Ten Reasons You Should Not Buy an iPod
iPods are just a few of the players now in the market and I would give the following to you for thought.
10. iPods are not expandable – As this market has grown manufactures of computer media (SD Cards, Compact Flash, Sony Memory Stick) have gotten smart. They are partnering with/or creating devices that will be expandable and not held back by a set size of device storage. Most people who buy music players like the iPod find the low price of the lower storage capacity devices a good way to get into the market. But when they evolve as users, they find the storage to be a brick wall as they convert and transfer music to the player. Most users will find themselves frustrated and looking to other devices that can be upgraded as they grow in the fast paced world of electronic music. If this is your case your should look for devices that are expandable here is one of my predictions to be best pick as an alternative to the iPod: http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1166)-SanDisk_Sansa_e200_Series_MP3_Players.aspx
9. Tied to music store – Apple has created an incredible store front for music I can’t deny this. But, the in your face approach will fail them in the future. Users are becoming more complicated and they know how to organize their computer world. Drag and drop is much easier for them. More and more programs are coming out to circumvent the store fronts and allow users to copy music back and forth from computer to devices. This supports the user making the choices as to what they carry in their pocket.
8. Durability – I’m not careful with my devices. I live in a real world with real gravity. Things fall. They always will. Look for devices with less moving parts. Gone are the days of slapping a hard drive in a case then putting a pretty coating on it. Look for up and coming devices using titanium shells, shock proof hard drives, or even better ones with no hard drives at all. Music players with no moving parts are the best way to go as memory designs increase and grow for the market.
7. Bells and whistles – We all want bells and whistles. The more something can do the less we have to purchase in the long run. Always compare and get the most for your money.
6. Media format limited – The world is changing and while we have adopted the MP3 as the king of music formats things change. Don’t be limited by the store front media sales pitch. You will come across a situation that your iPod can’t handle. Let me tell you a quick story about downloading from my local library. I couldn’t. Quite simply my iPod was not able to handle the download and I was forced to listen to my eBooks on my computer. There are also a lot of new devices that are handling video and radio too. I expect to see ones that will have Satellite radio integrated in the future. There are also ones that can record and have microphones. These I would recommend for students coming to college for the first time.
5. Single function – I’m not Batman. I don’t want a utility belt with all the bells and whistles. It’s there to hold my pants up. I want a slim device that I can check email, listen to music here and there and make important calls when needed. As of now I have to carry devices for all these different functions. I’m not rich and can’t afford to buy an all-in-one device. Something modular would be nice if you work for the industry please listen. PANT BELTS are for PANTS not devices.
4. InterOS unfriendliness – I’m an Apple iBook user in my home. At work I have to play nice with Microsoft Windows or even more granularly, Linux. When I had to reformat my iPod because it couldn’t handle the formatting from my Apple I wasn’t happy. I lost all my music for the day and I was cranky. I’m not alone.
3. No wireless computer integration – I’m starting to look like the Star Trek Borg Ship on my desk at home. I have wires that print, transfer, network and scan. Not to mention keyboards, mice and all the micro drives I use. It would be nice to start seeing more devices that can handle wireless connections to my master hardware in my home/work. As of yet iPod can’t do that. There is a race in the industry to meet this demand but It will be a few more seasons to do so.
2. Manufacturing defects – I was the first person to jump on the iPod band wagon when they first came out and while things have gotten better they still have problems and will continue to. If Apple didn’t it wouldn’t give them room to grow. But let new technology lay around a bit before buying. It gives them time to work out all the bugs.
1. Diverse Market – The market is so diverse right now that you can find a music play to fit your needs. Apple isn’t the end all be all for this. Look at different ones and test drive them. Watch prices you can find players that have double or more space for songs then current models of iPod. Don’t brand yourself to just one company. Look for expandability, media types.
Remember it’s your money. You deserve the most for it. And a one solution for all market isn’t going to do you any good. Shop around and you would be surprised at how many players there are and how well they play with Apple computers and PC based machines.
