Own an iPod? Check out the new, low-cost mini-iPod and weep

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/30/wipod30.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/12/30/ixnewstop.html :laughing:
Holds 800 songs as opposed to 10,000 but is a fraction of the cost.
I want oneā€¦

Might get myself one of those too.

That would certainly be long enough for me!

Kenneth

The only problem I could see when I tried out my friendā€™s Ipod was finding the volume control through the menu; not very convenient, or possibly I didnā€™t know what I was doing.

Never has a device been so fulfilling and so annoying at the same time. I love the integration with the $.99-a-tune music store, but: the front panel is too sensitive, thereā€™s no on/off switch, thereā€™s no volume control (without attaching the additional wired remote do-dad), the wired remote do-dad doesnā€™t have any tactile feedback and doesnā€™t behave predictably - forcing one to refer back to the display, and so on.

Apple clearly produced an innovative product, and yet had to break several mental models to do so (one must hold the ā€˜playā€™ button to turn it off? Reminds me of my old Samsung mobile which one turns on by holding the ā€˜endā€™ key). I suppose designers must reach a point where it becomes difficult to do something better without doing it in a significantly differentway (ā€œThinkā€¦ā€ (sorry)). Perhaps most people donā€™t notice, already being inundated with so much learning curve with every new device, but Iā€™m a designer and I normally love Appleā€™s products so these quirks drive me insane.

I wish I had the cash be buy one though.

well a very wonderful ex-girlfriend gave me the 20GB version for XMAs (very buhaoyisi i know)ā€¦only problem is my home pc is win98!..so i guess iā€™ll have to haul all my cdā€™s to work to load them upā€¦i must say itā€™s the sexiest piece of equipment (and packaging) iā€™ve ever seenā€¦i guess one way round the volume control problem would be to get another set of plugs with a volume cut on itā€¦(altho having just tried the apple plugs i can say theyā€™re pretty high performance)

Bear,

Steve Jobs had guys like you in mind when designing the iPod. Go to the Apple website and download the Windows version of Appleā€™s awesome iTunes software. Then youā€™ll be ready to whisk your MP3s on to your iPod. Also, because youā€™re a windows user and you probably use Windows Media Player for your ripped cds, youā€™ll have to convert your Windows Media Player files (.WMA) to .mp3 files. Go to Kazaa and download dbPoweramp Music converter or any other shareware file converter and youā€™ll be set up for hours of enjoyment with your iPod.

Hans

cheers mateā€¦i was hoping someone would pop up with a workaround for me

but (and its a big butt)ā€¦you still need win2000 or higher to download itunesā€¦

ā€¦at the same volume.

Can you download from the 99c music store from outside the US? I tried and hit a wall.

Spook

You can download from the the itunes website if you have a US address or if are part of their Mac club ie. you buy server space on the Apple server or you have bought something online from them before.

Hans

Actually, you cannot buy music from iTunes unless you have a US address. Doesnā€™t matter if you have .Mac or not.

I use a US credit card tied to a US address. I know not all of you have that, but a lot of you do.

No volume control? At least on the new, third generation model iPod that I have, that main scroll wheel on the front serves as the volume control when youā€™re playing a song.

I need an iPod to keep my audio books from audible.com. It is a little useless to put them in my PC. The only time I like to listen to a book is when I am riding a scooter or waiting in a line or moving on the streets.

65 pounds, I will buy it immediately! Hope it will be available soon. I will use any Quanxi in the U.S. or U.K. to get it. :slight_smile:

You folks may want to hold off a bit until you can see the new model. News reports from the last couple of days indicate that many iPod users are thinking of filing a class-action lawsuit against Apple.

story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ā€¦ h_apple_dc

[quote]Meanwhile, a video making the rounds of the Internet shows a man spray-painting the message ā€œIPodā€™s unreplaceable battery lasts only 18 monthsā€ on iPod posters.

The filmmaker, Casey Neistat, said in a note on his Web site, ipodsdirtysecret.com/ , that he decided to make the film after his unit essentially died in September and he was told the battery could not be replaced.

Apple offers a $99 battery replacement service.[/quote]

Apparently the battery has a limited lifespan of about 18 months, which means that it fails just outside of the warranty period. It requires Apple technical service to replace it, at a cost of about US$100 ā€“ not a ā€œopen the cover and slip a new one inā€ type of battery.

If itā€™s a lithium-ion battery like my Nikon 995 uses, theyā€™re dead accurate on the lifespan problem. Iā€™ve had to replace two batteries so far, and theyā€™re bleedinā€™ expensive.

What is it about the iPod that puts it above the other HD based players ? How come the iPod is the best thing since sex, but the Creative Labs Jukebox (or whatever itā€™s called) is merely very nice ?

Seems the cheap iPod thing was just a rumour.
story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ā€¦ eaperipods

Here it is, at $249 a pop: apple.com/ipodmini/