[HazelGirl]

I am just wondering...which one did you get and why one over the other?

[b11051973]

I bought a mini when they first came out last year. When they announced the shuffle, I knew I had to have one. Mainly because I wanted something small for working out. I'm going to put my mini up on eBay, because today I'm getting a 60 gig photo(it's on the UPS truck for delivery now).

I want a photo because I've got about 30 gigs of music. I didn't want a 40 gig iPod, because that didn't give me a lot of room to grow. With the price reduction on the 60 gig photo, I jumped on it. I ordered the old one with all the accessories.

So, as of right now, I have a 1 gig shuffle, 4 gig mini and 60 gig photo. I'm going to be selling my mini, possibly to a friend. This goes along with my 12" Powerbook and new Mac mini. I love to drink the cool-aid.

[flagstone]

Well, I had decided to get the 1GB Shuffle when they were announced, mainly on price - I couldn't really justify $250 or more for an MP3 player, and I while the iPod mini's size wasn't a big issue, I wasn't overly impressed with battery charge length reports.

Fortunately, I waited to see the Shuffles come in stock here, because while I was waiting (a) Apple released the 2nd-gen iPod minis, which addressed my battery concerns, and (b) I won a $100 Best Buy gift card in a contest.

So now I can stay at my previous price point, but go with the 6GB iPod mini.

[Flumpus]

My wife got a 4gb Mini for Christmas, and I was feeling left out. However, my pockets were full enough as it was with keys, pocket knife, phone, that sorta thing. I didn't really want to carry around a full size ipod, or really even a Mini. When they released the shuffle it was perfect for me. I got the 1gb. I update it with different songs about once a week, and use it walking around downtown during my lunch break at work. It's also come in handy as a flash drive at work, and I'll use it that way two or three times a week, which is just enough to make it very useful.

I figure someday I'll get an iPod Photo for long trips, so I can carry all my music, and so I'll have some place to dump my digital pictures to free up space on it's memory card.

[typoon]

I won an iPod Photo at a christmas party. I just bought an iPod Shuffle yesterday for the times I don't want to take my Photo out. for example when I go winter camping. I can handle if something 150 breaks but if something (even though I won it) breaks I couldn't handle the price of a new iPod Photo as easily.

[HazelGirl]

oh ok neat....i wasnt sure if some of you had more than one type of ipod....wow. hey....my birthday is monday...how bout one of yall send me one of your extra ipods for free as a present?

[///Milien]

I started out with a 20GB iPod and soon found out that the drive wasn't big enough to hold all my music. My progression of iPods went from 20-, 30-, 40- and now it's a 60GB iPod photo, which I love. The color screen is great especially to display album art, and the photo viewing option is great for me since photography is a hobby for me.

I was elated when Apple released the shuffle since I was not too keen on running with my 60GB. So now I have both, the 60GB for travel, etc. and the shuffle for running/exercising.

[Simon]

I just ordered a 60 GB iPod photo. I wanted the largest beast there is and since it's rather cheap to go from 30 GB to 60 GB it was a no-brainer.

[im_noahselby]

Although I haven't recieved mine yet, I will be getting a new green 4GB mini on Mar, 21 The anticipation is killin me. I've been iPodless since I sold my original 10GB (rev b) model a year ago. Thinking back I always wished I had a smaller mp3 player with me. I remember paying over $650 Cdn for that iPod at the time. So the fact that I'm going to be spending considerably less this time around ($249 Cdn) is really sweet. The iPod mini is the perfect size, and for my needs 4GB is more than adequate.

The reason I chose the new mini over the iPod shuffle is because:

-Cool colours and metal finish (not that there is anything wrong with white plastic...)
-The 4GB iPod mini costs only $60 Cdn more than the 1GB iPod Shuffle
-I want more capacity, not only for my music, but so I can backup my most important files

Noah

[storer]

iPod Mini, 1G. Mainly because it was cheaper than the others, and I loved the fact that I could have a colour. I thought 4gb would be enough, but I have run out. It seems, however, I will have to just delete all those tracks I don't listen to (or know of) in albums. I love my mini, and if you buy one, invest in an iSkin, because unfortunately, a friend of mine grabbed my school hat, which contained my iPod mini, and it went flying across the paved courtyard, and ended up with a scratch and dints on all four corners. Lucky the iSkin now covers it. But anyway, happy iPod buying mate.

