Why do iPods sell well?

[izanbardprince]

The Mac commercials are overly smug and... lie. It's one thing to embellish or exaggerate, but the things Mac faults Windows for aren't even true. I mean, there are things wrong with Windows, but working with peripherals--uh, more peripherals work with Windows than with Mac; mainly because hardware manufacturers are always sure to include Windows drivers with palms, printers, MP3 players, etc. In fact, even Apple provides Windows-compatibility with its iPods. You are not more creative on a Mac. Mac has a lot of the same programs Windows has. Anyone who can be creative with Photoshop on Mac can also be creative with Photoshop on Windows.

And, no, I wouldn't approve a Ubuntu commercial that spent all its energies bashing Windows. In fact, there was quite an extensive discussion (not sure if anything came out of it) of a possible Ubuntu commercial (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=41771), and the general consensus was on having the focus be on Ubuntu's strengths and not Windows' weaknesses.


I don't know why iPods sell so well, you have a choice between AAC or MP3, and IMO both are pretty lousy when you could save $100 and get a player that did mp3, wma, and ogg.

[Alfa989]

I don't know why iPods sell so well, you have a choice between AAC or MP3, and IMO both are pretty lousy when you could save $100 and get a player that did mp3, wma, and ogg.

Because of the iTunes integration, the interface...
WMA? Why, I don't need it...
OGG? Thanks, but not... :)

[aysiu]

When my wife first wanted to get an MP3 player (this was around 2004?), first of all, she wanted an MP3 player. That's all we knew back then--MP3s. She and I didn't know about Ogg or WMA or any other formats.

She looked around and was actually considering some other options out there. In fact, she did quite a bit of web research on different models. I think she was leaning toward an RCA or a Creative. When she went to the actual store (CompUSA? I forget which one), she played around with the different display models, and the iPod just won her over for whatever reason. She loved it!

And then, when I wanted to get an MP3 player, I also opted for an iPod, since by then we were already using iTunes and sharing one computer for music, and we could then also share peripherals (cord, dock, etc.).

Eventually, I got rid of my iPod because I wanted something else. She got rid of hers because it was old, and she wanted a newer, flashier one. We now have two sets of music on two different computers. She has her iPod Nano with use on iTunes on her Mac Powerbook. I have a Sandisk player with use on my Rhythmbox on my Ubuntu-powered eMachines. I mainly switched over because there's a morning radio show I'm in love with, and I want to listen to it on the way to work. iPods don't have FM radios in them. I also wanted something cheap I wouldn't be afraid of losing or getting stolen. Lastly, I liked having an easily replaceable (AAA) battery instead of a rechargeable built-in one that's annoying and costly to replace.

I think my wife's experience is pretty typical, though. A lot of people just like how slick the iPods look. They don't care if other players are cheaper, offer more space, play more formats, have FM radios, have voice recording, have better navigation. iPods look cool. And that's what Apple wants, and that's how it's making huge profits right now.

I'll be the first to admit my Sandisk player is ugly as hell, but that's actually part of the appeal for me, strangely enough. I don't think I'm typical in that regard.

[eXcentra]

not to mention that ipods have become a "fad" now... every kid and their mothers have ipods. At my (high) school, i've people ask me if they could see my "ipod," but i correct them, saying that i don't have an ipod (i have an old Philips HDD120 :D).
also, as aysiu stated, ipods look cool. It's very minimalistic and pretty straightforward in navigation, etc (personally, i don't really like the clickwheel but it is straightforward).

i myself plan to get an ipod in the future (mind you, not because of its popularity..). I was looking for a dap that would support multiple formats, including flac, and support drag and drop files. after some reasearch, it turned out that putting rockbox on an ipod would be my best option (any other player that supported such formats, had drag and drop, and met my disk space requirement was too big/clunky for my liking...) The only problem is that ipod support for rockbox has yet to become tolerable (at least, in my opinion) :|

[3rdalbum]

iPods are popular because of the brand name. You honestly can't tell me that the Shuffle looks better than the iRiver S10; and Uniden hasn't exactly sold a lot of its "iPod White"-coloured LCD TVs; so the iPod isn't selling because of aesthetics.

People know the name "ipod" and some people use the word instead of "mp3 player" (you know, just like how some people say "Hoover" when they mean "vaccum cleaner").

