Ipod Advice

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I'm thinking about getting either an 8 gig nano or a 30 or 80 gig Ipod. My buddy has a nano and really likes it. He advises me not to get a bigger Ipod because they have moving parts inside and break easier. Can anyone elaborate on this? I still am leaning towards the bigger ones, because they have much more space and have video playback. However, I don't want something crapping out on me. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone wants to sell their Ipod, let me know.:)
 
I wouldn't worry about the moving parts in the iPod Video unless you go running with it or are the type of person that drops or bumps things. You're not going to want to carry it around along with keys in your pocket, or something.

Treat it like the $300 device that it is, get a case, and you should be fine. Go with the video if you can afford it and don't mind the extra bulk.
 
Having to decide what part of your music library makes the cut and gets on the iPod vs. is moved out of your library to some archive folder is a real drag IMO. I'd get the largest one you can to avoid having to deal with it.
 
If I were to buy an ipod today, I would check out their refurbished stuff:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...N6umc-r/l9hpz2WUJPYZd8gpXawg&family=Certified

That stuff is DIRT cheap compared to the original price. The refurbished 30gb is mighty nice. And with Itunes 7 there is a firmware upgrade, so you can play games and such like the brand new ipods. You won't have the same resoltution (I think that's the case), but if this is primarily for music it won't matter.
 
[quote name='munch']If I were to buy an ipod today, I would check out their refurbished stuff:[/QUOTE]

Those are a great deal. Just see if you can buy a warranty. I have a 60GB video and its overkill for my needs. I have just over 5,000 songs, 6 audio books, and 27 or so full length movies on it and there is still over 20GB free. Hopefully that helps you decide which model to choose. If I were to do it all over I'd go with the 30GB model.
 
I bought the 60Gb version last April and have filled it up. If you are a song hoarder, the bigger the better. But, like someone said before, if you are clumsy or going to run with your iPod, go with the Nano. I only take mine in the car so I have no problem with the portable harddrive.
 
The refurbs come with the same 1 year warranty as the new iPods, and there's also the protection plan for $59 that extends the warranty to two years. I have a friend who purchased a refurbished 60 gig and he couldn't tell the difference between it and the 60 gig that his wife purchased brand new.

[quote name='TC']Those are a great deal. Just see if you can buy a warranty. I have a 60GB video and its overkill for my needs. I have just over 5,000 songs, 6 audio books, and 27 or so full length movies on it and there is still over 20GB free. Hopefully that helps you decide which model to choose. If I were to do it all over I'd go with the 30GB model.[/quote]
 
The larger capacity iPods have a hard drive which is a mechanical part, like with anything mechanical there is wear and tear with continous use. This is more likely if you are rough on the device. The fact of the matter is that apple considers the ipod a throw away item with a life expectancy of about 3 years. The advantage of the ipod nano is like stated before that it uses flash memory. With flash memory there is no skipping (if bumped/dropped), there are no moving parts so there isnt any wear on parts, and the load times for song are a bit faster, and will virtually last forever. I guess it all comes down to your choice to see if you want to spend 250 dollars on an 8Gb model or the same ammount for 60Gb.
 
If your going to get an Ipod, the Ipod video is the only way to go IMO. I really don't see the point in paying that much money for a simple MP3 player. I can't tell you how many times watching Aqua Teen Hunger Force on my Ipod has saved me from extreme boredom.
 
I'm really looking at those refurbs now. Didn't know the prices were so great. Those prices include everything the new ones do, right? I mean earphones, start up disk, usb cable, etc.

I've got about 400 cds I'd have to convert. Was there any way that was easier and less time consuming than running each into my computer, then transferring them?
 
it woudl be worth noting i had a 4 gig nano crap out on me after about 4 months (replaced under warrenty) but my old 15 gig g2 (i think it was generation 2) is still going strong after 4 years i believe.
 
[quote name='jerfgoke']I wouldn't worry about the moving parts in the iPod Video unless you go running with it or are the type of person that drops or bumps things. You're not going to want to carry it around along with keys in your pocket, or something.