[Tikas]

I have iPod 20Gb 3G for about 2 years and i noticed that i stopped carrying it with me as size was too big and battery is working for few hours only. Recently i installed Alpine audio system with iPod adapter in my car and now iPod 20 is living CD changer days there. I got iPod shuffle 1Gb few days ago and i'm very happy with the size and batteries, it's playing at low volume almost 12 hours non-stop! :-) I will carry it everywhere it' sooo small. I prefer playing albums in order rather than shuffle option. For some of us Life is random but not for me :-)
And i'm thinking to get iPod photo 60Gb with Belkin Camera link for music and photos at home and for travel.

[Eug Wanker]

iPod mini 6 GB.

The iPod is physically too big. I had a 15 GB, but wanted something smaller.

The physical size of the shuffle is nice, but I find the lack of the screen quite irritating, and it doesn't have enough storage space for my tastes. I may still get a shuffle to complement my mini though, since it could replace my USB pen drive. The only issue is that the shuffle is much larger than my current USB pen drive, and I'd have to get a sport case for it, which adds even more to the size. ie. The shuffle makes for a tiny iPod, but it also makes for an annoying large USB pen drive.

[Maflynn]

I went with the Shuffle primarly because I'll be using it at the gym and while I work outside.

The size difference greatly outweighed the smaller capacity and lack of screen

I expect in the near future that I'll spring for an iPod or an iPod mini.

Mike

[philcozz]

I just received my 6GB iPod Mini (silver) yesterday. With academic pricing ($229) it just seemed like the best deal for me. For me, 6GB was big enough and I liked the size of the Mini compared to the larger iPods.

[ChadC]

I actually just bought a new 4gig 2G mini and sold my 40 gig 3G on ebay that I'd had for a year and a half. I did this because I originally wanted the biggest one so I could have all my music, use it as an external HD to transfer files, etc. Well in that year I think I used it as an HD once or twice and whenever I listened to music it was in a single playlist that fluctuates from 100-200 songs depending on what exactly I wanna listen to. That playlist I also updated on my computer, and not "On-The-Go". So I basically realized that for my uses the 40 gig was a bear. So I sold it on ebay for $240 and just bought the Mini for $180 edu. discount! I couldn't be happier at this point!

[__^^__]

I've had a 30Gig iPod since they came out which I used to store my entire CD collection. Today I bought a 1Gig Shuffle because I like the size, small.

[HazelGirl]

wow, thanks for your responses...i find it interesting.

Is the mini really that bad in terms of moving around? Here is what I would use an mp3 player for if I got one..

Basically, I would listen to music walking from class to class (a 5 to 10 minute walk between classes...depends how my schedule is that semester) and during the summers I would listen to it on ehte way to work in the car (20 mins to and 20 mins back). I would also listen to it on the bus when I go downtown. I would also carry with me when I go on flights (wish I had an ipod when I flew from Chicago to Paris..I HATE th discman!!! I will never buy one of those again!!).

I hate replacing batteries and don't mind charging the unit, but I hear that once the battery dies you have to chuck th eipod and uby another one....I hear they only las what....18 months??? I also hear that flash is better than hd based...but (besides the shuffle) I would rather have the mini.

argh....i dunno what I will do.

oh...question...is it beter to drain your ipods battery before charging it or charge it every night?

[jamil5454]

I originally had the 1gb Shuffle, but immediately returned it once the new minis came out. I could almost deal with the lack of an LCD, but going from one song to the next was just too slow. For my listening habits, the Shuffle wasn't really a good choice. Although it served me well the one time I took it to the gym.

Yesterday I received my new 4gb green mini. All I can say is wow - I'm glad I chose this over the Shuffle. I listened to my mini all morning and battery is still at least 80% (still on the factory charge). I liked my mini even more when I found out how to use it as a HD and once I realized you could play games, sync contacts, etc. The size isn't an issue at all. I'm almost wishing I went with the original iPod now but unfortuantely I wanted an iPod "Now!" and only had $200 to spend.

