Who seriously is going to spend $600 on a iPOD PHOTO????

[XDRIVE]

This is my 0.2 cents

Anyone who is going to spend this money on a MP3 player that allows you to view photo's on its little crappy screen IS OUT oF THEIR MIND AND HAS WAY TO MUCH MONEY!

Apple has totally messed up on this one if you ask me... I mean yeah its nice to have a color screen but damn! The amount of $$$ they want for that? I aint poor, but I would feel to guilty purchasing the iPOP because the features dont justify the PRICE!

Their are ALOT better options out their



Edited for content - please do not use w0rd ma5king to outwit auto censor

[aquatika]

A nice, coherent and grammatically correct post. That's what we like to see, keep it up !!

:D

[jedk]

Riiiiiiight.

[/Dr Evil voice]

:p

[zerock]

im getting one, boohooo

[MyPodRox]

You shouldnt M4$k words.

[Drew Stevens]

Yes, it's expensive... but if you have the means, I suggest you try one.

[stevesurf]

It will depend on the screen's capability. If the screen is a good transflective one, like the Sony screen made for HP iPaq's, then this will be a good start. A better use of the screen would be to get rid of the click wheel (on this product only) and use the entire color screen for control wheel, buttons and song display...I guess I can only wish :)

[bigmouse64]

If you want one get one, but most peoples opinions are similar on here, go with the 4G.

[dan500]

I would if it played movies as well!!!!!!!!!!!

[XDRIVE]

Ya if it played movies (outputted movies) that would be great! Well worth the money if it has that feature. I dont think its necessary to have movies on the screen, honestly, who's going to watch a movie on a 2inch screen? But if I could output movies to a TV then that would be great and well worth the $$.

[Capello]

rich people

[jwc110869]

If I didn't already have an iPod, this is the one I would get. Remember the 3G 40gig (mine) was only $100 less, and look what it didn't have compared to the iPod Photo.

[zerock]

hmm well not necesarily rich people, but ppl that work, could get this if they saved money like me.

[sto0pybo1]

well 600 is a lot...

people should look at alternatives first before looking at this ipod photo

to me... the color screen should cost 200$ more

[MikeM]

For only $400 more, get a 12" screen, full video capability, and much, much more.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/72203/wo/p9280svJC5T224qzFq020aN1url/0.0.9.1.0.6.21.1.1.1.0.0.0.1.0

:D

[perfmode]

Originally posted by MikeM
For only $400 more, get a 12" screen, full video capability, and much, much more.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/72203/wo/p9280svJC5T224qzFq020aN1url/0.0.9.1.0.6.21.1.1.1.0.0.0.1.0

:D

Can't keep it in your pocket though.


Who will buy a 60gb iPoP? Me.

[Diane]

Originally posted by jwc110869
If I didn't already have an iPod, this is the one I would get. Remember the 3G 40gig (mine) was only $100 less, and look what it didn't have compared to the iPod Photo.

I agree. My SO replaced my 1G with the 3G 40gb last year and it was $500. I'd do the 40gb photo in a heartbeat if I didn't have this one. That said, I'm waiting at least a year for video and/or data input. Just a gut feeling, I can see them going this way, and of course prices always go down.

I'm almost betting by next July there will be only one, if any, non-color units available.

:)

[rooostishaw]

Chances are that if you have a good enough job to affod one of these puppies, YOU'LL NEVER USE IT!

[chris@allmotor]

I bought one.

[perfmode]

Originally posted by rooostishaw
Chances are that if you have a good enough job to affod one of these puppies, YOU'LL NEVER USE IT!

Not true. Big heads in the music industry have iPods and use them ALL the time.

[hankster]

if it had a way to take the photos off my camera when i'm "on the road" i'd think about it...

hank[ster]

[threeball]

Archos Gmini 400

[zerock]

i hate the wait, for it to ship, it makes me think by all the reads that maybe it wasnt the right thing to do, to jump on a get one so fast, but im sure as soon as i get one in my hands i will change my mind.

[blwn02gs]

Now that I have thought about it, I'm going to get the 60 Gig iPod Photo.

Already have $400 invested with the 4G 40 Gig which is getting returned, since its only 10 days old. So whats $200 more?

And yes, $200 is alot of money to me, but I'm going to keep it for a long time, and buy the extended warranty from Apple. :cool:

Just hope it fits in my Marware SportsSuit Convertible. :confused:

[stuckinthe80s13]

Originally posted by threeball
Archos Gmini 400
Totally dude. Ipod Photo doesnt even play movies and it's 500 600 $$...this plays movies and pictures AND music for only about $326.00 - $458.00...i'd go with the Archos if i were in the market for that sort of thing.

[zerock]

still this is a 60 gig hard drive. and it has a better battery

[chris@allmotor]

Originally posted by threeball
Archos Gmini 400

Pros:
Plays movies and games

cons:
Capacity: 20GB 1.8" Hard Disk - Store up to 300 hours of music, 200,000 photos or 80 hours of MPEG-4 videos*.

Interfaces: USB 2.0 high-speed, compatible USB 1.1, PC & Mac . Built-in CompactFlash??? Type I slot to accept CompactFlash??? memory cards or optional 4-in-1 CF adapter.

Up to 10 hours for music or 5 hours for video on built-in LCD.


id take my ipod photo over this thing any day of the week...if I wanted to watch movies on a 2x2 screen that is only capable of 30fps....wait, I wouldent wanna watch movies on something like that. Only 20 gigs? have you seen how long it takes to transfer 20 gigs over USB?? jeezus...and only a 10 hour bat...pfft.

[Optimize]

Sure it's over priced, but if you want 60GB and like the color screen and have the money, why not get it?

my 40GB is just barely over half full, but I can imagine someone who wants a 60 wouldn't want to see if Apple comes out with a 60GB non photo ipod (I doubt it)

[perfmode]

why would anyone choose an archos over an ipod? no mp3 player has the sex appeal and ease of use.

[threeball]

Originally posted by Infin1te
why would anyone choose an archos over an ipod? no mp3 player has the sex appeal and ease of use.

Typical iPod fanboy response. That is opinionated, not a solid fact. Whenever an iPod user gives good reasons for why iPod is good, they just use the intagible aspects of the player instead of the facts. Lets see some facts to back it up? Some people may think the Gmini may be easier to navigate.

[threeball]

Originally posted by chris@allmotor
Pros:
Plays movies and games

cons:
Capacity: 20GB 1.8" Hard Disk - Store up to 300 hours of music, 200,000 photos or 80 hours of MPEG-4 videos*.

Interfaces: USB 2.0 high-speed, compatible USB 1.1, PC & Mac . Built-in CompactFlash??? Type I slot to accept CompactFlash??? memory cards or optional 4-in-1 CF adapter.

Up to 10 hours for music or 5 hours for video on built-in LCD.


id take my ipod photo over this thing any day of the week...if I wanted to watch movies on a 2x2 screen that is only capable of 30fps....wait, I wouldent wanna watch movies on something like that. Only 20 gigs? have you seen how long it takes to transfer 20 gigs over USB?? jeezus...and only a 10 hour bat...pfft.

Here comes another typical iPod fanboy comeback. Whenever some player has something extra(that helps the player's appeal), the iPod fanboy snaps back by saying what the hell is the use for it. Such as with my Karma who needs a custom EQ or gapless, or my Carbon, who needs the extra space or who cares about a voice recorder or 12 hours of extra battery life. If we took this via your comeback, then who would want to view pictures on a small 2x2 inch screen? Why not a computer, PMC, or PDA? Same thing, only ones a still image and the other is a motion image. Not much of a difference. 30 fps isn't as bad as you think. I know 20GB isn't much but its plenty for some. Plus the price is almost half of the photo. If the Gmini doesn't beat the iPod Photo then I don't know what does.

[blwn02gs]

Archos has quality control issues which is a known fact. Thats the reason I stay away from them. Period.

[basesballbob]

Their prices are rediculus! I mean crap if you do have $600 for an mp3 you realy are crazy. My mom gave me all sorts of crap for buying a $300 mp3 player.

[blwn02gs]

I agree $600 is quite steep for a MP3 player, but there are a few factors in there too.

One is, Apple products have never been cheap, at least to my knowledge.

Secondally, there isnt really anything else 'like' the iPod, when saying that I mean the style, ease of use, contruction quality, and popularity. iPod is the most popular MP3 player on the planet for a reason.

Your getting 60 gigs for $600, still expensive I know. So break that down. $10 a gig is not a bad deal considering you can take it with you.

I know that Creative has a 60 gig for about $369 retail. Much as I love Creative products thats one I wouldnt purchase.

