iPod Shuffle or iPod Mini? SO TORN.

otherwise mini.

you can turn the auto-sync off on ipods (at least the regular ones) and use it for portable storage. besides you can get those usb flash drives for like $20.

That was a joke. I've never been hip.

The Shuffle is cool though, suzy has one an quite frankly, audio books aside I have my iPod on shuffle most of the time, but I do like having my entire music collection with me.

I don't like to walk around listening to music, I'm afraid I'll get hit by a car. I listen to music at home. MUSIC BELONGS IN THE HOME!

I guess maybe, but one of the reasons I returned my Shuffle, apart from it not getting along with my PC very well at all, was that it is *very* closely tied to iTunes, and only one installation of iTunes at a time. If you load it with music on computer #1 using iTunes, then plug it into computer #2 that also has iTunes on it, computer #2 will not acknowledge the music on the iPod. It will instead ask you to reformat the iPod to tie it to the iTunes library on computer #2. If (when) you click no to this option, iTunes will no longer acknowledge that any device is plugged in at all.

In other words, I was unable to load up a gig of music, bring it to work, and transfer it to my work computer. It doesn't work like that. If you plug it into a different computer, it will not allow you to use it at all before it wipes the iPod and reconfigures it. I found this extremely limiting and obnoxious.

I see absolutely no reason to get a Shuffle; in fact, it seems like the dumbest idea ever.

OK, but why "dumbest idea ever"?

The whole point of the shuffle is that it's small and you don't know what's coming next. I'll bet if you get a mini, it won't be too long before you'll want a bigger ipod. However having both a pod and a shuffle isn't so bad, because of the forced random gimmick and small size (good for summer running around).

Hmmm... the Shuffle can also play a linear playlist, i.e. you aren't limited to shuffle mode, and I'd likely be sticking specific playlists on it (which is kinda what I already do by burning specific CDs for the Discman).

besides you can get those usb flash drives for like $20.

I'm in Toronto, and I've yet to see a 1 GB flash drive for less than $130 - $150.

I don't like to walk around listening to music, I'm afraid I'll get hit by a car. I listen to music at home. MUSIC BELONGS IN THE HOME!

I'm never home, and I don't drive. I'm constantly walking or talking transit, and would like something smaller than a Discman. I've ALWAYS listened to music this way, starting with a Walkman twenty years ago.

I guess maybe, but one of the reasons I returned my Shuffle, apart from it not getting along with my PC very well at all, was that it is *very* closely tied to iTunes, and only one installation of iTunes at a time. If you load it with music on computer #1 using iTunes, then plug it into computer #2 that also has iTunes on it, computer #2 will not acknowledge the music on the iPod. It will instead ask you to reformat the iPod to tie it to the iTunes library on computer #2. If (when) you click no to this option, iTunes will no longer acknowledge that any device is plugged in at all.

In other words, I was unable to load up a gig of music, bring it to work, and transfer it to my work computer. It doesn't work like that. If you plug it into a different computer, it will not allow you to use it at all before it wipes the iPod and reconfigures it. I found this extremely limiting and obnoxious.

Whoah. Dealbreaker ahoy.

Seriously, these things are great. I like the buttons better than the ipod wheel. Removable battery, voice recording, fm tuner.

OK, but why "dumbest idea ever"?

Mainly because of the "Okay, you're running iTunes so there's probably an 85%-95% chance that you already have an iPod but we're going to use our voodoo marketing to convince you that you need to spend even more money on something with reduced carrying capacity compared to the device you already own that already does the big thing we're pushing in our crack-like commercials! CONSUME!" vibes that I get from the thing. Honestly, how much lighter do you need your music-playing device to be??? Are those extra seven ounces REALLY bogging you down?

ok, $20 flash drives = not iPod sized but double or triple CD-Rom sized

Which still means you have to choose: do you want to listen to it or transfer it? You can't do both. Pffft.

Again I say pffft.

i have no ipod at all, but i imagine 5000 songs are easier to go through than one would think. the ipod photo is slightly bigger and heavier than the regular ipod. although both are smaller than my current discman.

is the best thing to do to invest in the big guy, or will next year's models be sufficiently streamlined so that i should just buy the 20GB regular and think about this again in 18months?

I see your point, but:

a) I love iTunes, and would have killed for an interface like this a decade ago,

b) the Discman that I own weighs significantly more than seven ounces. It's a first-generation Rio Volt, one of the first MP3-capable CD players, and it's frankly a bit of a tank. It's also starting to malfunction, as it's been used non-stop for the last few years, but I've gotten my money's worth out of it. And, as I've mentioned,

c) I sell all of this crap as part of my day job - we're a bunch of fairly grizzled MIDI and DAW cynics here, so it takes a LOT more than a slick ad campaign to get us to jump. Hell, we've made sales reps cry here. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but you catch my drift.

Then again, since the Shuffle is essentially a gateway drug to encourage you to upgrade to the iPod, I guess those limitations help in that encouragement.

yeah, what the fuck is that about? i thought there might be a workaround?

xpost yeah, that's why I returned the stupid thing.

http://www.redchairsoftware.com/anapod/

I have 1st or 2nd gen (from a friend) and use iTunes on my pc.

