Why do people buy MP3 players that aren't iPods just to be different?
Nothing to do with being different, everything to do with protesting Apple policies I happen not to like. Its not like the other players are bad in any case either. Other thing is I don't buy into hype much, not like some Apple users do
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i dont buy this 'apple hype' stuff. yeah, of course it has a huge following and there is SOME hype. i am an avid windows user who would never use a mac but i use and love my iphone because it is the best mobile device out there. its easy to use, has a great interface, has the best selection and best apps, and has an mp3 player built in that is the best mp3 player on the market. i dont need 2 talking cartoons to tell me that
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really no need to look past the ipod and itunes. they work, they're sharp looking, and have just overall awesomeness
Do they? Are they really? Awesome what?
They lag behind others at their primary task, playing music. They looked sharp 10 years ago. They're fantastic at doing a bunch of things that really aren't that important to me.
I'm not going to lie, I've had a few iPod's and the 6th gen classic is the benchmark I'm comparing all other players to. However I just feel by now someone has caught up and is perhaps doing things better? Hence why I'm searching for the little guy. The guy that doesn't have the marketing hype machine behind him. The guy that just delivers great sounding music in a slick little device...
iPod's aren't bad but they're far from perfect. Primarily the sound leaves a little to be desired and the "walled garden" approach to computing isn't my cup of tea. I'm sorry but Apple simply does not play nice with others...
For example, iTunes and just how poorly implemented the program really is, on a windows machine at least... I'm sure the Apple empire is a comfortable and wonderful place when you own a Macbook, iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. For those of us that don't, it's nice to have a little control over things!
Quote:
Originally Posted by HotHotHeat
Why do people buy MP3 players that aren't iPods just to be different?
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Anyways, I didn't start this to start another Apple thread. I think there might already be 4 or 5 of those on the first tech talk page? I'm just looking for a simple MP3 player...
iPod's aren't bad but they're far from perfect. Primarily the sound leaves a little to be desired
You've got to be kidding, right? You're listening to music compressed with a lossy algorithm typically in places with high ambient noise levels (eg. on the street, public transit and buildings, etc), and you're worried about how they sound?
From what I've seen the ipod (classic or touch) is actually the best high capacity mp3 player out there. I used to be a creative guy but they seem to have lost the plot years ago. I tried the Zune once but took it back after a few days. Not sure what the big faults are with itunes; it seems to do everything I need it to in terms of managing my music, and its also the best source for buying music online these days. I still use my Ipod classic as the master device for all of my music because of its capacity. For the daily commute I use my iphone, and its great. With the latest OS it has the type of playlist functionality that I've always wanted to see on an ipod.
I used to be the guy that wanted to be different by not getting apple stuff, but I quickly realized I was buying inferior products simply to be a rebel of some sort.
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Same here. I even have an iPhone, but the Sony still comes along with my when I take transit. Battery life is awesome; and I also like the interface.
Battery life is a problem with some of the huge LCDs they put on players these days and the compact sonys make a huge difference. Another thing is audio quality, I have an Ipod touch 2G and the audio quality pales in comparison with some of Sony players and Samsung (some) players I've tried. Though most of the source audio I have is 128kps, which sucks.
You've got to be kidding, right? You're listening to music compressed with a lossy algorithm typically in places with high ambient noise levels (eg. on the street, public transit and buildings, etc), and you're worried about how they sound?
we're talkin about mp3's here.
Lots of these non-apple players support lossless formats like FLAC or APE IIRC, at that point you are limited purely by the headphones you are using and the original source.
I use a Zune. have used my Zune for a long time (actually wrecked my last one, am getting the Zune HD brought up from the states for me). I like the interface and prefer the way it works. ipods are good, I have an Ipad and it has some cool apps, but for having portable music I still like Zune. the problem with Zune is the software doesn't support things like last.fm like Itunes does, so I end up listening to music off of Itunes when on my computer. the annoying part is the apple lossless version doesn't play in zune and vice versa (Itunes is much easier to work with for ripping cds for me).
biggest problem with Zune is they have stopped selling them at stores in Canada (because of licencing and hd radio), If I didn't already have an Ipad for my app needs I would have considered an Ipod touch or an Iphone after my cell contract is up. but I do, so Ill continue using both
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Lots of these non-apple players support lossless formats...
iPods and iPhones have been supporting lossless audio for years, so I sure hope the non-Apple ones do it too. It's not really much of a bragging point at this stage in the game.
