Will You Buy The New iPod?

[Kent Pribbernow]

With all the talk this week centering around Apple's newest iPod, I was wondering how many of you out there actually plan to purchase one. Boasting 12 hours of battery life, increased storage capacity, and a new scroll wheel (borrowed from the Mini), does the new iPod look compelling to you? Or is it just a modest incremental update?

[Filip Norrgard]

I might consider buying an iPod if Apple has fixed the 18 month life non-removable battery with a more replaceble battery... :x

[dean_shan]

I don't own an iPod and do not plan on buying one anytime soon. They need to come down in price for me to buy one.

[Mojo Jojo]

I have to imagine there is a saturation point on the horizion coming up. My household owns three and all are going strong with no plans to replace.

I am not sure where people get the 18 month battery from, if that were true 2 of them should have long since been dead but instead they get 6-7 hours still per charge.

(shrugs).

[entropy1980]

Holding out on my 3G.... when they have G5 Powerbooks next year I will pick one up to go with it :)

[Tim Williamson]

Where's the "Maybe" option? I'll look into the new ones, but I wasn't too thrilled with my 15GB 3G iPod (I ended up taking it back).

[jeff]

What if you're happy with your current HD-DAP and might consider an iPod in some future revison?

[hoffm11]

I would much rather have my $210 Nomad 30GB mp3 player that has a battery life of 15 hours.

[ale_ers]

Not planning on it...at least until they add WMA support.

[klinux]

I am satified with my 2G iPod which has nearly the same ideal layout as the 4G out. I am not pleased with Apple nickel-and-diming its users by not bundling the wired remote!

[dgage]

I ordered one on Monday since they finally fixed my biggest issue which was battery life as I am a consultant that travels a lot. It helps that they reduced the price some although to be accurate, they did remove the case, cradle, and remote(?) from the package.

I looked at iRiver but they have some software/firmware problems and users are starting to complain that iRiver hasn't supported their players as they promised they would. I looked at the Dell player but most people complained about being beta testers for their player.

I did actually buy the Creative Muvo2 with 4GB microdrive (removable version) but I gave that to my wife to use while working out since the charging system sucked. You have to "Eject" the Muvo2 from your computer to get it to charge via USB. And since I didn't want to carry around their power brick, I didn't like it much. Plus, if the power gets too low as happened on my last trip, the computer and Muvo2 wouldn't recognize each other so it wouldn't charge.

Overall, I have been waiting a while for the perfect MP3 player and I don't think one is out there but I think the 4G iPod is closest. Now I just hope the battery life issues have been addressed.

David

[Cameron K]

I've got a 20gig 3G that has become a permanent fixture on me. I might consider buying a mini to compliment it, but I don't think I'll upgrade to a new 4G, as I see nothing worth the upgrade cost.

[Phoenix]

Not planning on it...at least until they add WMA support.

Don't hold your breath.



I own an Ipod Mini and love it. Even though the HDD is smaller, it suits my needs. Not to mention, I like the colored aluminum better than the highly scratchable chrome, and I also like the smaller size of the Mini.

The 4G offers nothing that I'd want, need, or use.

[Zack Mahdavi]

I am satified with my 2G iPod which has nearly the same ideal layout as the 4G out. I am not pleased with Apple nickel-and-diming its users by not bundling the wired remote!

I'm also keeping my 2G iPod, since I love the button layout. I wish it had the size and weight of the newer iPods though...

Anyway, both the 20 and 40GB iPods now include the remote. The 40GB includes the dock, while the 20GB does not.

[BillyBob]

I just ordered an ibook + the 20 gig ipod. I wasn't planning on getting an ipod at all, just an ibook, but they released an education promo the day before I was going to order, giving a $275 rebate if you order a notebook and an ipod together. With the education discount already on the ipod it worked out to be about $110 for the 20 gig. The day I ordered actually, I was prepared to go with the old 15 gig ones but then they released the new ones, so good timing I guess.

So... anybody who is a student, or knows someone who is, AND wants to buy an apple computer as well (or knows someone who does)... uh.... check it out :)

[ctmagnus]

I'd rather have an iRiver than an iPod. I'd take a Rio Karma over an iPod as well.

[that_kid]

I need more than battery life, give me more space like 100 gigs. Then i'd think about getting another one.

[Cameron K]

Anyway, both the 20 and 40GB iPods now include the remote. The 40GB includes the dock, while the 20GB does not.

