NationStates Jolt Archive

Okay, so I got an iPod recently.. as a gift. I've always hated the things out of general principle, and, after using one, I've got even more reason. The ridiculous hype the thing has gotten from the media ("Podcast," anyone? :rolleyes: ), seems just obscene now.

First off, what's with the touch-sensitive, counter-clockwise scrolling touchpad thing? How about buttons? It already has some buttons, why not use them to scroll? One of the iPod's many fancy-but-obnoxious features.

Point number two: batteries - why not? Sure, the thing is thin.. great. But I'm on the road a lot, away from home for weeks at a time.. this thing only plays for 15 hours on a full charge... meanwhile, my old iRiver, which broke 5 years ago, took a single AA, which can be bought anywhere. With the iPod, maybe I can buy a USB adapter that plugs into my lighter slot in the car.. maybe they exist, but I don't care. Just gimme a AA, and I'm fine.. no accessories required.

Number three: iTunes.. with a USB, I can simply load songs via Windows Explorer.. none of this iTunes crap that constantly gives me error messages when I try to import songs.. and, unlike every other USB item I own, iPod seems to piss off my computer to the point where it won't recognize the iPod when I plug it into the USB most times.. what the hell? Scrap the iTunes and let me upload songs the normal way, and maybe I won't return your product.

I'm gonna go return some videos.. if anyone can think of a reason I shouldn't return this thing (the iPod) to Best Buy tomorrow, let me know.. I'll be back in about 45 minutes.. I'd like to hear some suggestions.. thanks. :(

I hate returning thoughtful (and expensive in this case) gifts like this, but it may have to be done.

Return it now.

If you're in the right sort of group, an iPod can be a status symbol. It is also stupid easy to use, and, since it was a gift, it was free to get.
Those are the same reasons I didn't return mine.

First off, what's with the touch-sensitive, counter-clockwise scrolling touchpad thing? How about buttons? It already has some buttons, why not use them to scroll? One of the iPod's many fancy-but-obnoxious features.
My iPod (Shuffle) has your standard buttons on it. They get hit alot. When the thing is sitting in my pocket I often bump it into various things while walkin and songs change/it pauses/volume increases/etc. I know the scroll wheel is less prone to this. I wish my Shuffle had a scrollwheel.

Point number two: batteries - why not? Sure, the thing is thin.. great. But I'm on the road a lot, away from home for weeks at a time.. this thing only plays for 15 hours on a full charge... meanwhile, my old iRiver, which broke 5 years ago, took a single AA, which can be bought anywhere. With the iPod, maybe I can buy a USB adapter that plugs into my lighter slot in the car.. maybe they exist, but I don't care. Just gimme a AA, and I'm fine.. no accessories required.
This was accually one of the main reasons that I bought an iPod instead of something else. If I had to use regular batteries myiPod would never be used. Batteries are quite rare at my house. If my betteries died I could end up waiting over a month for new batteries. I HATE devices that do not have internal rechargable batteries.

Number three: iTunes.. with a USB, I can simply load songs via Windows Explorer.. none of this iTunes crap that constantly gives me error messages when I try to import songs.. and, unlike every other USB item I own, iPod seems to piss off my computer to the point where it won't recognize the iPod when I plug it into the USB most times.. what the hell? Scrap the iTunes and let me upload songs the normal way, and maybe I won't return your product.
I rarely get error messages when I use iTunes with my iPod. In fact the only one I get is "Your iPod is full."

Yet to have one.

I don't chase status. Hell I only got DSL about 4 months ago.

People are shocked by that since I am a WAN engineer.....

Well, I have an iPod as well (christmas gift) and I hate it. It slows down my computer, will randomly refuse to load or play songs and it takes forever to charge.
I suggest an MP3 player not made by apple. One of my friends has one that takes two AA and it holds way more songs than my ipod, and cost about $60 less. (I have a shuffle btw, cheapest model)
and about the iTunes thing, just get limewire or something. It's never given me any problems if I download directly into a shared folder and then select "Play with: iTunes"
:D

I definitely wish I had gotten a non-iPod mp3 player. My brother has some random one that costs less than my iPod and has three times as much space.

and about the iTunes thing, just get limewire or something. It's never given me any problems if I download directly into a shared folder and then select "Play with: iTunes"
:D
That is one of the weird things I have found about iTunes. It will automatically find the songs on my computer (and computers on this network) that have been downloaded with Limewire.

