iPod: Is it worth it?

[Dangerous A]

I was considering getting an iPod since I may have to use public transit to get to and from work in the near future and don't want to pull my hair out listening to the convo from Bay Area freaks on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit for the uninitiated). My thing is I'm not the biggest techie guy in the universe and was wondering if an iPod is worth it or should I consider getting an MP3 player instead? I have a few techie friends and most who have iPods swore by them. They are a tad expensive, but that isn't an issue.

 

Are they worth it?

[Mik]

To answer your question in two words: Hell yes.

 

That's really only the explanation you need. But for a bit longer of a reason: If you were to buy, say a Rio mp3 player, you would get...what 256 mb for $150 or something equivalent to that. You can get a 4 gb ipod mini for $249 and a full 20 gb ipod for $299. That's probably every song in your collection with room to spare.

[Alro]

I'll second the "hell yes". I've been nothing but satisfied with mine. I've got a 40 gb model and it isn't even half full right now. I've got tons of bootlegs to get in there, but I suspect even then it won't be full. Plus there are many third party programs that allow you to put your calendar, news, weather, contacts, etc. on it.

[sfaJack]

I was actually at Best Buy last night looking at iPods. The girl working there told me that they only work with iTunes and you can't load mp3's into the iPod without it.

 

That can't be right, can it? I don't have iTunes and am not all that interested in getting it.

[Golgo 13]

Not that I'm all that knowledgeable about it, but there's the iTunes player, and the iTunes store. The jury is out as to which one she meant.

 

The player is not unlike Winamp, Music Match or any of the other audio programs out there. Then there's the iTunes store, which works with that, but it's your choice about whether you want to utilize the store or not.

 

Basically, if she was just referring to the player, it doesn't seem like that big of deal.

[Mik]

You don't have to buy songs from the iTunes store to play them in your iPod. It's very helpful to have iTunes the music program, however, because they are 100% insync with the iPod. It would just make your life that much easier.

 

You buy a CD, rip the songs to mp3 or aac for your collection and they are still available to be put on your iPod. It doesn't have to be an encrypted song from the iTunes store. That girl is either misinformed or has a bias.

[Alro]

I've used MusicMatch to rip and transfer and it sucked. EphPod is third party software that will let you make playlists and upload songs.

 

I was against getting iTunes when I got my iPod, but I finally gave in and it was worth it. It is easier to sync you mp3 collection with your iPod and I like it better than Winamp, MusicMatch and RealOne Player.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America]

I love my Creative Nomad Zen Xtra. 30 gigs for $225.

[Guest Frank Stallone]

I'm gonna love my free ipod when it comes in a couple days.

[Guest El Satanico]

Can you load MP3's already on your desktop computer into the iPod?

 

I'd strongly consider getting one if I didn't already have an 6 gig Archos Jukebox that I'm happy with. If it ever crashes I'd probably get the iPod.

[Edwin MacPhisto]

As long as you have firewire access, you can load any mp3 onto an iPod. iTunes is easily the best program for it, but you can use MusicMatch or any number of third-party softwares.

 

I've had my iPod for almost 2 years now, and it's one of my favorite things. Absolutely wonderful for any music fan.

[Guest Flyboy]

I prefer my Dell Jukebox, but to each their own.

[Mik]

To add to Edwin's post...firewire works best but USB 2.0 will also get the job done.