And if you were in the mood to blow $600, you could always have this for about $569 on Amazon.com

Archos AV380 80 GB Personal Video & MP3 Jukebox Player / Recorder w/ Digital Video Recorder

But it doesnt come close to the size or battery life of an iPod.


In conclusion, its all a matter of personal taste, need, want, and priority. Everybody is different. So spend your money and hopefully be happy with your new toy.

[Optimize]

Originally posted by basesballbob
Their prices are rediculus! I mean crap if you do have $600 for an mp3 you realy are crazy. My mom gave me all sorts of crap for buying a $300 mp3 player.

I think it wasn't meant to be purchased by people who worry what their mom's think of what they spend. Perhaps an adult who has a job.

As an adult with a good job, I'd still buy the same 40GB ipod I got back in July. I can afford the 60GB photo ipod, but would rather spend that $200 on other toys.

[batboy]

I must just be a "silly Apple fanboy"

But hell, I'm in. I ordered one up yesterday. The color screen is great.

I'll be using the Ipop for album art and showing every one the trillion pictures of my new baby boy!!!!

Call me Apple bit**. I'm OK with it....

[jessica.]

Lets look at this realistically.
I jumped on the ipod photo wagon the second I read about it. I tried to tell myself that I didn't want one since I just landed my first ipod in August (a 4g 40gb). I tried to tell myself it didn't matter, the pretty screen and all. Then instead of posting ######ed angry messages on these boards, I read up on it.

On average I carry the following:
Nikon d70
Nikon f4
Four lenses
eFilm Picture Pad 60gb by Delkin
Two CF cards
Ipod
Cell phone

I had a Dell Axim attached to that, but I sold it, my phone did what I needed it to do and I wasn't using the Axim as it should be used.

When the ipod photo came out I thought I could consolidate the efilm and the ipod. By the way, $600 meant nothing to me since my efilm was $500 and my ipod was $400. Seems like a nice ### discount if you ask me, and my efilm is a year old.

Then as I was lining up a buyer for both items, I saw a photo of the ipod photo here. No media slot? That stunned me. I guess I thought this hooplah over the Ipod photo was that it would now be a contender against the efilm and the Nikon Coolwalker. For me, I have no desire to store photos on a portable hard drive so I can "show" them off. Photography being a hobby of mine, this unit made no sense to me. I want something that I can use out in the field when my CF cards are full and I have days of photo ops to contend with.
So to answer the original poster's question. In a heart beat I would buy the ipod photo. But I am not about to lay down $600 for that and $100 for the Belkin iPod Media Reader, only to be inconvenienced by having to attach the accessory to the ipod each time I wanted to use it.
The argument could be that I wouldn't need to do that so often, but I have to unload my CF cards a lot when I am at events. That combo isn't the best for me.
The ipod photo is not for me, but it may be for others. A color screen to see music lists doesn't tickle my fancy.

[chris@allmotor]

Originally posted by threeball
Here comes another typical iPod fanboy comeback. Whenever some player has something extra(that helps the player's appeal), the iPod fanboy snaps back by saying what the hell is the use for it. Such as with my Karma who needs a custom EQ or gapless, or my Carbon, who needs the extra space or who cares about a voice recorder or 12 hours of extra battery life. If we took this via your comeback, then who would want to view pictures on a small 2x2 inch screen? Why not a computer, PMC, or PDA? Same thing, only ones a still image and the other is a motion image. Not much of a difference. 30 fps isn't as bad as you think. I know 20GB isn't much but its plenty for some. Plus the price is almost half of the photo. If the Gmini doesn't beat the iPod Photo then I don't know what does.

You provide a really weak argument, ill spare the whole thing, and just plain tell you, you are wrong.

[Bob]

Originally posted by threeball
<snip> Here comes another typical iPod fanboy comeback........... If the Gmini doesn't beat the iPod Photo then I don't know what does.

threeball,
I sent you a PM on 09-11-2004 @ 01:04 AM about the content of your posts. You have not read that PM. Before you post any further messages in threads I suggest you read that PM.
These are iPod forums. You do not own an iPod. If you are here to bait iPod users then think again.....

...then again, that maybe why you are here - Rio Forums (http://forums-riovolution.com/index.php?showtopic=9080)

[chris@allmotor]

Originally posted by MadPict
threeball,
I sent you a PM on 09-11-2004 @ 01:04 AM about the content of your posts. You have not read that PM. Before you post any further messages in threads I suggest you read that PM.
These are iPod forums. You do not own an iPod. If you are here to bait iPod users then think again.....

...then again, that maybe why you are here - Rio Forums (http://forums-riovolution.com/index.php?showtopic=9080)

haha, damn....

[perfmode]

Originally posted by threeball
Is it just me or does this guy seem to troll the boards? First off he tries to start a flame war because he tells everyone he got an iPod. Then he replies in each thread saying something negative about Rio and their players. I mean, just beacuse he has an iPod doesn't mean he is better than us. He is acting like this kid I know, whose parents gave him a brand-####ing-new Lexus for his birthday and he always makes remarks about me and my 1995 Turbo-Eclipse like he is better than me because his parents spoil him and he has a $40,000 car and I have a $3,000 car. That is how MidwestGuy is acting. None of us go over to iPodlounge and troll their boards.


You are a loser.

ps. Carbons are so ugly that they can make Vaja cases look bad. http://www1.vajacases.com//images/mp3/Rio/carbon/rio_carbon.html

[XDRIVE]

OH GOD SOMEONE HELP ME!

I DONT WANT THIS IPOD PHOTO

I DONT NEED THE PHOTO FEATURES

BUT I KNOW I AM GOING TO BUY IT

I NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP!

[blwn02gs]

You go man!

BUY IT !

I am. :cool:

[astralina]

Here's how I feel about the iPod photo, although I don't have the money for one and am holding out for a gen with video capability.

A little math:

NON-PHOTO iPods:
20GB @ $300 = $15/GB
40GB @ $400 = $10/GB

Photo iPod:
60GB @ $600 = $10/GB

As we all know, there is no 60GB non-photo iPod. So basically you're getting the same price per gig as the 40GB non-Photo. Look at it as free feature extras - same price for the space, PLUS photo capability and a color screen. As I said, I personally don't have the money for this, but when the time comes that I will need to buy an external hard drive or something like that to store all my video gigs, it makes more sense to just have a bigger pod. I am not disputing the fact that $600 is a lot of money no matter how you cut it, and I also acknowledge that the bigger the hard drive, there should be a difference in price per gig, but when you break it down, it's really not so ridiculous. IMHO.

[Dclax07]

I want one but when i really think about it, its not worth it

1. It plays music. You dont need a color screen for it. Sure, looks nice but not necessary

2. the photo feature will get old.......FAST. Its cool showing people random pictures on your ipod, but trust me, it'll get old and you'll only use it for an mp3 player

The only reason people should get this is for the space.

if your buying it because it has a color screen or picture viewing ability,

$300 4th gen 20 gig ipod
$200 palm tungsten E

alot more bang for your buck

[Shutterbug]

Originally posted by rooostishaw
Chances are that if you have a good enough job to affod one of these puppies, YOU'LL NEVER USE IT!

Not necessarily...they make that "good job" much more tolerable. Typically, jobs that give you the ability to get toys like expensive iPods can be more stressful so having one helps lower the stress level.

[Maroon_tiger]

lol @ people saying thats there is no use for 60gb....... those who need 60/+ gb(s) love music.. just b/c you cant understand our passion for music, doesnt mean that it is ridiculous to buy this...

i love the color screen, i got probably 700 albums and im uploading the album art to it... so i can view it while listening... the resolution is great...

i love the ipod photo, cool enough to catch the eye, yet expensive enough to be the only one on campus with it... :)

[baggss]

Originally posted by Dclax07
The only reason people should get this is for the space.


I agree completely. I will be able to get roughly 1/3 of my collection on this vice the roughly 1/18th I can get on my 10Gig....

As far as I am concerned, this is definitely worth the money.....

[Bob]

baggss,
So soon we will read:

1st Gen 10Gb iPod in an iSee Case (Upgraded Battery, 17+hours)
2nd Gen 10Gb iPod in a Groove Jacket
iPod Photo 60Gb

?????:D

[perfmode]

Originally posted by astralina
Here's how I feel about the iPod photo, although I don't have the money for one and am holding out for a gen with video capability.