A few comparisons between my mini and Shuffle:

-Sound quality sounded the same.
-mini is about 4 times heavier, but since the Shuffle is so light, this isn't saying much
-I prefer the metallic green look over the white plastic look. This way I'll be more careful with my mini so as not to scratch or dent it, but when I first got my Shuffle I treated it pretty rough.
-I never ran down the Shuffle's battery all the way and I sill haven't run the mini's battery down all the way, so I can't comment on this. I'm not the kind of person that can listen to music ALL day. I listen for about 6-8 hours on and off throughout the day, so the only time the mini's battery life will be of benefit is when I go away for a whole weekend somewhere and don't have the chance to charge it. Since I play a lot of tennis, this is perfect for those cross-Texas tournaments I play on weekends.

Get whichever iPod you think will best suit you. It's impossible to be disappointed.

[typoon]

Originally posted by HazelGirl:
wow, thanks for your responses...i find it interesting.

Is the mini really that bad in terms of moving around? Here is what I would use an mp3 player for if I got one..

Basically, I would listen to music walking from class to class (a 5 to 10 minute walk between classes...depends how my schedule is that semester) and during the summers I would listen to it on ehte way to work in the car (20 mins to and 20 mins back). I would also listen to it on the bus when I go downtown. I would also carry with me when I go on flights (wish I had an ipod when I flew from Chicago to Paris..I HATE th discman!!! I will never buy one of those again!!).

I hate replacing batteries and don't mind charging the unit, but I hear that once the battery dies you have to chuck th eipod and uby another one....I hear they only las what....18 months??? I also hear that flash is better than hd based...but (besides the shuffle) I would rather have the mini.

argh....i dunno what I will do.

oh...question...is it beter to drain your ipods battery before charging it or charge it every night?

Depends, The Mini is nice in that it has a screen and you can add 3 -5 times the music of a shuffle. though i've gotten 17 hours of music on my 1GB shuffle. and Several days on my iPod photo.

About the Batteries. They last around 18-24 months depending on how you use your iPod. you don't have to chuck it and buy another. many places sell replacements or you can take it to Apple and they will put a new one in for you for a "nominal fee" of 99 dollars. Who knows after 18 months they might have new iPods and you might just want one of those. Give the old one to a friend and let them replace the battery.

What i like to do is to run the battery down to nothing before recharging it if I can help it. You don't have to in that Lithium Ion Batteries don't have a memory so you can charge them whenever you want. What I like to do is run it down to empty then charge it and transfer music and whatever else needs to be put on it. I like to wait til it needs to be charged to add more music to it or to sync it or what not so that in my mind I save the number of charges on the iPod and will get more life out of it. Probably a stupid thought but oh well.

[HazelGirl]

I actually like the green mini too

What is it about hd mp3 players that make it unsuitable for lots of movement? You knw, as opposed to flash players? Is it only bad for sudden and rough movements like those involved in strenuous excercises and jogging, etc? Would a hd based player be good for a brsk, fast pased walk at most? You know, the kind of walk you do when you are a few mins late to class but you don't want to run?

[V]

I have the same dilemma.

I'm hesitating between the shuffle 1 G or the 4G mini.

Mini advantages:

-Firewire port I have a dual 500 G4 so USB 1.1
-Screen
-More space
-More than a music player
-No shipping waiting

Shuffle advantages:

-Lighter, smaller.
-Seems tougher
-No HD, so less likely to fail
-Cheaper

I will think about it and order monday (the shuffle is already ordered shipping 03/21)

[desvenne]

Originally posted by HazelGirl:
I am just wondering...which one did you get and why one over the other?

Last August, I got a 4G 20 GB regular white iPod. I got it because I have a lot of music, and because at the time, when factoring my employee discount it was only 15 bucks more expensive to go from iPod mini 4 GB to regular iPod 20 GB, so for the storage alone it was a no-brainer, couple that with 12 hours of battery for the 20GB and 'only' 8 for the first generation mini, and well, I'm having fun and a good deal. If I would do the same thing now, again factoring my employee discount, the best buy would be the 30 GB iPod Photo (although I have no use for the photo capabilities and the colour screen.

I waited on the 4G because I love the controls on the ipod mini (I've used every ipod released as a store loan, but only splurged on one with my own money last year...)