So many people have trouble with their iPods, but just assume that "that's the way it is". Much like Windows users - they think that viruses are a fact of life. Whereas, my Teac MP-20G MP3 player doesn't look so great, but it's much more reliable.

[super breadfish]

I'd say it's the sheep instinct more than anything now. iPods are pretty crap, but they've got that "cool" label and so they sell like crazy. The vast majority of iPods users I know have filled their iPods with music they've downloaded from torrents, so the "ease of use with iTunes" isn't as bigger reason as people think.

[aysiu]

iPods are popular because of the brand name. You honestly can't tell me that the Shuffle looks better than the iRiver S10; and Uniden hasn't exactly sold a lot of its "iPod White"-coloured LCD TVs; so the iPod isn't selling because of aesthetics. Well I can honestly say that my wife's iPod Nano looks a hell of a lot better than my Sandisk player!


People know the name "ipod" and some people use the word instead of "mp3 player" (you know, just like how some people say "Hoover" when they mean "vaccum cleaner"). Too true. One time I was on the bus, and I ran into someone I knew (who isn't terribly tech-savvy). She saw me listening to my Sandisk player and looked confused. She asked me, "What kind of iPod is that?" I tried to explain that it wasn't an iPod, but that just made her more confused... sort of the way some people get confused when you explain that you don't have Mac but your PC isn't running Windows either.

[duaneb]

I have an ipod (blue 2g mini), and I have to say I love it.
Why did I buy it? it synced with itunes, the best media player on the mac; really the only one. AAC, btw, is much better than mp3; you get a higher quality for the bitrate. Don't ask me how, I just like my music.
In a nutshell: the ipod just works(TM) with my mac. Plus, I love the ipod interface and ease of use with podcasts and audio books.

[bluewagon]

i would say It's basically the same reason most people have windows, it's becase its whats popular, many things are out for it (trying to find things for my creative zen vision:m is horrible) everything is for the ipod, so people will buy it

[3rdalbum]

I have an ipod (blue 2g mini), and I have to say I love it.
Why did I buy it? it synced with itunes, the best media player on the mac; really the only one. AAC, btw, is much better than mp3; you get a higher quality for the bitrate.

If you'd researched a little harder, you would have found a number of MP3 players that play MP3-Pro. The same quality as MP3, but at virtually half the bitrate (an 80kbps MP3Pro is equal to a 128kbps MP3).

[chakkaradeep]

I would say, becoz when they were introduced, they were the sleek and handy device !

But I never thought of buying an iPod, am happy with other media players !

Why should i buy a device which does not allow me to load songs until i have a software called iTunes [-X

[rocknrolf77]

Apple products are "status" Never understood why. They cost a lot more and have that boring glossy look. (Why do people want to live in a world where everything looks the same) Can't understand how people can like the ugly white earphones. (Or what is the english word for those terrible small things you plug in your ear. With no bass, just treble. Talk about not liking your hearing) What player works best with linux?

I got the samsung yp-u1 because it was the cheapest player with ogg vorbis support. And 1 gig. I never can seem to understand why the manufacturers of mp3 players can't add vorbis support, when it's absolutely free to do. Maybe we will have a linux player/pda in a while, where you could have the same control that you have with a linux desktop system. That would absolutely rock :guitar:

[MRiGnS]

It sells so well because it's shiny.

personally i won't buy any mplayer which can't play my ogg/vorbis files.

[trishacupra]

I was told at the store that I wouldn't need iTunes to upload music to the iPod - I could just use Windows Explorer. I was really annoyed to discover that the assistant was wrong when I got home. Itunes has been buggy and crashed continually. Now that I'm switching to Ubuntu I've decided to switch to Rockbox on my pod. Hopefully I'll then have logical navigation on the pod and won't need iTunes ever again.

[ThinkBuntu]

I was always a Mac guy, and I've owned a number of iPods. The first one was spectacular, and they never should have changed the design, with the exception of possibly making the wheel touch-sensitive, as it wore out under heavy use and tended to get pushed in. The 3G was also a great device. I have a 5.5G 80GB, and I wish I could just have a 2G with the same specs...putting the buttons into the wheel makes navigation difficult, and you change the volume whenever you just want to play, pause, etc. My iPod is slow to respond when playing music, and browsing music is a chore, because the software is too quick to start jogging through the alphabet instead of letting me navigate on my own.

