After two months with the iPod and with
iTunes, I'd say I made the right decision in going with the 1 gig for my son. I did a lot of research prior to making the purchase. With some time for the new to wear off, we're both still happy with iPod.
Yes. There are Other MP3 Players Out There
There are other MP3s on the market. You may get a little lower cost (not much though), but I can tell you that kids go for the iPods. Period. It’s a real status thing. If you got a standard bike back when the banana seat bikes were the hot deal, then you know what I mean. Those seats were not comfortable, but that’s what all the kids coveted. Sometimes it’s more important to have the right “thing” than the “best” thing. And, frankly I did not see any MP3 players that sounded like they outdistanced the iPod anyway. The iPod came out on top for size (small) and for music downloads (tied in with iTunes). They got on early and did it (mostly) right.
With Nano—It’s Mostly About the Size
The first real decision on the Nano is the size. They have a 1 gigabite, 2 gig, and 4 gig. The rough estimates are 250 songs for the 1 gig, 500 for the 2 and 1000 songs for the 4. This would be under ideal conditions—like only putting on music (and average to short length songs). Actual song counts will likely run lower. I think 240 is the average for the 1 gig which is the one I researched most closely. From that, just round down a bit from the other numbers for other models. The numbers are not way off, but Apple is going to play it up. Can’t really blame them (though I love the brutally honest truth always). With short songs and no photos, maybe you could get 250.
The big difference on the gig sizes are the number of songs and the cost on the players. I already mentioned the number of songs. As far as the prices, look for around:
1 gig = $140
2 gig = $180
4 gig = $230
Prices can jump all around, but those are pretty fair ballpark figures looking from before Christmas up to April of 2006. With time, it’s likely the costs will go down. I was comfortable with the deal at Amazon. It does pay to shop around, but I didn’t find Nano lower than Amazon (when shipping was factored in—free at Amazon).
It was tempting to jump up to bigger gigs. When you’re springing for such a high-ticket item anyway, it’s nice to have all the space. On the flip side, I had to be realistic. An extra $40 or $90 is a lot of bucks or a lot of burgers. My kid is 16 and does not have a huge collection of music. He is also not interested in putting photos on his iPod (which it will store—and which will take space). I would think he would love to have his mom and brother right there to look at any time day or night (just kidding). He does not have a girlfriend, so he does not have those “love” photos (yes). In short, I was buying music storage only. And, he does not have a huge collection of CDs or a tremendous urge to listen to loads of different music. He’s rather into country reflecting his rural heritage. I don’t know that there are even 240 good country songs out at any given time. I decided that 240 (or more) songs would be plenty at this point. Plus, he can delete songs and add new songs. I frankly doubt my kid is looking at over 240 songs at this point in his life. Watch me regret that guess.
I would note that if you have a college aged kid, then they may have broader music tastes, more CDs, and just a general “need” for more space including the photos. Hey, the “big kids” moving away from home may want to carry your mug and the sibs to college (so the 2 or 4 gig may be a better bet). I did take that into consideration, but my kid is two years outside of college. By the time he hits those years, the technology will probably be more advanced. I went lower end now (the smallest of the nano models). I may pump it up when he’s older with a new and improved “whatever” they put out by then. I also factored in that hopefully a college kid would be more likely to keep up with an iPod while a high school might misplace, step on, or otherwise slam dunk an iPod. College kids may do the same. I teach kids that age. You just never know. It depends on the kid. It’s rather a hefty price no matter which size you belly up to buy.
The Other iPods to Consider
When you’re looking at the iPods, you’ll also see the Shuffle and the video models. I ruled both out.
I ruled out the Shuffle. The price at around $70 was nice, and Shuffle is super small (like the size of a cigarette lighter but slimmer). It does not have various play lists and the kinds of sorting modes that are included in the nano. It’s like constant pot luck. If you have a very flexible, random kind of kid, you might get by with this one. My kid likes a little more control, and I would too. The price was nice, but this model cuts the fun back too far. If price a major concern, then I’d say the Shuffle would be good—just rather hard as far as hearing what you want when you want to hear it.
Go up in the $300 range, and you can have video iPod. For example, you have music videos (also downloaded from iTunes at $1.99 a pop). My editor student on the paper has this model. She loves to watch her iPod while listening. My kid likes to kick back and relax with his iPod or maybe watch a ballgame on TV at the same time. He would not care a bit about music videos on his iPod. I also would not care to pay $300 (double what I paid) for this kind of extra technology. Again, it depends on the user. My editor student adores her iPod with video. She was totally thrilled to show me some of her music videos. We had a great “girl-fest” checking out the hot guys on her iPod. It was a good investment for her. She loves those music videos. I’d have gone with that one if I’d been buying for her.