A little math:

NON-PHOTO iPods:
20GB @ $300 = $15/GB
40GB @ $400 = $10/GB

Photo iPod:
60GB @ $600 = $10/GB

As we all know, there is no 60GB non-photo iPod. So basically you're getting the same price per gig as the 40GB non-Photo. Look at it as free feature extras - same price for the space, PLUS photo capability and a color screen. As I said, I personally don't have the money for this, but when the time comes that I will need to buy an external hard drive or something like that to store all my video gigs, it makes more sense to just have a bigger pod. I am not disputing the fact that $600 is a lot of money no matter how you cut it, and I also acknowledge that the bigger the hard drive, there should be a difference in price per gig, but when you break it down, it's really not so ridiculous. IMHO.

mini = $62.50/GB

[Maroon_tiger]

Originally posted by rooostishaw
Chances are that if you have a good enough job to affod one of these puppies, YOU'LL NEVER USE IT!

lol @ this.... weeks b4 the 60gb ipod photo came out, i had already maxed out my 40gb 4th gen ipod...and my entire library was in 128aac. so i needed the ipod photo, for the capacity, the color screen and other neat features were icing on the cake...

i dont think im gonna need an 80gb ipod... i think the 60gb should hold me for a while

[iamaustin]

I spent 614.52 for a 60 gig iPod photo. I like my purchase, and its a good replacement for my 3g 15 gig iPod which i bought the day the third gen was released.

[blwn02gs]

Okay. Who needs to carry around 40 GIGABYTES of MUSIC with them everywhere that they go?

At a sample rate of 128kbps, thats roughly 10,000 songs. Reality check. Who needs access to 10,000 songs at any given time?

I say, give me a break. I have a 4G 40 Gig, yes its great, its 25% full. With about 2,500 songs, and about 2,100 I never listen to! Can we say overkill?

Only benefit I can see to having this extra storage is making a good portable/back-up hard drive.

Anyone who has the excessive need to carry over 10,000 songs with them just needs help. Serious help. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Dont get me wrong, I do indeed love my iPod, and not bashing. Just my .02 worth with a grain of common sense.

[Enigma]

maybe it's not just for carrying around, maybe it's for home listening, hooked up to a stereo so you dont have to go looking through your hundreds of cds trying to find one.

[iPulse]

Should we wait for something better?

[RainingBlood]

I bought the only 60GB they had at the local Best Buy yesterday - I was shocked they even had one. It's very sweet and worth every penny IMO.

Love it.
dink
:)~

[perfmode]

Originally posted by blwn02gs
Okay. Who needs to carry around 40 GIGABYTES of MUSIC with them everywhere that they go?

At a sample rate of 128kbps, thats roughly 10,000 songs. Reality check. Who needs access to 10,000 songs at any given time?

I say, give me a break. I have a 4G 40 Gig, yes its great, its 25% full. With about 2,500 songs, and about 2,100 I never listen to! Can we say overkill?

Only benefit I can see to having this extra storage is making a good portable/back-up hard drive.

Anyone who has the excessive need to carry over 10,000 songs with them just needs help. Serious help. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Dont get me wrong, I do indeed love my iPod, and not bashing. Just my .02 worth with a grain of common sense.

My dad has two 4g 40gb iPods and both are full. He uses them instead of bringing CD's back and forth from the boat to our house. Salt manages to get on everything to comes in contact with the boat and he doesn't want to get salt on the cd's which would completely screw up our sound system at home. Instead of burning copies of CD's for the boat, he just brings the ipods around. This way, he always has everything and doesn't have to worry about replacing our cd players at home.
There will always be a market for stuff like this.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by perfmode
My dad has two 4g 40gb iPods and both are full. He uses them instead of bringing CD's back and forth from the boat to our house. Salt manages to get on everything to comes in contact with the boat and he doesn't want to get salt on the cd's which would completely screw up our sound system at home. Instead of burning copies of CD's for the boat, he just brings the ipods around. This way, he always has everything and doesn't have to worry about replacing our cd players at home.
There will always be a market for stuff like this.

Yes, I agree. There are many practical uses for a 40-60GB iPod. Next fall (or whenever the 5Gs are released) I'll be upgrading to a 60GB iPod. I have lots of music (by then I will be at about 80GBs or so) so when not get a high capacity one to fit the majority of your music? I don't put filler on my iPod, they are pretty much all quality tracks.. It's much easier to carry around a 60GB iPod than 800 CDs...

Originally posted by blwn02gs
Okay. Who needs to carry around 40 GIGABYTES of MUSIC with them everywhere that they go?

At a sample rate of 128kbps, thats roughly 10,000 songs. Reality check. Who needs access to 10,000 songs at any given time?

I say, give me a break. I have a 4G 40 Gig, yes its great, its 25% full. With about 2,500 songs, and about 2,100 I never listen to! Can we say overkill?

If you find no one should have to carry around 40GBs of music around with them, then why do you have a 40GB? :confused: If you only have 10Gbs of music why not just get a 20GB? Sounds a bit hypocritical to me...

-Dan

[perfmode]

Yea. My dad said he's waiting for a 100gb iPod before he upgrades. I told him not to hold his breath.

[blwn02gs]

Yes, yes. I knew I would get some heat over my comments.

Of course I gave in and bought the 40 Gig, for fear I might run out of space since a good part of my music is sampled at 256kb and up.

I'm not making fun of anyone who has one or more 4G 40 Gig iPods full of music. Unless you serioulsy have music playing 24 hours a day,7 days a week, and yes while you sleep.

Again, I'll emphasize I love my iPod. Since I dont have 10,000 songs on it or the need. It becomes a nice portable/back-up hard-drive.

I'm not in the mood to do the math on how many days 20,000 songs will last. But the average song lasts 3:30, that would be roughly 436 songs you would listen to in a 24 hour period!

[swy32x]

Originally posted by blwn02gs
Yes, yes. I knew I would get some heat over my comments.

Of course I gave in and bought the 40 Gig, for fear I might run out of space since a good part of my music is sampled at 256kb and up.

I'm not making fun of anyone who has one or more 4G 40 Gig iPods full of music. Unless you serioulsy have music playing 24 hours a day,7 days a week, and yes while you sleep.

Again, I'll emphasize I love my iPod. Since I dont have 10,000 songs on it or the need. It becomes a nice portable/back-up hard-drive.

I'm not in the mood to do the math on how many days 20,000 songs will last. But the average song lasts 3:30, that would be roughly 436 songs you would listen to in a 24 hour period!
So ... you are criticising people for having a 40GB iPod, saying that there is no reason for it because at 128kpbs AAC that equates to 10,00 songs ... but your justification for having a 40GB is that you sample at 256kb ... did it ever occur to you that other people may encode at bit rates like yours? Or in lossless?

[perfmode]

I encode in 320+. I can't use anything less.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Snowy28
So ... you are criticising people for having a 40GB iPod, saying that there is no reason for it because at 128kpbs AAC that equates to 10,00 songs ... but your justification for having a 40GB is that you sample at 256kb ... did it ever occur to you that other people may encode at bit rates like yours? Or in lossless?

Good point. Many encode at very high bit rates. One reason I would want a 60GB next year would be so I could listen to my bootlegs in WAV (unless they give FLAC support). Also the 60GB would give me the freedom to have my entire collection in 256kbps+, which would be great with an amp and Shure headphones..

-Dan

[[zerophase]]

I don't mind that it doesn't play movies.. but it is too expincive i'll agree.

[wei]

my collection run from 224-320kbps. And always use them on my hifi & ICE.
and you can always use the extra HD space for other stuff... i keep a library of video in it too~ there goes my 40GB.

-wei

[perfmode]

Originally posted by wei
my collection run from 224-320kbps. And always use them on my hifi & ICE.
and you can always use the extra HD space for other stuff... i keep a library of video in it too~ there goes my 40GB.

-wei

pr0n...

[iPhoto]

When you compare UK / US prices, why would you go with a 4G 20GB when an iPP 40GB is the same price...... (if purchased in the US)

[perfmode]

quality and support (accessories etc)?

[iPhoto]

Can get all accessories (except iTrip) here, and support can be obtained too.

[perfmode]

Originally posted by iPhoto
Can get all accessories (except iTrip) here, and support can be obtained too.

iPP = photo


oOo

I thought iPP stood for iRiverPortable or something like that. I didn't make any connection betweem ipod photo and ipp. nevermind.

[iPhoto]

Sorry, had seen iPP as referring to iPod Photo in various other places on iPodlounge.

Tis correct.

[perfmode]

the color screen = $60 more


40gb 4g = $400
40gb p = $500 - $40 (case) = $460

MikeM, but can you carry it in your pocket?


The same can be said for smartphones. Some people will spend $800 on a phone (p910) instead of buying a laptop for only a few hundred more.
A laptop is not a smartphone.
A laptop is not an mp3 player.

This is all a matter of expendable income.