I suggest an MP3 player not made by apple. One of my friends has one that takes two AA and it holds way more songs than my ipod, and cost about $60 less.

I definitely wish I had gotten a non-iPod mp3 player. My brother has some random one that costs less than my iPod and has three times as much space.

Anyone recall the names of these players? That could be quite helpful.. ;)

Okay, so I got an iPod recently.. as a gift. I've always hated the things out of general principle, and, after using one, I've got even more reason. The ridiculous hype the thing has gotten from the media ("Podcast," anyone? :rolleyes: ), seems just obscene now.

First off, what's with the touch-sensitive, counter-clockwise scrolling touchpad thing? How about buttons? It already has some buttons, why not use them to scroll? One of the iPod's many fancy-but-obnoxious features.

Point number two: batteries - why not? Sure, the thing is thin.. great. But I'm on the road a lot, away from home for weeks at a time.. this thing only plays for 15 hours on a full charge... meanwhile, my old iRiver, which broke 5 years ago, took a single AA, which can be bought anywhere. With the iPod, maybe I can buy a USB adapter that plugs into my lighter slot in the car.. maybe they exist, but I don't care. Just gimme a AA, and I'm fine.. no accessories required.

Number three: iTunes.. with a USB, I can simply load songs via Windows Explorer.. none of this iTunes crap that constantly gives me error messages when I try to import songs.. and, unlike every other USB item I own, iPod seems to piss off my computer to the point where it won't recognize the iPod when I plug it into the USB most times.. what the hell? Scrap the iTunes and let me upload songs the normal way, and maybe I won't return your product.

I'm gonna go return some videos.. if anyone can think of a reason I shouldn't return this thing (the iPod) to Best Buy tomorrow, let me know.. I'll be back in about 45 minutes.. I'd like to hear some suggestions.. thanks. :(

I hate returning thoughtful (and expensive in this case) gifts like this, but it may have to be done.


You are a bastard...Inconsiderate..selfish..Mean..uncaring....Seriously, some one got you that gift with lots of money and a bunch of love from the bottom of their heart. And now you complain about it..Think about all the kids in ethiopia tha would kill to have an ipod...:rolleyes:

You are a bastard...Inconsiderate..selfish..Mean..uncaring....Seriously, some one got you that gift with lots of money and a bunch of love from the bottom of their heart. And now you complain about it..Think about all the kids in ethiopia tha would kill to have an ipod...:rolleyes:

Yeah, probly.. they could have mine if it wasn't so insanely expensive.. it's useless to me. They might even be able to use it if it took batteries.. But, a piece of crap given as a gift is still a piece of crap, and I won't be bothered with it. :(

think of all the kids in etheopia? yeah etheopia is poor, but there are the same problems back home, dont pretend poverty doesnt exist here.
Yeah we have all gotten gifts we dont like, the person gives us a gift for us to be happy not to make us feel guilt, i say if you feel like returning it, do so.
i encourage you to. "If your in the right crowd its a status symbol"... i think you meant in the wrong crowd.
Sony has a really cool mp3 player its more expensve then the nano, but looks really cool, and holds 6 gigs, when off it doesnt look like it has a screen, when on the metal lights up, i dont know how to describe it, ask someone ther to show it to you.

im glad others hate ipods as much as i do. creative or archos make better for cheaper. seriously, what is with the hype?

Return it. Those white headphones are obnoxious and ghastly.

Further, you should learn to sing, so other people can enjoy your music with you.

Return it. Those white headphones are obnoxious and ghastly.

Further, you should learn to sing, so other people can enjoy your music with you.
Now people hate the headphones:confused:

I think people like the iPod as blindly as people love the iPod.

So what? You can dance around on a coloured screen while your body is all black!

I'm looking at Zen from Creative Labs myself. I only need it to download Coast to Coast AM shows.

