Would I be an idiot if I bought an iPod ?

[theophane]

Hey people !

A friend of mine will head over the US in a month or so and I'm thinking of asking him to buy me an iPod.

The reason to this is pretty simple, Apple has a 1$=1€ price policy, which is a rip-off for European customers.
If I buy an iPod in U$D I will thus pay it 30% cheaper than I would have in France.

80Gigs are cool and 170€ is a pretty fair price, BUT we all know Apple is not so opensource friendly, and that's the problem.

Shall I buy an iPod assuming I am ONLY using Ubuntu. Will I be able to synch my music and cover arts with a nice iPod Classic ?

Thanks for reading and answering :)

[Incense]

I'd say avoid the newer 6th gen iPods for now.

I've seen some reports that they are working with Amarok, but these are sketchy. Since apple changed the game with the new gen of iPods, things may be rough for a while. If you have windows in VBox you can use iTunes until things get sorted out. Maybe find an older (5.5 or less) iPod that you can rockBox, or just use out of the box with amarok or banshee would be a better option. I use my 1st gen Nano, and 5th Gen Video with Amarok and have no problems at all.

[Mazza558]

The height of iPods (audio quality-wise) was probably the iPod Video or Photo.

[prizrak]

Yes.

[boast]

ipods are awesome.

[toupeiro]

Buy what you want, who cares what other people think. if you want a new gen ipod, go for it. The wrinkles will be ironed out in time.

[stimpack]

I have the latest Nano. My next mp3 player will not be an Apple one. Basically having to use iTunes make the thing junk, that program is awful.

[SunnyRabbiera]

yeh but you know how the linux community is, if somethings broke it is usually backhacked :p

[mmb1]

As said above, you may want to wait before buying a 6th generation ipod, but I can tell you that my 4th generation ipod photo works perfectly in Ubuntu using Rhythmbox or Amarok

[koleoptero]

I'd buy an iRiver Clix. Ipods aren't geeky enough for me :lol:

[zachtib]

The height of iPods (audio quality-wise) was probably the iPod Video or Photo.

really?

I've got a 30GB Photo and love it, but I didn't know that the 6G had dropped in audio quality.

(I've loaded Rockbox on my Photo to listen to flacs, though :P)

[undine]

Yes.

[slimdog360]

if that is what you want then get one.

[mellowd]

Nothing at all wrong with an ipod

[Joeb454]

I've got an iPod, love it to bits...admittedly I'm running a dual-boot situation, but either way, I still love it :)

[maniacmusician]

Go for an iRiver or something from Cowon instead. If they don't satisfy your needs, I'd go for something by Creative. But then, I don't like iPods very much.

As other people have said though, the newer ones might have trouble working on Ubuntu for a little while. It would be much easier to get a linux-friendly device.

[hanzomon4]

I can't wait tell the iphone works with Ubuntu :drools:

[n3tfury]

The height of iPods (audio quality-wise) was probably the iPod Video or Photo.

do you have some info to back that up?

[Nano Geek]

I'd say avoid the newer 6th gen iPods for now.

I've seen some reports that they are working with Amarok, but these are sketchy. Since apple changed the game with the new gen of iPods, things may be rough for a while. If you have windows in VBox you can use iTunes until things get sorted out. Maybe find an older (5.5 or less) iPod that you can rockBox, or just use out of the box with amarok or banshee would be a better option. I use my 1st gen Nano, and 5th Gen Video with Amarok and have no problems at all.I big +1 for not buying the latest iPods if you are not going to use iTunes.

I have one of the new Nanos and I could never get it to work properly under Linux.

[new2*buntu]

Has anybody tried running iTunes in Wine?

[subs]

im damn happy with my ipod video.....

if u r goin in 4 one.... try the new ipod classic...

[Prisma]

New egg is offering 1st gen ipod nanos for $119


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16855101017

[el_ricardo]

i'd wait until some bright spark gets rockbox working on the 6th gen ipods if you want one of the latest.

[Linuxratty]

Buy what you want, who cares what other people think. if you want a new gen ipod, go for it. The wrinkles will be ironed out in time.

I agree....IPods are over rated (and over priced)imho...

[Whiffle]

I have an ipod, but I really miss my iaudio... *sniffle*

[corney91]

I agree....IPods are over rated (and over priced)imho...