[ice]

sean combes would.

i would rather purchase the more affordable h320 for $275 bucks and it plays video. top that apple.

[PHiX]

A couple of months ago I bought my 4G 20Gb iPod, so I was pretty ####ed off when I found out about this iPod Photo being announced. A couple of weeks later I saw the prices of these 2 new iPods and it made me feel a lot better haha. I wouldn't ever pay this much for an iPod just because of a colour screen. Sure, 60Gb is nice for the people who need this, but I think that most people who need a 60Gb hard disc and have the money to spare, should buy their music for a change instead of downloading everything they run into. Not generalizing everyone who bought an iPod Photo with 60Gb, because I'm sure there are people who actually do buy their music and need one, but the people who this comment is directed at know who they are.

[perfmode]

Originally posted by PHiX
A couple of months ago I bought my 4G 20Gb iPod, so I was pretty ####ed off when I found out about this iPod Photo being announced. A couple of weeks later I saw the prices of these 2 new iPods and it made me feel a lot better haha. I wouldn't ever pay this much for an iPod just because of a colour screen. Sure, 60Gb is nice for the people who need this, but I think that most people who need a 60Gb hard disc and have the money to spare, should buy their music for a change instead of downloading everything they run into. Not generalizing everyone who bought an iPod Photo with 60Gb, because I'm sure there are people who actually do buy their music and need one, but the people who this comment is directed at know who they are.

Hey, don't gimme that look!:mad:

[iamaustin]

Originally posted by PHiX
A couple of months ago I bought my 4G 20Gb iPod, so I was pretty ####ed off when I found out about this iPod Photo being announced. A couple of weeks later I saw the prices of these 2 new iPods and it made me feel a lot better haha. I wouldn't ever pay this much for an iPod just because of a colour screen. Sure, 60Gb is nice for the people who need this, but I think that most people who need a 60Gb hard disc and have the money to spare, should buy their music for a change instead of downloading everything they run into. Not generalizing everyone who bought an iPod Photo with 60Gb, because I'm sure there are people who actually do buy their music and need one, but the people who this comment is directed at know who they are.

That is cute. Did you buy all of your music?

[soman]

I bought the 599 iPod Photo 60 because it has the lowest price per GB. And I am typing to the rythim of Mano Negra - Mme Oscar : )....and I guess I am pirate in some eyes as all my music are CD Rips from my collection.....

Sure the 40 GB is at the same price point of per GB but it has a lower battery life and no color screen and ofcourse hmmmm thats about it out of importance.

[PHiX]

Originally posted by iamaustin
That is cute. Did you buy all of your music?



Out of all 108 albums on my iPod I bought about 90%, of which 5% will be soon deleted and the other 5% will be bought.... so pretty much yes.

[yyoo]

Originally posted by PHiX
Out of all 108 albums on my iPod I bought about 90%, of which 5% will be soon deleted and the other 5% will be bought.... so pretty much yes.

Good for you, but there are many serious music lovers who own hundreds of legally purchased CDs and who would like to carry around their entire collection. It's not a matter of listening to all of our tracks over a number of weeks, but of being able to access that special song or album that we might want to listen to at any given time.

I've got over 900 CDs (and there are many music lovers with larger collections), about 600 of which I've converted to AACs and MP3s. Those tracks along with 1443 songs purchased from iTMS and about a thousand tracks from allofmp3.com bring my iTunes library to just over 60 gigs. I have maybe 10 "bootleg" tracks...and I have them only because those tracks are not available for purchase (think out-of-print albums from foreign countries).

[soman]

Why does the legality topic come in the fore light about a 60 GB player but not for a 40 GB player? Alot of people have alot of music or music that is encoded with higher detail.

[perfmode]

Originally posted by yyoo
Good for you, but there are many serious music lovers who own hundreds of legally purchased CDs and who would like to carry around their entire collection. It's not a matter of listening to all of our tracks over a number of weeks, but of being able to access that special song or album that we might want to listen to at any given time.

I've got over 900 CDs (and there are many music lovers with larger collections), about 600 of which I've converted to AACs and MP3s. Those tracks along with 1443 songs purchased from iTMS and about a thousand tracks from allofmp3.com bring my iTunes library to just over 60 gigs. I have maybe 10 "bootleg" tracks...and I have them only because those tracks are not available for purchase (think out-of-print albums from foreign countries).

Why would you spend $1000 on music that you'll have to replace when/if:


your hard drive crashes
AAC sinks

It's stupid to invest in digital media without a physical, secure backup.

Making up an entire library of downloaded, secure AAC is not smart.


Also, what's the big deal with piracy here? I download music and I know tons of people who also download music. Believe it or not, mp3 players wouldn't be this popular without p2p and BT.

[PHiX]

Originally posted by yyoo
Good for you, but there are many serious music lovers who own hundreds of legally purchased CDs and who would like to carry around their entire collection. It's not a matter of listening to all of our tracks over a number of weeks, but of being able to access that special song or album that we might want to listen to at any given time.

I've got over 900 CDs (and there are many music lovers with larger collections), about 600 of which I've converted to AACs and MP3s. Those tracks along with 1443 songs purchased from iTMS and about a thousand tracks from allofmp3.com bring my iTunes library to just over 60 gigs. I have maybe 10 "bootleg" tracks...and I have them only because those tracks are not available for purchase (think out-of-print albums from foreign countries).


Like I explained in my previous post, I didn't direct those comments towards people like you. Knowing how a lot of people think, I can't imagine that most people who need a player of this capacity for their legally owned music. I'm sure many of the older folks who bought one of these own most of their huge record collection, since they bought it before anything like file sharing got big, but that's just a part of the target iPod users.

[PHiX]

Originally posted by perfmode
Why would you spend $1000 on music that you'll have to replace when/if:


your hard drive crashes
AAC sinks

It's stupid to invest in digital media without a physical, secure backup.

Making up an entire library of downloaded, secure AAC is not smart.


Also, what's the big deal with piracy here? I download music and I know tons of people who also download music. Believe it or not, mp3 players wouldn't be this popular without p2p and BT.


I wouldn't buy music online either, I need the physical cd with booklet and cover. Buying mp3's is like buying air to me.


The big deal with piracy isn't any less because of the amount of people doing it, as a matter of fact, that only makes the problem worse. I don't mind file sharing as a whole, but I do think artists deserve the money when making an incredible album. Piracy can kill many artists, because of which your favorite artists will end up cleaning toilets at the local mcDonald's instead of making the music you'd have wanted to hear.

When file sharing is stopped all together all the power goes to the major record companies, since you'll only get to hear the music they want you to hear. The music industry will be less transparant and you'll only be confronted with disposable fast-food music which is easy to make and easy to cash in with. When piracy happens at massive scale it'll give the record companies more evidence in statistics to prove to politicians that file sharing needs to get banned, and then those same politicians will add laws that make this possible.


Of course Apple doesn't care about music piracy, they only care about their iPod sales. I'm sure iTunes initially wasn't expected to get as big it got today, but it was just installed as a front so they couldn't be sued for stimulating music piracy. I personally just hate to see queers like yourself running around with massive music libraries without supporting the artists, which eventually lead to more power for the music industry to be able to sell any garbage they decide to sell to us and killing off any independent artists who try to make a living with their music.


Anyway this was my rant and I'm not going to comment about any more, since I don't want to ruin this topic completely for the legit iPod Photo owners with off topic talk.

[perfmode]

I buy lots of cd's but I only buy one's that i really like, from artists that i want to hear more from.
i bought about 10 cds in the last month but I download the rest of it without a shred of guilt. I just don't feel good about paying for music before I hear it.
I don't want to support (w/ $) an artist/band only to find out that the cd is garbage and a waste of money.

[l3vi]

My dad...
lol

[PHiX]

Originally posted by perfmode
I buy lots of cd's but I only buy one's that i really like, from artists that i want to hear more from.
i bought about 10 cds in the last month but I download the rest of it without a shred of guilt. I just don't feel good about paying for music before I hear it.
I don't want to support (w/ $) an artist/band only to find out that the cd is garbage and a waste of money.


Then put it like that, you made it look like you only download. I don't pay for ####ty cd's either, I check them out first.

[RJT0326]

i guess im dumb because i spent 600 on a 60 gb.. and im only 16 and dont even use pictures besides a couple pics of my gf

[yyoo]

Originally posted by perfmode
Why would you spend $1000 on music that you'll have to replace when/if:


your hard drive crashes
AAC sinks

It's stupid to invest in digital media without a physical, secure backup.


Huh?

You've never heard of backups? I have two backups of my entire iTunes library. The DRM that Apple uses allows multiple backups.