Treat it like the $300 device that it is, get a case, and you should be fine. Go with the video if you can afford it and don't mind the extra bulk.[/QUOTE]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is the problem with using the video and running? Do the parts inside get all messed up from the bouncing? Beacuse, if thats the case, I'm a bit shaky using my iPod during when working out/running. Would using an arm band help reduce damage?
 
[quote name='Ahadi']Forgive my ignorance, but what is the problem with using the video and running? Do the parts inside get all messed up from the bouncing? Beacuse, if thats the case, I'm a bit shaky using my iPod during when working out/running. Would using an arm band help reduce damage?[/quote]the ipods with the bigger storage (10 gb+) have hard drives that they use for their memory, and hard drives have moving parts, which makes them much easier to break than flash based players

As for the OP: dont bother with an ipod, get a Zen Vision: M
Review
 
[quote name='Ahadi']Forgive my ignorance, but what is the problem with using the video and running? Do the parts inside get all messed up from the bouncing? Beacuse, if thats the case, I'm a bit shaky using my iPod during when working out/running. Would using an arm band help reduce damage?[/QUOTE]Basically what the post above says. Running, or any activity that subjects a hard drive to bumps increases the wear-and-tear on the moving parts of the drive. I'm assuming this is why Apple doesn't sell the Nike+ running kit for the video iPods. The flash-based Nano doesn't have moving parts, and won't have this problem.

That said, if you're already running with the iPod, I wouldn't bother changing anything. I see many people running with them on campus here. But if you're looking for a new one, it's one more thing to consider if running is your main use.
 
My old hard drive-based iPod died after slightly over a year, and I was always very careful with it. I've since resorted to the Nano, and have had no troubles whatsoever. I definitely wouldn't go back to a hard drive-based iPod, but I do wish I had more storage capacity to play around with. The new 8 gig Nanos are a step in the right direction.
 
I have a Nano and it works great, not a huge song capacity only a 1gig, but I tend to really use it for running and listening to podcasts while I work, plus I tend to swap alot of my songs and podcasts out pretty quickly and have never used more that 800MB at any point in time. I am pretty glad I saved cash on getting the smaller version, but it comes down to your needs. As for the video playback I have a feeling that in the future and firmware update is going to come out for the Nano to allow video playback, it is possible and I have seen some pictures (hopefully not doctored) of linux based Nano's that play video. So I assume the hardware can handle it. To me the only downside is the lack of video.
 
[quote name='jerfgoke']Basically what the post above says. Running, or any activity that subjects a hard drive to bumps increases the wear-and-tear on the moving parts of the drive. I'm assuming this is why Apple doesn't sell the Nike+ running kit for the video iPods. The flash-based Nano doesn't have moving parts, and won't have this problem.

That said, if you're already running with the iPod, I wouldn't bother changing anything. I see many people running with them on campus here. But if you're looking for a new one, it's one more thing to consider if running is your main use.[/QUOTE]

Okay, thats what I figured.

But you'd think that Apple would have thought that people would use these with exercizing, which would explain why exercizing with them would shorten life span, meaning you'd have to buy another... Damn them, thats clever. Oh well, I've been using mine with my running and weight lifting for at least 6 months, and I'm not about to stop. I guess I'll just grab an armband or something.
 
If I am correct, the only iPods without moving parts would be the iPod Shuffles and the 1gig iPod nano, since those are made with flash drives.

I havent read the whole thread, so maybe someone has already mentioned this.

I have a 4th Gen iPod (Click Wheel) which is about 2 yrs old (I think) and it is still going strong. I even put Linux on it so that I could watch videos!

The only way you could probably break the moving parts would be dropping the iPod constantly. (or from a large height)
 
[quote name='RawisJericho']Will apple let you use the 10% student discount on refrubs?[/QUOTE]

Doesn't look like it. I just went to the offerings page of the school I work at. There was a link to the refurbished, and it had the same pricing. The extended rebates, however, were only $47, not in th 50s like the regular refurb site. Still a great price anyway.
 
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