I'm thinking about getting an iPod. Y'know. Once I save up enough. Of course I have some quick questions to get around the dangers that might come with some:

1. Are shuffles any good? They're the cheapest but they look like crap.
2. 40 Gig: excessive? I have about 8 gigs of music right now and I hope to expand that.
3. 10 Gig: not enough?
4. Headphones: replaceable, right? those things suck.
5. are there any decent iPod alternatives? i wouldn't mind having a cheaper non-apple-made player, i just don't want to have to download something other than iTunes to make it work.
6. do I get anything special for using a mac with the iPod? Probably not, I'm sure, but if there is...

thanks in advance!

the headphones are excellent, but the white picks you out of a crowd.

20 Gb is good.

itunes it is.

[quote="discovolante"]1. Are shuffles any good? They're the cheapest but they look like crap.[/quote]
Yeah, I'd avoid the shuffle. If you want a flash player, you can find a cheaper one.

[quote="discovolante"]2. 40 Gig: excessive? I have about 8 gigs of music right now and I hope to expand that.
3. 10 Gig: not enough?[/quote]
I have a 10GB 3G and I've got enough room for all my good music. It'll probably run out by next year though.

[quote="discovolante"]4. Headphones: replaceable, right? those things suck.[/quote]
Yes, they suck ass. I recommend the Sony EX-51/71. They give out great sound and have decent isolation. Avoid the Apple in-ear headphones at all costs, they're even worse than the iPod pack-ins.

[quote="discovolante"]5. are there any decent iPod alternatives? i wouldn't mind having a cheaper non-apple-made player, i just don't want to have to download something other than iTunes to make it work.[/quote]
I hear that the iRiver is good, but the iPod is the only thing that will work with iTunes.

[quote="discovolante"]6. do I get anything special for using a mac with the iPod? Probably not, I'm sure, but if there is...[/quote]
Yes, you get to pay an extra $20 if you want to use a current gen. iPod with firewire instead of USB!

Well. I like the headphones a lot. What's wrong with them?

I think they sound too tinny, and they leak a little when you get to high volumes. Usually I like a lot of bass with my music, so the iPod headphones really didn't cut it for me. The cord could be a bit longer too.

As I was telling clouds earlier, the first thing a lot of people around here do when they get an iPod is replace the headphones, and it has nothing to do with the quality. I don't know if it's just a reigonal thing, but around here the white earbuds advertise that you have an iPod, and a lot of pickpockets look for that. There was a problem with people lifting iPods around here.

Yeah.


But I'm impressed by the bass in these headphones. Do you have a 4th generation ipod?

Oh, I don't even care about the sound. The headphones I have at the moment have perfect sound. I just don't want to have to dig those little bastards [i]in[/i] my ear. I find it very uncomfortable.

10 Gb is a waste of your money. If you're shelling out coin for a trendy mp3 player go for something that wont fill up in two months.

As for alternatives. There are plenty of other players that work great, are a lot cheaper, have more efficient batteries, and don't make you look like a hipster faggot asking to be robbed, but consider this: do you want something that's flexible? I have most of my music in AAC. That combined with itunes ability to encode in lossless is more than enough reason to own an ipod. Just go with it. When it comes to digital music, compatibilty with advanced audio formats should be a big issue. Also ipods are more trendy and sexily made.

10 gb is NOT enough, trust me. go for 20.

Uh, I'm with Catfish. More because I don't want him to beat me up if I don't.

And I figured 10 gig was too small. I've almost filled that up.

While it's giving me battery problems at the moment, I like my shuffle. I have like only 4 gigs on my computer (should be more, but I'm too lazy to rip or download) and I don't listen to all of it.

The stock headphones are just ok. I have some Sony MDR-201's that were only 10 bucks, cover my ears, have lots of bass, long chord and don't go super high in the volume section. Which is a plus for me because I have been crapping up my ears with sound.

i dunno about the shuffle, honestly. i mean, the iPod has a shuffle feature already, amirite? why would i bother with something that has that and only that?

and they look like little toothpick holders.

That is true. I never use it thought cuz I listen to specific things on it.

It works well for me cuz like I said, I don't listen to all of my music. Usually, it's only one band even thought I like all the bands that are on my computer.

IMO, the shuffle is pointless and stupid, unless you are dirt poor and can't afford the ipod. As for memory, I think it would be best to get 20gigs.