This is so OTM. I find myself doing this all the time.

so apparently that turns off auto-sync. next step is to get songs onto the ipod w/o iTunes.

now for Mac versh.

Also less breakable than a regular ipod, which means I can take it to work instead of lugging around a big radio and listening to sports talk when I'm by myself.

POST-SCRIPT: This is exactly why I settled on the Shuffle. In the end, the tiny size won me over- here's to living backpack-free! I made my first playlist in iTunes (6 hours of high-quality MP3s and the damn thing isn't even full) on Friday, and have been rocking it all weekend. Best 2 bones-and-change I've spent in ages.

The Shuffle lives in a coat pocket right now! If you read upthread, you'll see that I was lamenting the size of my MP3 Discman, as it was an early, comparitively bulky model, and pretty much required the use of a man-purse.

I won't have to reformat the flipping thing to get it to work with the new computer will I?

I wear a coat about seven days a year. Ten if we get a cold snap.

Thanks, Ed.
I can do that via my external hard-drive, right? Just get tunes onto it and then load em back onto the new laptop.

Won't there be a problem when I reinstall the ipod software on the new laptop? I'll be using the same registration number as before, or something? (You can tell I've only had my i-pod since Valentine's day!)

Do you know what file format is?

also what happens if you want to sync your ipod with itunes but you have more songs on itunes than can fit on your ipod?

no. you can charge off of your computer

also what happens if you want to sync your ipod with itunes but you have more songs on itunes than can fit on your ipod?

You have to set up iTunes to "choose" which "songs" to "put" on your
"iPod".

"thanks"!

Are you affiliated with an educational institution at all or know someone who is? You could try to get the nice education discount.

No, the mini is the chick ipod. Seriously, Apple caught on to what Sony has known forever, girls like small & cute electronics. If I look at the electronics that my girl geek friends own, and the ones that my guy geek friends own, there is essentially no overlap outside of powerbooks.

Anyway, I own a shuffle- that + Shure e3cs = happy. I don't need the display to tell me what the current song is because I generally already know what ever songs I've put onto it, or I can wait until I get home to look up one if it's bugging me. It depends on what you listen to, I think... I have a smallish set of music that I want to listen to when I'm walking to or from work, which is when I usually use the Shuffle.

i have no idea what this means.

1 GB shuffle now at 49 bucks. Might get one.

recommend me an mp3 player?

Doubtless.

The 80GB iPod Classic is now only like $250. WTF?!?!

I'm totally upgrading soon.

Why get an 80?

Yeah I've been sort of hoping my creaking iPod will finally give up the ghost so I can justify getting one of those now-ludicrously-cheap 80gig ones.

Hell, it's only a hundred bucks more for the 160 one. That's what I've got, and it's still only about half full.

I was hoping that my 60 would get bumped to an 80 during my last AppleCare debacle but alas no.

my 80 gb is all full and since i use my ipod as a way of backing up my mp3s im sort of considering investing in the 160

I just got the 80 Classic to replace a old and broken mini and I LOVE the new one. I only have about 16GB of music total so I'm swimming in leftover storage space...enough to put movies on it for traveling (if I ever go anywhere).

Laurel, I can rip/give you iPod compat movies.

You a bro, jw. I hope you mean ninja ones.

geez, a 8 gb nano is $200 and an 80 gb ipod is $250! that's ridiculous. (how i wish the shuffle had a screen! it's quite cheap now, but i KNOW it would drive me up the wall.)

You a bro, jw. I hope you mean ninja ones.

-- Laurel, Wednesday, February 20, 2008 12:23 PM (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

I have like 3 ripped already

Maria, that's exactly why I got the 80 even tho it's way more than I "need". It didn't make financial sense to pay $200 for 8GB!

I might have bought the iPod touch if I were you Laurel.

Really? Cos I wd have had to pay $400 for the 16GB which would BARELY hold all my stuff (if even) and be full immediately. I don't need the touch functions that badly.

I guess it would have given me minimal internet access b/c I do not have own computer...but I didn't have the dough anyway.

Yea, fuck that dude. I think the iPod touch is a turd.

I have about 16GB of music & stuff but am resigned to getting something smaller because I want to be able to run with it, and this is less likely to do harm to something with flash memory than a regular ipod with a hard drive. The nanos definitely give you less memory for your money though.

i fucking LOVE my itouch. one of the things i love doing is standing in some street and watching who has unprotected internet connection. lol am i sad or what? it's been great breastfeeding and checking my mail. i was never much of an ipod user, but ever since getting the itouch, i've been listening to more music. typing on it is okay but a bit of a hassle.

Those were the days - now every one has an mp3 player in their earlobe

Shuffle replaced radio but radio gives new options and shuffle only shuffles options.

Found a 6th gen iPod Nano when packing my stuff to move house, looking forward to hearing what's on it when I'll put it on my ancient 30-pin dock connector JBL speaker

My brother found my ipod mini recently - I wonder if it still has the movie "Shock Treatment" on it

incidentally I still use an ipod touch from 2007 - I think it was the first touch. Still works great!

Found a 6th gen iPod Nano when packing my stuff to move house, looking forward to hearing what's on it when I'll put it on my ancient 30-pin dock connector JBL speaker

― willem, Wednesday, September 18, 2019 4:35 PM (two days ago)

excellent