iPod dilemma

[indecisive]

Help please! I am about to purchase an ipod for the first time. I am buying it for my boyfriend for his birthday. I am not sure which I should buy, the mini or the 20 gb. I like the look and the size of the mini...he is very active...but is 1,500 songs really enough for someone who doesn't already own a 20 gb? It's only a $50 price difference. To users who have both or just the mini, what do you suggest? I appreciate your advice :confused:

[minibigdude]

if you dont care about the price then i dont think there is any question on which one you should get. Go for the 20GB, like the saying goes its better to dress up than to dress down haha so go for the easy winner

[indecisive]

Thanks minibigdude... That's what I was leaning towards, but 5,000 songs just seems like a lot...

[iMichael]

Hi

First, does your boyfriend has 5,000 songs? If he only have a limted number of songs, go for the mini, specially if he is very active will find the mini very comfortable.

[jonnny]

Another question he should ask himself: will he have 5,000 songs? If he feels that his music collection will grow once you get him a mini, and he'll mostly likely want to carry them all with him, then you're better off putting down the extra $50 towards buying the 20GB now.

To speak from experience: I started off with a 512MB shuffle in February, but I quickly outgrew it and sold it to buy my 4GB mini three months later. It's been two months after I bought my mini, and my collection's already big enough to fill half of a 20GB iPod. At this rate I might have to look into upgrading in a few months, but I don't even listen to about 35-50% of the music in my collection, so carrying only part of it with me is good enough for now.

[animasaki]

Hi Ms. Indecisive. I expect you've probably already made your choice, but I'd like to add my two cents.

1. Jonnny's case is an isolated one. Either he's able and happy to spend a lot of money on music, or he gets his songs through illegal means. In either case, it's unlikely that the average person would go from needing a 512MB Shuffle to a 20GB iPod in five months. Your boyfriend's music collection will grow, certainly, but don't expect anything near the rate that Jonnny's at. :p

2. Jonnny's point at the end of his post is an important one: how much, if he were to have 10GB worth of songs, would he listen to regularly? If he wants to carry around his whole music collection, that's fine, but what I do is keep my entire collection on the PC, and take my favorite songs and albums with me on my mini. That way it's easier to just hit play, find the song you're looking for fast, etc., than if you had your whole collection with you. It's entirely personal preference, but keep in mind that more isn't necessarily better. ;)

That said, you really can't go wrong with the full-size 20GB. My preference to carry only a couple gigs of my favorite songs is certainly in the minority, and if he wants to do that, he still can with the 20GB. As minibigdude said, if money's not an issue, the safest bet is the full-size 'Pod.

Good luck!:D

[broken spoke]

If he's active, I'd say go for the mini. I'm glad I did because when I'm at the gym or on my bike I don't want to worry about scratches and the white plastic scratches really easily. Also, although the physical size difference doesn't seem like much in the store, it really is different when it's strapped to your arm.

And I have a 4G and haven't maxed my library yet. I don't want to carry around all of my music, just select stuff for driving, gym, bike, whatever. Just my 2 cents.

Of course, if you choose the mini, the real question is which color?

[geekchic]

I agree with broken spoke. I've loaded in about 3GB of music into my mini and it hit me one day that I don't listen to more than 20% of my music in my mini! So I set about listening to it from the very first song to the last one without loading anything in. It took me more than 1 month! Of course, my drive to work is only about 15-30mins and I only work out for about 1 hour in the gym everyday (only times when I use the mini) and I don't use it all that much at home. It's only for when I'm on the go.

It really depends on the kind of lifestyle your boyfriend leads.

Having said all that, how sweet of you to get him such a nice prezzie! :D

[jonnny]

Originally posted by animasaki
1. Jonnny's case is an isolated one. Either he's able and happy to spend a lot of money on music, or he gets his songs through illegal means. For the record, it is the former. I am now broke. :D

[indecisive]

Thank you so much for all of the great advice!

Ok, now I'm really confused! I had my mind made up on the 20GB, until the posts today. Great points by Broken Spoke, Geek Chic and animasaki...If I think about when he would actually use it, it would be on his bike, hiking, running...I'm not thinking it would be so much at home. His CD collection is pretty big, but he does probably only listen to 10 percent of it. Maybe I should just give him the option, and spoil the surprise, OR I could bring him to the store on the day, but I'm afraid he will say it's too extravagant of a gift, plus I want to have it engraved. DECISIONS!

BTW, I like the silver mini best...

[animasaki]

Well then, perhaps we should look at more than the size of the hard drives.

- Battery Life (Obviously a big one. The mini definitely takes the lead here.)
iPod: 12 hours rated (CNET.com got 14 hours in their test)
iPod mini: 18 hours rated (CNET.com got 21 hours in their test)

- Weight (Not the biggest deal, but one to note nonetheless.)
iPod: 5.6 ounces
iPod mini: 3.6 ounces

- Size (I could list the dimensions here, but you already know the results. The mini's decently smaller, but they're both totally portable.)

- Durability (Both are extremely solid machines, but whichever you choose, I'd still recommend getting a case of some kind to go with it.)
iPod: Plastic on the front, buffed metal on the rear. Pretty susceptible to scratches, but very solid.
iPod mini: Surrounded by a single piece of aluminum, with plastic on the top and bottom. More scratch resistant, and very solid.

Well, I guess I thought I would have been able to find a few more differences, but they're actually pretty much identical otherwise. From these stats alone, it would seem to make the mini the clear choice. From what I can see, the mini is, in general, a better product with the exception being the smaller hard drive.

Hope this helps! :D

[Defer]

I went for the mini for its size and because I wouldn't store 20GB of music. It's ok if you're going to use it as a hard disk, but for the use you're describing, the mini should be enough and more resistent (at least to scratches) and pocketable.

Don't forget also the extra durability of the battery.

[indecisive]

Thanks everyone! I ordered the silver mini yesterday...I am happy with my choice, and I'm sure he will be as well.

YOU WERE SOOO HELPFUL!

[jamontoast]

great choice. ive had an ipod for almost 4 years yet i only have 2GB of music.

and silvers a great color. i mean EVERYONE loves silver, its nuetral. not to bright not to dull.

your boyfriend will be really happy!