iPhone's iPod a happy surprise

[speedballs]

When I was looking to buy an iPhone, the built in iPod didn't really strike me as something I needed. Sure it was cool, but I already had an iPod and I figured I wouldn't use it a whole lot.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The iPhone really is the best iPod apple has ever made. The interface is slick, intuitive, beautiful, and fast. It makes the old click wheel seem ancient.
Safari is cool, and useful. Google Maps is great and all, but the app I use most without question is the iPod.
I didn't see that coming. Props to Apple for making a sweet iPod! And a phone. And an internet communication device.

 

[fj2007cruiser]

yup yup ... ain't it the truth

 

[orb]

Actually, I'm not so impressed with the ipod part of the iphone. I think it's a brilliant phone and a good internet device, but the ipod functions are really lacking for me. My biggest complaints:

The screen locking makes ipod usage VERY frustrating. If I want to pause the track or change what is playing, I have to press the home button, slide to unlock and then engage the ipod. You can turn off screen locking, but then the display runs constantly and runs the battery down extremely fast.

When I'm trying to pause the iphone, I often accidentally press the rewind button which takes me back to the beginning of the track. For reasons I'll mention in my next complaint, it is very difficult to get back to the exact spot I was at before the mistake.

It is hard to move forward/backward in a track in a precise way. With the scroll wheel, you can quickly get to exactly where you want to be. Although it is very easy on the iphone to get approximately where you want to be, especially if it is far away from where you are in a track, there is very little precision. It is almost impossible on an iPhone to, for example, jump back 30 seconds in a podcast and relisten to something you missed.

The iPhone does not appear to support show notes or any of the advanced podcast features that even my iPod nano supports.

The iPhone seems to have trouble remembering my position when I am jumping between podcasts. It's possible this is largely the accidental rewind problem, but I find that I often come back to a podcast I was halfway through only to find the iPhone starts playing from the very beginning. My nano almost never lost my position in a podcast.

All in all, I find the iPod on the iPhone the most disappointing aspect of the iPhone. It definitely does not have the functionality and usability we've come to expect from an iPod. Honestly, if the Zune had a touch screen, I'd expect it to look/work pretty much like the iPod in the iPhone.

 

[509vista]

Actually, I'm not so impressed with the ipod part of the iphone. I think it's a brilliant phone and a good internet device, but the ipod functions are really lacking for me. My biggest complaints:

The screen locking makes ipod usage VERY frustrating. If I want to pause the track or change what is playing, I have to press the home button, slide to unlock and then engage the ipod. You can turn off screen locking, but then the display runs constantly and runs the battery down extremely fast.

When I'm trying to pause the iphone, I often accidentally press the rewind button which takes me back to the beginning of the track. For reasons I'll mention in my next complaint, it is very difficult to get back to the exact spot I was at before the mistake.

It is hard to move forward/backward in a track in a precise way. With the scroll wheel, you can quickly get to exactly where you want to be. Although it is very easy on the iphone to get approximately where you want to be, especially if it is far away from where you are in a track, there is very little precision. It is almost impossible on an iPhone to, for example, jump back 30 seconds in a podcast and relisten to something you missed.

The iPhone does not appear to support show notes or any of the advanced podcast features that even my iPod nano supports.

The iPhone seems to have trouble remembering my position when I am jumping between podcasts. It's possible this is largely the accidental rewind problem, but I find that I often come back to a podcast I was halfway through only to find the iPhone starts playing from the very beginning. My nano almost never lost my position in a podcast.

All in all, I find the iPod on the iPhone the most disappointing aspect of the iPhone. It definitely does not have the functionality and usability we've come to expect from an iPod. Honestly, if the Zune had a touch screen, I'd expect it to look/work pretty much like the iPod in the iPhone.

Dou use the included (iphone) headphones. If so just click the answer call button on the cord and it will pause the song, click again to resume. Two clicks will skip the current song. If you already know this, GREAT. If not, its good to know.

 

[aricher]

If I want to pause the track or change what is playing, I have to press the home button, slide to unlock and then engage the ipod.

Have you tried using the squeeze button on the iPhone headphones - it does what you need there. Granted the supplied headphones suck but I imagine plenty of 3rd party vendors will have their own versions of this shortly.

Edit - oops - 509vista beat me to it.

 

[Nall]

Actually, a question - where is the option to loop a single track on the iPhone?

 

[hexonxonx]

Actually, a question - where is the option to loop a single track on the iPhone?

Hold the phone vertically so that the album cover is being displayed and the name of the track is at the top. Just below the bar at the top where the track name is displayed, tap just below the bar and another bar will show up. This has the loop track or shuffle. You can also slide the little bar accross to skip to any part of a song.

 

[jwa276]

Actually, a question - where is the option to loop a single track on the iPhone?

Who needs that anyway? Who listens to a song more than once... let alone 2 times.... and seriously 3 times or more?? You've gotta be kidding me.

Actually, a question - where is the option to loop a single track on the iPhone?