I reckon the latest iPod classics are good for their price. Especially compared to some of the more 'open' MP3 players eg. iAudio7

[Incense]

I reckon the latest iPod classics are good for their price. Especially compared to some of the more 'open' MP3 players eg. iAudio7

The problem here though is the lack of support for the new generation ipods on Linux, and the OP said they are using only ubuntu. So the new gen would be an issue. (Classic, 3g Nano, and touch)

[Josh1]

The height of iPods (audio quality-wise) was probably the iPod Video or Photo.

Yeah, I love my iPod. I have it with Rockbox.

[akiratheoni]

Go for an iRiver or something from Cowon instead. If they don't satisfy your needs, I'd go for something by Creative. But then, I don't like iPods very much.

As other people have said though, the newer ones might have trouble working on Ubuntu for a little while. It would be much easier to get a linux-friendly device.

Cowon FTW. No trouble at all with Linux, and it supports FLAC and OGG out of the box. Yay for open formats :)

[Espreon]

If you wanna buy an iPod go for the 5G iPod, since it is the latest iPod that can work with the godly Rockbox and iPod Linux.

[dasunst3r]

+1 for iRiver -- they support OGG and have been around before iPod was even introduced.

[smacattack]

the new samsung p2 looks pretty awesome. anyone have any experience with it?

[ticopelp]

I have a 20 GB iPod "Classic" (one of the pre-video models) and I'm perfectly happy with it. Works fine with Amarok.

I say get what you like. The Classics are pretty competitive with other mp3 players like the Creative Zen. The new iPod Touch models are crazy overpriced -- I wouldn't touch those (no pun intended) personally.

[Retrograde77]

Was thinking of getting a Ipod classic 80gb for £150 on payday. am guessing thier not linux friendly at the mo? (got a 1stgen nano atm)

Any recommendations on alternatives around that price?

[D-EJ915]

do you have some info to back that up?
They use different parts and can't be upgraded the way the older ones could, so yeah, vastly inferior in that aspect.

[MozartlovesUbun2]

just got the new Nano 8GB 3rd Gen

Rythmbox wont start up now anymore when ipod is mounted

how does one sync?

[macogw]

I have an ipod, but I really miss my iaudio... *sniffle*

I'm getting an iAUDIO 7 for Atheist Children Get Presents Day...or as my mom calls it, Christmas. People on IRC said iRiver or iAUDIO, and the iAUDIO looked nicer / actually listed "Linux" for compatibility.

[cprofitt]

iPods are vendor locked in.

Buy something from Cowon or Meizu -- something that supports Vorbis.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16855625005
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16855228010

[aysiu]

I'm getting an iAUDIO 7 for Atheist Children Get Presents Day...or as my mom calls it, Christmas. People on IRC said iRiver or iAUDIO, and the iAUDIO looked nicer / actually listed "Linux" for compatibility.
Before you buy it, read my review:
http://ubuntucat.wordpress.com/2007/12/01/cowon-iaudio-7-review-ubuntu-perspective/

[theophane]

The problem is that there is no alternative to the iPod Classic.
Is there any 80Gb player for 259€ out there ?

I'm afraid the answer is no...

[Incense]

The new Amarok release (1.4.8 I think) claims to support the newer iPods and the iPhone. So maybe we're in luck.

[billgoldberg]

I don't see the point (besides wanting to fit in) of buying an €200 poratable music player.

My zen stone (http://be-en.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=16424) costed me €35 and has never given me a problem. And it plays on for days (well, make that 10h) without recharging. You just plug it in and copy files like on any usb harddrive.

[macogw]

Just update libgpod to work with newer iPods. http://lilserenity.wordpress.com/2007/12/22/virgin-mobile-praise-ubuntu-and-ipod-nano-3g/ has links to the necessary debs and shows what you need to run to update the iPod's db the first time.

[Blondie]

I don't see the point (besides wanting to fit in) of buying an €200 poratable music player.

My zen stone (http://be-en.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=16424) costed me €35 and has never given me a problem. And it plays on for days (well, make that 10h) without recharging. You just plug it in and copy files like on any usb harddrive.

Couldn't agree more. I have a relatively inexpensive 1GB mp3 player and 300 songs is plenty enough for me to take out with me at any one time, then swap them for different songs if I want when I get home. If I bought something that cost that much apart from anything else I'd be afraid of dropping it or losing it. The slight decrease in convenience of having less songs wouldn't make up for the peace of mind of not worrying too much about losing or dropping my cheaper player.

