iPod shunners of the world, unite!
OK, so perhaps that's a tad melodramatic. It's almost like a call to war, and I certainly wouldn't want to be responsible for any bloodshed...especially not my own. But on this, the birthday of the iPod, I've been reminiscing about a previous blog I wrote on why I chose not to use an iPod. More than a year later, I'm still called out for my iPod status--most recently in last week's MP3 Insider podcast--so I've decided it's high time I readdress the issue.
No, I still don't use an iPod in my day-to-day personal life. And I'm still using a Creative MP3 player (currently, the Zen V Plus) that's not compatible with my Mac (blast!). And I feel compelled to say that I'm a bit of a liar: I said in the old post that "the minute Apple offers a color-screen iPod Mini with built-in satellite radio and support for the company's new iTunes To Go service, I'll be the first to hop on the bandwagon, interface issues or not." Nope. Not gonna happen. That sounds like an awesome player and all, but I'm just not an iPod fan. Yes, it's an excellent player: it's easy to use (for most), it's stylish, it sounds good, and there's a lot of great content and accessories for it--heck, I even gave one an Editors' Choice. But just because a product is good for a vast amount of users (79 percent of them, to be exact), doesn't mean it's good for everyone. Let's discuss:
- No built-in FM tuner: OK, so it's somewhat antiquated technology, but FM radio is still free and easy to get, and it provides another medium through which to discover new music. Plus, I like listening to morning radio shows, and it's a big plus being able to tune into the TVs at the gym. Granted, with Clear Channel Communication's dominance in the Bay Area (don't even get me started), our selection of quality stations is limited, but I still value this feature (hey, at least when I travel to Chicago I can listen to some good radio). I do give Apple some credit for putting out the Radio Remote, but you have to pay $50 extra to get it.
- No support for subscription music services: Of course, I'd prefer if I could get all the music I wanted DRM-free, but I just don't have time to research, go out and buy CDs, then rip them to my computer. And eMusic is great, but it doesn't have everything I want. Subscription services--especially Rhapsody and Urge--offer exceptional ways to discover new music by providing plenty of content preprogrammed by editors and users alike. Recently, I've been using the SanDisk Sansa e200R, which supports Rhapsody Channels (commercial-free radio, basically) thanks to the excellent Rhapsody DNA interface. It's the best software-MP3 player relationship I've seen since iTunes and the iPod.
- Personal interface issues: I hate the Click Wheel. That's right, I said it. The circular shape is great for scrolling, but I find the tactile buttons to be imprecise. Plus, it seems like different buttons turn it on and off each time, sometimes from a quick press, other times from pressing and holding--I don't know, I can't keep track. And I have a gripe with the On-the-Go playlist: you can't add a song while you're listening to it from the playback screen, you have to navigate back to the track listing. It's an extra step I prefer not to take. Blame American culture--I need instant gratification.
- iTunes 7 sucks: I haven't even upgraded to it on my Mac, though I would probably suffer less with it on that platform. It continues to freeze up constantly in Windows.
- Everybody has one: People constantly call all MP3 players iPods. This drives me batty--admittedly, this probably irritates me an inordinate amount as MP3 players are my job. Or maybe I just have a problem with rage. But at least I restrain myself from correcting them with a smack upside the head. On the rare occasion when I listen to an iPod outside of the office, I try to keep it hidden from sight at all times, else I might be tempted to take this guy's advice.
Well, what do you know? I managed to add more problems to the list this time around. So to those iPod fans out there, I say, bring it on. Is the iPod your dream player? Why? Or, if you're a shunner like me, what's your MP3 player of choice?
Addendum: How could I have forgotten this one? I HATE that you get stuck in the iPod/iTunes buying cycle. Allow me to elaborate briefly: if you purchase songs and videos on iTunes, you must continue to buy iPods if you want to enjoy that content on-the-go (unless you want to go through the time consuming process of burning and re-ripping...and that only works for music). Sure, WMA is all wrapped up in DRM, too, but at least you get to choose from a variety of different devices from different manufacturers. You can start with a Creative Zen, then move on to an iRiver Clix, and, well, you get the idea. Just don't try to throw a Sony player into the mix.
I bought an iPod to get away from FM radio, not to hang on to it like a crutch. If you have a sufficiently large collection and subscribe to podcasts, you'll have a fairly healthy mix of the old and new. Few other players manage podcasts nearly as well as the iPod, by the way -- something to keep in mind given how many podcasts CNET has!
I also still can't justify a subscription service (in the Napster style) for my music. I don't like the idea that a large part of entire collection could vanish simply because I grew frustrated with the company, wanted to switch players, or (perish the thought) couldn't justify $15 a month. And what if the music I want isn't in the catalog? I then have to pay extra for the CD anyways.
As for iTunes 7 - yeah, the initial release (at least) was buggy, but it's been surprisingly stable for me on both a Mac (my iPod's home) and a frequently-used Windows PC.
Lastly, the clickwheel. I can't begin to tell you where your opinion is definitely the exception rather than the rule. I've never had a problem with the precision of the buttons on any clickwheel iPod I've tried, including the mini and nano. It's just right. And importantly, it's usually quite easy to operate with one hand. Separate buttons beyond the scrolling mechanism are slightly annoying to me... and greatly annoying when they're not on the front of the player (see: the Toshiba Gigabeat).
I may have an iPod, but I'm not following the herd. I like what I chose and can't see using another player simply because so many of them either don't have features I want or make things unnecessarily complicated.
I wish I still had the rebel in me that could give up the look, feel, ease of use, and perfect integration the Ipod offers me, just so I wasn't out there listening to the same thing everyone else is, but I just can't. I guess I'm just getting too old at 31 to care!
I'm not with you, however, regarding the lack of FM radio. I used to listen to a lot more of it than I do now, but between reception drop-outs during my commutes and the advertising innundation, I found myself more and more playing my own tunes. And now with all the podcasts I listen to, fugeddaboutit! Now an [i][b]AM[/i][/b] radio added into the mix, well now yer talkin'! Plenty of news, talk and sports on the AM band that you can't even get from satellite radio, yet there's only one DAP that has an AM receiver, though it ain't so hot as a DAP.
and for the fm tuner.. what's so great? well it's fm radio. sometimes i listen to a radioshow in the morning, sometimes i record it so i can listen to it later.
-wes-
if you want fm radio, just get an attachment.. its not hard or costly.
itunes 7 is fine. I belive it had an issue at first release but its been updated and fixed.
itunes and the itunes music store are still THE BEST store and music managment application despite what people at cnet might have to say. Give me one other store and application that are as easy to use and well integrated together as itunes. Whops, you can't. You lose.
Lastly, ipods are NEVER going to play windows DRM files. Why should they? DRM is DIRECTLY in competition with itunes and the itunes music store. Why would you support a competitors product and undermine your own music store. Man you people at cnet are brilliant.
There is no better mp3 player than the ipod period. Others may have more features built in, or cost less, or offer support for DRM, but NONE are built as well, work as well, and NONE even come close to the ipod or itunes user interface.
Apple is god when it comes to industrial design and user interfaces. You can't beat god.
I am waiting for Zune. Could have gone with Creative or Toshiba but I think it will be better supported. And I will go for Zune subscription. And in case it does not work...big deal. I will just move on and go for Real subscription and creative or Toshiba device and I will have all the songs again. Not tied down to stupid iPod.
Rohit
- This was a useless comment
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by dkarchon
October 24, 2006 5:25 PM PDT
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