Sigh...

[Alfa989]

I never can seem to understand why the manufacturers of mp3 players can't add vorbis support, when it's absolutely free to do.

Because it is not very used among win users... :( And it costs time and money to implement it, and it's not really a huge selling factor... :(

[duaneb]

3rdalbum: yet it says something about the format if I have to research it. Plus, aac is supported on virtually every major media device.

Plus, my mac is my 'stable' computer that I've stored all of my absolutely needed stuff on. My linux box is reformatted every year or so. This means that my music is stored on my mac, and itunes (for the mac) is an excellent player; it's never crashed. Can't say the same for the windows side of things. Anyway, the ipod was a simple music player that syncs with itunes, and it has all the accessories people could ever want.

[3rdalbum]

3rdalbum: yet it says something about the format if I have to research it. Plus, aac is supported on virtually every major media device.

If it is, it's not ever advertised. Admittedly, I haven't tried AAC on my Teac MP-20G, but then I also know that I've not had to do a "restore" of it yet and I've had it for over a year. My mother's iPod has had 3 restores and she's had it 6 months.

[Marc_UK]

Because of mainstream sucess, they try to target the noobs.

There adverts often consist of trying to point out that they are the best looking and hold the most storagewise.

[polki@mac.com]

I've read this thread and I still don't feel like a noob, even though I own an iPod. Maybe it's because I'm in charge of a bunch of servers (most of them them running ubuntu or debian), maybe it's beacause I'm sooooo impressed by the ads (which we don't get here in Sweden, so that might just be completely off the target). The iPod is just something that made a hit for some reason. Could it be because it is a great product? I think so.
Don't nock it just because you can find cheaper alternatives. A Skoda is cheaper than a Rolls Royce...
Just my "2 kronors" worth.

[Syr0]

To the first post: People want to buy themselves into the silly Apple elitist culture that it has created.

[aysiu]

To the first post: People want to buy themselves into the silly Apple elitist culture that it has created.
The iPod is just something that made a hit for some reason. Could it be because it is a great product? I think so.
Don't nock it just because you can find cheaper alternatives. A Skoda is cheaper than a Rolls Royce... I think the truth lies somewhere in between.

The iPod is a great product. But cheaper products are also great in different ways.

[3rdalbum]

Don't nock it just because you can find cheaper alternatives. A Skoda is cheaper than a Rolls Royce...
Just my "2 kronors" worth.

Yeah, but a Rolls Royce doesn't need a full service every 4 months and doesn't irrepairably break down after 2 years!

[Alfa989]

I think the truth lies somewhere in between.

The iPod is a great product. But cheaper products are also great in different ways.

Exactly! You got it there!! :)

[Alfa989]

Yeah, but a Rolls Royce doesn't need a full service every 4 months and doesn't irrepairably break down after 2 years!

An iPod doesn't either... :)

[3rdalbum]

An iPod doesn't either... :)

In my experience though, you often need to "restore" them, which erases the hard drive/flash memory. No other MP3 player needs that on such a regular basis. My Teac has never needed such a time-consuming procedure.

[Alfa989]

In my experience though, you often need to "restore" them, which erases the hard drive/flash memory. No other MP3 player needs that on such a regular basis. My Teac has never needed such a time-consuming procedure.

Well, my experience tells me they they don't need such intensive care... But, since we are humans... :P

[mysticrider92]

So many people have trouble with their iPods, but just assume that "that's the way it is". Much like Windows users - they think that viruses are a fact of life. Whereas, my Teac MP-20G MP3 player doesn't look so great, but it's much more reliable.

Almost every iPod owner I have talked to has had to send it in for some reason or another. But I do think they look good and are very easy to use. I personally prefer to drag and drop files, but many people seem to like the simplicity of syncing their iTunes library to their iPod.

[davidlt]

iPod + iTunes what could be more simplier and easier?.. I would agree with the idea about draging music files to it.

I got my iPod nano 2GB for free, my friend got his iPod 30Gb for free... It is so easy to get it for free...