[Blindraven]

I have the 6th gen 80gig Ipod classic and loving it. Do not substitude the longetivity and quality of an iPod over an inferior product. There is no shame in wanting to buy a genuinly quality MP3 Player at all.
People are to caught up in the fasion sense part and perhaps forgotten that for the money and their price the new Classics are a steal.
Otherwise I'd suggest this : Archos (http://www.archos.com/products/gen_5/index.html?country=global&lang=en)

[metalpancake]

i'd wait until some bright spark gets rockbox working on the 6th gen ipods if you want one of the latest.
I use Rockbox on a 30gb video and I love the fredom.:)

[macogw]

Do not substitude the longetivity and quality of an iPod over an inferior product
One of my friends, in one year, went through 3 iPods (yay for warranty replacements). One time, the entire clickwheel went dead. There was no way to control it because all of the controls are on the clickwheel too. The RA on my floor last year had a problem where both her iPod and iTunes would continually crash. Apple told her to update her iTunes, but that didn't do anything and to do the thing where iTunes resets the iPod completely so it's like brand new, and if she tried that it'd just make iTunes crash more.

Never had any problem with my Creative Zen Vision M (except the part where I forgot it in a convention center). I'm loving my little itty bitty Cowon iAudio 7 though (they even advertise Linux compatibility, w00t! gotta support companies that support us, so they know we're a viable market and maybe other companies will get the hint). My mom didn't get the extended warranty on the iAudio because she figures I'll lose it too :P The Phillips GoGear I had was also very nice, but that one did freeze on occasion and eventually the (non-replaceable, just like on an iPod) battery died, so I got the Zen as a free replacement from Best Buy.

[boast]

heh, you can go to support forums of any DAP to find problems/errors.

[theophane]

By the way, the real question is, will I be able to synch my iPod, assuming I am a Linux user, and I will never install windows on my computer....?

[bomanizer]

I have a 6gen classic, the 80Gb model. I'm syncing with amarok and using lastPod to upload stats to last.fm. I've got cover art, but video transfer is lacking. I've encoded some misc. stuff to mp4 and added them to the video playlist in the ipod, but they all show up as zero length, as in 0 min 00 sec. I think that's the part that needs to be "ironed out". I can't remember the steps it took to make the sync with amarok, it probably was a lib via apt-get, or something.... also, the default firmware resulted in 6h of battery life, so I used iTunes on my GF's Xp box to update the firmware to the latest version. After that I got the normal battery life.

[bomanizer]

People are to caught up in the fasion sense part and perhaps forgotten that for the money and their price the new Classics are a steal.

So true. I got my 6g classic at 260€. That's 80Gb and 30 hours of battery.

[Praadur]

I use my DS, myself. Simply because I have one with a homebrew device, and the battery lasts a decent while. I use my DS more for listening to music and my audio books these days than games, I suspect. It's nice to have around for that if one has a DS, though... if not, then a cheap music player is better. I never really understood the need for more than a GiB or 2 storage either. I have one 4GiB card and I usually have trouble filling it with stuff that I'd actually feel like listen to.

[black3ug]

yes

[theophane]

I use my DS, myself. Simply because I have one with a homebrew device, and the battery lasts a decent while. I use my DS more for listening to music and my audio books these days than games, I suspect. It's nice to have around for that if one has a DS, though... if not, then a cheap music player is better. I never really understood the need for more than a GiB or 2 storage either. I have one 4GiB card and I usually have trouble filling it with stuff that I'd actually feel like listen to.

Well I think the main concept of the iPod Classic is about holding all you have in your pocket. I have a 20GB Sony Walkman which is full. I would need more storage in order to be able to hold in my hand each and every single song I have, so I can listen to them wherever I am (assuming I'm a student and I'm moving a lot).

[jeffus_il]

I have a 60Gb ipod which sits at home and does nothing all the time, It's only real use is to move data between machines when it's too large to move over the network.

Recently I bought a 2Gb Sandisk whatever , its tiny, its great, I can lose it and I don't have to rob a bank, or take out an insurance policy, 2Gb is more than I need for a weekend, it also has a radio, I love it.

[Nano Geek]

Well I think the main concept of the iPod Classic is about holding all you have in your pocket. I have a 20GB Sony Walkman which is full. I would need more storage in order to be able to hold in my hand each and every single song I have, so I can listen to them wherever I am (assuming I'm a student and I'm moving a lot).If I were you, I'd either just buy a 5.5 G iPod, or wait a little while till when the 6 Gs start working with Linux.

