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holygoat · Mar 11, 2004, 01:05 PM

eXpansys are doing the 40GB iPod for �350, which is less than Apple's Higher Ed price. So I ordered one, and it'll be mine tomorrow. Bigger than my iBook hard drive!

Of course, now I'm thinking about the alternatives (Neuros, GMini), and about the rumour of new 60GB ones in April (!).

Make me feel better about my purchase, please!

(though Americans posting about how the list price for the 40GB is only $500 will do more harm than good!)

Daracle · Mar 11, 2004, 02:29 PM

What about the canadian price of like $750 bucks

If you think that 40gig is big enough....I am happy wiht my 20....then you made the right decision.
Do you really need 60Gig?

jbony · Mar 11, 2004, 02:29 PM

Don't worry even if Apple comes out with 60gb ipods you'll still have a measley 40gb

SupahCoolX · Mar 11, 2004, 07:36 PM

OK, seriously- how much music do you absolutely need in your pocket at any given time? If 40GB isn't enough, then you're crazy.

holygoat · Mar 11, 2004, 08:11 PM

Originally posted by SupahCoolX:
OK, seriously- how much music do you absolutely need in your pocket at any given time? If 40GB isn't enough, then you're crazy.

Ah, but it's features and price! 60GB => lower price for 40GB. Neuros is cheaper. I could maybe have got it in the States.

I'm just crazy - I'm sure when it arrives I'll be very happy indeed!

thePurpleGiant · Mar 11, 2004, 08:18 PM

The second you start unpacking your iPod, you will fall in love with it. I promise you. The immaculate packaging, awesome product, quality parts, you will not regret it as soon as it arrives.

PabloTX · Mar 11, 2004, 08:49 PM

Originally posted by SupahCoolX:
OK, seriously- how much music do you absolutely need in your pocket at any given time? If 40GB isn't enough, then you're crazy.

That's the beauty of the iPod - at it's core, it's a hard drive, so it's much more than a mp3 player.

Today I used it to move 5GB worth of data from my work computer to my home. Even if I had a DVD burner in my work machine, it would have taken two disks.

Music, moving/backing up data, etc. That's why I bought the biggest that was available at the time (40GB), and I would have purchased a 100GB had it been available.

::maroma:: · Mar 11, 2004, 11:37 PM

Originally posted by PabloTX:
That's the beauty of the iPod - at it's core, it's a hard drive, so it's much more than a mp3 player.

Today I used it to move 5GB worth of data from my work computer to my home. Even if I had a DVD burner in my work machine, it would have taken two disks.

Music, moving/backing up data, etc. That's why I bought the biggest that was available at the time (40GB), and I would have purchased a 100GB had it been available.

I also use my 30GB iPod to transfer gigabytes worth of files from work to home and back again. It's far more convenient than burning DVDs.

I also prefer having my entire music collection (23GB) with me at all times. I have mood swings when it comes to what I want to hear throughout the day. Having all of my music with me means I'm never disappointed.

And to holygoat - there is a reason the iPod is the best selling digital music player on the market. You will be very happy with your purchase. And the happiness will last a long time.

Krusty · Mar 12, 2004, 01:23 AM

Originally posted by thePurpleGiant:
The second you start unpacking your iPod, you will fall in love with it. I promise you. The immaculate packaging, awesome product, quality parts, you will not regret it as soon as it arrives.

I don't personally own an iPod but my windows-using buddy does (I helped him set everything up on his 40 gigger, replaced his MusicMatch w/iTunes etc). Man, I thought it was only rabid, insane Mac zealots that love this thing. After 4 months, I think this guy is ready to have the iPod be the mother of his children. He's so completely enamored of the whole package that he's considering a supplemental iPod mini for when he's riding his bike (and this is a guy who is otherwise a cheapskate).

Let's face it, folks. iPods are like divorce. Why do they cost so much ? Because they are f***ing worth it!!!

filmmaker2002 · Mar 12, 2004, 02:10 AM

I only have 15GB of music, but I use the other 15 on my 30GB iPod for storage of temporary video and a shuttle drive. Kinda nice. 60GB iPods are more than welcome in my house.

Eciton · Mar 12, 2004, 07:00 AM

My iPod is just magical - the unwrapping experience was (nearly) better than sex - don't tell my girlfriend. The whole experience is a lot more than features alone.

holygoat · Mar 12, 2004, 07:16 AM

Just arrived. I'd seen the packaging before, but it's still amazing. It's also so small!

I think I'm pleased

Thanks all!

::maroma:: · Mar 12, 2004, 12:59 PM

Originally posted by Krusty:
Let's face it, folks. iPods are like divorce. Why do they cost so much ? Because they are f***ing worth it!!!

HAHAH! So true!

[APi]TheMan · Mar 12, 2004, 02:15 PM

Originally posted by Krusty:
Let's face it, folks. iPods are like divorce. Why do they cost so much ? Because they are f***ing worth it!!!

Yeah, man, iPods rock. They're totally sweet. My 2nd Rev 10 gig is awesome, though I really never listen to more than 100 megs of songs in any given week. Whew. The one thing with that whole ipoddirtysecret.com really pisses me off because a PC zealot co-worker read that and that's all he talks about these days. But yeah, ipodbatteryfaq.com has all the good information on why that whole thing was an overworked and overglorified mess.

I use my iPod for backing up too

jewing80 · Mar 12, 2004, 06:05 PM

After a short "affair" with an iPod Mini, I've fallen back in love with my 30GB.

I had originally bought a 20GB 2G a week before the 3Gs were announced. I was really happy with everything about it, but the lure of an extra 10GB and the new smaller, solid state form factor lead me to replace it with the 30GB the day it was launched.