I really lust for a 20GB ipod mini in green with 18 hours of battery life. I hope it comes out when my two year warrantee runs out around august of 2006

The ipod gets used about 8 hours a day; I plug it into my stereo at home (rather than before the ipod, when I would listen to my music on my powermac through my stereo), and in the car or on the bus (depending what transport method I choose to go to work in...).

All in all, I wouldn't have it any other way, alhough I'm sorely tempted by the cheaper ipod minis with beter battery life. But 4 GB is just too small for me. I now have about 35% of my music collection on my iPod making liberal use of smart playlists, and it's okayish. But my case doesn't apply to everyone, I mean I inherited my father's substantial record collection and I started buying music in droves (on vynil and later cd's) when I was 12 or so, and I'm 27 now. Working at a record store makes for one big ballooning beast of a music collection

Happy birthday btw

[krome]

I got the 20GB 2nd generation model. I selected it because it was discounted when the 3rd generation models came out. I selected the 20gb model because I already had about 10GB worth of converted CD's. I also was hoping I would be able to upgrade the hd to a 40gb model. I also wanted a normal Firewire port so I can use any generic cable. After owning it for about a year, I got a 40gb drive on ebay from a broken 3rd generation ipod for $180 or so. After about 15 minutes to physically install it, I powered it up. No luck, it wouldn't work properly. After about 2 hours of searching the web, and some formatting, I had a 2nd generation 40GB iPod. Success! It has been a very reliable piece of equipment. No regrets, I would do it all over again.

[krome]

Oh, I'm hoping an 80GB drive comes out in the future, I may want to upgrade it again. (I could put a 60GB drive in there, but I don't need the space yet) I want to get an original 5gb ipod and put in a 3rd or 4th generation thin 20gb drive in it, because I really like the physical scroll wheel's feeling. Plus, the original iPod didn't list the size drive on it, so it would be a custom ipod just for me.

[Tomacorno]

I ordered a first generation iPod mini when Apple put them on clearance last week when the new ones came out. I am still waiting but it has been shipped. I was looking at the new ones because they were only $200 and I liked the extra capacity and screen (as opposed to the Shuffle). I have an iBook 600 - no USB 2.0 port. So, in comparing the new mini to the old one I figured I saved myself $70 (old ones are $180 and include firewire cable and ac adapter - both items I would have had to purchase with the new mini.

[Voch]

I got the first-generation 4GB iPod mini last week at my local CompUSA for $179. I preferred this one because it came with a FireWire cable and my PowerBook only has USB 1.1. I am debating getting a combo FM transmitter and charger for the car now.

Voch

[Kyros]

3G 15 gig I bought this summer. It was discounted at 250 dollars since it was an old generation. I am very happy with it. You can get iPod batteries for about 25 dollars if you are up to the task of replacing the battery yourself, but it's a lot of work, and voids your warranty (if it's still valid). Also, it is a bad idea to constantly drain the battery. It will kill the battery faster, as far as I know. You certainly won't get any more recharge cycles out of it. Apple's battery page explains it all.

[HazelGirl]

thanks for all the replies...and thanks for the birthday wishes...I am 21 as we speak (France time, GMT +1)

But I still wan tto know....why are hd players worse when it comes to movement compared to flash drives??

[///Milien]

In a nutshell, HD players have moving parts and flash based players do not.

Happy Birthday by the way.

[jamil5454]

You first have to understand how a hard disk works:

A hard disk consists of a magnetic platter spinning at thousands of RPM with a "head" hovering ridiculously close to this spinning platter. When a sudden movement is made, the head doesn't have to move much to "crash" into the spinning platter, usually permanently damaging the hard disk. Other less sever movements will just cause the head to get off just a bit and won't cause permanent damage.

With a flash based player, you only have the memory chip and usually an all-in-one controller chip. Thus there are no moving parts and so any sudden movements won't disturb anything. This is why the Shuffle is more rugged than any other iPod.

[HazelGirl]

aaah ok. thanks!! i gotcha. I wonder why apple doesn't just make all the regular ipods flash based then...wouldn't that be better? I mean, you could still save stuff on it other than music. Do you think they will eventualy make ALL ipod models flash based?