Black or White?
Once I decided on the 1 gig iPod, the decision was color. For some reason, kids seem to think the white is the max. I’d think the black looks better, but what do I know? Also, my research suggested that the black scratches easier. So, it was white here—no questions on that. And, all the high school kids I know around here owning this have white and most of the college kids. Odd but true. These are the only two colors currently. The older iPods came out in various colors, and I expect that the nano will next come out in multi colors. Right now, it’s white or black. I might get one eventually, but I’d like pink myself. Yes. There are covers and skins, but that’s not the same.
Let me also warn you that skins (from what I can tell) are stickers. I know this, because I helped my student editor order blue skins online at Ebay (should have read that description better—looked like a case—wasn’t a case). These stickers look like the ones little kids put all over their notebooks but sized to cover the nano. I didn’t even know what the heck they were. My son figured that out. In any case, I would NOT put cheap stickers on an expensive nano. Thumbs down on skins.
Oh Yeah. It’s on my Doorstep
When this came to my house, I was surprised at the small size. I kept reading that it was super small. It is. I would say in the range of a fat credit card. It does not look like it would hold songs at all—much less 240. The weight is so low, I can hardly feel it in my hand. I must say WOW.
This mini size is mostly good, but when I had to put in the serial number, I was not happy. I could not read the writing on the back enough to even tell which was the number. I got my reading glasses. Still couldn’t see. Then, I found a magnifying glass. With both reading glasses and a magnifying glass, I could barely make out a couple of letters/numbers at a time. I’m not even sure I got them all right, but the program accepted what I put in. They could font that up a bit—a good bit in fact.
I did have Caleb read the number when he got in. Of course, he rattled it off. I think he should clean the house from now on, because he can surely see the dirt and dust bunnies better. I have not told him about this new idea. Anyway, if you’re a little older, then you may need a young’un to read the number off.
Easy as Pie My A$$
Now, the next claim I keep seeing is how VERY EASY it is to use the iPod. We’re talking Apple, so I should have been a bit skeptical. It is real easy once you know what you’re doing (like most things are). While you’re trying to figure it out, it is enough to make your Grandma cuss.
The booklet that comes with the iPod has about 10 sentences total. Yehaw. Plug it in. Hit a button. You have music. This is bordering on a big lie. And, they ought to be ashamed for putting out such skimpy directions.
First, you must download the software. Put in the CD included. Follow the promts. No big problem. Even though I had iTunes from a month ago, this was suggested—download the CD. I did this. It takes a while—maybe a half hour on my older computer and DSL.
Next, plug in the iPod. It has a USB plug from the iPod to the computer. Plugging it in charges it (which takes about 3 hours), and it also hooks it up to download music from iTunes. That CD load done first puts iTunes on your computer, so no problem there. Everything is there (if you can figure out how to use all those things).
Down to Business
The next step is either:
1. copy a CD you own
2. buy music from iTunes (at .99 a song or about $9.99 a CD)
The mini booklet says it is a one button step. It might be if you are the ONLY person using the iTunes and want everything you have on iTunes on the iPod. Here, we share a computer, so it was not that simple. My son most definitely did not want the folk music I bought last month. This music was, by the way, saved even with the new software download on iTunes. The good news is that you do not lose the music you paid for—if you tested out iTunes before making the iPod leap. The bad news it that if you have some music and share the computer, you have a more complex process in getting the iPod set up and music loaded.
Getting the Music on There
The basics of iPod with iTunes includes:
1. Put some music on iTunes. This can be downloading a CD you own or buying some iTunes at .99 a song. Do know that it takes way longer than you may think. It took about 50 minutes to put a CD on iTunes here. But, I do not have the most up-to-date computer. In any case, do not expect instant music.
2. Plug in the iPod. If it was plugged in charging, pull it out and plug in again to see the icon. Otherwise, it does not show that you have an iPod hooked up.
3. Click on the iPod icon. It looks rather like the iPod (a rectangle) and has the name of the iPod. In our case, it is the first name of my son.
