Is the Ipod Overrated?

[gamefreak14]

For a tech toy praised up and down as being the "best" MP3 player, how has everyone managed to miss its shortcomings?

I started out shopping for an MP3 player as a Christmas Gift over the holidays and wound up reading hundreds of reviews on all the available players. After much thought I narrowed the features that the player had to have:

1. Support MP3 bit rate of 192 Kbps or higher.
2. Drag and Drop File transfer both ways (no software)
3. Universal File Storage (not just MP3s)
4. User Replaceable Battery (Either Rechargeable or Standard)

The MP3 bit rate is often overlooked except in regards to audiophiles who understand this or just have better hearing? Generally MP3's with a bit rate below 192 Kbps when played on standard audio equipment (stereo) will exhibit numerous sound flaws including the potential lack of stereo sound. Some may argue that on very high end equipment 192 Kbps is still not good enough but I would argue that is the best mix of quality to size. Then of course you have the various encoding formats vs. bit rate but again the average person cannot tell the difference. The iPod supports up to 320 Kbps, so we are fine there.

I then narrowed down the common features that every player had but you would choose based on how you would use the player, debatable features:

1. Rechargeable Battery or Replaceable Battery
2. Harddrive or Memory Stick

This article is NOT debating these two features since these are determined based on personal preference or finances (being able to afford a more expensive player and or constantly buying batteries), how much music you listen or want to take with you, and long term reliability (Memory Sticks will last longer then Harddrives, and rechargeable batteries will fail at some point). Regardless, I was sure I would be buying an iPod and all this research would just confirm what I initially thought. What I found was the exact opposite. The iPod was way overrated.

Read the whole article here

 

[Nemesis]

I completely agree!! The iPod is there more because of how it looks more than anything else!! There are cheaper and better options available if you want to look beyond iPods. I've heard of friends complaining about iPod HDDs having a tendency to format which makes them lose all their data. I prefer an MD player as it gives optical storage and you can write and rewrite as much as you want to the Mini-discs. 1GB os storage per disc which equals at elast 200 songs at good quality.

 

[Keith Sebastian]

Is the Ipod Overrated?

Hell yeah it is. Having lived in Melbourne, Australia for the past 2 years, I've observed their steady increase in popularity. Last Christmas it was the MOST desired/sought after gift. Damn, I didn't get one!

Anybody from school kids, yuppies and posers, executives in black suits to moms of 4 kids can be found with iPods with their trademark white earbuds and matching wires. It's more of a fashion symbol than a music player, more of an accessory than a gadget.

Well, there's even a dance club with no DJ but an iPod where patrons choose their playlists. It's quite popular considering the crowd on a Friday night (in a city where there are more than 1200 nightclubs, pubs, bars and taverns to choose from)

*www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/20/1097951757809.html?oneclick=true

*www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2004/10/20/lw_cover2_oct21,0.jpg
Source: *www.theage.com.au

 

[tuxfan]

I agree. iPod is surely an overrated and consequently and over priced product. There are far cheaper and better alternatives available.

 

[krisjr]

hey nemesis dont u think mini disks over a long run will cost more than the HDD of a ipod.i havent used it though but the prob which u were saying that it formats itself,is there some inherent harware defect in it..any gud MD player u have in mind,let me know

 

[suave_guy]

yes i-pod is over rated, sure it is....see the thing is that everyone wants one just for the heck of it...

its more of a status symbol....i've seen many ppl who actually are not a big music lover but still they buy i-pod just to sound or look cool....

for girls its like investing in some sort of jewellery....during the last valentine's day in our college the most desirable thing which one can gift was a pink mini i-pod....obviously those girls were more fashion conscious then being a music lover..!!

having said said let me tell u that i-pod deserves the focus it got....i-pod is ultra clear when it comes to sound quality and in that dept. it beats creative, sony and philips fair hands....and for a music buff nothing can be better then an i-pod for the features and sound quality it provides....and good looks too!

its just that its overhyped even in b/w those ppl who are just a casual music lover or who are not into music big time....

ENjoy....

 

[gxsaurav]

Something a lot better then iPod is iRiver H320, or even better the Creative Zen PMC

 

[Prashray]

Yes it is surely overrated.
Of course there are even better options available for consideration before going for an iPod.

 

[Nemesis]

hey nemesis dont u think mini disks over a long run will cost more than the HDD of a ipod.i havent used it though but the prob which u were saying that it formats itself,is there some inherent harware defect in it..any gud MD player u have in mind,let me know

Well, each MD costs about $8 and as I said, has 1GB of storage and is rewritable. It is the flexibilty that I like. I can use one disc or two discs according to my needs and the problem of HDD formatting itself will never happen so unless your media gets corrupted somehow, your music is safe. Now if you have like 40GB of music, then you definitely need an HDD based player. But then, would you ever listen to all the tracks you have? Sony is the only company as far as I know that makes MD players. Look up their website and see if you like anything.

 

[devilhead_satish]

But these guys totally revolutionized portable digital music. No other device before had such an intutive interface. And whats so great about its looks. Its just simple yet elegant. And let the Apple guys have fun till stocks last. LOL!

 

[tuxfan]

As Steve Ballmer once said (and for once I agree with him on this) that 95% of music stored on iPod is illegal.

IMHO, not only iPod, all portable music players have loads and loads of illegal stuff. MP3 format has completely revolutionised music market and created more problems for it than it has solved.

 

[Keith Sebastian]

MP3 format has completely revolutionised music market and created more problems for it than it has solved.

That's what the RIAA and MPAA want you to believe. Actual figures show increased music sales despite P2P fileswapping.

 

[tuxfan]

But imagine the amount of music purchased if it wasn't for illegal music sharing via MP3

 

[gamefreak14]

But imagine the amount of music purchased if it wasn't for illegal music sharing via MP3

Thats supposed to be "But imagine the amount of music bootlegged if it wasn't for illegal music sharing via MP3"
Honest people still buy their cds. Actually a cd sounds a 10 times better than any average Mp3 (encoded @ 160Kbps), DVD audio is fast changing the face of music, artists provide loads of free content on such DVDs and sales is increasing, although not skyrocketing because of P2P.

 

[pradeep_chauhan]

I too feel i pod is over hyped with cells like w800 on the horizon who needs an ipod.

 

[tuxfan]

Honest people still buy their cds. Actually a cd sounds a 10 times better than any average Mp3 (encoded @ 160Kbps)

Well, I am one of those honest ones I buy my CDs from Video Plaza at Lamington Road. The owner gives me some discounts on MRP.

And a CD surely sounds better than MP3, but it all depends on at what quality have you ripped it.

 

[avdhut_s]

well.......i've used iPod for few days n i just loved its simplicity ! even my mom got hooked up to it !!! n she is no tech savvy by any means.....
i dont knw its overrated or not but simply put this way , its reallyyy hard to hate an iPod...