Who needs that anyway? Who listens to a song more than once... let alone 2 times.... and seriously 3 times or more–unless you are playing a practical joke on someone??

 

[hexonxonx]

I own a 30GIG Ipod Photo so this interface on the iPhone is 100% better! There are alot more features on this than what I have on my iPod.

I love that I can pause and skip tracks just from the headphones. Changing albums isn't that hard either with the coverflow.

 

[dav]

If the song is an hour long this is perfectly reasonable.

 

[pianos101]

Besides the fact that the ipod function keeps crashing and that i had to rebuild about half of my itunes library today (to get cover flow working) this "ipod" sure beats my rev 1 nano...

 

[scriptkitten]

Who needs that anyway? Who listens to a song more than once... let alone 2 times.... and seriously 3 times or more?? You've gotta be kidding me.

i'm a dancer... we use this function a lot at rehearsals, and also when we are just listening to music and running choreography mentally while commuting

 

[killmoms]

Who needs that anyway? Who listens to a song more than once... let alone 2 times.... and seriously 3 times or more–unless you are playing a practical joke on someone??

I have been known to let a two and a half minute song repeat for periods as long as an hour. Continuously.

 

[megfilmworks]

I agree that some of the features on iPod would be nice on the iPhone,
Other than that, it is the ultimate walking machine (remember the first Walkman). Tons of content interrupted only by the phone call....And listening to a phone with both earbuds is a whole new experience compared to the ancient one speaker one ear concept of Mr. Bell of the last 100 years!!

 

[mrtune]

For those of you talking about using the mic/button, what happens when you don't use the apple headset?

If you have none apple earbuds or headphones, or a cable to use the aux jack in your car, you're screwed. You'll be forced to unlock the phone to do something as simple as pause/play.

I have an aux jack in my car, and I still use my ipod in it for the convenience of always accessible, forward/reverse/pause/play buttons.

 

[yayaba]

I'm having the same problem with the iPod forgetting where in a podcast I am. It seems to be ok 75% of the time but the other 25% where I go back to listen and it starts from the beginning is annoying.

I haven't had this problem with movies yet though. It seems to always remember where in the movie I last left off.

 

[Sobe]

Found this online:

Change your iPod icons

By default, the icons on the bottom of the iPod screen are
Playlists, Artists, Songs, Videos and More. You can change
those first four, just as you would the commands that
appear on an iPod's main screen. Simply tap the More icon
and, in the More screen, tap the Edit button at the top-left
of the screen.

A Configure screen will emerge from the
bottom and display icons for Albums, Podcasts,
Audiobooks, Genres, Composers, Compilations, Playlists,
Artists, Songs and Videos.

To substitute one of these icons
for one that appears at the bottom of the screen, just tap
and hold on an icon and drag it over the icon you want to
replace.

Tap Done when you're done.

 

[Sobe]

btw even if you have not done this because you don't need to, you should try it out.

It really shows off the potential for configuring the iPhone interface.

 

[JonboyDC]

If you have none apple earbuds or headphones, or a cable to use the aux jack in your car, you're screwed. You'll be forced to unlock the phone to do something as simple as pause/play.

I'm optimistic that before too long we'll see headphones with a mic with the equivalent of the old iPod remote. It's nice to be able to pause/play/skip forward, but I miss the ability to skip back and to easily raise and lower the volume without feeling around in my pocket for the volume switch on the side of the phone.

 

[nickofari]

Yes, but w/ limitations

When I was looking to buy an iPhone, the built in iPod didn't really strike me as something I needed. Sure it was cool, but I already had an iPod and I figured I wouldn't use it a whole lot.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The iPhone really is the best iPod apple has ever made. The interface is slick, intuitive, beautiful, and fast. It makes the old click wheel seem ancient.
Safari is cool, and useful. Google Maps is great and all, but the app I use most without question is the iPod.
I didn't see that coming. Props to Apple for making a sweet iPod! And a phone. And an internet communication device.

Agree that it is a great ipod. However, a couple of missing items so far:
1) support for playing music via airport on stereo. There is already wireless connection - so why not include this feature?
2) purchase songs from iTunes store. Seems odd that isn't in there. Perhaps I just can't find it.

 

[BostonMerlin]

For those of you talking about using the mic/button, what happens when you don't use the apple headset?

If you have none apple earbuds or headphones, or a cable to use the aux jack in your car, you're screwed. You'll be forced to unlock the phone to do something as simple as pause/play.

I have an aux jack in my car, and I still use my ipod in it for the convenience of always accessible, forward/reverse/pause/play buttons.

i would expect that running the ipod in your car is even more of a non-issue as you could keep the phone unlocked-on and plugged in for juice.

 

[MrCompletely]

I can't believe how much the simple headphone mic/button has changed my daily activity. For living in NYC, and being on your feet for 90% of your travels, there couldnt be a better device.

combining two devices (ipod+cellphone) into one has lightened up my pockets considerably (considering I took my ipod everywhere with me, even out at night). And the joint functionality of the two just makes it pleasurable to stroll down the street after work when I receive calls.