resistance to persistence

Last night I finally splurged and picked up an iPod. I’d been watching the models and searching for a great deal. I found a posting to redflagdeals.com about iPods being sold at Costco. Sure enough they’re there and I saved at least $70. The 40GB 4G model sells there for $469. And if you weren’t specifically looking for it, you’d never see it. A demo model is strapped down next to all the digital cameras with no display hoopla or nothing to attract you to it. Blank VCR tapes get more attention than the iPod. The 40GB model is discontinued by Apple as of this week. Now you have to buy either the 30GB iPod Photo or the 60GB iPod Photo. I think the photo models are overkill for price as well as features. I really don’t need to load photos on my ipod. I’ll never view them there and I’m not going to pay a premium so I can have that feature. So I knew it was time to grab the 40GB while it was still around. I was actually going to pick it up last week but I heard rumours of updates to the iPod line for this week, so I waited until then.

I’ve been using a Sony MiniDisc for over 2 years and have been totally satisfied with everything except for when it comes to loading music. The software for the minidisc is TERRIBLE. The process to fill a disc makes you use jump through hoops using a bunch of different poorly designed software which frequently crashes. I suffered through it but it was a major pain in the neck and I found myself listening to the same music over and over because it was just too hard to load up the new tunes. Completely the opposite for the iPod. Rest it in the dock and the music is there. No thinking, no work, it’s just done.

This morning I’ve been bouncing my head to a much better musical experience…and much better musical quality. I’m suprised at how clear the sound is, even without the equalizer enabled. My one fear is battery life. It’s supposed to last for 12 hours between charges. I’ll have to adjust to remember to charge it every once and a while, like the cellphone. This was never a problem with the minidisc….I could easily go for a month or 2 on a single AA battery, listening to it every day on my way back & forth from work (approx 2 hours/day). I’ve always been amazed at that. I might keep the minidisc for when i’m snowboarding as it’s really stable and never skips. Or make me an offer and I’ll part with it.

I’m also amazed with how cool the packaging and design of the product is. I’ve always read about it and seen photos, but you don’t really appreciate it until you experience it yourself. The design of all components, right down to the cables and power adapter is amazing. Small details like the rubberized bottom on the dock and even the fonts are precise. The earphones are pretty cheap, but that’s fine cause I’ve already got some better ones I’ve swapped in.

cube box	great packaging
everything included	support musicians, buy your music
so small in the hand	shiny mirror

This entry was posted on Friday, February 25th, 2005 at 10:27 am and is filed under Music, Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.