And if AAC sinks, the AAC files are not suddenly going to stop working. There will always be software that will be able to play them.

P.S. Did you know that CDs have a limited shelf life? They deteriorate over time. In 15 or 20 years, many of your CDs will have seriously degraded, if not become downright unusable. It's inevitable.

[sevaga340]

i think the ipod photo owners will regret , when they will see the new ipod that plays videos, cuz its time apple does create one, every brand already has it e.g iriver,sony,olympus,rca.......

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by sevaga340
i think the ipod photo owners will regret , when they will see the new ipod that plays videos, cuz its time apple does create one, every brand already has it e.g iriver,sony,olympus,rca.......

That won't be for a while. Watch Jobs' Keynote presentation on the iPod photo...

-Dan

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by yyoo
Huh?

You've never heard of backups? I have two backups of my entire iTunes library. The DRM that Apple uses allows multiple backups.

CDs allow backups into many different codecs, and into better any bit rate you choose, meaning they are much more flexible than 128kbps AAC's.

And if AAC sinks, the AAC files are not suddenly going to stop working. There will always be software that will be able to play them.

Perhaps in a computer program, but not likely in a DAP...

P.S. Did you know that CDs have a limited shelf life? They deteriorate over time. In 15 or 20 years, many of your CDs will have seriously degraded, if not become downright unusable. It's inevitable.

Almost everyone has a CD Burner today. A copy of the CD could easily be made to preserve it for an additional life time, which would again allow for great flexibility..

-Dan

[soman]

I bought the iPod photo for 599, whats your point? Alot of people did.

[[zerophase]]

Originally posted by XDRIVE
who is going to spend this money on a MP3 player that allows you to view photo's on its little crappy screen

I would.

[yyoo]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Originally posted by yyoo
Huh?

You've never heard of backups? I have two backups of my entire iTunes library. The DRM that Apple uses allows multiple backups.

CDs allow backups into many different codecs, and into better any bit rate you choose, meaning they are much more flexible than 128kbps AAC's.

How many different types of codecs do you need? One is enough for most people. The only real advantage with the CD is that you can have your tunes at a higher bitrate. But most people are perfectly happy with 128 Kbps AAC.

P.S. Did you know that CDs have a limited shelf life? They deteriorate over time. In 15 or 20 years, many of your CDs will have seriously degraded, if not become downright unusable. It's inevitable.

Almost everyone has a CD Burner today. A copy of the CD could easily be made to preserve it for an additional life time, which would again allow for great flexibility..[/B]

Huh? You can always back up your AACs to CD as well, or to any other medium you like.

By the way if the iPod goes belly-up, I'm sure someone will have hacked the Apple DRM by then or Apple itself would open up the DRM. At any rate, it's much more likely that iPod's competitors will go belly-up before the iPod does.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by yyoo
How many different types of codecs do you need? One is enough for most people. The only real advantage with the CD is that you can have your tunes at a higher bitrate. But most people are perfectly happy with 128 Kbps AAC.

The iPod and AAC of course will not always be around. I would rather have an actual hard copy where I could encode to a better bit rate than 128 AAC, which would be picked apart by many hadphones including my Shure E3c's... You could rip to any codec that is available at the time, and play it in your DAP.. If I ever wanted to go to Rio or iRiver I could easily just encode to Mp3. If I were to buy $500 worth of online music in AAC, I'd be tied down to the iPod... Many find that Mp3 VBR at --Alt Preset Standard is the best lossy format around and so I'd prefer to keep my music in that..

Huh? You can always back up your AACs to CD as well, or to any other medium you like.

I'm not saying that you can't with, but since myself and many others find CDs are more flexible than Digital Audio files I would like to preserve them..


By the way if the iPod goes belly-up, I'm sure someone will have hacked the Apple DRM by then or Apple itself would open up the DRM. At any rate, it's much more likely that iPod's competitors will go belly-up before the iPod does.

That is extremely subjective and is just your guess.. Even if AAC was hacked, if you put it into another lossy codec there would be a quality loss... I honestly cannot find a positive with buying digital audio.. CDs have infinite backups, which would allow for future codecs to be used, you get an actual physical copy with album inserts, etc.. They are just much more flexible and allow for a safe investment for the future..

-Dan

[yyoo]

The iPod and AAC of course will not always be around. I would rather have an actual hard copy where I could encode to a better bit rate than 128 AAC, which would be picked apart by many hadphones including my Shure E3c's... You could rip to any codec that is available at the time, and play it in your DAP.. If I ever wanted to go to Rio or iRiver I could easily just encode to Mp3. If I were to buy $500 worth of online music in AAC, I'd be tied down to the iPod... Many find that Mp3 VBR at --Alt Preset Standard is the best lossy format around and so I'd prefer to keep my music in that.

I rip my CDs to 224 Kbps AAC. Most folks agree that bitrate for bitrate, AAC is better than MP3. As for being tied down to the iPod, I don't mind that at all. Just like all the Mac software I buy ties me down to the Mac, it's a choice I've made after weighing the real benefits for the forseeable future against the uncertainties of a distant tomorrow. Eventually, something will come along to supplant AAC, MP3, Ogg-Vorbis, CDs, SACDs, et al., and everyone's music collections will be "obsolete." So be it. I'm not going to let that deter me from buying music today and enjoying it for, I'm sure, more than a few years to come.

I honestly cannot find a positive with buying digital audio

There are two big benefits. Cost and convenience. For my favorite artists, I buy CDs, because I want all of their songs and I want to rip at a high bitrate. But for other artists for whom I just want selected tracks, I found it much cheaper and convenient to grab individual songs at 99 cents apiece off of iTMS. Moreover, I must have expended hundreds of gallons of gas and hundreds of hours in the past looking for and buying CDs. The real cost of a CD is much much higher than the simple price on the sticker.

In summary, in the long run, you're going to SAVE both money and time by buying online, EVEN IF your entire digital audio collection becomes obsolete and you have to buy everything over again.

[Doug Gilmour]

I rip my CDs to 224 Kbps AAC. Most folks agree that bitrate for bitrate, AAC is better than MP3. As for being tied down to the iPod, I don't mind that at all. Just like all the Mac software I buy ties me down to the Mac, it's a choice I've made after weighing the real benefits for the forseeable future against the uncertainties of a distant tomorrow. Eventually, something will come along to supplant AAC, MP3, Ogg-Vorbis, CDs, SACDs, et al., and everyone's music collections will be "obsolete." So be it. I'm not going to let that deter me from buying music today and enjoying it for, I'm sure, more than a few years to come.

You cannot put AAC in --Alt Preset Standard nor VBR. This is a transparent codec, which is much better than AAC in CBR... It is your choice to buy them as you know you run the risk of it being incompatible in the future, that is your choice and I respect it... I just wouldn't do it myself..

There are two big benefits. Cost and convenience. For my favorite artists, I buy CDs, because I want all of their songs and I want to rip at a high bitrate. But for other artists for whom I just want selected tracks, I found it much cheaper and convenient to grab individual songs at 99 cents apiece off of iTMS. Moreover, I must have expended hundreds of gallons of gas and hundreds of hours looking for and buying CDs. The real cost of CDs is much much higher than the simple price on the sticker.

One thing that divides out argument would be the fact that I am Canadian and so I suppose I have a legal option to download for free if I ever was compelled to obtain a single track. Otherwise I either download albums for free or order them from Columbia House, which costs me on average around $4-5 an album, complete with inserts and art..

-Dan

[Codybarnett]

I am only 15 and have saved over 1 year to finally be able to afford my prize. When the ipod photo came out I knew that is the one I wanted. I am quite proud of my choice! I have spent almost 700$ (with accesories) on my new ipod photo 40 gig... I know it is going to be my best purchase ever!

[rorschach]

i dont understand the ipod photo's appeal at all. judging by all the problems ipod's have i've deemed them disposable devices. investing 600 dollars in fancy photo storage device that also plays mp3s... hmmm seems like a lame gimick to trick people who don't think twice about their disposable income.

just my 2 cents..

[perfmode]

It's the other way around. The photo is a fancy mp3 player (ipod) that has a color screen and plat features.

[Codybarnett]

ok... Ipod 4g 40 Gig is 400$.... Ipod Photo 40gig is only 100$ more! Why Not go a little extra and get the best ipod on the market? Something that everyone else is going to envy?!

[mkong818]

Personally, the only reason I would get a photo is for the capacity, but my 20gb is more than enough for my ~14gb collection. Since new DAPs come out just about every year, I can upgrade to the latest if my library far exceeds my current capacity.

Also, I only look at my iPod for about 5 seconds at a time if I'm changing the song, and that pretty color screen would basically go to waste the rest of the time it spends in my pocket.

