New series of iPods released today

[Kompresshun]

New iPod Shuffle, Nano, and Touch

http://www.apple.com/ipod/

I'm considering the new Touch, seeing as it actually has some useful updates this time to make me want to consider replacing my 2nd gen 16GB. It actually has a front facing webcam and a video camera on the back this time, which I never thought they'd actually go through with. It also has the retina display offered in the iPhone 4 which also makes it appealing, again being a decent upgrade from my current Touch.

Archos released a whole new series of Android "tablets" today too, which are in various screen sizes. I just still fail to see anything better than the iPod for portable media, I would still take an iPod any day over anything else comparable on the market at the current time. I do like the Android options coming up lately in media player and tablet form, but with owning an Android phone, I still find myself using the iPod for all media related things I do.

[dre1507]

*apple-hater mode* apple sucks yo.

*apple-hater but i really want an itouch mode* so the face-time on the touch, is it for skype?

[PoorManQ45]

Yey... More spoon feeding...

I really wish there was an interface for using the Zune with a car stereo rather then using the 1/8" jack...

[Dattebayo]

I just still fail to see anything better than the iPod for portable media

Because you don't actively look.

I would still take an iPod any day over anything else comparable on the market at the current time..

Now we're coming to the truth of the matter.

[ADDirishboy]

Meh. My Moto Droid plays all my music perfectly.

[Kompresshun]

I just still fail to see anything better than the iPod for portable media

Because you don't actively look.

I would still take an iPod any day over anything else comparable on the market at the current time..

Now we're coming to the truth of the matter.

Yes I could go with another alternative, like the Zune HD or Archos 5 for example, but the main reason over anything else that I stay loyal to Apple for portable media is the fact that I have 8,800 songs in my iTunes library, and 30-35% of those are DRM or are unable to play on other devices. It seemed like a good idea then, now not so much, either way though i'm stuck with it now. Unless of course I pay to unlock the DRM files or do a work around. It's not worth the effort to me... every iPod i've had has done the job fine and never failed on me at all.

I also don't want all of my music, tv shows, and ect. loaded on my phone. Yes my Android phone is perfectly capable of handling it, but I depend on my phone for phone calls, e-mail, work, and basic browsing of the net whenever needed. I don't like the idea of everything being all in one place, plus I get a new phone yearly sometimes, I might buy a new iPod every 3 years.

[Dattebayo]

Unless of course I pay to unlock the DRM files or do a work around. It's not worth the effort to me... every iPod i've had has done the job fine and never failed on me at all.

If you don't see how dumb that is, I can't help you.

No I'm not calling you dumb, just the fact that you continue to support a company that does things that way.

[PoorManQ45]

No I'm not calling you dumb, just the fact that you continue to support a company that does things that way.

This man speaks the troof!

[AppleBonker]

I'm strongly considering the new nano for my workout player. But I stick with Apple because it integrates well with the car. If Alpine were to make a head unit that would control a zune I switch in a second.

[Jesda]

I spent $350 on a low-end AMD-powered HTPC, only to find out the Apple TV with a remote is only $99. Argh.

[Jesda]

Unless of course I pay to unlock the DRM files or do a work around. It's not worth the effort to me... every iPod i've had has done the job fine and never failed on me at all.

If you don't see how dumb that is, I can't help you.

No I'm not calling you dumb, just the fact that you continue to support a company that does things that way.

You should be slobbing Jobs's HIV-positive knob for even having legally downloadable music. Apple had to give in to DRM to get music publishers on board for the first few years, and thanks to Apple paving the way and establishing viability, you can now get a vast selection of DRM-free music from Apple, Amazon, and others.

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

Meh. My Moto Droid plays all my music perfectly.

Hell, my motorola Razor plays my music perfectly.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Solid state ipods lack storage space. And since it's a music device, I really have no need for a massive, vulnerable touch-screen. iPod classic is much more appealing.

[Dattebayo]

You should be slobbing Jobs's HIV-positive knob for even having legally downloadable music. Apple had to give in to DRM to get music publishers on board for the first few years, and thanks to Apple paving the way and establishing viability, you can now get a vast selection of DRM-free music from Apple, Amazon, and others.

Paying for someone to limit you is stupid IMO.

[Jesda]

You should be slobbing Jobs's HIV-positive knob for even having legally downloadable music. Apple had to give in to DRM to get music publishers on board for the first few years, and thanks to Apple paving the way and establishing viability, you can now get a vast selection of DRM-free music from Apple, Amazon, and others.

Paying for someone to limit you is stupid IMO.

Yeah it sucks, but the other option back then was pirating it (harder to do for music that isnt pop, and there was no bit torrent back then either) or going to the store, hoping they had what you wanted in stock, and buying the entire album on a compact disc.

Now I buy most of my music on Amazon because my JVC head unit won't play AAC format. The iTunes store is a lot better organized, so I use that to search and sample and then buy on AMZ.

[MinisterofDOOM]

If you ask me, one of the best things itunes ever did was make it possible to buy INDIVIDUAL songs. There are a lot of songs I like that come on albums I don't much care for as a whole. I don't want to pay $10 for a bunch of music I don't like. But a buck for the song I DO want? Makes it all the more appealing.