My iPod (Shuffle) has your standard buttons on it. They get hit alot. When the thing is sitting in my pocket I often bump it into various things while walkin and songs change/it pauses/volume increases/etc. I know the scroll wheel is less prone to this. I wish my Shuffle had a scrollwheel.


This was accually one of the main reasons that I bought an iPod instead of something else. If I had to use regular batteries myiPod would never be used. Batteries are quite rare at my house. If my betteries died I could end up waiting over a month for new batteries. I HATE devices that do not have internal rechargable batteries.


I rarely get error messages when I use iTunes with my iPod. In fact the only one I get is "Your iPod is full."
No one considers internal and external sources of power, although it would take more "precious" space, I mean, you could just use 1 AAA, the tiny ones,:)

I must say, the main reason I got an iPod as opposed to another MP3 player was because I like to support Apple. It does do what I want it to do, though (even if with a rather small battery capacity), and I'm generally satisfied. Plus, I got about $50 off because my dad is a university professor, and so we can get the education discount whenever we buy stuff from Apple.

I'm looking at Zen from Creative Labs myself. I only need it to download Coast to Coast AM shows.I have a Zen, and I find it really simple to use and completely co-operative. The battery life is fantastic and the sound is great (I upgraded my headphones, but the ones that come with it aren't bad). I love the thing.

I won an iPod shuffle in a raffle in November, and proceeded to sell the thing on eBay; I too hate them out of principle, and also know a number of friends who've had nothing but problems with them (whereas I have no bad experiences with the Zen at all). Anyway, I got £70 for the piece of crap...it was only retailing at about £55 at the time, and is down to £49 now! I bet the buyer regrets his purchase now - especially if it gives him even half the trouble it gives some people.

Yes, this iPod really is totally overprized, overhyped junk :rolleyes:
If I want to listen to music, I have a mobile with mp3 player :D

Okay, so I got an iPod recently.. as a gift. I've always hated the things out of general principle, and, after using one, I've got even more reason. The ridiculous hype the thing has gotten from the media ("Podcast," anyone? :rolleyes: ), seems just obscene now.

First off, what's with the touch-sensitive, counter-clockwise scrolling touchpad thing? How about buttons? It already has some buttons, why not use them to scroll? One of the iPod's many fancy-but-obnoxious features.

Point number two: batteries - why not? Sure, the thing is thin.. great. But I'm on the road a lot, away from home for weeks at a time.. this thing only plays for 15 hours on a full charge... meanwhile, my old iRiver, which broke 5 years ago, took a single AA, which can be bought anywhere. With the iPod, maybe I can buy a USB adapter that plugs into my lighter slot in the car.. maybe they exist, but I don't care. Just gimme a AA, and I'm fine.. no accessories required.

Number three: iTunes.. with a USB, I can simply load songs via Windows Explorer.. none of this iTunes crap that constantly gives me error messages when I try to import songs.. and, unlike every other USB item I own, iPod seems to piss off my computer to the point where it won't recognize the iPod when I plug it into the USB most times.. what the hell? Scrap the iTunes and let me upload songs the normal way, and maybe I won't return your product.

I'm gonna go return some videos.. if anyone can think of a reason I shouldn't return this thing (the iPod) to Best Buy tomorrow, let me know.. I'll be back in about 45 minutes.. I'd like to hear some suggestions.. thanks. :(

I hate returning thoughtful (and expensive in this case) gifts like this, but it may have to be done.

OK, before I begin, I have to say that I agree with you on the hype stuff. The iPod isn't as great as everyone says - it is a fancier version of any other MP3 player you'd care to mention. However, I own an iPod Nano, and it has certainly served me well.

On your first point, about the scroll wheel; buttons are lumpy, and repeatedly pressing them hurts my thumb, whereas if one can simply hold the button down, it makes indentations in one's skin and eventually becomes painful itself. Something that you can simply slide your finger over is so much better.