And why would you want something that everyone is going to envy? I buy things for me, and not for how much I think the guy next to me is going to like it.

[martinj]

ipod 40 gb is 400, ipod photo 60 is 600, besides getting the same ratio of GB per dollar you also get longer battery life and you also get a nicer screen

[sevaga340]

im going to boxing day if its more than 40% off then im buying it , but i feel bad when the ipod video comes out cuz somehow like the ipod photo doesnt feel complete to me cuz it doesnt plays vidoes

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by sevaga340
im going to boxing day if its more than 40% off then im buying it , but i feel bad when the ipod video comes out cuz somehow like the ipod photo doesnt feel complete to me cuz it doesnt plays vidoes

A brand new iPod for 40% off...? I don't think you'll be able to find that, unless it's stolen...

-Dan

[iMacc]

ME. In about 3 weeks time :D

[WebbyBabe]

I plan on buying the iPod photo, but I'm not sure yet. It's a big investment.

[martinj]

I bought the iPod photo 60

[seiyoun]

I've had mine since the day it was released and haven't regretted at all. The educational discount of course helps. Now it is a large investment but if you love music, it might be worth it to you.

[WebbyBabe]

I made up my mind. I'm buying it Friday. :D

[tidal_break]

I just bought it because I couldn't find any iPod minis and they only ones they had were the iPod photo 40GB and the HP iPod 40GB... was desperate for an ipod for christmas so i bought the 40GB photo, don't regret it at all, the colour screen is great

[jditlevson]

I bought one and justified it several ways. The first is that I can afford it and it is my money. One of the greatest things to me is that I get to choose what I want spend my money on; last I checked we call this freedom. This brings me to the other reasons I bought the 60gb iPod. Deployments are running about a year but usually longer. Being in the Army, I don't have the luxury of just running out and getting a new cd whenever I want or even internet access to download a song. 60gb of music seems like a reasonable amount to listen to over the course of a year. The color/photo feature is icing on the cake so I can take pictures of my family and friends with me.

I love my job! I love my freedom! I also like my 60gb iPod photo to quiet the sound of helicopters and gunfire.

[zerock]

hmm im a huge ipod and apple fan, so getting a photo was a must, besides i needed the 60 gig space. ;)

[tidal_break]

What do you put on your pod, apart from music and photos? I've been putting movie files on 'em

[perfmode]

I just put music on my 60.

jditlevson: you might want to get some earbuds with a good seal like the shure e3's.

[OllyM]

I bought an iPod Photo 40GB the other day from Directfrom (something like that anyway) for ??320 - so only ??20 more than a normal 40GB iPod from the Apple store.

I got it today and I love it :D

[Rudis]

I would buy one just so I could display album art while listening (that is, assuming I had money falling out of places where the sun don't shine).

[STomlinson]

??320? That's very good. What was the delivery? My 40gb photo cost ??330 from apple.co.uk with free delivery and engraving

[OllyM]

That included delivery (it was ??9 for next day because I'm impatient).

[vincentvdl]

You guys are lucky. I want to buy the 60 GB iPod photo here in Belgium and it costs ??? 659 = $ 892 over here. So for most of you guys/girls the iPod is cheap compared to my country.

I think I'm gonna buy it anyway, I have the 4th gen. 40 GB now, and although I still have 10 GB left, my collection is growing rapidly and I want some additional space on the harddisk to put other files on it to transfer them.

[Steve55]

Originally posted by chris@allmotor

id take my ipod photo over this thing any day of the week...if I wanted to watch movies on a 2x2 screen that is only capable of 30fps....wait, I wouldent wanna watch movies on something like that.
Well, you CAN always use the video-out and watch them on a TV, etc. And what exactly is wrong with 30fps playback? Alot of DVD's aren't even 30fps. The gorgeous color screen can also display iD3-embedded album art, and works great for pictures, especially with the CF slot. I see people complaining that CF is an old standard but by using it you have the option of adaptors for whatever you may need. If it was just SD and you had say xD or MS, you'd be screwed - this way you are not.
Originally posted by chris@allmotor
Only 20 gigs? have you seen how long it takes to transfer 20 gigs over USB??
Over USB 2.0 high-speed it took only like 15 minutes or so to almost fill my Archos. USB 1.1 is very slow, but if I'm docking on a 1.1 machine it's usually only for a few files anyway. I would prefer a 40Gig model (both the Gmini 200 and 400) but these players are still new to the market, give it time and they will have them. Yes, firewire is faster but USB 2.0 is backward compatible with 1.1 and almost every system running today has USB. I use Firewire for video and USB for everything else.
Originally posted by chris@allmotor
and only a 10 hour bat...pfft.
Again, battery life works for me. I have it running off AC all day at work, and it's long enough for flights and other things I may need it to do. And the 200 in particular charges very fast (usually a few hours) anyway. That's the trade-off for having the smallest HD-based music (Gmini 200) and video (Gmini 400) units on the market. Not to mention they cost alot less, weigh less, and have much more functionality than an iPod or any other video-capable units.

After having one of those old, clunky, laptop HD-based, 4 AA battery-using first generation Archos Studios for years (they were the first HD-based MP3 player available on the market) I "upgraded" to a 3G 20Gig iPod awhile back. Smaller, lighter, prettier, and alot more money. As soon as I realized that you cannot simply "dock" them as drives though I was immediately turned off. As much as you iPod fanboys (and I have seriously NEVER seen such rampant horse-blinder fanboyism in my life) put down everything else, WHY the hell would you want a device that makes you jump through hoops to use it? I guess I was just spoiled by Archos, because my wife now has the Gmini 200 and I have the 400 and boy am I glad. These things can dock anywhere, and with Windows ME and up you need absolutely no software or drivers. The only thing I could see is if you wanted to purchase most of your music through online providers - the 200 does WMA but not secure like the 400 so you'd have to burn and re-rip. I still buy almost everything on CD and do my own encoding, that way in a few years when codecs have improved I'm not stuck with old formats so it's not a problem for me.

Instead of hating every player that isn't an iPod or may offer more features, cost less, etc. you should WANT some competition for your favorite device. If Apple had some on a big scale, it would encourage them to improve their devices alot faster. Seeing as US-based Echostar (Dish Network's parent company) just bought 26% of Archos - they might be able to improve the distribution and availablilty of Archos products at retail. I know if the smaller, lighter, brushed-aluminum Gmini 200 had been sitting next to iPods for $249 at retail this season it may have sparked more sales. Never mind you can get it online for $215 including shipping...........

Originally posted by perfmode

why would anyone choose an archos over an ipod? no mp3 player has the sex appeal and ease of use.

Sex appeal? Is that the best you can come up with? Personally, I'd rather have the more unique player over the one that everyone else has. Years ago when I first got an Archos, everyone used to say "is that an iPod'? Now that everyone and their mother knows exactly what an iPod looks like, the response I get is an enthusiastic "what the hell is that thing"?! As far as "ease of use" the click-wheeel is over-rated, imo. Unless you're a complete moron you can figure an Archos out in a few minutes. And since the Archos actually does more things (like creating, renaming folders with an on-screen keyboard, etc) logic dictates it would be "easier" to use a unit that does less. As far as "ease of use" concerning docking the unit to a computer and moving music/data around, nothing beats not needing drivers or software - NOTHING. No jumping through hoops, no putting it in data mode, and absolutely no restrictions on what, when, where and how I listen to or use my files.

[chris@allmotor]

seriously, the jealously is becoming too much

[perfmode]

Originally posted by Steve55
Well, you CAN always use the video-out and watch them on a TV, etc. And what exactly is wrong with 30fps playback? Alot of DVD's aren't even 30fps. The gorgeous color screen can also display iD3-embedded album art, and works great for pictures, especially with the CF slot. I see people complaining that CF is an old standard but by using it you have the option of adaptors for whatever you may need. If it was just SD and you had say xD or MS, you'd be screwed - this way you are not.

Over USB 2.0 high-speed it took only like 15 minutes or so to almost fill my Archos. USB 1.1 is very slow, but if I'm docking on a 1.1 machine it's usually only for a few files anyway. I would prefer a 40Gig model (both the Gmini 200 and 400) but these players are still new to the market, give it time and they will have them. Yes, firewire is faster but USB 2.0 is backward compatible with 1.1 and almost every system running today has USB. I use Firewire for video and USB for everything else.

Again, battery life works for me. I have it running off AC all day at work, and it's long enough for flights and other things I may need it to do. And the 200 in particular charges very fast (usually a few hours) anyway. That's the trade-off for having the smallest HD-based music (Gmini 200) and video (Gmini 400) units on the market. Not to mention they cost alot less, weigh less, and have much more functionality than an iPod or any other video-capable units.