I've been using Apple products for a while now, and even before my first iPod, I was using iTunes for my music.
Before that, the last program I used was winamp I believe, which wasn't anything special. Since there are so many people who are anti-iTunes, what other music programs do you guys use? I never liked the old Windows media player, which was a big reason I started using an iPod to begin with.
I've been using Apple products for a while now, and even before my first iPod, I was using iTunes for my music.
Before that, the last program I used was winamp I believe, which wasn't anything special. Since there are so many people who are anti-iTunes, what other music programs do you guys use? I never liked the old Windows media player, which was a big reason I started using an iPod to begin with.
iTunes on my Mac. Winamp on my PC.
(Been using Winamp since it launched in 97. Just have to be careful when you install it, ever since AOL bought Nullsoft. They stuffed it full of crap. Background service this, browser helper object that... Friggin AOL.)
I've been using Apple products for a while now, and even before my first iPod, I was using iTunes for my music.
Before that, the last program I used was winamp I believe, which wasn't anything special. Since there are so many people who are anti-iTunes, what other music programs do you guys use? I never liked the old Windows media player, which was a big reason I started using an iPod to begin with.
I use QMP for my music. Lots of features and it's free, forced to use iTunes for my Ipod though.
Used the SanDisk's for a couple years. Both mine broke down within 6 months. My brother owned one or two and they died after a few months of use. Horrible MP3 players.
I tried a Samsung MP3 player (can't remember the exact name) and really liked it, but then I lost it somewhere. My brother showed me his new iPod Touch and I eventually bought one. I will never try another MP3 player again, the iPod does everything I need it to.
Thinking of upgrading my 3rd gen 16 GB for the newer ones that can take pics/video.
I've been using Apple products for a while now, and even before my first iPod, I was using iTunes for my music.
Before that, the last program I used was winamp I believe, which wasn't anything special. Since there are so many people who are anti-iTunes, what other music programs do you guys use? I never liked the old Windows media player, which was a big reason I started using an iPod to begin with.
Never had a reason not to use iTunes but a friend swears by Media Monkey. Apparently it's iPod/iPhone friendly and free to boot.
Like a couple others have said, the drag and drop to put songs on is easy and I currently have 1000 songs, 3 hours of video, 20 or so pictures and still have 3.0GB left on it. It doesn't seem to eat up space like my iPod used to and I don't have to use iTunes or multiple convertors to get the files in the right format. I drag the file, it asks me if its okay to convert it to the right format and I click yes. Done!
What I didn't like about iPods is that I've had 2 different ones and both times they just stopped being compatible with my computer out of the blue. My shuffle lasted six month, my Nano 13 months. It would be midway through charging and I'd get an error popping up saying it no longer recognized the device. I had made a call to Apple about this since the one was under warranty still and they said that if I wasn't running it on an Apple computer this tends to happen because they are designed to be compatible with an Apple first and others second. The agent said if I wanted more life out of my iPods to get an Apple computer. Shortly after I bought a Samsung YP-S3 and it lasted 4 years before it was met by a watery grave.
Yeah, considering how nice the iPod is (I have a 120GB Classic), it's unfortunate that iTunes is so frustrating to use.
For the average person, sound quality isn't going to be different between most if not all mp3 players. I rip my music at v0 and it's noticeably better from the mp3s I have from 5-10 years ago, but overall I doubt that will be a deal breaker for many.
I also have a small USB mp3 player, very primitive (two line display) but it's great for running/biking. I drag and drop an album on before I head out, and just hit play and go. It's the simplest but easiest way to listen to music.
You've got to be kidding, right? You're listening to music compressed with a lossy algorithm typically in places with high ambient noise levels (eg. on the street, public transit and buildings, etc), and you're worried about how they sound?
we're talkin about mp3's here.
You can get $30 headphones that do a much better job with ambient noise than the iPod headphones. Just because there will be ambient noise no matter what you're using doesn't mean that you can't get much, much better sound quality than the default Apple experience.
Never tried a Sony, but if they have noise cancellation built in, well places with high ambient noise levels are precisely where that feature matters.
It's like cameras: under good conditions, there's not much difference between a $200 camera and a $2000 camera. In low light, under strenuous conditions is where you see the difference.