Secondly, do you have any idea how much it would cost to keep buying batteries and music for your iPod? My iPod costs me about £5 a month - that's how much I spend on downloading songs from iTunes, and some months, I don't even download anything. If I had to buy batteries for it too, it would cost even more. Also, the iPod is too thin to accept batteries - if it ran on batteries like that, it would have to be bulkier, and it would essentially be the same as every other MP3 player on the market.

If your computer gets pissed off at the iPod, it's not the iPods fault. My iPod runs perfectly on my computer, and I never get an error message for it. I'm running an Acer laptop with Windows XP on it, so it's not as if it only works well on Macs, as some people say when their iPod won't work on their Windows PC.

I'd buy one but for their price, not worth it.
Looking at Creative Zen at the moment.

Okay, so I got an iPod recently.. as a gift. I've always hated the things out of general principle, and, after using one, I've got even more reason. The ridiculous hype the thing has gotten from the media ("Podcast," anyone? :rolleyes: ), seems just obscene now.

First off, what's with the touch-sensitive, counter-clockwise scrolling touchpad thing? How about buttons? It already has some buttons, why not use them to scroll? One of the iPod's many fancy-but-obnoxious features.

Point number two: batteries - why not? Sure, the thing is thin.. great. But I'm on the road a lot, away from home for weeks at a time.. this thing only plays for 15 hours on a full charge... meanwhile, my old iRiver, which broke 5 years ago, took a single AA, which can be bought anywhere. With the iPod, maybe I can buy a USB adapter that plugs into my lighter slot in the car.. maybe they exist, but I don't care. Just gimme a AA, and I'm fine.. no accessories required.

Number three: iTunes.. with a USB, I can simply load songs via Windows Explorer.. none of this iTunes crap that constantly gives me error messages when I try to import songs.. and, unlike every other USB item I own, iPod seems to piss off my computer to the point where it won't recognize the iPod when I plug it into the USB most times.. what the hell? Scrap the iTunes and let me upload songs the normal way, and maybe I won't return your product.

I'm gonna go return some videos.. if anyone can think of a reason I shouldn't return this thing (the iPod) to Best Buy tomorrow, let me know.. I'll be back in about 45 minutes.. I'd like to hear some suggestions.. thanks. :(

I hate returning thoughtful (and expensive in this case) gifts like this, but it may have to be done.

Thank you for saying what needed to be said.

I'd buy one but for their price, not worth it.
Looking at Creative Zen at the moment.

I have a Creative Zen Micro, and I'm damned pleased with it. It has a touch sensitive scrolling thingy too, but it's vertical, not circular. Which makes sense, why move your thumb round in circles to go up and down. All the buttons are touch sensitive actually.

It's times ike this I wish it hadn't dropped and ceased working. I'm prety sure something on the inside is broken, but if I open it I'll void the warranty. And I could't fix it even if I did open it. I'm also too cheap to get a new one at the moment.

I have a creative MuVo2. Sadly, they dont make them any more.

It worked fine until I accidently drop kicked it. (Long story involving a hole in my pocket and a game of football...) The only problem with it since I did that is it has a dodgy headphone jack. The best bit is the replaceble battery. I bought a spare of the creative website, and now having both with me gives me twenty five to thirty hours of battery :D

I have an iPod mini, and happen to like it very much. It was a gift from my relatives for my Bar Mitzvah. If your computer has trouble recognizing the iPod, try resetting it by holding down the menu and play buttons for a few seconds. This fixes many problems.

Oddly, in Manhattan, they aren't really a status symbol because so many people have them.:p

Another thing, the white head phones. When people see those whote headphones they assume they lead to an iPod. Which can lead to robbery.

ok ok

let me spell this out for you.

ipods are one of many mp3 players out there. I bought my self a nano when they came out because nothing else was as thin in the single figure gigabyte range.

I wanted something that could hold a few hundred tracks (I mean real tracks not crappy 3 minute 128kib aacs that apple use to quote the number of tracks u are supposed to be able to fit on one of these things) so I got the 4 gig version.

I could have got a fat mother ipod but frankly even the biggest wouldnt fit my entire collection so 500 of my favourite track seemed a good idea.

