[Timothy Huber]

and let's face it: Apple's industrial design is second to none. The iPod is small, sleek and very cool-looking. Nobody comes close.

Timothy

[Timothy Huber]

and let's face it: Apple's industrial design is second to none. The iPod is small, sleek and very cool-looking. Nobody comes close.

Timothy

[gibb193a]

Originally Posted by Kent Pribbernow

No other device on the market right now shares that same quality. This is why the iPod leaves all of the media players in the dust.

I'm not so sure it's the quality as much as the design. In my research for an MP3 player, the looks get raves across the board while I've read about problems with their players breaking down, battery life issues, etc. I think the best thing Apple did to ensure the popularity of the iPod was make a Windows version. It's become synonymous with hard-drive based players like Palm is (was? let's not get into THAT!) with PDAs.

Personally, I'm leaning towards the iRiver ihp-120 especially because of the FM tuner being built in. I almost bought one because of a recent rebate. Suhit, can you pm me about your experience with your iRiver?

[Russell]

Originally Posted by Kent Pribbernow

Another problem is that Apple's media device has become an icon. It's name is recognized the world over. No other device on the market right now shares that same quality. This is why the iPod leaves all of the media players in the dust.

I agree absolutely 100 percent with you on that one Kent. iPod advertises a lot only to remind you of what you read about or see on television, and the iPod is everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Right now, the words mp3 player are rarely mentioned without saying iPod. When a good player comes along the headline reads "A possible iPod competitor," and as you can see there is no mention of the "possible competitor" in the headline. Nobody stands a chance right now of even touching the market share Apple has and is going to continue to get. Why? Because the more additional choices come, the more people are going to just go with iPod because they know it is popular, and it makes their buying decision easier.

[Gary Sheynkman]

you have to agree that the new iPod ads are awesome :!:

The whole thing with the iPod is this: its missing some desired features, but the features it DOES have it executes VERY well. The scroll wheel is amazing. The audio quality is not that bad. It is very hard to compete with something that is becoming a cultural phenomenon!

[EscapePod]

Originally Posted by thuber

I've dabbled with six of the music services, but keep coming back to Musicmatch (of all companies!) Wait... don't call me stupid, I have good reasons.

Granted, MusicMatch is not stellar software from a music store point of view. It's not easy to get around and next to impossible just to browse.

Timothy

Timothy, I too keep coming back to Musicmatch, but my opinion of their online interface seems 180 degrees opposite of yours. I tried Apple's online service and found it way too confusing and complicated to find a particular song that I want. I would have never thought "Apple" would give me that feeling. Musicmatch seemed much more straightforward. I guess its just a matter of preferences, and we should be glad there are a multitude of choices (even Walmart :lol: )

[Timothy Huber]

[quote="EscapePodTimothy, I too keep coming back to Musicmatch, but my opinion of their online interface seems 180 degrees opposite of yours. I tried Apple's online service and found it way too confusing and complicated to find a particular song that I want. I would have never thought "Apple" would give me that feeling. Musicmatch seemed much more straightforward. I guess its just a matter of preferences, and we should be glad there are a multitude of choices (even Walmart :lol: )[/quote]

As you say... options are a good thing! And I can live with the MusicMatch interface because their product is worth it. Glad it works for you.

[Janak Parekh]

Originally Posted by gibb193a

I'm not so sure it's the quality as much as the design. In my research for an MP3 player, the looks get raves across the board while I've read about problems with their players breaking down, battery life issues, etc.

You're likely to hear that of any electronic gadget with the popularity of the iPod. From my practical experience, iPods are pretty solidly built, and the small formfactor helps its popularity.

--janak

[Suhit Gupta]

One of my main problems with the iPod is that the design seems to slippery. It reminds me of the T-Mobile XDA which I was always afraid would go flying out of my hand. Though, most of the people that I know that actually have an iPod don't have this complaint at all. Hmm, maybe it is just me.

Suhit

[Kent Pribbernow]

Originally Posted by Suhit Gupta

Hmm, maybe it is just me.

No, it's not just you. That is something I also find annoying about my iPod. Well..that and the fact that it shows fingerprints like crazy! 8O

[Suhit Gupta]

Originally Posted by Kent Pribbernow

No, it's not just you. That is something I also find annoying about my iPod. Well..that and the fact that it shows fingerprints like crazy! 8O

So how do you get around the problem? Just deal with it by being careful or have you bought a slip case?

Suhit