After having one of those old, clunky, laptop HD-based, 4 AA battery-using first generation Archos Studios for years (they were the first HD-based MP3 player available on the market) I "upgraded" to a 3G 20Gig iPod awhile back. Smaller, lighter, prettier, and alot more money. As soon as I realized that you cannot simply "dock" them as drives though I was immediately turned off. As much as you iPod fanboys (and I have seriously NEVER seen such rampant horse-blinder fanboyism in my life) put down everything else, WHY the hell would you want a device that makes you jump through hoops to use it? I guess I was just spoiled by Archos, because my wife now has the Gmini 200 and I have the 400 and boy am I glad. These things can dock anywhere, and with Windows ME and up you need absolutely no software or drivers. The only thing I could see is if you wanted to purchase most of your music through online providers - the 200 does WMA but not secure like the 400 so you'd have to burn and re-rip. I still buy almost everything on CD and do my own encoding, that way in a few years when codecs have improved I'm not stuck with old formats so it's not a problem for me.

Instead of hating every player that isn't an iPod or may offer more features, cost less, etc. you should WANT some competition for your favorite device. If Apple had some on a big scale, it would encourage them to improve their devices alot faster. Seeing as US-based Echostar (Dish Network's parent company) just bought 26% of Archos - they might be able to improve the distribution and availablilty of Archos products at retail. I know if the smaller, lighter, brushed-aluminum Gmini 200 had been sitting next to iPods for $249 at retail this season it may have sparked more sales. Never mind you can get it online for $215 including shipping...........



Sex appeal? Is that the best you can come up with? Personally, I'd rather have the more unique player over the one that everyone else has. Years ago when I first got an Archos, everyone used to say "is that an iPod'? Now that everyone and their mother knows exactly what an iPod looks like, the response I get is an enthusiastic "what the hell is that thing"?! As far as "ease of use" the click-wheeel is over-rated, imo. Unless you're a complete moron you can figure an Archos out in a few minutes. And since the Archos actually does more things (like creating, renaming folders with an on-screen keyboard, etc) logic dictates it would be "easier" to use a unit that does less. As far as "ease of use" concerning docking the unit to a computer and moving music/data around, nothing beats not needing drivers or software - NOTHING. No jumping through hoops, no putting it in data mode, and absolutely no restrictions on what, when, where and how I listen to or use my files.

I'm sorry that you didn't pick up the tone in my text.

[Steve55]

Originally posted by chris@allmotor
seriously, the jealously is becoming too much
Yes, I'm sooo Jealous that I no longer use an iPod. I really wish MY MP3 player made it a pain in the ### to transfer files and needed proprietary software to run...............

Originally posted by perfmode
I'm sorry that you didn't pick up the tone in my text.
What tone? What is one exactly supposed to infer from "why would anyone choose an archos over an ipod? no mp3 player has the sex appeal and ease of use." It seems pretty strait forward to me....
You asked why would anyone choose an Archos over the iPod and I gave you several reasons why I have done exactly that. As for the "sex appeal", I've been told time and time again by Apple fanatics that nothing "looks" as good as an iPod or has that GodDamn clickwheel. It's what the fanboys stick to (even if I can admit your average Archos isn't neccesarily cutting-edge looking) because they really don't have much else. I mean, someone complaining about "only" 30fps video? That's thoroughly absurd... ##### about the format, the resolution, whatever - but 30fps is plenty for video - it's not a damn game console..........

The bottom line is - I'm not an Archos brand-whore by any means - I'll use what suits me. I'd consider an iPod again if it could be used easily as an external storage device without needing software / drivers. Don't you want Apple to make the thing easier to use and less restrictive? Competition is the only thing that will force them to do that.

[jhollington]

Originally posted by Steve55
...I'd consider an iPod again if it could be used easily as an external storage device without needing software / drivers...
Well, to be fair, the iPod is used easily as an external storage device. In fact, unlike my previous MP3 player (Nomad Jukebox), it just shows up as an external hard drive on Windows 2000/XP with no additional drivers required.

Now if you're talking about the ability to add music to the iPod, then yes, that requires specific software (you can't just drag-and-drop music files onto the iPod and have them playable), but that describes the majority of HD-based DAPs out there. A number of third-party applications are available, however, that can be quickly and easily run from the iPod to accomplish this on just about any PC.

Is the Archos different from this? If so, that's kind of neat, although I'd be curious as to how well-indexed the music library is if that's the case.

[Steve55]

I didn't know about the HD docking thing - I thought you needed iTunes to do anything with the iPod - that's cool to know. I know lots of MP3 players come with software, I think some are designed so that you have to use the software and some dock like a HD and you can use the software or not. To answer your question - A USB port and Windows ME and up are all that's needed for the current-gen Archos on PC. You can use 98 with a very small driver and Macs work just as easy. You power the unit up and the computer detects it - use Windows Explorer (or whatever you want) and you have access to all data, music and pictures on the unit. Drag and drop all you want, I actually docked my Gmini 400 at an old computer at work today, in a building I usually am not in. I used one of those neat USB2.0 A to miniB retracting 3 FT cables I had in my pocket, docked the unit, opened a browser, logged onto the network and downloaded a speech from a conference right to the drive. It's organized in a folder heirarchy (Music, Photo, Video, Data are root folders) by Artist>Album>01_Song.mp3 just like it is on my computer. However the ARCLibrary takes 20 to 30 seconds or so and compiles a database from iD3 information when asked to (you can have it do this by default after being undocked). This gives you the option of either manually poking through folders (like you had to on past Archos units), or searching the DB file it creates from the tag info via Artist, Song title, Genre, etc. or however you like. It also finds any playlist.m3u files you have (no matter where they are on the unit, artists folders, etc.) a lists them in one place so they are easy to find. I know not being able to search iD3 data was a big turnoff for people used to an iPod, but this last batch of players allows it and does it well it appears. I also got my CF adaptor today, and was able to load pictures taken with my Canon camera on an SD card perfectly. While you can read and/or copy files to the HD - it will not write to the card. The coolest thing though is I think I can load MP3's on the CF and have it read them - I'm gonna play with the writer at work tommorrow. If this is the case, to unload some space I'll buy the biggest CF Type I storage I can find and just keep one of my bigger artists on it alone. It's gonna stick out 3/4 of an inch so it won't neccesarily be super-portable but sitting at a desk or radio it'll be fine.

[Steve55]

Booya! I found out today I CAN in fact play media (mp3, wav, divx video) loaded onto a CF card and inserted into the Gmini 400! It works like a charm. I think what I'll do is keep videos on them, I can store an extra one or two with the unit in the case. The card hangs out quite a bit so it's not something I can always leave in, but when its not being used in my pocket I'll have a way to expand it's storage. Now to check newegg.com for prices on 1/2 Gig CF cards.......

[PrintNameHere]

Sex appeal with a video player? Is that a joke? Oh my god...

[toothpaste]

Originally posted by Shutterbug
Not necessarily...they make that "good job" much more tolerable. Typically, jobs that give you the ability to get toys like expensive iPods can be more stressful so having one helps lower the stress level.

I beg to differ. What if your stressful job becomes more stressful when you boss finds out you are listening to an ipod instead of working? I know "multitasking", but your boss my not agree.

[toothpaste]

Originally posted by yyoo
Huh?

You've never heard of backups? I have two backups of my entire iTunes library. The DRM that Apple uses allows multiple backups.

And if AAC sinks, the AAC files are not suddenly going to stop working. There will always be software that will be able to play them.

P.S. Did you know that CDs have a limited shelf life? They deteriorate over time. In 15 or 20 years, many of your CDs will have seriously degraded, if not become downright unusable. It's inevitable.

Somehow I doubt that we will even have cd's in 15 to 20 years. Online music stores are going to eliminate the traditional brick and mortar music stores.

[toothpaste]

Ok, seriously to answer the first poster. I do have money, probably more than I should and waste it as I please, but would i waste it on the ipod photo? Not right now, but I would if I didn't already own some. I have 2 ipods right now that I use, rotate my music depending on my music mood. But unless apple can offer me a little more functionality there is no reason for the ipod photo. I can't hook up my canon eos digital rebel to it and download my pics can I? NO. Does the ipod have bluetooth for me to sync my contact list, address book and so on with my cell phone,PDA? NO.

The color lcd is nice, the longer battery life is nice too. However, this is not enough to justify another already out dated toy. All you ipod photo owners cherish your ipod, cause you will have to deal with the next wave of stupidity when apple releases the 5g ipod. Which surely will make the ipod photo seem lacking. That's my 2 cents, so flame away.

