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iPod vs. other mp3 players...

D

DaveinJapan

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 9, 2005
77
0
Japan
I'm considering buying an mp3 player, but I'd like to avoid iPod because it seems like other players offer much more bang for less bucks.

Will I be able to use a different player with my computers? Will it work with iTunes? Will I be able to download apple files such as m4a (??) or other iTunes type files, or just MP3.

Thanks in advance! :)
 
Only the iPod will work with iTMS. There have been hacks developed to let other MP3 players work with it but they usually get quashed by Apple pretty quickly. I'm pretty sure the iPod is the only MP3 player that'll sync properly with iTunes too although you can technically use iTunes with others by opening dragging-and-dropping individual music files to their icon on the desktop, depending on how they're set up.

I strongly recommend the iPod, you won't regret it. :)
 
have you actually tried to "use" these other players that you talk about "offering more bang for the buck"?

their user interface will make you want to kill yourself.

get an iPod
 
I've often wondered about this. Before an iPod existed, I remember that iTunes supported the early Rios and such. Is that still the case?

As an aside, I tried to plug my mate's Creative Zen 4 Gig into my iBook a couple of months ago, and every time I did it, it locked up the iBook completely!
 
Really, high-quality sound input and radio are the only two advantages I've seen that other players offer compared to the iPod, and at the expense of the iPod's great interface (really, nothing else compares) and integration with iTunes.

If you don't specifically want either of those features, I'd give the iPod a more serious look, as in the end it's just easier to use.

Actually, there are two other potential features you might want that the iPod doesn't offer: subscription music services (currently non-iPod-only, and so far as I know also Windows-only as they rely on Windows Media rights management that is only on the Windows version), and portable video with a big screen and wider range of formats. The former is legit, the latter, I'm not sure the technology is really there yet, and I'd still get a video iPod if I cared.
 
In my experience, few use the radios built into their mp3 players, however much they say they need them to start with. That leaves us with compatibility and usability and the iPod wins out on both of those features. You could pay the same for a Sony or Creative that comes with an adapter and maybe a few other things the iPod doesn't, or go for the iPod with colour screen, video playback, ease of use and easy integration for about the same price.

I think the new Sonys come with a dock as well as adapter, but I've never seen the full need for a dock, (despite having one), and I only ever use my adapter when away from home with no laptop to charge my iPod from. If you aren't away, come home, connect up iPod, it charges and syncs. What could be easier? Don't like auto sync? Switch to sync selected playlists or manually manage.
 
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