Wrong. While the dock is being included with the 40gig version, the remote and case are no longer being included with either version. hehe, zkmusa, where are you getting your iPod specs today :P

[Suhit Gupta]

I'd rather have an iRiver than an iPod.
Give the man a cigar. 8)

Suhit

[Zack Mahdavi]

Anyway, both the 20 and 40GB iPods now include the remote. The 40GB includes the dock, while the 20GB does not.

Wrong. While the dock is being included with the 40gig version, the remote and case are no longer being included with either version. hehe, zkmusa, where are you getting your iPod specs today :P

Sorry, I guess I'm completely out of it today... I could have sworn that the remote and case came with the new iPods... you're right then, the deal is no longer that sweet, although I personally never use the case and remote that came with my device.

[Kent Pribbernow]

Give the man a cigar. 8)


One day, Suhit...you and I will face off in a duel, like Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. Each of us armed with our iPod and iRiver, and we will finally put this issue to rest. I will win, of course. :lol:

[Kevin Jackson]

I'd rather have an iRiver than an iPod.
Give the man a cigar. 8)

Suhit

I'm with you guys! I've had my H-140 for a week or so and I love it -- great sound and great features -- still waiting for the firmware upgrade, but the current feature-set works for me right now!

[gibb193a]

I, too, have the 20 gig iRiver. I prefer WMA and am waiting for the next round of players once MS opens their online music store.

[bjornkeizers]

I'm buying one in September. (I'd get one next month, but I have a lot of school expenses then)

My brother got a 3rd gen 20 gig last month; and I'm so impressed with the quality that I'm replacing my aging Archos Jukebox ahead of schedule.

I'm going to get the 4th gen 40 gig. I can get a student discount so I only pay 400 euro for it! I'm slightly pissed off that they didn't include the remote, but I'm saving at least 150 euro, so that doesn't bother me. And I'm going to buy a better case as well.

Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Every penny!

[Suhit Gupta]

Seriously, have you looked at the other music players on the market right now? The iPod suffers from low battery life, has no FM tuner, has no color screen, has no remote control, has no voice recorder or real time MP3 encoder and you will be locked in with AAC files if you have any significant number of WMA files. Yes it has a great UI but look at other units that have a lot more features and are comparable in price. Too many people jump at getting the iPod just because of its popularity. In fact, looking at the different PMPs that are being released lately and given that the new iPod has just been released, featurewize the iPod seems to be among the weakest among the lot.

iRiver is the one I would recommend right away, but look at the Creative units as well.

Suhit

[James Fee]

I'm going to replace my 2g unit with one of these new iPods. And now that it can charge itself using USB, it will be an even better choice.

[bjornkeizers]

Seriously, have you looked at the other music players on the market right now?


I have. Even though others are cheaper and offer more memory, you can't beat the Ipod when it comes to style. I don't want another boring silver brick.


The iPod suffers from low battery life,


The old ones did. Or so some people say. My brother gets two full days of use out of his 3th gen, and the 4th gen has apparently twice the battery life.

As for the...

* Lack of FM tuner - I don't need it. It's a nice extra, but not a dealbreaker.

* No color screen - It's an MP3 player. It doesn't play movies, so what would I need color for? It adds bulk and lowers battery life without adding anything.

* No remote - I'll grant you that one. I don't understand why the new ones don't have it, even the 40 gig, when my brother's 20 gig did come with remote & case. But then again, the new Ipod is cheaper then the old one. Not everyone uses a remote and most power users would prefer to buy their own case. You can always buy one if you really need it.

* No voice recorder - I've never used one. How many people here really use a voice recorder? Not that many I imagine. And if I do need one, my Clie has one built in and I do own a MD recorder for my job (journalist) If you really want one, you can buy an extra Belkin module.

Too many people jump at getting the iPod just because of its popularity.


Agreed. Please don't think I'm one of them though: most of these people are yuppies with too much money who hear and see Ipod in the media and in ads; how many of them actually know the difference between AAC and MP3? Not that many. I do. I've played with my brother's Ipod and I like the size, the weight, the sound, the UI, the wheel... Even the packaging is a work of art. Anyone who owns an Ipod will attest to that. I was getting excited just watching my brother open the package. It just *feels* good.


In fact, looking at the different PMPs that are being released lately and given that the new iPod has just been released, featurewize the iPod seems to be among the weakest among the lot.


