better buy?
There are probably quite a few digital audio players better than the iPod, but the iPod has a tremendous ammount of third party support for things like accessories.
The only reason I own an iPod is because that was the only way I could get a direct connection to my factory stereo and retain my steering wheel audio functions...
Neither, I have XM!
It just seems like to much work to find, pay for and download the music you want to hear. XM radio is just a better way for me.
I put alot music I'm taking somewhere on my PSP. But the psp has a piece of memory stick that comes in the value pack.
i don't see how you can get 90% market share if there are quite a few better digital audio players out there. the zune is as big as a first gen 5gb iPod, and has a much stingier warranty.
Just because you have more market share doesn't mean you make the better mouse trap, you'd think that, and it's probably true most of the time but it isn't always.
There are certainly people that think the PS3 and Wii are better than the 360, but the 360 still has 90% of next-gen market share...
ok now i'm just curious - who makes a better mp3 player? samsung, creative, dell? none of the high end companies i am aware of have an entry, they are content to make accessories for the iPod itself... Apple got in pretty early, but they stay on top because they make a quality product.
I love my iPod, but it is a testy one. If I have played it for a while and trying to flip through the interface too swiftly, it locks up.
Market share does not equate to "quaility".
i'm not sure what equates to "quaility", but i think if a better product had come along in the last 5-6 years they would have lost some of that share. the only drawback i can think of for an iPod is iTunes for windows. if it was drag and drop that would be great, but you have to use iTunes.
the Zune is way too bulky, I have an mp3 player that is a few years old but when I go to replace it, I'll get an ipod.
I went with ipod because it was available in 80GB models, and because I liked the size and the control way better than on the 30GB Creative model I was also looking at. For video, Zune is probably way better. The screen is bigger, and even if it only supports WMV, its better than ipod's Mac-only formats. If you really want good portable video though, PSP is the only way to go. It's LCD screen is outstanding. Of course, you'll ruin all your pants pockets carrying it.
I would get a Zune ... why? As everyone here demonstrated, they're getting an iPod. Everyone has one ... and they're still crap, with having to have Apple replace your battery to playing stuff not from iTunes. My girlfriends sisters iPod always locks up if she hasn't sycned it in the past few days if she listens to other music.
Take a look at the Cowon A2 if you want to watch movies as well as listen to music, or the X5(L) for music with some video support. I don't own one myself, but those would be my picks.
http://http://www.cowonamerica.com/products/
Apple has a large market share in large part because they have excellent marketing.
The two drawbacks of iPods; battery life, and iTunes exclusivity have already been addressed by the market itself.
Apple's battery program is adequate, but there are other third party do-it-yourself battery kits available as well. The tricky part with these is trying to pry the iPod case open without scratching the chrome back finish... it can be done, however.
As for iTunes software exclusivity... well there are several programs out there; like "iPod Tools" which allow the iPod to behave more like an external hard drive.... one can duplicate entire iPods, one can transfer iTunes formatted files to other places on your hard drive as mp3 files... it pretty much unlocks whatever 'security' features Apple originally intended for its devices. Best part is that this software can be obtained for about $15.
And to re-emphasize the importance of market share.... I drive while listening to my iPod, work while listening to my iPod and can even swim while listening to my iPod thanks to 3rd party devices which expand on the iPod's own limited capabilities... other mp3 players simply aren't catered to as extensively as the iPod is.
IMO the 80GB/Video iPod >>>> than any other mp3 player out on the market.
P.S. Be glad that Apple Corporation is one of the few innovative American owned companies that thrives in the global market.
are you sure you don't work for microsoft? you can play stuff not from itunes easily, i loaded my whole music library into itunes just fine. i just had to spend hours retagging all my files so they would show properly. unless microsoft found a way around using li batteries, they are bound to have the same problem with battery life. i read microsoft's hardware warranty for the zune, it's not very generous.
I use amaroK compiled with gtkpod, and it allows me to treat my ipod as a hard drive and export files from it with their correct filenames. It's strictly a UNIX program though.
I downloaded the Zune software and it damn near took 20 minutes to download.
I deleted it when I found out that you can't play music bought from iTunes.
With the "iPod Tools" you could have made all the iTunes files normal mp3's....
iPod has large market share because, as Manny said, they have excellent marketing, and they were first to market. If Microsoft chooses to enter this market iPod will be doomed.
i think that's bull . not only do they have a large market share on the hardware, they have over 90% share on legal, downloadable music/video as well. microsoft isn't a hardware company, and it will take them a while to get it right. they would have to dislodge the iPod as well as iTunes, and that will take way too much time and money. the upcoming lcd touchscreen iPod and iPod phone should be interesting, and everyone will benefit from the compe ion.
You think the release of the Zune and the release of Vista are so close by coincidence?
Why on earth would anyone pay Microsoft or Apple a lot of money for a product, and then have them tell you what you can and can't play? Makes no sense at all. Yeah, here, buy this car, but you can't drive out of state. Whether you can get around these limitations isn't as troublesome as the fact that they are doing it in the first place.
That's why I recommend products that don't do that and stay out of your way, like the two I mentioned above. Not only do they appear as removable storage on their own, they play a variety of formats without any additional software, have other really good features (record video from an input, voice recorder, image viewer, portable hard drive), and are probably cheaper (although I'm not sure). And to top it off, the firmware for the A2 is open source (it runs on some highly-modified version of linux or something), and it plays DivX/Xvid avi (MP3 or AC3 audio) as well as MPEG4 and WMV. I doubt that the ipod or zune will match that.
And I just read that the Zune will have WiFi, which is very good...except that it is limited --> "Tracks received from another Zune can be played for up to three days or three plays, whichever comes first, after which it expires unless purchased or downloaded via the Zune Marketplace online." Who'd pay for that ?
i'm interested to see vista, but since my fiancee's dad is waiting for it to age a bit (bug fixes, etc.) to renew his developer's license for it i will need to wait.
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