4. You can set to download everything. If only one person plays with iTunes, go for it. Here, we had to do the folders select. We clicked on Caleb’s songs folder and also one full CD (1969). Then press the button and they go on. That is, however, from a separate screen and not from the first page of iTunes. Press and go into the program for selections, unless you want it all on there.
5. Once you get the feel for the files and the select section with multi users, then it is easy. We added a couple of songs to Caleb’s songs folder, hit update on that one only, and that was smooth. It is not easy to start with though to figure that all out.
Before we got it down, we (or I) managed to jam up a CD and get the whole computer stuck. Then, I copied all kinds of junk (like that folks music he hates) to my son’s iPod. Then, I unloaded it all and lost the ones he did want. Then, I got some on and got it off by accident. Some delete button that I hit to delete folk but was a full delete. Finally, I got it down. This was over a couple of days and several beers and a number of cursings. They make this sound like a monkey could do it and in his sleep. This is misleading. The booklet that comes with the iPod is grossly inadequate, and the process is not all that intuitive.
The BOOK Does Come in Handy
Fortunately, I had noted that some users said an extra book was most helpful. I went with “The iPod” by Scott Kelby. It is quite helpful. It includes help for the nano, shuffle, and video models out now as well as the older models. I managed to get going with the book when the iPod booklet proved to be rather useless. It has way more than the basic information, so I am sure we’ll learn more as we go along. For now, we are good to go with getting songs on there. We’re reading along on the other chapters.
You Call THAT an Accessory? LOL
The cover and lanyard with the iPod are jokes. They need not have bothered. There is a little cheap plastic cover that is a joke and a lanyard that I would not trust to hold something dirt cheap.
I bought a clear plastic cover from Target that is much better in quality. It protects the iPod and allows full access to the little round thing that controls the whole thing (the only part you really need to touch anyway). The only connecting parts on this lanyard are at the top of the neck and screwed. The one with the iPod is a pinch at the bottom that could easily mean a lost $150 toy. Bump. Gone. Put an extra $10 in and get a case with some heft. They sell through Amazon if you don’t have a Target in your area.
Come On. Would a Charge Cord Really Put Apple Under?
The only charge cord is the USB. This means you can’t charge from a power outlet etc. You must be at a computer to juice up. The power charge cord is available for a hefty extra charge (they get you one way or the other every time). Again, iPod is cutting corners. With my kid’s usage pattern, he can charge while he is at school during the day. With a college kid with a more variable schedule, you’ll likely need another charger. Also, travel is a problem with this USB computer only cord. I’m not paying for upscale hotels just to charge an iPod.
Batteries – Bummer
One big thing that I did not like in looking at research is the battery replacement. Right now, Apple hits you hard on that. We’re not near worrying about that yet, but I’m sure we will have to belly up one of these days. That’s one advantage of cornering the market like Apple has done. They can ream you on batteries. Maybe there will be more options by the time we need to juice up again.
Right now, the iPod is new and will play for a number of hours with no problems. I think they say 12 hours. Caleb charges his in the mornings and does not listen 12 hours a day—thank goodness. I know as the iPod ages, it will not be so play friendly and will need a new battery. I will not be able to grab a cheap battery at Wal-Mart for this machine. Well, maybe I will. It does not usually take that long for someone to get on the bandwagon. I’ll see when that day comes.
Yes--It Was a Good Purchase Anyway
My kid loves the iPod. It is small, holds a lot music in his eyes even at 1 gig, and it’s the cool thing to have for his age set. I think it was a good investment all in all. It made my kid happy. But, it is not near as easy to use as suggested. The booklet and lanyard are cheap as heck. I am dreading replacing the battery. In the meantime, I won’t worry and will be happy.
I will also update the review. I’m good about that. If I wait and wait to let folks know about the iPod nano, they’ll already have one and see the concerns (often unexpected). This is my quick and around-the-clock take to the new tech toy for my kid. I did read a lot before buying, but I was still blindsided by some of the kinks. It took a lot of hours and stress to iron through those. With kids who have iPod savvy friends, the learning curve would be easier, I’m sure. I could have asked one of the college kids to help, but it would have added a day or two to get this up and going. My kid was chomping at the bit, and he figured I’d get it going for him. Once we got the system down, it’s really not that hard (easy to say now). Apple really could provide better assistance. I’m rather tech savvy, and this one got on my last nerve a few times before I nailed it. Just a few extra tips would have made a huge difference. They ought to get a writer to fix that booklet up. I’m available (-:
