OT: Questions about ipods

[lukkykatt]

I am thinking about getting one for DH for his big 4-0 bday next week. He loves music and has a huge collection. We are non-mac users though - how much does that matter? Is it easy enough to use with a pc? What other adaptors would I need for using in the car, etc.? And where is the best place to get one?

Anyone have one and NOT happy with it? TIA!

[Marisa6826]

Andrea-

Jonathan has one and absolutely loves it. There's a new one coming out this week, BTW.

I can ask him, but he's on a deadline at work, so I won't be able to give you answers until tonight.

I don't think it makes a big deal whether or not you have a Mac or PC, and to answer your other question, the adaptor for the car is easy. It just plugs in like a cassette. I think it was Mac Addict that did a review as to which adaptor works best. Some you program into one or two different obscure radio station numbers and some use cassettes. The cassette type won hands down for ease of use and reliability. As far as where to buy one, they unfortunately don't go on sale (at least not yet) so your best luck will be either at the Apple store in the mall (that's where Jonathan got his) or on apple.com. There are catalogues, but their price differences aren't that great, and then you run the risk of getting into problems with troubleshooting, or returning/exchanging it if it doesn't work right. Jonathan went through the retail store because of this. And as a matter of fact, the headphone wire separated a couple months after he got it, and the Apple store exchanged it no problem. I'm not so sure that would have been the case if he got it through an independent online seller or catalogue.

I know that there have been threads about iPods (and specifically getting them to work with a PC) in the past, so do a search and see what comes up.

-m

[mattysmom]

I got one for my dh too and we LOVE it! he uses it everyday during his commute and then we use it together on the weekend to listen to ds's music in the car, on vacation, etc. we have a pc and it's been very easy to upload music. we got the fm transmitter thing - so you tune in to a specific radio station and then you can hear the music. it's wireless and has worked well for us. and when we go to my parents' house for vacation weekends, we just bring the ipod and have all of ds's music ready to play on their cheap little boom box. we also got the power adaptor that plugs into your cigarette lighter. it's a lot of fun, very easy to use and especially great for listening to kids' music - you can make a "playlist" with all of your ds/dd's music and have hours of listening!

[pritchettzoo]

DH was looking at getting an iPod, but he has decided to wait for a new Sony version to come out soon. Supposedly it holds more than the biggest ipod and will cost less.

Here's an article about it: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-07-01-sony-mp3-walkman_x.htm

ETA: I just talked to DH, and apparently iPod has come out with a brand new version holding more for less with a longer battery life (to battle the new Sony), and of course the iPod has been around longer and you know it's reliable. He said that if your DH is obsessive about technical stuff, you might want to make sure it's returnable and not be hurt if he wants to swap whatever you get. :)

Anna

[AngelaS]

My dh has one and LOVES it. Loves it so much that after a year he upgraded his 10gb one to a 20 gb. He's a sworn Apple hater but this works with our Dell just fine.

[caheinz]

I have one and love it, but am a Mac person...

DH is a PC person, and uses iTunes for all of his music on his PC. The iPod will only work with iTunes (not other music software), but I don't think there are any "real" competitors, even on the PC.

I have an iTrip -- it plugs into the top of the iPod and "broadcasts" the signal to the radio (for in-house or car). It works well -- we used it on a road trip from S. AZ to Chicago in January! (It might not work as well in an area with a high number of radio stations, but we were able to use it around Chicago...) You might want something for power, too -- there are a number in the market, and I'm not sure any are any better or worse than others.

The only other thing I got right away was a protective case. Didn't want to drop it and cause any damage!

One thing to watch for is to make sure that any adaptors or cases you buy match the actual model iPod you buy! The new iPods are the 4th generation or so, plus there's the mini. It'll probably take a few months for the accessories for the newest ones to come out. (And it's best to try to figure it out yourself, I've seen some pretty misleading displays in stores!)

Only thing I can think to suggest for where to buy is if you are or know someone who is in education. Sometimes they offer a good sale -- the usual edu discounts aren't really that much anymore. (I got my iPod for $100 off a year ago through an edu program...that was a good deal, but I had to buy a PowerBook, as well!)

[lmariana]

I have one (40 GB), my hubby has one (10 GB), my brother has one (40 GB), my sister has one (10 GB), and my father has one (10 GB)...so, yeah, we like iPods!

My hubby and I are Mac users, but my family uses Windows. They have no problems with their iPods at all.

I have the iTrip FM Transmitter, Cassette adapter, Tune Dok, and car charger. I hate the cassette adapter because of all the cables. I highly recommend the iTrip, TUne Dok, and car charger. I love, love, love this set up! The Tune Dok holds the iPod in you car's cup holder, so it's very cool.

I use mine for all my music, audio books, and as a portable external hard drive. I have all 5 audio Harry Potter books plus tons and tons of CD's on my iPod and it's barely half full. I think most people would be fine with the 10 GB iPod. :)

I recommend www.pcmall.com for your iPod. I've gotten all my Mac stuff from them (they're also the same company as macmall.com) and they almost always have some great deals, freebies or something going on. They even give educational discounts, if one of you is taking any kind of class.

Have fun!

Mariana
www.heinzandmariana.com
Mother of Gabriel, 08/14/2003

[Marisa6826]

We had the transmitter thingie and it was horrible. I think it has a lot to do with how densely populated your area is.

We're within 12 miles of NYC, so that might have a lot to do with it.


-m

[kitmama]

DH and I each have one, and we LOVE them! We're die-hard Mac users, though, so I can't offer experience in using them with a PC.

DH uses the cassette adapter in his car, and I use the iTrip (FM transmitter) in mine. Both work well, even here in Atlanta. If you are REALLY picky about sound quality, though, the cassette adapter offers a somewhat "cleaner" sound- the FM transmitter works by essentially turning your iPod into a mini radio station, and of course radio broadcasts aren't always great sound quality. Either one works well, though, and both are very easy to use.

We bought ours at the Apple store, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy from a catalogue or online retailer that I was familiar with. (I just like going to the Apple store!) :)

[candybomiller]

I have an ipod and I absolutely love it. There's no problems using it with pc, all the software, etc comes with the ipod. As for using it in the car, we bought an irock from Radio Shack. Works great. As far as the best place to get one, I got mine at Best Buy where I was also able to purchase a two year replacement plan. For an item like this, where it gets bounced around all the time, definitely get it from someplace where you can get an extended warranty!

[pixelprincess]

absolutely LOVE my iPod, Also wanted to add that you can also import addresses/phone nos and calendar events.

iPod's are specifically configured for either Mac or PC, so you should be able to use it with a PC. I think you can use a Mac formatted one on a PC, not the other way around. iPod for Windows comes in the FAT32 file format which is optimized for performance and usability in Windows ME, 2000, and XP.

PcMall is a good place to buy.

have fun shopping!

ps. for you iPod fans here is a link for some apps sent to me by a friend. http://www.ipodsoft.com/Software.aspx. i am going to try iPodagent.