Itunes is the root of all evil, that is not up for dispute and anyone here who uses it must die a painful death or repent. Real people who own ipods use a lil program called mp_ipod which is a winamp plug in allowing you to transfer music both ways from your ipod within the comfy surroundings of winamp.

In conclusion I like my ipod, I didn't buy to to be a "ipod kiddie" I bought it because it was the best at what I wanted from an mp3 player at that time

remember kids there are other mp3 players available before you buy any one of them, DO YOUR HOMEWORK, I cannot stress this enough. Firstly decide the rought number of songs you want, a budget and what sort of extra features you like. Then and only then, READ REVIEWS of all the available products make sure you look up things like battery life, screen size etc. know the products you are considering inside and out before you even think of buying one. Finally SHOP AROUND. not every where sells these things at the same price, I would reccomend against buying off ebay if the mp3 player is coming from over seas, theres a chance you'll get stung for customs duty which is not fun believe me. I got my ipod direct from apple because there wasn't any price difference at the time and I wanted to get my details laser engraved on the back incase I ever lost it, if you end up ordering from apple get your name and number on the back it'll take a few more days to deliver but if you lose it and it gets found by an honest person you'll be glad you did.

Another thing, the white head phones. When people see those whote headphones they assume they lead to an iPod. Which can lead to robbery.


oh and yeah, if you get an ipod or any other mp3 player for that matter, replace the headphones, they are always poor, apple will talk shit about neodynium drivers until the cows come home, its all lies, get your self a pair of decent ones, I picked up a pair of sony in ear phones for around 20quid, trust me it's well worth it from a sound quality view point not just to avoid being mugged

ipods are one of many mp3 players out there. I bought my self a nano when they came out because nothing else was as thin in the single figure gigabyte range.
Thin does not equal good. The iPod Nano looks like it was designed for children or midgets

Itunes is the root of all evil, that is not up for dispute and anyone here who uses it must die a painful death or repent. Way to encourage debate:p

And yes, the earbus suck. For a heap solution, I got a $15 back of earjams from grifin that you just snap on over the earbuds...they improve the sound astronomically.

i have one of the video ipods. it works well, but piece of sh*t itunes only sometimes recognizes videos THAT ARE IN MPEG4 IPOD FORMAT. there are videos i put on there, and now it wont recognize them.

shop around for what you want. find what suits you. i like the video simply for the video.
(with a 40-50 min bus ride every morning, video helps)

white headphones = curb stomp :p

I totally agree. I've had an iPod for about a year now, but the thing is so delicate and easily broken I've had to send it in to be fixed or replaced three times so far, because out of nowhere it just stopped working.

Further, to upload your songs to the iPod you have to change them to a completely new file-type (wmp3, mp4? something like that), making them unusable on any computer not running iTunes, or on any other product.

I also hate that so many great products cater solely to the iPod. A friend of mine has a particularly good mp3 player made by Dell which can be used universally, all it takes is a USB cord and a computer with music on it somewhere, no problem, but he wants to get one of those iPod transmitters that will play his music off the radio, and they only work with iPod. For Christmas I got a fabulous set of speakers which, again, only works with iPods.

There are just too many problems with this product, especially for it to be such a high price. There are better ones out there, you should return your iPod and research another possibility.

I think you should return the iPod.
I dont have one, and i dont plan on getting one.

First, i agree with the buttons thing. i dont see whats wrong with them.
Second, you would have to spend alot of money on batteries to keep it going. Rechargable batteries are always good.
Also, i have cousins who have mp3s. One has an iPod, the other has a different brand, but it cost half as much and has twice as much hard drive.

Returning the iPod is a good idea, even if it was a gift. Everyone gives a crappy gift once in a while.

I thoroughly enjoy my iPod shuffle. It holds all my favorite country songs, including my favorite, The Bog, which isn't country but is a fabulous song. The headphone project a very clear sound and they are quite comfortable to wear as well. As I don't usally put it in my pocket, I have no problem with the buttons and I have found they work great! :)

Yeah, iPods are crapped but Apple is hyping them to death and tons of things are being made for them specifically but not for other mp3 players, though probably work with them, so everyone wants an iPod to use the cool stuff.