[aysiu]

iPod + iTunes what could be more simplier and easier? Removable storage with drag and drop both ways... and no renaming of songs to gobbledygook filenames so that you have to see the tag to know the song or the artist.

[Belyel]

Not having read the entire thread, I may be reposting what someone else has already said. iPods are popular for two main reasons: 1) Apple was first in really popularizing the mp3 player and 2) Apple had brilliant marketing at the introduciton of the iPod, really pushing how trendy they are. Being first to market with any great product is HUGE, as you can see with apple.

There are better products out there for the same price or slightly less, but they don't have the marketing machine that Apple does. I have a creative zen micro, and am very happy with it, but I had to actually do some research on mp3 players to find the creative players. I also have an iPod shuffle 2G for working out/running where the sound quality isn't important. Each player has its use.

[nick.inspiron6400]

It's good.

Look at the cheap crap MP3 players, 2 line blue screen. YUK!!!!!

iPod's work really well with iTunes.

[macbookmaster]

i like the i pode because its sleek... and flat... other than that i have no idea why ppl buy it.... maybe cause its an apple..... alot of ppl love apple cause its so functional..... and that the ipod works with windows, thats a plus. iPods Also are very well designed to work with itunes

[Epilonsama]

One question, whats the most compatible mp3 player for linux that also supports ogg Vorbis and FLAC?

[rocknrolf77]

One question, whats the most compatible mp3 player for linux that also supports ogg Vorbis and FLAC?

Samsung have ogg vorbis compatible players. And they're not expensive either :)

[goumples]

Dunno, but I received an iPod as a gift, so ehh I'm gonna use the hell out of it.

[Mach1US]

It's all in marketing and then product meting the hype :D

[dynamicv]

The iPod sells well because it was the first MP3 player to get the hardware/software integration right. You used to have to jump through hoops to get music onto pre-iPod devices. On iTunes it was a case of rip the CD then plug in the iPod. Now of course they sell because the brandname is locked into people's minds, and until another company comes out with a product that has a serious advantage over the iPod's usability and function it will stay dominant.

There's a lot of people who are very down on everything Apple do just because they're Apple. Give credit where it's due. They obviously put a lot of work into interfaces and making things simple. People will pay for that.

[Alfa989]

The iPod sells well because it was the first MP3 player to get the hardware/software integration right. You used to have to jump through hoops to get music onto pre-iPod devices. On iTunes it was a case of rip the CD then plug in the iPod. Now of course they sell because the brandname is locked into people's minds, and until another company comes out with a product that has a serious advantage over the iPod's usability and function it will stay dominant.

There's a lot of people who are very down on everything Apple do just because they're Apple. Give credit where it's due. They obviously put a lot of work into interfaces and making things simple. People will pay for that.
Exactly! :)

[qamelian]

The iPod sells well because it was the first MP3 player to get the hardware/software integration right. You used to have to jump through hoops to get music onto pre-iPod devices.

This isn't really true. Creative players have always been easy to to use and so have many others.

Ipods sell well only because Apple marketed them in ways that gave them a "coolness" factor. They have essentially become a status symbol. Personally, in a weak moment, I bought one myself and can honestly say that I will never own another iPod as long as I live. The 80GB unit I bought last November is the worst piece of cheaply made crap I have ever owned. I like most Apple products, but the iPod has proven to be nothing but a huge waste of money.

[agds]

Apple has been doing great ad campaigns for its products for decades, so I would say that had a lot to do with the initial success of the iPod. The interface is easy enough to use, and most people seem to find its appearance attractive. Of course, it integrates well with iTunes, which was popular even before the iPod took off. Since most people seem to have their music in either MP3 or AAC format now, the fact that it doesn't support Ogg Vorbis (or, uh, FLAC) is a non-issue for all but a small percentage of would-be iPod owners.

Now, at this point, it's a household name. People will buy it for that reason alone. Along similar lines, some won't even consider getting a portable music player that's not an iPod.

Considering all this, it's no surprise the iPod has generated such excellent sales for Apple.

[A_POET]

well i hate ipods and i still use my iriver h10.



i will avoid a n ipod at all costs, and definitely wouldn't buy one that could not be rock boxed.


