviously, an iPod would be the most seemless, that's inevitable.

i'm not sure what you mean when you say other players are able to be used with itunes. of course you can store all your music in itunes and then drag and drop them into whatever flash player you have. but that, to me, is a limited and uninteresting "use" of itunes.

without the ipod firmware on the device, it cannot make use of autosync, playlists, smart playlists, and with the new ipod shuffle, even more features. i'm not saying that other flash players are bad - i'm just saying that the strength of the ipod shuffle is its integration with itunes. other players just don't have this.

 

[doomlordis]

Had a look today at a display model - first impression is that it is very long , i am used to flash players being stubby this is slender and long TAMPOD is very very apt. I do like the design though but itunes kills it for me(plug and play music anywhere please).

 

[datek]

Apple's next product is probably a player that has only one volume setting - tagline could be "Life Is LOUD". How about that?

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kugino without the ipod firmware on the device, it cannot make use of autosync, playlists, smart playlists, and with the new ipod shuffle, even more features. i'm not saying that other flash players are bad - i'm just saying that the strength of the ipod shuffle is its integration with itunes. other players just don't have this.

Just for the record, iTunes supported other players (Apple even worked with them) before they went 'all iPod', at least on OS X. This was before smart playlists and AAC support was obviously left off, etc., so you're right. I have an old Yepp player that shows up in iTunes and Rio still offers downloads to make them too. This doesn't take advantage of nearly all of iTunes options, but does some. So iTunes compatibility, but not total compatibility. Then again I don't use sync, shuffle and rarely smartlists (only to prepare a manual load) so these missing elements aren't huge for me or my friend who now uses the Yepp... though considering a Shuffle.