I'm thinking about getting one for my wife for Christmas. Can someone give any pointers about them? Can you load songs directly from your CD rom or do they have to be mp3s? Are they only for macs? I have a PC. Is there something better than ipod? Please drag me into the 21st century! Thanks!
No, you load either mp3s or AACs (Apple format that takes up less space at the same quality as a mp3. a 128 bit AAC is pretty mucht he same as a 192 bit mp3). You can use Apple's iTunes program to encose your cd's in both of those formats for free. The newest generations of iPods work on both Macs and PCs. The earlier generations had models specific to each OS. Apple just released iTunes for Windows, so it's really not even an issue. Value wise? Yes. Quality wise? No. Sure, you can find mp3 players with larger harddrives for far cheaper than iPods with more options, but nothing comes close to the iPod in terms of durability, looks, and overall quality If you go witht he iPod, I suggest searching the internet for a cheap firwire card if you have an open PCI slot on your PC. It transfers your files to your iPod much faster than a USB connection, plus you can use it for things like video editing should you eventually choose to get a digital camcorder. I also suggest that you read up a little on mp3 ID3 tags and understand how they work, since mp3 players are so dependent on them to provide Artist/Album/Song information. Remember to add ID3 tags to any mo3 you create! And if you download files, you can use a mass ID3 editor like Tage & Rename to make sure they all have the proper tags.
IPOD is A+, that is the only way to go, and I'm serious. I've tried all the others. Also read up on which firewire card to choose. When I first installed my firewire there was a big debate about which one was going to work. Not all of them will work on the first try. Some are better than others. In fact, the one IPOD recommended did not work for me. So I bought another one and it worked just fine. This was a problem about a year ago. I don't know if they fixed it or not. But that's the only problem I ran into ever.
I have a crappy Compaq Presario bought in 1999 that ran on windows 98. I had to upgrade to windows 2000 so the Ipod software would work. My computer is slow and sucky, but still, the Ipod works and that's all that matters. You don't have to buy a firewire port if you have USB. I ordered a USB adapter from apple. Long story and they had shipping problems, but I ended up with 2. I'll sell you the unopened one for 70% the price. The USB adapter has one cord going to your computer and one going to an electrical outlet for power (because the firewire provides both). Anyhow, I really like my ipod but just wish it had a remote control because other than excercising and walking around, I hook it up to my stereo system a lot.
for those of you who can't afford the really nice big iPods with tons of HD space, you can get one of these! enjoy!
thanks phi Kim, I might take you up on your offer. And ipod's website have remotes for sale. thanks guys
sure he doesn't need firewire, but for as little as $9 he could be actually listening to music on his iPod rather than spending all night waiting to transfer files via usb. And youd iPod should come with both firewire and USB cables, so you don't need to buy them.