(for those that dont know rockbox is an open source firmaware for mp3 players, look it up on teh google)

[DirtDawg]

I received an ipod nano as a gift and it's a great little machine. It's light, durable, and I love the thumbwheel. After awhile I put Rockbox on my Nano and now it plays videos, .ogg files (if I want, but why? Battery eater), even Gameboy Games! Now my Nano feels "complete" and I am quite happy with it.

My only complaint would be the difficulty in changing batteries.

[karellen]

because they're "cool"...
just marketing hype

[mrf]

But *why* are they "cool"? imo it's because Macs and iPods allow you to do all the same things you can do with other computers and music players, but without the endless messing around of linux, or the ugly, malware laden, mire that is windows. What you can do with computers is cool, dealing with that stuff isn't. And sure, they look good, and they advertise well.

dynamicv got it right, but I'd also extend hardware/software integration to also include the itunes store. When Apple got all of those things in place iPod sales took off. Prior to that it's sales were comparable to any other music player.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/57/Ipod_sales.svg/599px-Ipod_sales.svg.png
iTunes was released Jan 2001 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes), the first Ipod released Oct 2001 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod#History_and_design), the iTunes Store opened April 2003 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes_Store). When all of those three things were in place non-geeky people "got it" and the iPod took off. Now they continue to out sell because they have the dominant player advantage. They also keep moving the goal posts for competitors, reinventing the product, by releasing new versions like the ipod touch.

[Sayers]

I have all my music in OGG it sounds better.

[toupeiro]

They didn't sell to me. I've used cheaper, easy to use solid state players since long before the iPod was ever thought of. When I did to go a large capacity player, The Zen Vision: M was an exceeding better player with a built in FM tuner and longer battery life, for the same price.

The only apples I buy come off of trees.

[shak541]

hey i have an ipod mini that is rockboxed. I used to have iPL ipod linux running on it. I think rockbox owns. this is because:
1 Drag and Drop songs
2 Awsome EQ!
3 lots of features and games
4 Pretty much evrything i need in an mp3 player

Also for people that have had to send their ipods in, mines been working over 2 years.. Flawless. Never lost any songs or files. I've never taken it in for service. Battery still works like a brand new ipod battery. just minor scratches on the case and that's all.!

[brianves]

I just have to add my 2 cents.
I am so sick of people calling all mp3 players ipods.

When ipods came out, I waited for prices to drop, and then there was the battery problem. after that I could never ever figure out why someone would buy an ipod.
(I love having to reload all my songs every six months.) Don't they realize how much work that is.

And then there was the, what... you cant drag and drop... I need another program just to use this... hold on... I can't store non-music files on this thing... It doesn't come with any accessories...

I'm sorry but there are plenty of players that... don't require software... that "just work" (if I need a program to use it, it doesn't "just work"... also plenty of players can store other files... and I know my mp3 player came with a remote, speakers, video cables, usb cables and still much cheaper than an ipod... and you know what, the battery problem... is there any other player out there that has that problem.

1 friend of mine has had to replace his ipod 4 times in 1 1/2 years. twice out of abuse. I've had my generic mass storage mp3 player for 3 years. I have yet to have a problem with it.

I think that Ipod owners are people who just plain don't like to research anything. And yes I am very angry about it if you couldn't tell.

On the positive, I love the interface of the ipod. that's the only good thing about them, IMO

[Ken T]

Hmmm,. it's a difficult one for me. I want all the pro's and none of the cons:).

I had a couple of Sony netwalkmans, the first a 1G one driven by a single AAA batt (so the hardware won't die just because the battery does). Was really good, but relied on Sony's software (only for MS, I think) to manage music. Also memory a bit lacking for my current needs.

When I lost that one, I got a 2G Sony walkman that, while it didn't have a removable batt (on-board Li-ion), could plug directly into USB (no cable needed :)), had an FM tuner built in, and was super-compact. Still relied on Sony's software, though.

Now I've lost that one :(, and run OSX/linux, I want a player that has a minimum of 4MB of storage (pref. flash memory rather than hard disk), supports playlists (my Walkmans never seemed to), can be used as a USB storage device, supports opensource formats (incl. lossless), is powered by removeable AA/AAA's, uses drag n. drop or interfaces with opensource music manager with auto-downloading of podcasts:), preferably has an FM tuner built in, can voice record (pref with the option of using a 3.5mm plug-in mike)... I'm hard to please, eh?