I have two RCA mp3 players: a RCA K@zoo which doesn't work (solely because I dropped it on hard surfaces one too many times and fooled with the lock button causing it to break in the locked mode, which is why it doesn't work), and a RCA Lyra. Both of these support SD cards thus you can have as large a mp3 player as you can find cards assuming the firmware supports the size (my mp3 Lyra is a little too old to support all of my 1GB card).

And if I break my mp3 player and have to get a new one, all I have to do is buy a cheap one that supports SD cards.

Okay I have to say I'm not one for the Ipod. I have never owned one because just before they became the thing i spent like 50 Bucks and got a cd player that played Mp3s. Now my friend got one and he loves it and fair enoiugh it seems simple enough to use. But while scrolling through the GUI menu system it lagged. I really mean it nothing worked 2 secs. Now I know that 2 secs isn't much but it did happen and I mean come on what can it be doing in there that it causes it to lag.

Cd's are almost forgotten in this day and age but I still think they are the greatest. It cost me 20 bucks + another 5 for a cd case. I got 20 cd's (Roughly 14 gig) and i burn mp3 cd's without a glitch and I then listen to music. And with the money I saved form NOT buying an Ipod I can get one of those mp3 cd players for my car and then it is complete.

*edit* I have also dropped my CD player countless times from tiles to concrete and it still works with a little duct tape.

I also hate those little earphones that you stick in the ear they are uncomfortable and they keep falling out unless yuou stick them RIGHT in there and who knows what that is doing to your ears. No give me those BIG bulky headphones, the flash from the past that make all other forms of head wear impossible =D. Man those things give out good sound talk about crisp.

Actually, a mp3 cd player for a car costs less than your average iPod. I know mine did.

Actually, a mp3 cd player for a car costs less than your average iPod. I know mine did.

Don't forget you have to buy all the extras as well, the radio attachment and quite possibly the car kit as well.

I used to have the Nokia 3300 for a music player. Granted it only did just over 90 songs, but thats all I really needed. Now I use my Nokia N-70 which does just under 70.

I've owned a Creative Zen Micro, iRiver H320 with Korean video firmware and a creative Nomad, I have to say my iPod pwns them all. It is easier to use, has more features, better interface. The only gripes I have with it is how easy it is to scratch, and how people use the bundled headphones because "they go with the iPod". Other than that, I don't see what you all hate about it. I mean, how many mp3 players were out there before the iPod?

Don't forget you have to buy all the extras as well, the radio attachment and quite possibly the car kit as well.
Uh, when I bought my mp3 cd player, the entire thing cost less than the average iPod at the time and still now.

I've owned a Creative Zen Micro, iRiver H320 with Korean video firmware and a creative Nomad, I have to say my iPod pwns them all. It is easier to use, has more features, better interface. The only gripes I have with it is how easy it is to scratch, and how people use the bundled headphones because "they go with the iPod". Other than that, I don't see what you all hate about it. I mean, how many mp3 players were out there before the iPod?
Dozens and more.
iPod is a newcomer.

uh pantless i was talking about the Ipod extras

and an interesting link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipod#History

I really like the part about the increase of muggings due to the Ipod

uh pantless i was talking about the Ipod extras

and an interesting link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipod#History

I really like the part about the increase of muggings due to the Ipod
I already talked about the iPod add-ons.
And if that is what you are talknig about, why did you even quote me? That was pointless.

okay pantless this is what happened

Pantless: Actually, a mp3 cd player for a car costs less than your average iPod. I know mine did.

Me:Don't forget you have to buy all the extras as well, the radio attachment and quite possibly the car kit as well.

Pantless:Uh, when I bought my mp3 cd player, the entire thing cost less than the average iPod at the time and still now.

Me:uh pantless i was talking about the Ipod extras

In context you were talking about an mp3 player with extra is less then an ipod, Im merely stated that is even cheaper when you add the extra's for the ipod that is required to listen to your music in the car.

Ipods are definitely over priced. The 2GB nano is more expensive than a 6GB Sony MP3 player (and I think the sony one is a lot cooler.)