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Best new iPod for a first-timer?

P

polihaupt

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi guys

I hope all you seasoned Ipod-owners can help!

I am one of those people who never wanted to give in to Apple, so I refused to buy an Ipod... until now, that is 🙄

I have a crappy Creative Zen Micro with 4GB which is full to its capacity and keep freezing on me - it is AWFUL. So with my 30th birthday in the end of the month, my husband asked which new player I want, and it is time for an Ipod!

Jobb's new announcement just came at the right moment!

So what should a person like me get?

The Classic is light years better than what I have of course, the price is awesome and and the storage capacity is also huge. Yes, the screen is relatively small, but for somebody who never had movies on the go, maybe it probably not be a big deal
My concern is that I do move around/dance a lot while listening to music - would that ruin the HD on a Classic Ipod??

Still, the WiFi on the Touch got me hyperventilating! Not to mention the touchscreen, the design... People are saying that 16GB is too little, but would I too feel the same way considering my library has been 4GB for 2 years?

Oh yeah... and price!
£269 for a Touch vs £159 for a 80GB Classic...
What is the realistic possibility that Touch's prices will drop a lot in less than 3 months?
 
BoyBach said:
It sounds to me like the iPod nano would be the perfect fit.
Click to expand...

They are so cute, aren't they?
The Nano will cost virtually the same as the Classic 80GB here in the UK though, so that's why it was not one of my top 2 at first.
 
Yeah, I'm thinking iPod Nano as well 🙂

Shuffle -> too small
Nano -> consider this
Classic -> HDD can break
Touch -> could be too expensive
 
polihaupt said:
They are so cute, aren't they?
The Nano will cost virtually the same as the Classic 80GB here in the UK though, so that's why it was not one of my top 2 at first.
Click to expand...


The 4GB model is only £99.

(I'm fighting the urge to buy one. And it's bloody difficult! 😉 )
 
BoyBach said:
The 4GB model is only £99.

(I'm fighting the urge to buy one. And it's bloody difficult! 😉 )
Click to expand...

I am thinking at least 8GB because my 4GB Creative is absolutely FULL.
If I want to watch a movie or video, than there won't be room...
 
Spend that little bit extra and go with the iPod Touch it just looks awesome! Offers enough space for you and brings a whole load of other new things to the table,
 
Nano if you are moving around a lot and don't watch videos on it, and don't have more than 2,000 songs.
 
Well.. IMO, nanos are very expensive.. The 8GB is around the same price as a classic.. I do suggest the classic, but if you want to move around alot, a nano will fit just right. I don't really think the classic's HD will break that easily however.. Unless you drop it on the ground, it should be fine.🙂
 
I think that the Touch or Nano seem to be good options for you. However, the touch is pricey and I think that the Nano is your best bet. Get the 8GB and then you can have your 4GB library and a good amount of TV Shows or something that you can cycle through.
 
polihaupt said:
Hi guys

I hope all you seasoned Ipod-owners can help!

I am one of those people who never wanted to give in to Apple, so I refused to buy an Ipod... until now, that is 🙄

I have a crappy Creative Zen Micro with 4GB which is full to its capacity and keep freezing on me - it is AWFUL. So with my 30th birthday in the end of the month, my husband asked which new player I want, and it is time for an Ipod!

Jobb's new announcement just came at the right moment!

So what should a person like me get?

The Classic is light years better than what I have of course, the price is awesome and and the storage capacity is also huge. Yes, the screen is relatively small, but for somebody who never had movies on the go, maybe it probably not be a big deal
My concern is that I do move around/dance a lot while listening to music - would that ruin the HD on a Classic Ipod??

Still, the WiFi on the Touch got me hyperventilating! Not to mention the touchscreen, the design... People are saying that 16GB is too little, but would I too feel the same way considering my library has been 4GB for 2 years?

Oh yeah... and price!
£269 for a Touch vs £159 for a 80GB Classic...
What is the realistic possibility that Touch's prices will drop a lot in less than 3 months?
Click to expand...

If you think about the iPod Touch, you have to go to a store and check it out in person. The nano and the classic, you know what they will do, they play music and the play photos and videos, no need to check them out personally, but you buy the iPod Touch for the user interface and for Wifi/Internet access and bigger screen. You have to see that in person to decide whether it is worth it for you or not. It is just the absolute luxury edition of the iPod.

Between Nano and Classic: The difference is size and storage. So first, do you prefer it smaller or bigger? Would you carry it around with you? The advantage of the Classic is massive storage. Much too much for music alone, but you can use it for photos, and for lots of videos. It also serves as an external harddisk; so if you want to backup your computer once a week as you should, the iPod Classic comes quite handy. The Nano should be fine for your music collection alone.

I guess that wasn't really helpful for a decision, right? I'd say don't go for the Nano 4GB, anything else (Nano 8GB, Classic, iTouch) you won't regret. The 160GB Classic is most likely not worth the extra money for you: If you need one of those, then you know it and you wouldn't be asking us 🙂
 
gnasher729 said:
but you buy the iPod Touch for the user interface and for Wifi/Internet access and bigger screen.
Click to expand...

That's true...
So in some ways it is like comparing oranges and bananas...

gnasher729 said:
I guess that wasn't really helpful for a decision, right? I'd say don't go for the Nano 4GB, anything else (Nano 8GB, Classic, iTouch) you won't regret. The 160GB Classic is most likely not worth the extra money for you: If you need one of those, then you know it and you wouldn't be asking us 🙂
Click to expand...