[Croba]

Reading through this thread you realize everyone has different needs. Both with models of Ipods and other player makes. The choice is a personal matter.

Mac fundamentalists will say Ipod, rebellious non conformist Linux types will say get another player, the question is what do you want it for and do you like the idea of an Ipod over another make?

I didn't like early Ipods and thought they were over priced and over rated. However they have come along way since then and are now in my opinion, based on my needs, a good buy.

I am awaiting the arrival of 160GB Ipod classic, Which suits me! Short of carrying round a USB HDD and all the rest of the kit, I see know real alternative for capacity and quality in a small unit.

Personally I want all my music (I have lots) in one place and portable, both at home elsewhere, I am not really bothered about the source, once its on the player its Job done,

It is disappointing that it wont work with Linux, but I am sure it will do at some stage soon. In the mean time I have had to keep a dual boot with windows for various other reasons anyway so no biggy. I will cope.

Mac, Creative or Blah company are all out make money, and will appeal to various people for different reasons, its called marketing! If you think about branding to much you stuff yourself up.

The choice is yours!

Buy what suits your needs, if you dual boot with Mac or Widows. Is not a problem to have a 6th gen Ipod if thats what you want.

[b0ng0]

I would invest in a better audio player, one which supports more than just mp4 and other such formats. Personally, I would recommend a Cowon player (D2 and i7 are awesome), they support ogg and flac as well as other audio formats, and have amazing sound quality.

[mips]

I would invest in a better audio player, one which supports more than just mp4 and other such formats. Personally, I would recommend a Cowon player (D2 and i7 are awesome), they support ogg and flac as well as other audio formats, and have amazing sound quality.


Does Cowon have like a 40-60GB player? I could not find anything on their website.

[jviscosi]

You can often get a good deal on an older iPod by getting one from the Apple refurb store. That's where I got mine. (Caveat: I had to send the first one back because it was dead out of the box. The second one's been going for several years now though.)

[Acglaphotis]

No, you'll be an iDiot.

[theophane]

Does Cowon have like a 40-60GB player? I could not find anything on their website.

I think the answer is no. All the people pretending Cowon and iRiver are kickass players are just weird. I cannot satisfy myself with a 4Gb player.
And Archos are not mp3, but video players. They are expensive, large and heavy.

[theophane]

No, you'll be an iDiot.

:lolflag:

[mips]

I think the answer is no. All the people pretending Cowon and iRiver are kickass players are just weird. I cannot satisfy myself with a 4Gb player.


I won't be able to buy a 4-8gb playaer either. I need something like 40-60gb, size is not a big factor as I will basically just plug it into a amp anyway.

[tomauty]

If you're still deciding, and the only factor is linux, go for it. I update my classic with linux with no problems.

[jeffus_il]

On a more philosophical note, If we were all judged by what we bought, we would all be idiots.

[akiratheoni]

Cowon's iAudio X5 does have a 60GB version but unfortunately they have put the X5 out of production.

I find Cowon's players to be the best... they support OGG and FLAC out of the box, and you don't need to deal with crap software and they support Linux right out of the box, no problem whatsoever. My D2 is expandable with SD memory anyway, so if I need more, I'll just get a 16GB SDHC card.

[bash]

Hey people !

A friend of mine will head over the US in a month or so and I'm thinking of asking him to buy me an iPod.

The reason to this is pretty simple, Apple has a 1$=1€ price policy, which is a rip-off for European customers.
If I buy an iPod in U$D I will thus pay it 30% cheaper than I would have in France.

80Gigs are cool and 170€ is a pretty fair price, BUT we all know Apple is not so opensource friendly, and that's the problem.

Shall I buy an iPod assuming I am ONLY using Ubuntu. Will I be able to synch my music and cover arts with a nice iPod Classic ?

Thanks for reading and answering :)

If you buy an iPod, Tux special forces will break into your house at night, take the iPod to RMS himself to perform a grand exorcism on it and abduct you to DRM rehab, where in a 6 month treatment you will slowly be reintroducted to the concept to free and open source software.

[inversekinetix]

I wouldn't say you'd be an idiot but I would never buy an apple product nor an expensive mp3/ogg media player. I use a 1000 yen ($10) player that accepts a 4GB miniSD card, plug and play on any system, excellent sound for what it is (read portable media player). I don't understand why people need to carry around 100's of albums, it takes only minutes to fill 4GB and thats enough for a week, but thats just me. If you're considering an apple alternative you may want to check out,

chinavision (dot) com

they have excellent service and good prices.