[iREZ]

I don't think there are such things as portable 20, 40, and 60GB flash drives...or am I wrong on this. I picked up a 1GB shuffle yesterday, I too was debating over the shuffle and mini...I decided the size differencial was huge (I hate things in my pocket, and the shuffle can fit in the tiny little pocket on the right side of jeans and it's like I'm not carrying anything with me at all). I have a 20GB 3rd gen, so I'm not stuck with a screenless iPod, but if I didn't have the 20GB iPod...I would definetely get the mini, no doubt about it. The shuffle is fantastic though, no more worrying about how much I move my arms when jogging over 5 miles (30-40 minutes).

[c�zanne]

i believe 1GB is the largest-capacity flash drive at the moment.

i too have a 3G 20GB iPod. after a year of driving a cab with it, it's road-worn, smoked-on, coffee-stained, occupies a cup-holder and has to be plugged into the cigarette lighter to last more than an hour or two. every night i play the same 12-hour playlist in random order, and every night i fumble with setting it up when i should be making money.

and the last thing i need is an iPod Photo, handsomely displayed, for all the crackheads, drunks and thieves to see. it's definitely going to be the Shuffle for me.

Q: as an external drive, will the Shuffle put less drain on my iBook's battery than my iPod?

[crooner]

I was almost embarrassed by the fact that I didn't own an iPod for so long. It felt like a dirty little secret, being as big a Mac Geek I am. So when I heard the rumors about an update to the minis (including the possibility of a color screen) I decided that I would grab a new mini.

When they were officially released I admit to being somewhat disappointed over the lack of a color screen (I know, that's a whole separate argument that's been way over-debated on these forums - let's not go there on this thread) but based on the higher, 6GB drive, the longer battery life and the unchanged, ultra sleek form factor, I decided to get a silver mini. Of all the iPods, the silver mini always looked the coolest to me.
Then the bombshell hit me: no FireWire cable, no dock, no AC adapter, no yadda yadda yadda...
While I can understand Apple's rationalization for these cutbacks, this development still gave me serious pause. A pause plenty long enough to start adding the costs of these "extra accessories."

I started to comb through these and other forums to see what others were doing and in my travels found that Apple was selling the "old" 40GB iPod photo (with ALL the goodies included) for $379. Next it was Buy.com for $339. After much consideration, even though I loved the look and feel of the mini, I decided that the positives of the 40GB photo were too much to pass up on at that price, so I convinced myself that I wasn�t so much spending more but rather saving a lot. (A true consumers mind at work.)
And then I read that Costco was selling the very same 'Pod for $299. Yep, $299. Not being a Costco member I would have to spend $45 to join thus the deal was negated. Still, that price was just unbelievable considering the very same item sold for $499 (is that right? Or was it $449?) a day before.

So I called the local Apple store and asked if they had any 40GB photos in stock. They did. I asked if they would price match.

"We'll see what we can do."

So I printed out the Costco $299 page and brought that down.

(drum roll, please)

THEY MATCHED IT!

Man, it's cool. Smaller and lighter than I imagined, which is nice. I'm so freakin' excited. Amazing to think that it cost me $50 LESS than a new 30GB and still came with ALL the extras. The thing is loaded. What a great new toy. Much more exciting than getting a decent deal on a bare hard drive for backup purposes or a new can of pressurized air.

So that�s my story of boy meets 'Pod. Now I'll dance away, into the sunset, a black silhouette adorned by unmistakable white head-phone cords against a dizzying array of solid colored backgrounds...

[zemble]

I had an early 5GB iPod that lasted until Apple Japan offered a trade in deal. My wife got a grey click wheel 20GB model that's soooo much better because it's thin and light. I also got a second generation 20GB model that's equally too heavy to be really nice.
We snapped up an early iPod mini last year, but the battery life is awful -- so bad that it's useless for travelling. So now, I just got a Shuffle. This is definitely the one. It's 'only' 512k, but the size, weight, and battery life make it usable anywhere anytime. Excellent purchase. The only problem is I'd prefer something a bit more funky than white!! Hope iSkin hurries and gets some cool iShuffle covers out.