And then, there's issues around the environmental legacy of whichever one I choose - Apple's not the only offender here, but seems to be one of the worst:

http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/2007/04/bad_apple_ipod_.html
(other searches on "ipod + toxic" are informative)
It ain't easy...

Suggestions welcome!
K.

[3rdalbum]

Ken T, I'm not sure you'll find an MP3 player that supports both playlists AND drag 'n' drop.

I just bought the latest Sony MP3 player. If MP3 players were sold on merit alone, this one would be big. It's drag 'n' drop on Windows, Mac OS 8 - 10, Linux, BSD, Syllable etc, with a music database based on the ID3 tags (the MP3 player itself builds the databse). It doesn't support open formats (boo!), but you can use Linux to encode videos for the player, once you've figured out how. I'm an early adopter of this MP3 player so I'll have to be the one to write a video-encoding frontend :-)

FM radio, playlist support on Windows, nice sharp screen which is well protected, solid build quality, unbelievably quick to start up, incredible bass performance without distortion, graphic eq, karaoke filter, intelligent shuffle... it's a real nice MP3 player. I especially like the ClearBass, which gives a great bass boost without distorting; and of course the drag 'n' drop functionality.

[Chrisj303]

Why do iPods sell well?

..Because people like them.

[Ken T]

Ken T, I'm not sure you'll find an MP3 player that supports both playlists AND drag 'n' drop.

I just bought the latest Sony MP3 player. If MP3 players were sold on merit alone, this one would be big. It's drag 'n' drop on Windows, Mac OS 8 - 10, Linux, BSD, Syllable etc, with a music database based on the ID3 tags (the MP3 player itself builds the databse). It doesn't support open formats (boo!), but you can use Linux to encode videos for the player, once you've figured out how. I'm an early adopter of this MP3 player so I'll have to be the one to write a video-encoding frontend :-)

FM radio, playlist support on Windows, nice sharp screen which is well protected, solid build quality, unbelievably quick to start up, incredible bass performance without distortion, graphic eq, karaoke filter, intelligent shuffle... it's a real nice MP3 player. I especially like the ClearBass, which gives a great bass boost without distorting; and of course the drag 'n' drop functionality.

Thanks for the post, 3rdalbum - very interesting. What model # is your Walkman? Also, you say that there's "playlist support on Windows" - but not Linux? Have I got that right?

Thanks,
K.

[3rdalbum]

The model number of my Walkman is NWZ-S618F - mine is the 8 gigabyte model, but there are smaller ones also.

I have just written the video-encoding frontend I mentioned :-) It's called BlackLight. More features coming soon.

You can use Windows Media Player to create playlists for this MP3 player, but only on Windows. If there's any demand from the community, I'll install Windows Media Player 11 on my Windows partition and see if I can reverse-engineer the format so as to implement playlists in BlackLight. I'm honestly not sure how many Linux users really desperately want playlists.

[Ken T]

Well, speaking for myself, I'd REALLY like to see playlists enabled on linux software:). The playlists feature is probably the only reason I have left for sticking with Itunes.


If you want to gauge the support of others for the playlist feature, maybe start a seperate thread? I'm not sure which subforum would be best for it.

If I understand you right, 3rdalbum, your frontend can be used to replace the firmware on players like the ipod (and presumably the Sony walkman) - does Blacklight replace Rythymbox, or run alongside Rythymbox & enhance its functionality?

Thanks,
K.
*********

[Musky Melon]

The iPod sells well due to heavy marketing, a sleek design and decent interface. Once it gained a significant market share they further cemented in its popularity by pumping out a vast array of add-ons and constant improvements to the device.

I do not like the iPod. They have a high failure rate. Most of them use mechanical storage methods which you should avoid in portable devices as they often lead to failure. I do not like the physical interface as the lack of tactile buttons forces me to look at the device to operate it. I hate interfacing with the iTunes software; I find it unintuitive and bloated. The device is far more restrictive than many other devices. It is fairly expensive for what it actually is and given that I'm not huge fan of listening to music on the go, I care not to invest hundreds of dollars into an expensive device that provides with no more functionality than a cheap twenty-dollar player does.

Play, pause, stop, forward, back, volume up, volume down. That's all I need.