The trouble is figuring out WHAT I really need... LOL
I guess that by being a beginner, I will only really know what I need by actually having one of those for a while... Would I even watch a lot of videos? Would it be nice to have the kids' pictures with me? Would I be able to adapt to being extra careful with a HD player?

Maybe I should just tell my husband what the options are and let him surprise me...

:apple: was very smart with the line up -- it makes you feel like you need one of each! 🙄
 
Ultimately it comes down to preference and budget, but I personally think you’re correct in thinking 4gb would be a lousy decision. Just adding a video would be impossible, not to mention an expanding music collection.

If you don’t watch/store much video, then an 8gb nano would give you some good headroom to expand that collection, but not exponentially. You could also add some video, but the screen’s rather small and there’s not much space on there for more than perhaps 10-15 tv episodes after your music. On the upside, if you’re carrying it in your pocket it’s a great size, the flash memory means it’s immune to dancing, and the screen is a fine size for navigating music (the 2g nanos were awfully small, especially in the car).

Hard drive based ipods certainly would be more fragile by their mechanical nature, but that said I have friends who are rather tough on their possessions who still have thriving 3rd gens, and my own 4th gen ipod came to me as a ‘gift’ when it gave a friend the sad face after numerous drops, I just disassembled it, put it back together and it works perfectly. There’s obviously a large gap between hd/flash technology capacity at this point, but to get above 8gb you’d need the 16gb touch (which I’ll assume for your husband’s sake is out of range). Therefore, if your music collection will be growing and you plan on putting a bunch of video on there, I really couldn’t suggest anything but the 80gb classic for you. There’s also something to be said for the larger size of the touch wheel etc. being nice, I used a 2nd gen nano for a day and although it fit in the pocket well, it was a pain with that tiny wheel.

The touch really isn’t ‘necessary’ for you, unless you really plan on watching lots of video on it (as opposed to on a tv using the video output), in which case it would be great. Still, 8gb isn’t a lot of headroom for a ‘bursting out of 4gb’ music collection plus widescreen videos. The wifi ability is definitely neat, but unless you’re particularly in need of such functionality (I’ll admit it’s a great alternative to the iphone for many folks), then I’d say go for the 8gb nano instead.

If I was to be buying my girlfriend, who has very similar needs and also dances way too much with headphones in, an ipod over again (she got a 30gb black 5.5gen) I’d probably see how impressed she was with the touch in the store, then if it really blew her away I’d get her the 8gb touch, if not, 8gb nano or 80gb classic. Currently she only has ~4gb of music on hers, but there are 22gb of tv shows and movies (most of which we’ve watched already though, so if she only had 8gb she could just take them off).
 
I'm thinking a 8gb nano or a Touch. If you have the money. Buy a touch. If you don't then get a nano. If you want a classic then get it, just don't through it around too much. I think you'd be happier with the nano.

The Stig
 
oscillatewildly said:
Classic 80Gb + old colour Shuffle (discount?)

Classic to store + travel

Shuffle to dance
Click to expand...

I agree with oscillatewildly, this is what my current setup is. I have a 60GB Ipod Video (aka Classic), and a Shuffle. I use the 60GB for storing my entire collection, and the Shuffle for loading short playlists that suit whatever mood i'm in. I take the 60GB with me on road trips and occasionally use it instead of the Shuffle when I want to listen to larger sets of music. When I want to watch a movie or TV show, I just watch it on my Mac. The Shuffle is much easier to control when moving about, thanks to its raised buttons.
 
Really it depends on how much space you want now that the nano can do video as well. I personally really like the nano. I have an iPhone, so the 4G and 8G don't work for me, but the size and form factor are really cool on the nano. Plus, it's rather inexpesive.
 
Might as well get the iPod Touch. If it wasn't for capacity I would get one myself, but seems like 16GB would be just fine for you.
 
Shuffle - to small (Worst choice)
Nano - Flash based, small, BUT expensive compared to Classic $/GB ratio (Recomended)
Classic - Nearly same price as high end Nano but is HD based (Second Best)
Touch - Wouldnt recomend it for moving around alot although it is flash based. (Third Best)
 
This thread will come in reeeeeeal handy - everyone's mentioned everything from the Shuffle to the Touch... that narrows it down a whole lot!
 
Unspeaked said:
This thread will come in reeeeeeal handy - everyone's mentioned everything from the Shuffle to the Touch... that narrows it down a whole lot!
Click to expand...

Okay. You've filled a 4 GB player, so that eliminates the Shuffle and the 4 GB nano.

You want to exercise with it, that eliminates the HD based Classic.

Which leaves the 8 GB nano: twice the room of your old player, filled with features you haven't had before, but still small enough to carry easily while you exercise. A good choice.

Considering you're coming from a 4 GB player, the 8 GB touch is also worth considering. More expensive but it's your 30th birthday (and you really, really want it).

Happy birthday. HTH. Let us know what you decide.
 
The Nano seems perfect for you. I have owned every iPod(not the new ones though) and the Nano is I think the best because its small and carries a lot of music too for such a small player. And now it plays video which is better but it seems like the screen is too small. But if you can go with the iPod Touch and not the iPod Classic. The Classic seems too...umm...classic lol and the Touch seems so muchhhhh better that I might probably order one.
 
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