I have to admit I really didn't use it all that much at first. I had only ripped about 10GB worth of music (as it stands now my library is hovering around the 20GB mark.) The wasted space coupled with the really poor screen, I had a "white" backlight that really drove me nuts, lead me to leave my iPod at home on my desk most of the time. Finally a few weeks ago the screen went completely haywire. This prompted me to send it in for repair; thankfully Apple replaced the unit with a "blue backlight� version.

After receiving my new iPod I kept it sealed in its "don't steal music" packaging until my Vaja iVod 3G arrived. Since its launch I had been using a Mini as my main mp3 player. Like many I was completely blown away by the size and ultra rugged construction. The thought of being able to use the mini without a bulky case was really appealing. Unfortunately after ripping another 100 or so CDs and beefing up my music library to its current 20GB state I realized I wanted to have more music with me than my Mini could hold. I tend to rip at 160 kpbs mp3 thus the 1000 song advertised capacity (128 kps) was a bit off. At roughly 3.5 GB I had 700 songs.

Once the Vaja came in my iPod lust was restored. I've actually began to use it as a pseudo PDA as well as a back up drive. I know most will say the usefulness as a PDA is limited at best, but what it lacks in features it makes up for in simplicity. All I really need in a PDA is a phone book and a calendar to tell me what the heck I have to do on any given day. The iPod does this extremely well. My most favorite feature is the ease of syncing. I�ve tried a Sony Clie TJ37, a Compaq iPaq 3650 and a Treo 600 but I hated the additional software and cumbersome interface. I work on a Windows box all day the last thing I want at home is any thing complicated! As for using the iPod as a back up it works perfectly. All of my important office documents as well as several pictures and a couple movies �live� on my iPod. I plan on sending all of my settings and preferences to my iPod the next time I upgrade my Powerbook (holding out for a G5 but I have a feeling that Apple will get my money the next time they update the 15� regardless of the specs.)

All in all the iPod is much more than an mp3 player to me. Sure, it technically does the same thing as many other portable audio solutions but to me it�s all about how it does them. My family and I are planning a two week vacation up the California coast into Oregon (taking the toy box and the ATVs) and I plan on using my iPod the entire time we are in the car. Ordinarily we would haul 200 CDs in a bulky Case Logic binder. Invariably we would end up listing to 10 of those 200 CDs over and over and over again. Hopefully this trip will be different!

SupahCoolX · Mar 14, 2004, 03:17 PM

The iPod's hard drive capability can certainly be useful, but it's an expensive one. You could get a 15GB iPod and a 100+GB hard drive for less than the price of a 40GB iPod alone.
To me, the iPod is first and foremost a music player. If I want storage, I'll buy a storage device. But that's just my opinion.

PabloTX · Mar 14, 2004, 04:16 PM

Originally posted by SupahCoolX:
The iPod's hard drive capability can certainly be useful, but it's an expensive one. You could get a 15GB iPod and a 100+GB hard drive for less than the price of a 40GB iPod alone.
To me, the iPod is first and foremost a music player. If I want storage, I'll buy a storage device. But that's just my opinion.

It's not the "storage device" that I'm advocating, but a portable storage device.

Yeah, you can pay about a dollar a Gb for a hard drive, but once you buy that 100 Gb IDE hard drive, what are you gonna do with it? By the time you get a firewire/USB 2.0 encosure, cross your fingers and hope it works, you figure out it would have been a hell of a lot easier to just use the iPod, which is also quite a bit smaller than your run of the mill IDE hard drive.

holygoat · Mar 14, 2004, 04:34 PM

Originally posted by PabloTX:
It's not the "storage device" that I'm advocating, but a portable storage device.

Yeah, you can pay about a dollar a Gb for a hard drive, but once you buy that 100 Gb IDE hard drive, what are you gonna do with it? By the time you get a firewire/USB 2.0 encosure, cross your fingers and hope it works, you figure out it would have been a hell of a lot easier to just use the iPod, which is also quite a bit smaller than your run of the mill IDE hard drive.

And it's a good combo: calendar, music, and you can take files with you. Not to mention self-charging and with a battery.

LeeG · Mar 17, 2004, 01:08 PM

I can't believe there was even doubt - do you see ANY press buzz about the other music players? Sure, there's an occasional cnet article or something about another player that 'bests the ipod' - but notice something - ALWAYS compared to the ipod.

My windows friends (who trash the mac every chance they get), would give up their ipod when it was pried from their cold dead hands.

Dont waste your money on another brand - it may be cheaper, but you get what you pay for - the ipod is more than just the player and earphones. iTunes, iTMS, and iPod are a true full solution that (IMO) no one else has come close to.

And despite the high price of the gear, the public seems to agree - mini sales are especially impressive - once I held one, I wanted one also. Alas I have to slum with my 2G 20Gb....

Lee

John G. Stillmank · Mar 17, 2004, 01:32 PM

The iPod will always be the right decision!

holygoat · Mar 17, 2004, 02:39 PM

It is an absolute work of art. A functional work of art. I'm very pleased!

A tip: the iPod shows completed tasks in the Todo viewer. Which is pretty annoying! So make a separate calendar, and move completed tasks to that calendar - then don't sync that one. I'm writing an AppleScript to do it automatically.

Wiskedjak · Mar 17, 2004, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by SupahCoolX:
OK, seriously- how much music do you absolutely need in your pocket at any given time? If 40GB isn't enough, then you're crazy.

More space means less need for compression which means better quality music (sound-wise, at least ... I don't know much about your tastes]). At CD quality, it wouldn't take long to fill up 40GB