[b11051973]

Originally posted by c�zanne:
Q: as an external drive, will the Shuffle put less drain on my iBook's battery than my iPod?

The shuffle would drain a lot less power. The biggest reason is that a non-shuffle iPod has a hard drive. Hard drives have to spin and that uses a lot of power.

[desvenne]

Originally posted by HazelGirl:
thanks for all the replies...and thanks for the birthday wishes...I am 21 as we speak (France time, GMT +1)

But I still wan tto know....why are hd players worse when it comes to movement compared to flash drives??

The moving part diference is already explained, but I'll add some more info.

You have to keep in mind that the HD based players like the regular iPods also have a certain amount of flash memory. IIRC, the iPods have 32 MB of flash memory. So, your music is stored on the ipods HD, but when you listen to the song, it's actually copied from the HD to the flash memory, and played from there. This is usefull in several ways; it provides skip protection, and it also reduces wear on the HD and ups the battery life because the HD doesn't have to spin up that much. Imagine if the HD was working full tilt all the time, wouldn't do a lot of good things for the reliability and battery life of the ipods.

In general the 32 MB of flash memory is ample, but you have to keep in mind that it depends on your files. If you use your ipod to play back full blown AIFF cd files (where 80 minutes of audio is 700 MB), the buffer will be too small to hold (more than) one file. In contrast, MP3 or AAC at 128 kbps is a magnitude smaller than AIFF files (about 1 MB per minute or around 80 MB for 80 minutes compared to the 700 MB mentioned above), so the buffer can contain about half an hour of music. So it should be doable to have a playlist for a workout for instance that's around 30 minutes long, and set on repeat, where the whole playlist is in memory and the HD doesn't even need to be used. In other words, normally you can use HD based players for running or working out or such without problems.

As to why Apple (and others) don't make a 60 GB flash-based iPod, well, there's no 60 GB flash available. I think there's 2 and maybe 4 GB sizes, but they don't come cheap (its prices should be around the prices you pay for a flash card to put into a digital camera, google them if you're really that interested .

Erm, that was longer than intended, but hey

Have fun.

[typoon]

Originally posted by desvenne:
The moving part diference is already explained, but I'll add some more info.

You have to keep in mind that the HD based players like the regular iPods also have a certain amount of flash memory. IIRC, the iPods have 32 MB of flash memory. So, your music is stored on the ipods HD, but when you listen to the song, it's actually copied from the HD to the flash memory, and played from there. This is usefull in several ways; it provides skip protection, and it also reduces wear on the HD and ups the battery life because the HD doesn't have to spin up that much. Imagine if the HD was working full tilt all the time, wouldn't do a lot of good things for the reliability and battery life of the ipods.

In general the 32 MB of flash memory is ample, but you have to keep in mind that it depends on your files. If you use your ipod to play back full blown AIFF cd files (where 80 minutes of audio is 700 MB), the buffer will be too small to hold (more than) one file. In contrast, MP3 or AAC at 128 kbps is a magnitude smaller than AIFF files (about 1 MB per minute or around 80 MB for 80 minutes compared to the 700 MB mentioned above), so the buffer can contain about half an hour of music. So it should be doable to have a playlist for a workout for instance that's around 30 minutes long, and set on repeat, where the whole playlist is in memory and the HD doesn't even need to be used. In other words, normally you can use HD based players for running or working out or such without problems.

As to why Apple (and others) don't make a 60 GB flash-based iPod, well, there's no 60 GB flash available. I think there's 2 and maybe 4 GB sizes, but they don't come cheap (its prices should be around the prices you pay for a flash card to put into a digital camera, google them if you're really that interested .

Erm, that was longer than intended, but hey

Have fun.

Just curious, Do you think it would increase the price if Apple put in say 1GB-2GB of Flash memory into the iPods as well as an HD? If storing the songs in flash memory would up the battery life wouldn't that be a good thing? Or Maybe put in 512 Megs since they have 512 in a Shuffle for such a low price now.

[Matthew Davidso]

Just upgraded to my fourth MP3 player/third iPod (the first was before iPods existed)

I got a 60Gb iPod photo because of the price drop, capacity and the promise of a cheap, apple-branded card reader. I don't jog or work out, (but I walk to work) so the form factor of this iPod works fine for me.

