iPod What should I consider when buying an IPOD

[jaynecobb]

I am looking to buy my first ipod. What sort of things should I be thinking about? I will primarily be using it for music. I plan to use it both in the house as well as when I exercise or travel. I have approximately 8G's of music right now. Because I plan to use it while I exercise and travel I like the size of the Nano. However based on the amount of music I have I think I will need something larger than the 8 Gig Nano.

Any thoughts on the physical size vs storage size? Pros?cons?
Are there other things I should be considering?
Anyone think we might see some new ipods anytime soon?

I guess I am having a hard time deciding between the 8G nano and the larger 30G model. Wondering if anyone went through a similar thought process or even just in general might have some helpful advice to help me decide.

Thanks

 

[Scarlet Fever]

if your exercising, buy the nano. the thought of a HDD rattling around in someone's pocket when they're running gives me the shudders.

Buyer's Guide says wait. They are overdue for an update.

 

[intempo808]

If I were you... I would wait for a while and see if the 6th Generation iPod is coming out anytime soon... i have heard Q3 of this year... but this is only a rumour... but from a "Well informed source". I have also heard that the next iPod will have a flash memory based system... or atleast on the lower end version (current 30GB version) and the higher version will keeps its 1.8" hard drive.

 

[Mr. Amiga500]

I think the Nano is too heavy and fragile for exercise. I used to have a Shuffle (first model) and I'd just throw it in my pocket and you couldn't feel it was there. The Nano was like a flopping weight and I had to worry about scratches. (in fact, I accidentally dropped my damn Nano on the concrete floor just seconds after typing this!)

I'm hoping for a 2Gb or 4Gb Shuffle.

If you're buying your first iPod, be prepared for some swearing when you first use iTunes - it's not as well designed as you'd think. That one program changed my 10-year perception of Apple as a maker of good software. (of course, my original perception was based on screenshots, not actual use)

 

[rdowns]

The next iPod will likely incorporate the iPod features announced for the iPhone.

That being said, there will be no new iPods to steal sales away from the iPhone. Count on new iPods for the xmas selling season.

 

[rockthecasbah]

I would say wait, but if you need an iPod now and do not want to wait for a new revision / do not care if a new revision comes, I would say shop the Apple Refurbished store and get the best of both worlds! If you buy refurb. you can get a 4gb Nano and a 30GB iPod for less than the cost of an 80GB new! (Or you could get a refurbished shuffle for exercise and a 30GB for everything else and come out at the price of a new 30GB)


Truthfully, I actually wouldn't even recommend buying an iPod of the current generation new if you decide not to wait for the inevitable revision (look for that in September-October). There is so little point in paying full price for a current gen iPod, so why not buy one that looks and feels completely new and save some cash!


If you want to wait you'll be iPodless throughout the summer, if you can't hold out buy refurbished. If you can put it off a little more then i'd say hold off because the revised iPod lineup should be set for September.

 

[mkrishnan]

if your exercising, buy the nano. the thought of a HDD rattling around in someone's pocket when they're running gives me the shudders.

I've put probably somewhere between 600 and 1000 miles of running on my 3rd gen 15GB HD iPod.... This is hand-held. I don't think it's as big an issue as people make it out to be, unless you swing your arms around like a baboon!

However, I just got a 2GB Nano, used, about $100. The reason I bought it is to use the Nike+ system, which I adore. I paid $104 from my Paypal balance to get the iPod, and I used my $50 battery settlement coupon $9 in cash to get the Nike armband and the Nike+iPod kit. I've been very, very happy with the purchase.

I have 20GB of music and about 25GB of video on my iMac. Syncing playlists isn't that bad. Especially during workouts, you're not going to be flipping through songs anyway, so playlists are all you need for that.

I'd say, consider a used Nano of whatever size. If you get rid of it in a year, you won't lose that much money. And it'll be great for exercise.

 

[shipdestroyer]

I had a 4G iPod and it was annoyingly heavy to have in my pocket while running. Switched to a refurbished 8GB Nano and it's wonderful. You can always move music on/off your iPod if your library is greater than 8GB.

Buy a refurb, in any case. 4GB refurb nanos are still on sale and are ridiculously cheap.