[yyoo]

Originally posted by toothpaste
The color lcd is nice, the longer battery life is nice too. However, this is not enough to justify another already out dated toy. All you ipod photo owners cherish your ipod, cause you will have to deal with the next wave of stupidity when apple releases the 5g ipod. Which surely will make the ipod photo seem lacking. That's my 2 cents, so flame away.

I don't understand your point. If iPod photo owners are happy with their purchases, why would they be in a different boat than anyone else who owns another model of iPod when the 5th gen comes out?

[Enigma]

because that's exactly what happened with 3g users when the 4g came out, and exactly what happened with 4g users when the photo came out.

[REv9k]

Man, I got one, and it makes money for me every day. I wouldn't be able to stand my job without my ipod, and I had to get the 60G HDD for my music collection.

It's an incredible investment, in my opinion.

[jditlevson]

toothpaste wrote:

I can't hook up my canon eos digital rebel to it and download my pics can I? NO. Does the ipod have bluetooth for me to sync my contact list, address book and so on with my cell phone,PDA? NO.

I admit that I have it nice but I can do all of these things with my PBG4 very quickly. The advantage/value comes in the size of storage. Hopefully these features will be developed in the future which would be a good reason to wait but 60GB offers enough more storage space to supplement the features of the said devices making the space on them available for immediate use. It helps that I am using an all Apple system (iSync, iCal, iPhoto, etc.).

Even though I am extremely pleased with my iPod 60gb, I would like to see it sync with more devices than my computer.

[chris@allmotor]

Originally posted by jditlevson
toothpaste wrote:

I can't hook up my canon eos digital rebel to it and download my pics can I? NO. Does the ipod have bluetooth for me to sync my contact list, address book and so on with my cell phone,PDA? NO.

I admit that I have it nice but I can do all of these things with my PBG4 very quickly. The advantage/value comes in the size of storage. Hopefully these features will be developed in the future which would be a good reason to wait but 60GB offers enough more storage space to supplement the features of the said devices making the space on them available for immediate use. It helps that I am using an all Apple system (iSync, iCal, iPhoto, etc.).

Even though I am extremely pleased with my iPod 60gb, I would like to see it sync with more devices than my computer.

try a belkin media reader...and I dont know what to tell you about the bluetooth thing, I wouldent expect my home CD player to have bluetooth...I think you are expecting too much from a mp3 player

[alexzman]

I'm a senior in high school with a six dollar an hour job at a local feed and garden center and I'm buying one. Selling my old 3G covers half the 400 dollar cost (eBay). I'm the kinda guy that needs the latest of everything. Its in the mail as we speak.


I too have an EOS Digital Rebel and plan on getting a media reader so I can transfer pics on the run and hiking trips to my iPod Photo.

[jhollington]

Originally posted by alexzman
I too have an EOS Digital Rebel and plan on getting a media reader so I can transfer pics on the run and hiking trips to my iPod Photo.
Just so you're aware, importing photos from a media reader to your iPod will only store the photos on your iPod hard drive. You will not be able to view these photos until you sync them in through iTunes on your PC.

In this sense, an iPod photo does nothing more with the Belkin Media Reader/Digital Camera link than a normal 4G iPod would. The pictures are simply transferred to the iPod hard drive (in the \DCIM directory) for later uploading to your PC. I use the Belkin Media Reader myself, and it's still a great way to empty out your memory cards so that you can keep shooting, but that's about all it does.

[churnopol]

$600 is too expensive. For that i'd buy the archos portable DVR

[Deus]

I got one! The other media players play more but let see how well and quick they can find a certain track in a library or 10,000! This 60GB baby is WELL worth it.

[paperinacup]

I just bought one. The screen is about the quality of my Motorola V620. Not bad at all. I only paid $220 though. Got it as a dont ask dont tell policy but it was NIB.

[tidal_break]

NIB?

[jhollington]

NIB = New In Box

[Blueskies505]

i dont regret my Ipod photo one bit, i have a laptop, but i get tired of carting it around when i want to show pictures to family and friends, and when you add up the exspense of having a cd player *buying cd's batterys. ect.* its a pretty good deal. I must have spent over 500 dollars already with just buying batterys for the last 2 years and buying cd's which im not even crazy about for the last 2 years, so i find my ipod really more like an investment that i know in the long run, save me money.

[kevling51]

whats the point of the ipod photo. all it has is the color screen which will kill the battery even faster now and it just stores pics on your ipod on the chance encounters that people will ask you "Hey do you have that pic of that place at that time?" which i doubt will seriously happen. i mean if it was a digital camera/ipod in one, then that'd be pretty cool albeit tremendously overpriced, but ipod photo? please its a waste.

[Wolffe]

I think the iPod Photo is overpriced, I definitely wasted money on it, but on the other hand, I feel satisfied because it does what I want. Now that the money is spent, I just don't dwell on it and I just enjoy it...

Ever since setting up my XP Media Center I've been hooked to having the album art accompany my music. It may seem useless, but I was determined that my next player would support this (my previous player was an original Creative Nomad Jukebox). I find it makes me feel like I haven't given up all of my CDs that used to browse through and loved for so many years.

I also had to have a colour screen... as insignificant as it might be, I wouldn't feel satisified paying even half the price of the iPod photo (which still isn't cheap) and get stuck with a mono screen. This would be the one thing (knowing that colour screens are available) that would make the older iPods feel ancient to me.

My music collection has also grown quite large and it continues to grow. I absolutely love having all of my CDs available at any time as I very often listen to very old CDs. There's nothing like being half-way across the world on vacation, sitting on some sunny beach and being able to call up the most obscure track in your collection just because you felt like it at the time.

I convert everything to 128kbps for my portable device, and at that bitrate my collection has just passed the 30GB mark. With most of the larger players offering only 40GB, I felt I might fill them too soon. Storage was more important to me than having extra features that I knew I wouldn't use.

I wasn't interested in video playback... although it would be a cool feature, I just know that I would rarely find the time or place to watch anything, nevermind actually finding or producing the material to put on it. I'd rather something that specialised in music playback and did a good job of it.

I ended up with the 60GB iPod Photo. I absolutely love the navigation (I had no idea how the click wheel worked before buying it), it's impressively fast, the colour screen looks fantastic, I have enough room for my music collection to almost double, and I even have enough room to carry my photos around (this feature was more of a bonus to me). My only real wish is to have the option to browse by album art (and to remove the black border around the cover art :) ).

I'm completely satisfied with my purchase but I would have a hard time telling someone to just run out and buy one today... it is a lot of money, and not everyone appreciates the little things like I do. But it's those little things that nag me when I ignore them... so the extra money, to me, is worth not having those regrets.

[tidal_break]

Originally posted by kevling51
whats the point of the ipod photo. all it has is the color screen which will kill the battery even faster now and it just stores pics on your ipod on the chance encounters that people will ask you "Hey do you have that pic of that place at that time?" which i doubt will seriously happen. i mean if it was a digital camera/ipod in one, then that'd be pretty cool albeit tremendously overpriced, but ipod photo? please its a waste.

the (colour screen) iPod photo has a battery that lasts longer than the std non-colour screen iPods, so your argument goes out the window re: battery life

[joel23]

Originally posted by XDRIVE
This is my 0.2 cents

Anyone who is going to spend this money on a MP3 player that allows you to view photo's on its little crappy screen IS OUT oF THEIR MIND AND HAS WAY TO MUCH MONEY!


Edited for content - please do not use w0rd ma5king to outwit auto censor
To answer your question in the subject: my girl friend did. She bought a iPOD P 60Gb as a christmas present for me. ;)

I use to take a lot of photos while I'm travelling (and diving) - say around 4.000 while one month travelling.
Until last week I saved them on a 20Gb X-Drive II, which was to big, to heavy and comes with this usual big power-adapters. Another one to carry with.
As a diver with two cameras, UW-strobe and other stuff which needs electricity from batteries or power-adapters (charger) you have to spend a thought on every gramm you have to take with on divetrips.

The X-Drive was sold for 70$ at Ebay and one of this lightweighted Media Reader was bought yesterday for 79 Euros.
I now can show off my work from last trips to others without having an internet connection or carry a notebook with me, save double as much of my new photos even in RAW (6Mb / pic) hear music and have my addressbook with me. Great.
The only disadvantage is the lacking import-function for new photos.

And yes, to confirm your other statement: we are out of our mind and have way to much money.
Sometimes.:D

Enjoy life, Joel23 (http://f.otogallery.de)

[Boaguy]

I didnt, I bought a 40 gig on eBay brand new for $400 :) .