Even though I dislike iTunes as a windows-based media player (it's buggy, and still feels like Apple hired someone else to port over code from Mac as though we're still in the mid-90s) I have to agree the storefront is the best out there. My G1 came with Amazon Mp3 store as bloatware and I genuinely considered using it. Until I actually used it. Even the full-web version of it can only be generously described as passable. But then again it doesn't require me to start up a poorly-coded program that takes ages to launch and use.

[krash]

I just still fail to see anything better than the iPod for portable media, I would still take an iPod any day over anything else comparable on the market at the current time.

I completely disagree. The iPod's sound sucks IMO. My HTC Incredible has better sound quality than an iPod.

[Jesda]

I really like the soundstage from Sansas. I also find the iPod sound to be flat.

[Kompresshun]

Paying for someone to limit you is stupid IMO.

Yeah it sucks, but the other option back then was pirating it (harder to do for music that isnt pop, and there was no bit torrent back then either) or going to the store, hoping they had what you wanted in stock, and buying the entire album on a compact disc.

Now I buy most of my music on Amazon because my JVC head unit won't play AAC format. The iTunes store is a lot better organized, so I use that to search and sample and then buy on AMZ.

See that's where my limit came in, I started expanding my music library again during that time because I started a DJ business with a friend. We had a PC that we ran all of our music off of and we would download music on the fly by request, back then there was nothing as reliable as iTunes to do something like that. I didn't realize at the time that I was getting screwed with the DRM crap, and realistically I probably have a lot less DRM content than I think I do. Still, last time I checked, it would cost me more to unlock the DRM content than it's worth IMHO, I wouldn't be against switching over to something else altogether but I see no reason now. I have been using Amazon MP3 more lately and it's not bad as well, but I still buy the majority of my stuff from iTunes.

I'm not saying that there's no alternatives altogether, I just don't see the use for someone like myself. I really came close to buying a ZuneHD when they came out and paying to switch everything but i'm not a big fan of the Zune Marketplace compared to iTunes.

[PoorManQ45]

I just remembered something.

For you guys that like Alpines interface with the ipod. Try their units that accept a USB drive. I completely forgot about this.

The interface is quite nice once you get your folders and playlists setup. This is definitely an awesome option.

[marlin29311]

Downloading music FTL. Lossy codec's are lossy.

[AppleBonker]

I completely disagree. The iPod's sound sucks IMO. My HTC Incredible has better sound quality than an iPod.

While I would agree with this statement, my head unit uses its DACs rather than those on the iPod. That generates better audio, IMHO.

For you guys that like Alpines interface with the ipod. Try their units that accept a USB drive. I completely forgot about this.

The interface is quite nice once you get your folders and playlists setup. This is definitely an awesome option.

Mine does, but I haven't messed with it much. As I will explain below, I use the iPod for the convenience only. I've got roughly 62 gigs of music and a bunch more movie files (which I'm not sure if the newer Alpine decks can play video from USB - they can from the iPod) and keeping those at my fingers is nice. There aren't too many flash drives that size, and they become prohibitively expensive (from what I can tell it would cost me $300+ or so for a 120 GB or larger flash drive). External hard drives don't receive enough power from the head unit to operate, so I run out of options there. Beyond that, I still have the ability to pull the iPod and use it as a portable device if that need arises.

Downloading music FTL. Lossy codec's are lossy.

Very true, and when going for quality I definitely up it to CDs or even DVDs. However, it isn't very feasible to carry around a few hundred of those discs plus the hardware to play them on. That is the trade-off with any of these devices. You're going to sacrifice some quality for portability. Which is more important to you personally should play into your decision. Plus, it's not like it should matter much to you in your car specifically with that crappy Bose setup...

[dasoupdude]

I swear to God, i think im the only in the world that still uses CD's.


new iPod touch looks beast.

[Dattebayo]

I completely disagree. The iPod's sound sucks IMO. My HTC Incredible has better sound quality than an iPod.

Hell, my generic Pantech phone gets better sound then my buddy's iPod.

[Dattebayo]

I swear to God, i think im the only in the world that still uses CD's.

I use MiniDisc, too. So don't feel alone, I just don't talk about it much, that's all...

[MinisterofDOOM]

Downloading music FTL. Lossy codec's are lossy.

If I was rocking audio playback hardware that could take proper advantage of lossless compression, I might care about that.

[marlin29311]

Downloading music FTL. Lossy codec's are lossy.

Very true, and when going for quality I definitely up it to CDs or even DVDs. However, it isn't very feasible to carry around a few hundred of those discs plus the hardware to play them on. That is the trade-off with any of these devices. You're going to sacrifice some quality for portability. Which is more important to you personally should play into your decision. Plus, it's not like it should matter much to you in your car specifically with that crappy Bose setup...

Silence foo. You know the BO$E owns you.

Downloading music FTL. Lossy codec's are lossy.

If I was rocking audio playback hardware that could take proper advantage of lossless compression, I might care about that.

I'm moreso going off the fact that I don't like the way the downloaded stuff is encoded...I would rather take a CD, use a very high bitrate VBR encoding and normal stereo (not this joint-stereo BS that usually happens) and encode that way.

[Dittoz7]

Can it play the original gran turismo 2 like my phone?

[dusred]

New series of iPods released today

Meh. Apple ftl.

[dasoupdude]

dammit i thought they were actually 'released' today. i went to a store after school to go and check one out, girl said they come in next week