I need a lot of space so minis and shuffles are a no-go. I use the iPod for music, but also to transfer gigabytes of data to and from the office. This was a really nice upgrade - I've never had a 'current' generation iPod before.

I've added my thoughts on the iPod photo and displaying album artwork here:
http://www.stretta.com/~matthew/resources/music_server/

[krome]

That was an excellent explaination, but I want to point out that hard drive based iPod's don't use flash memory as the buffer, it is actually RAM based memory. The difference is that flash memory is non-volatile, i.e. it does not require electricity to retain the data, therefore if the battery dies, you don't lose the data (music on a shuffle). RAM on the otherhand, is volatile, and you will lose the contents of the memory if the battery dies (by die I mean discharged) But hard drives are non-volatile, therefore you don't lose your data if it does not have electricity.

-Keith

Using OS X on a 1997 powermac clone with a 400mhz G3 upgrade... yes it can be done.

[desvenne]

Originally posted by krome:
That was an excellent explaination, but I want to point out that hard drive based iPod's don't use flash memory as the buffer, it is actually RAM based memory. The difference is that flash memory is non-volatile, i.e. it does not require electricity to retain the data, therefore if the battery dies, you don't lose the data (music on a shuffle). RAM on the otherhand, is volatile, and you will lose the contents of the memory if the battery dies (by die I mean discharged) But hard drives are non-volatile, therefore you don't lose your data if it does not have electricity.

-Keith

Yeah you're right about the volatile/non-volatile distinction. Should've explained that better, sorry.

[HazelGirl]

wow thanks for the replies....I didnt know that they had not come up wit hhte higher capacity flash drives yet....oh well...in good time I suppose. I am still not sure...I don't move around enough to cause problems with the hd ipods...I mean, I don't jog but I may do a brisk walk when I am late...but thats bout it. I'll just too cool to run ) . I would occassionally use it to transfer files occassionally (maybe save a paper on it and go to the comp lab to print it out....u know, in the event that my printer goes on the blink)

[paul w]

So I just broke down and bought a Shuffle. Why did I do this since I already have a 3g 10gb and a unexpected recent 40gb iPod photo (gift)?

Well I travel a bit. For example I'm off to Turkey with a backpack for a few days. I travel light and hate having something big of value to protect, owrry about. I can stash the Shuffle easily and it'll still get me through a long plane ride, bus trip etc. I may even take it with me to Africa or South America.

[lenox]

I got a 40gb iPod because my music library is about 17gb and growing, and I'd like to use the other half of the drive to install linux to record my live shows.

[Goldfinger]

I have a first gen iPod mini (silver) imported US model. I bought the mini because:

a) it's size, the big iPods are way to big.
b) even the iPod with the largest harddrive isn't enough to store all my music. So why buy it ?

[Parky]

I have owned lots of iPods, currently I have :-

1GB iPod shuffle
4GB iPod mini - Blue
4GB iPod mini - Pink
60GB iPod photo

I use them all for different reasons.

If I'm going on holiday or away for a few days I take the iPod photo then I have all my music with me. I also use it for showing photos.

If I'm going walk about - shopping, etc I take the iPod shuffle, it's less to carry and not much to lose through theft, etc.

I use the iPod mini for work as I don't need all my music, but the shuffle is just not enough sometimes (choice wise)

Ian

[all2ofme]

6GB mini for me. Got rid of my 4G 40GB and am happy I did. Only downside has been that some phone numbers wrap onto the second line on the mini's smaller display.

None of the iPods would have held all my tunes so I cycle what I have on there quite regularly. 6GB has been enough so far.

[far200]

I just got a shuffle..... for the size both the flash size ( 1 gig ) for under $200 and the actual size.... It's easy to take it any where you want...

[lenox]

ahh!

i just realized linux isn't supported on the 4th gen or mini ipods yet!

hopefully soon! *crosses fingers*

[SpaceMonkey]

I bought the Shuffle because of the price point. I wouldn't have shelled out the money for a full-size iPod, and the Mini seemed like a bad deal in terms of dollar-per-gigabyte. Also, I just wanted something simple, and I don't feel the need to take my entire music collection with me everywhere.