http://www.ecost.com/ecost/shop/detail~dpno~574574.asp If you have your eye on a 20G IPOD, give this link a try. I ordered one and recieved it the other day. I've been downloading songs ever since! Nice to go from the 4G model to this 20G model. My refurb looks brand new. Comes with cords, earbuds and a/c power adapter.
Sure is a lot of money to pay for a portable lo-fi music device. That is all these are good for, correct?
You can put uncompressed wav files on the unit and with its internal dac's its going to sound as good as about any other portable unit out there. Thanks for the heads up John...
If you're in the mood for, say, a cheeseburger, just say "iPod, grill me a cheeseburger" and voila, get me the ketchup.
thanks, it is just amazing to have a large part of one's album collection right at your fingertips. it will be a pleasure to go on vacation next week knowing I have more than plenty of tunes for the 12 hour car ride and a week at the beach. plus songs on an IPOD are very listenable.
Taken from the Apple web site: * Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz * Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Music Store), MP3 (32 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF * Upgradable firmware enables support for future audio formats * iTunes synchronizes thumbnail images to iPod from the following file formats: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only) and PNG
The great thing about iPods is that even though your not listening to music under optimal conditions (dedicated home systems are for that obviously) - I find myself listening to more music and albums I never had much time to sit and listen to before. It is a great tool.
It is a great way to take a lot of one's collection onto the road. I use a cassette adapter to listen to music while working...you can't beat that.
I can listen while I'm falling asleep w/o bothering the wife. These things are the greatest invention since sliced bread. How else could you transport 10,000 tunes no matter where you go? mud-
Agreed, I can enjoy music, books on tape without disturbing the wife and without fumbling for cds. All that music at your fingertips. I love it.
I am not sure why but ecost has a listing for 189.00 here- http://www.ecost.com/ecost/shop/detail.asp?dpno=589278&source=ewb07072 Standard shipping on that unit is also 1.99 with no handling charge. In my research I have found out that these units are refurbs as clearly marked, that means they have a 90 day warranty from ecost. There is some concern with battery issues on refurb units on the various ipod websites. As such they suggest you really work the unit and check battery life, recharge time, memory issues, etc within the first 30 days to see if the unit is up to spec. Again thanks for the heads up...
Actually the 90 day warranty is from Apple. I have not heard that there are concerns with battery, but that may be the case. In my experience, I have not had any problems with the battery life of the refurb one I have now or have had in the past. I should also mention that Apple, the last time I checked, also has refurb 20GB units for about $230 with no shipping cost (but you have to pay tax depending on where you live).
Thanks for clarifying the warranty issue. Of note is that fact the refurb units direct from Apple come with a 1 year warranty and the 20gig with click wheel is $219 currently.
As far as "amazing" qualities, you won't find them in the iPod. There are better players for less money, that accomplish what the iPod can and more. Sure, they are low fidelity, but what does that matter? When you're on the train commuting in the morning and afternoon, that's not the first thing that pops in my mind.
Well, the IPod does have the best navigation of all, doesn't it? And I'm sure the sound is comparable at a given price point.
I love the ease of the IPOD. I've loaded up my 20G with around 12G's of music for my vacation. Plenty of tunes for the beach. I saw a docking station by Altec Lansing at BestBuy yesterday. When you stick it into the slot it becomes a stereo (a small boombox). Plus it can charge the IPOD. The Altec sounded as good as the $100 more Bose version.