They're prettty nice. But a PMP is also more expensive, (250 euro more then a 40 gig 4th gen Ipod) and even though it plays videos and shows pics, I don't want to have to convert everything to a special format or codec to view it. I don't think the tech is quite there yet that I can just toss a file on there, and it'll play guaranteed, no matter what format or codec I use.


iRiver is the one I would recommend right away, but look at the Creative units as well.


I own an IFP180TC. Great little machine. And I hear that the Creative isn't all that great either. Poor sound, quality control issues, etc. I know a few people who bought a Zen and now wish they'd bought the Ipod instead...

[Suhit Gupta]

Dude, I totally respect your decision if you have done the research and it clearly looks like you have. But I hope you see my point that given the current feature set that appears to be standard among all newly-released music players, I just don't understand why the iPod is still maintaining its popularity.

I was actually speaking with Janak (editor on PPCT for those who don't know) about this just yesterday and he said that the reason why the 4th gen iPod did not introduce any of the new features that we were all hoping/expecting, is becuase they don't need to. They have a large market share and are in no danger of losing it even if they don't make any improvements to their product. And I agree with him. In fact, my response was that Apple is becoming very much like Microsoft did with their OS, browser and all their other products that they monopolized, i.e. they don't need to update their product as aggressively because they have already captured that market (which is sad IMHO).

Suhit

[bjornkeizers]

I just don't understand why the iPod is still maintaining its popularity.


I think the two main reason are that it's a status symbol and brand recognistion. You see your friends with this stylish, expensive, product - and all you hear in the media is Ipod. Over the last few weeks I've seen/read a dozen different stories in the media about the Ipod. Not about MP3 players in general but *specifically the Ipod*. The average consumer doesn't know about the Creative Zen; and they don't want to, because their friends all have an Ipod, so they have to have one too.

[quote]
I was actually speaking with Janak (editor on PPCT for those who don't know) about this just yesterday and he said that the reason why the 4th gen iPod did not introduce any of the new features that we were all hoping/expecting, is becuase they don't need to. They have a large market share and are in no danger of losing it even if they don't make any improvements to their product. And I agree with him.
[quote]

The figures speak for themselves. I did a bit of research when we discussed this over at Pocketmatrix. Did you know that the Ipod alone accounts for 14 percent of all Apple revenue? I just looked it up. They sell more Ipods then computers in fact. They sold about 3 million of them so far, IIRC. Ipod sales have risen over 900% compared to last year! And with the introduction of the cheap Mini and the cheaper 4th gen, I'm sure they'll easily sell another 3 million.

[Suhit Gupta]

I think the two main reason are that it's a status symbol and brand recognistion. You see your friends with this stylish, expensive, product - and all you hear in the media is Ipod. Over the last few weeks I've seen/read a dozen different stories in the media about the Ipod. Not about MP3 players in general but *specifically the Ipod*. The average consumer doesn't know about the Creative Zen; and they don't want to, because their friends all have an Ipod, so they have to have one too.
I completely agree with you that the marketing of the other devices is significantly poorer than that of Apple's. In fact, as much as I love iRiver products and their ingenuity, I have yet to see an iRiver ad (print, web, TC, whatever...).
The figures speak for themselves. I did a bit of research when we discussed this over at Pocketmatrix. Did you know that the Ipod alone accounts for 14 percent of all Apple revenue? I just looked it up. They sell more Ipods then computers in fact. They sold about 3 million of them so far, IIRC. Ipod sales have risen over 900% compared to last year! And with the introduction of the cheap Mini and the cheaper 4th gen, I'm sure they'll easily sell another 3 million.
Yes, but if it is so popular, shouldn't they try and constantly better it? I mean if I had a really good product that was selling like hotcakes then that would be even more incentive for me to make it better i.e. keep it competitive when it comes to features. And it is not like people are hiding what features they want in the next gen iPod.

Suhit

[mrkablooey]

Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Every penny!

Don't you mean "Every euro!" :wink:

[mrkablooey]

I have two 2nd gen iPods (10 and 20GB) that I don't see myself getting rid of until they don't work anymore. Battery life is still great and I'm 3GB from running out of space on the 20 (the 10 is my wife's--she's fine with it). The smaller size of the newer ones is a big plus, but feature-wise it's not a big deal to me. I use it daily in my car, plugging it in to the AUX-IN on my stereo. :way to go: