| Author |
Why do Esato members hate the iPod? |
Hlcn Twst
Joined: Jul 27, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Purgatory, Utah, USA
PM, WWW
|
Whenever a  phone vs. iPod discussion crops up (which is often), there are always 10  users arguing against every 1 iPod user. I'm baffled as to why.
The main argument is convergence. But what about capability? I'm in favor of convergence, but not at the expense of capability, which is the sacrifice built in to most multi-function mobile devices on the market today. makes great phones, but the capabilities therein pale in comparison to an iPod video.
- PC compatibility: iTunes is available for Windoze and Mac; Disc2Phone is PeeCee only.
- PC integration: iTunes blows away the joke that is Disc2Phone, for organizing and transferring content. And iTunes does so much more...
- Storage: iPods come in sizes from 1 GB to 80 GB. What's the largest MSDP currently available? 8 GB, I believe, and - by itself - it costs as much as an 8 GB iPod Nano!
- Navigation: The iPod automatically organizes your content extremely logically, and the click-wheel makes it extremely easy to find specific content. content organization is entirely manual, and getting to it with a D-pad or joystick is a chore. (Especially if you have a larger memory card filled to capacity. Yikes!)
- Display: iPod video and W880 are both QVGA resolution with 65K colors. But, the iPod's display diagonally measures 2.5" vs. the W880's paltry 1.8".
- Sound Quality: If all you care about is (muddy) bass, phones are great. For clean, balanced, dare I say "reference" sound, the iPod is unbeatable.
I know this because, for the past week, I've performed an experiment. I've used my iPod only in my car (since I have an iPod connector in there, but not a generic RCA L/R stereo one), while relying on my W810 for everything else. I grant you, it is more conevenient to have one device instead of 2, especially when a call or message comes in. But everything else - transfering, managing, and enjoying music and movies - has been pain.
So tell me, why the hate, then? Does the convenience of one device, a phone, outweigh the capabilities of 2 devices?
I will say, though, that we've entered the twilight year of stand-alone small-capacity, limited-capability dedicated music players (e.g. iPod Nano). Which is undoubtedly why Apple introduced the iPhone this year 
| |
|
jcwhite_uk
Joined: Feb 18, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Dorset, UK Phone:Xperia Z1
PM, WWW
|
The main reason for me not wanting an Ipod is cause I dont often listen to music, except in my car, so my phone holds all the music I want and I dont want carry 2 devices when one does what i need it to.
Checkout my photos at My Website"Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the world together." |
maggflodd
Joined: Apr 20, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: <500
PM |
On 2007-03-23 19:11:08, Hlcn Twst wrote:
Whenever a phone vs. iPod discussion crops up (which is often), there are always 10 users arguing against every 1 iPod user. I'm baffled as to why.
(...)
So tell me, why the hate, then? HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJyChtXAeHI
Don't know if she's a member though
_________________
... so what's the problem? You misunderstood me perfectly well...!
[ This Message was edited by: on 2007-03-23 18:27 ]
[ This Message was edited by: maggflodd on 2007-03-23 18:33 ]
[ This Message was edited by: laffen on 2007-03-24 03:35 ] |
fatreg
Joined: Jul 26, 2003
Posts: > 500
PM |
On 2007-03-23 19:11:08, Hlcn Twst wrote:
[*] Sound Quality: If all you care about is (muddy) bass, phones are great. For clean, balanced, dare I say "reference" sound, the iPod is unbeatable.
you clearly know nothing about music if you think the iPod has reference souding audio... i dont mean for this to sound horrible, but the ipod lacks mid and deep bass.. i've yet to see and mp3 player that can reproduce sound at a good quality, i still use MD as my portable audio.
the only time an ipod is any good is when you have a bose sound dock plugged into the ipod..
and dont think im alone on this thought, audiophiles all over the world will tell you this....
fatreg
|
Hlcn Twst
Joined: Jul 27, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Purgatory, Utah, USA
PM, WWW
|
you clearly know nothing about music if you think the iPod has reference souding audio... i dont mean for this to sound horrible, but the ipod lacks mid and deep bass.. i've yet to see and mp3 player that can reproduce sound at a good quality, i still use MD as my portable audio.
Negative. I'm not a music professional, but I have owned many different devices in many different environments (home, work, car, on the go), and have a very critical ear. I use Sony MDR-EX81SL's on my iPod, with EQ set to Off, and it sounds perfect. Turn off the EQ on a phone and use the same headphones, and you get something a little better than an FM radio station. Turn on the "Bass" mode and you get a boomy, muddy, awful mess.
I guess if you're used to that, everything else "lacks bass" 
@maggflodd: The opinon of a bored, narcissistic, deadpan ditz with too much time on her hands matters not at all.
|
fatreg
Joined: Jul 26, 2003
Posts: > 500
PM |
im not used to bass at all but i know audio when i hear it..
i myself have a Cambridge Audio 640 amp and cd player, Morduant Short 902i speakers, IXOS bi wire speaker cables and ecosse interconnects. I also spent a number of years listening to a bose accoustimass 10 powered by a bose lifestyle system, and also a B & O Beosound 9000 with beolab 8000 loudspeakers....
now i dont want this to be a flame war but yes in PC mags the ipod might have great audio but place the same mp3 players in a audio mag and the ipod wont win! which is a shame as i love my mac! 
fatreg
|
Hlcn Twst
Joined: Jul 27, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Purgatory, Utah, USA
PM, WWW
|
A lossy-format music player obviously won't win any home theater contests, iPod or not. That wasn't what I posted.
My question is, how does the iPod perform against ? I bet these phones would be far worse in the sources you posted.
|
maggflodd
Joined: Apr 20, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: <500
PM |
@maggflodd: The opinon of a bored, narcissistic, deadpan ditz with too much time on her hands matters not at all.
[/quote] I agree... Was being a bit too ironic I guess. But a lot of these threads end up in the same style - just decorated with "facts"! If someone likes ipods what does it matter why I think they are the greatest advertising con not-the-devil's ever pulled off? Or if I agreed with you partly, because I KNOW both my n91 and my e61 wipe the floor with the w-range... it all ends up tedious, self-absorbed, etc... Whenever taste and being-influenced-by-advertising-but-not-realising-it come into the equation, her contribution is as meaningful as ......... I just find them 70's-scifi-ridiculously-ugly. That doesn't make any sense does it?
[addsig] |
Hlcn Twst
Joined: Jul 27, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Purgatory, Utah, USA
PM, WWW
|
We all tend to get very defensive about our choices, and will find - or even invent? - facts to back them up.
So let me restate that the findings in my original post are largely my opinion, albeit based on observation and experience. And that opinion, in short, is: although phones are quite good for what they are, the iPod beats their multimedia capabilties.
Which is why I wonder why so many here hate the iPod so much? I suspect it goes beyond the convenience afforded by an all-in-one device.
|
shaliron
Joined: Jan 15, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Melbourne, Australia
PM |
Now I don't hate iPod, just dislike it. And that's not just because of SE's phones, it's more to do with the fact that there are other companies like iRiver (Clix), Creative (Zen Vision :M:) and Sansa (E250 etc.) making much better player and not getting half as much recognition for making better players and better affordability. The iPod makes its way through by using sheep marketing tactics. It really is very basic compared to other competitors in terms of specs.
PC compatibility: iTunes is available for Windoze and Mac; Disc2Phone is PeeCee only.
Isn't drag and drop supported by the Mac?
PC integration: iTunes blows away the joke that is Disc2Phone, for organizing and transferring content. And iTunes does so much more...
Quite true, but most 'mortals' only really use it to get music on the device. Still it is an area which should be improved.
Storage: iPods come in sizes from 1 GB to 80 GB. What's the largest MSDP currently available? 8 GB, I believe, and - by itself - it costs as much as an 8 GB iPod Nano!
Well basically because most convergence users don't need that much storage realistically; I'm speaking on my personal usage though. 1GB is enough for say 16 hours of music. That's ample for us users as the amount that we use the thing for listening to music is really only in places like: being on the train etc.
Realistically, most of the market doesn't need that much storage. It's all about 'Keeping up with the Jones'.
Navigation: The iPod automatically organizes your content extremely logically, and the click-wheel makes it extremely easy to find specific content. content organization is entirely manual, and getting to it with a D-pad or joystick is a chore. (Especially if you have a larger memory card filled to capacity. Yikes!)
I don't see what's so manual about the interface TBH 
Display: iPod video and W880 are both QVGA resolution with 65K colors. But, the iPod's display diagonally measures 2.5" vs. the W880's paltry 1.8".
Size is something that I'd like as well. You can't have it all though. Battery life, small size and large screen is a little hard to get without compromises.
At the end of the day, for most users, myself included, a convergence device is all that we need. Music for those boring moments, decent battery life, and most of all, the convenience of a phone that can do it without any real size difference.
A wooden spoon is a spoon made from wood. Source: WikipediaWinner of: Best Thread (Huge SE Portfolio) 2007, Best Post (Huge SE Portfolio) 2007, Best Signature 2007, and 2nd Best Nickname 2007. |
alrodlop35
Joined: Nov 11, 2006
Posts: 461
PM |
Why I love my W800i WALKMAN phone (and like it a lot more than my 30GB iPod video):
W800 is a lot smaller
the battery on the phone lasts twice as long, even when not in flight mode
MegaBass (I know how you feel about it)
W800 is a lot better looking
phone has an integrated speaker
the iPod gets scratched by looking at it and looks really nasty after a month
W800 can make calls, use internet, send messages, etc.
iPod is soooooooooooo laggy
bluetooth lets me share music
I can put music into it just dragging and dropping it into a folder
using a W800 feels special, while everyone has an iPod
2.0 MP camera
The list goes on...
|
thetmaxx
Joined: Oct 25, 2006
Posts: 89
From: California, USA
PM |
i dont have an ipod because i don't need a device that can hold DAYS worth of music... when am i sitting for 7 days strait listening to music, i'd go crazy!! but most of all why do i need to carry a phone and a mp3 player, and a digital camera. phones are always with you thus you never "forget to grab your ipod" on the way out, get somewhere, and wish you had you ipod, or get somewhere, and have a neat thing happen you just have to get a picture of, it's the same reason we love dig. cameras integrated into cameras. at least for me. and personally i settle for lesser quality music a lot. i think it's fun, like listening to music over AM radio, its not that big of a deal to have perfect music quality, i think the only reason some people do is so they can say they do.
anyways, thats my .02 cents (USD of Course LOL)
[gisdda] |
marktang
Joined: Dec 05, 2005
Posts: 196
From: toronto canada
PM |
i had a 30GB ipod video before and i have lots of SE phones including walkman and non walkman phones. and for my personal preference i hate the ipod. it was good to have lots of storage..well too much in my opinion cuz i didnt know what else to put in it. but the sound quality on it is bad. i wasnt using the stock headphones but the sony MDR7505 DJ headphones. there wasnt enough bass in some songs and the high notes were abit sharp in my opinion. only the mid range notes were very good quality. and since i didnt like the idea of carrying two devices i decide to sell the ipod and use my 1GB k800i instead. that was enough storage for me for going to school and listening on the bus. and then i have the plantronics pulsar 590A headphones and that made the sound quality on the k800i alot better than the stock headphones. and lastly its cuz of the battery life. even when using A2DP i can get alot out of the phone than the ipod. |
chili
Joined: Dec 09, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Philippines
PM, WWW
|
I don't hate the iPod. I'm very happy with both my Nano and whatever SE phone I'm carrying. And last time I checked I'm still an "Esato member."
If a piece of music touched your heart and made you happy, does it really matter what medium it came through? Does it really matter whether you've got the best equipment or not?
I would rather be in ignorant bliss, using crappy audio equipment and at the same time enjoy my music all the time, rather than be an obsessive-compulsive over-aware "audiophile" who has expensive "brand" equipment but is always itching to "get the best out there" and in the process rarely enjoys his music at all.
I always remind myself: Remember the moments when you enter a 7-11 and the strains of a favorite song made you sing along and awash with pleasant memories. All from an "inferior" cheap audio pipe-in system tuned to an FM station playing a badly compressed MP3. And yes, with no bass at all. |
Tehy03
Joined: Feb 02, 2005
Posts: 386
PM, WWW
|
I don't hate iPod! I love it 
| |
|
Access the forum with a mobile phone via esato.mobi
|
Posted: 2007-03-23 19:11