[Alfa989]

I do not like the iPod.
This is a free world

They have a high failure rate.
No more than any other MP3 player... But remember, we're talking about Apple, one of the most publicized companies out there... For good and bad things...

Most of them use mechanical storage methods which you should avoid in portable devices as they often lead to failure.
The most popular and the most sold iPod model uses flash memory...

I do not like the physical interface as the lack of tactile buttons forces me to look at the device to operate it.
So do I. But, just to remind you, iPod DO have physical buttons...

I hate interfacing with the iTunes software; I find it unintuitive and bloated.
May I ask why?

The device is far more restrictive than many other devices.
Agreed

I care not to invest hundreds of dollars into an expensive device that provides with no more functionality than a cheap twenty-dollar player does.
Are you joking? Try to play video, view photos, sync your calendar, set put alarms, etc... in that twenty-dollar player...

Play, pause, stop, forward, back, volume up, volume down. That's all I need.
So do I. And all iPods do that... Except stop.

[n3tfury]

i love it's intuitiveness but just about nothing else about it is any better than any other top level DAP's. and iTunes? rofl, no thanks.

[xadloki]

Most of my work is done on a mac and I recently bought an ipod, I looked through many different players and ended up with an ipod. You use itunes and it makes the process of putting all your stuff in the ipod and updating it automatically, you just plug it in and when you're leaving the house you take it with you and it is charged and has all your new files in it. It might not be the best player with most features for the price but it's the fastest and I think most intuitive device to use. It's simple, it does what you expect it to do and it just works, like most of macs products, they are very well polished and though out. I simply don't want or have time to be tweaking every little device I own to get the best of it. That's why I bought it.

[3rdalbum]

Well, speaking for myself, I'd REALLY like to see playlists enabled on linux software:). The playlists feature is probably the only reason I have left for sticking with Itunes.

Maybe we're speaking at cross-purposes; are you talking about playlists for Linux music playing software, or for portable media players? The iPod managers for Linux all have playlist support.


If I understand you right, 3rdalbum, your frontend can be used to replace the firmware on players like the ipod (and presumably the Sony walkman) - does Blacklight replace Rythymbox, or run alongside Rythymbox & enhance its functionality?

No, nothing like that. Blacklight is a video encoder. It runs on your Linux computer and converts your videos to the precise format that the Walkmans use. These days, Blacklight can also transcode and transfer audio.

It ONLY works for the Sony Walkmans, and only the drag 'n' drop ones. It doesn't convert video to the correct format for the iPod, and it is not replacement firmware. It is an application program.

Ken, I value your feedback as to whether you want playlist support, but you don't own a Walkman :-) Right now I'm concentrating on making Blacklight rock-solid (just found and fixed another bug tonight) and writing plugins.

[jabeez]

One question, whats the most compatible mp3 player for linux that also supports ogg Vorbis and FLAC?

Most (if not all) of Cowon's players support pretty much every format. Just ordered a D2 for the wife's B-Day, and if its as good as it's supposed to be, I may have to get one myself. I haven't had a DAP since my Rio 500, so it's gonna be quite the leap!!

[3rdalbum]

I do not like the iPod. They have a high failure rate.

It's not quite as bad as Microsoft's Xbox 360, but they do have a failure rate that is unacceptably high. What's worse than that is the intermittant failures - if you get an iPod that occasionally won't quite work properly. The iPods seem to have a particular flaw which results in the database getting corrupted, either during a transfer or when the player gets turned on.

Sony Electronics knows how to make products that work.

I have a Walkman that is the "1.0" of its generation. The first drag and drop player from Sony. It Just Works. I don't have to worry that it's going to deny all knowledge of my music, I don't have to worry about the screen getting scratched, I charge it up whenever and don't worry about the battery prematurely dying. Apart from fingerprints on the screen and a bit of finger-dirt on the Play button, it looks brand new.

Actually, my old Teac MP3 player was trouble-free too.

If Teac can make an MP3 player that works properly, I'm surprised Apple can't.

[handy]

I've got an 8 gig iPod touch that I bought to use as a PDA. I will probably put some music on it, but really that is not what it is for in my case.

It is really simple & easy to use on the go for my less than perfect eyes... :lolflag: