ipod or ipod mini?

<p><a href="http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/72302/wo/AR7cZ7RLLeZg286bnM8wE27Znvi/0.0.11.1.0.6.13.0.0.1.3.0.5.1.1.1.1.0%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/72302/wo/AR7cZ7RLLeZg286bnM8wE27Znvi/0.0.11.1.0.6.13.0.0.1.3.0.5.1.1.1.1.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/72302/wo/AR7cZ7RLLeZg286bnM8wE27Znvi/0.0.11.1.0.6.13.0.0.1.3.0.5.1.1.1.1.0%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/72302/wo/AR7cZ7RLLeZg286bnM8wE27Znvi/0.0.11.1.0.6.13.0.0.1.3.0.5.1.1.1.1.0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Pff, software my butt, theres so many free alternatives out there, also you don't need itunes to run I****, it's like buttplug and play. Haha.</p>

<p>Check out these super cool designs
<a href="http://us.creative.com/shop/shopcategory.asp?category=213%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://us.creative.com/shop/shopcategory.asp?category=213&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Who's your daddy now? Ipod?</p>

<p>Mexican dude- when you are so crude, you lose credibility, so no matter what you say, it is taken with a grain of salt.</p>

<p>
[quote]
No more going round in circles to find the song you want, we all know that the quickest distance between two points is a straight line. Zen Micro's vertical touch pad and touch sensitive controls are designed to be intuitive so that searching through songs or playlists is easy, quick and fun - try taking a cruise down this strip.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>lol that's really amusing. i admit i should have looked at creative. but nevertheless, i am still very happy with my recent decisions. an ipod just looks too cool. it's cornered design makes it fabulous/</p>

<p>sorry then</p>

<p>To simply answer the question, donate the money to charity.</p>

<p>you can always buy those "socks" for your ipod if you want to add color. Not that I can imagine a teenager in the world who would use one, but they sell them on the online apple store...</p>

<p>Dude I've had both the Nomand and the Ipod and unquestionably the Ipod is sooo much better. Like theres absolutely no contest at all. The contest can't even exist because no one wants to get into the ring with the Ipod and they damn well shouldn't.
Anyway, go for the bigger one its much better for the extra 50 bucks and it'll last you a long time without ever having to pick and choose songs. And the accessories make it a blast.
When I saw the U2 Ipod I cried because I had already bought mine.
I can't even begin to describe how much I love iTunes, the software bundled with the Nomad is such a pain in the @$$. I postponed putting my songs on it cause it was such a hassle.</p>

<p>okay. thanks everyone for all the input. is it possible to get a belt clip or arm band for the 20gb ipod? that's pretty much the only thing holding me back from the 20gb. the mini seems convenient, but I think the 20gb will be better for me. I didn't know you couldn't make playlists on the mini. That would frustrate me. Whoever said that the mini is 4gb, they have a newer "super" mini version that is 6gb which is the o ne i was considering. </p>

<p>I read something that said that the ipod can hook up to a computer and work as a portable hard drive? Anyone know anything more about that?</p>

<p>Ooh Ooh, I know, but it fairly complex, and you can kill your Ipod. Don't try it, my friend did, and he had to spend 4 hours doing stuff to it to get it back on. You can however use it as a booting device on a Mac.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.apple.com/ipod/accessories.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.apple.com/ipod/accessories.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Oh yeah, I forgot,
You can always make a separate folder on the ipod and store whatever files you want in it, just plug it and do as you would normally would in the windows explorer, just click and drag. Easy as pie.</p>

<p>it depends, do you honestly think you can fill a 20G ipod?
my brother swore he could and its not nearly as full as he thought he could make it.
i adore! !! ! ! ! my ipod mini. yea its smaller, but 6G still comes out to be hundreds of songs, and most people listen to the same 100 on repeat, so its really not too small. The clip def makes toting the mini much easier, my bro is always catching his 20G as it falls out of his pocket and whatnot, but my mini clips right on my belt.
im also a fan of the color options. LOL i know its a lame reason to prefer the mini, but its true. mine is pink.</p>

<p>Everyone is aware of having to pay 99$ to have a new battery installed when the batter eventualy dies right/ not to mention the memory gets wiped out</p>

<p>yeah, but you can replace the battery yourself for only 30 buck and apple is planning on reducing the price soon anyway. Also even if the memory gets wiped all your songs are conveniently located on iTunes anyway, just another great advantage of the iPod.</p>

<p>so with the 20gb, you're just left with having to put it in a pocket or something? hmm... that seems odd that they wouldn't have a better way to keep it secure. </p>

<p><em>sigh</em> i'm so bad at decisions</p>

<p>i think it comes w/ a beltclip, and i'm sure you could find it if you want, they have everything. the mini is a lot smaller and i want one. i have the 2'nd generation 10 gig right now and i'm not close to filling it up, i got it about 2 years back.</p>

<p>I have a 4gb iPod Mini, but I would have bought the 20gb iPod for myself.</p>

<p>Now, you're getting a lot of innocent, but incorrect, information:</p>

<p>"Okay, the size difference isn't that great, but the option of setting up song list, is worth the little bit bigger size and the money."</p>

<p>The debate here is not between the iPod Shuffle, which can have only one playlist, and the other models. The only noticeable differences to most consumers between the Mini and regular iPod models are: size, weight, storage capacity, and recording capabilities (with an optional accessory).</p>

<p>"The reason I would do the larger on is that eventually you can get speakers, and can play the songs you want, lets say in a dorm room!!"</p>

<p>All computer speakers can plug into the 1/8th inch stereo jack on all of the iPods. You're probably referring to the iPod speaker dock. There is no advantage to buying this expensive accessory when more practical (and universally compliant) solutions exist. Besides, ALL of the iPod models have an official speaker dock accessory. This is irrelevant when choosing a model to buy.</p>

<p>"the BIG thing to consider is the software and your computer....do you have apple or pc...you want to be sure your computer can take software..."</p>

<p>The iTunes and iPodService software are available as both Macintosh and Windows binaries. All of the current models are compatible with recent version of Windows and Macintosh OS.</p>

<p>"But in terms of battery life, and you don't like to charge it all the tyme, go for the 20 gig one. The battery life can be a real pain at times."</p>

<p>The new iPod Minis, which came out the other day, have over three times the battery life of their first-generation counterparts.</p>

<p>"The only good thing about the ipod is that you can erase it and load it up with a new OS such as Linux."</p>

<p>You can do this with almost ANY form of removeable media (CD-Rom, flash drive, external hard drive, an MP3 player using any of these). If you're talking about running Linux on (not FROM) your iPod, I would advise against it. Audio playback is choppy and the whole package just isn't ready for your average consumer yet.</p>

<p>"i think the mini is 4 gb... actually i'm pretty sure it is"</p>

<p>The iPod Mini now comes in both 4gb and 6gb varieties.</p>

<p>"Okay Ipod not $600 dollars...."</p>

<p>The most expensive last-generation iPod Photo was $600. This is no longer the case.</p>

<p>"I say mini b/c I can't think of a time when you'll need 10,000 songs to listen to."</p>

<p>I have three times as many songs as can fit on my iPod Mini. I would prefer to be able to store them all on my iPod as a backup safety measure. Many people use the iPod as an external harddrive for things other than songs. Students, especially, should keep this use in mind.</p>

<p>"And its nice to choice your songs."</p>

<p>Again, this is a misconception. The iPod Mini is not the same as the iPod Shuffle. The Mini, which the original poster is considering, HAS a screen and mulitple playlist capabilities. The differences between the the various fourth generation iPods' firmware (including the Mini and Regular models) are negligible.</p>

<p>"I read something that said that the ipod can hook up to a computer and work as a portable hard drive? Anyone know anything more about that?"</p>

<p>It is very easy to do. In iTunes, set your iPod to "manual". The only difference in functionality is that your playlists and song ratings will not automatically synchromize. You're also advised to manually dismount the iPod when in manual mode (all this means is that you have to click a button when you're done loading it up).</p>

<p>Keep in mind, Apple's new prices weren't really reductions. Now, regular iPods no longer come with the docking station for free ($30 value). ALL iPods now lack the previously free Firewire cord ($20 value) and AC Adapter ($30 value).</p>

<p>Another thing to note: Nearly ALL regular iPod accessories have iPod Mini equivalents, and the other way around. You can easily find a belt clip for a regular iPod, but it will be sold as a "case".</p>

<p>Lastly, the iPod socks are a joke. The iPod cannot be used while in one of these. I recommend purchasing an iSkin for the admittedly exorbitant price of $30. The iSkin fits snugly over your iPod and includes a belt clip.</p>

<p>By the way, I would recommend buying the vanilla 20gb iPod. It's currently the "sweet spot" in the Apple's pricing spectrum. That said, if you are good with computers, get an Archos MP3 player. Although you're SOL if the hardware is fried, the dev community around their products is amazing. My trust old Archos "brick" (Jukebox 20 Recorder) has a lot of life left in it thanks to Archos' easily-hacked architecture. Best of all, it can switch between PC and Mac use just like an external hard drive. Apple's iPods require reformatting to do this . . .for some inexplicable business reason.</p>

<p>
[quote]

My trust old Archos "brick" (Jukebox 20 Recorder) has a lot of life left in it thanks to Archos' easily-hacked architecture. Best of all, it can switch between PC and Mac use just like an external hard drive.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Hahah. I have the exact same archos player.</p>

<p>Built like a brick, but I got its 20 gig goodness for $250 over two years ago.</p>

<p>If I had the cash now, I would go for the Archos Gmini 400
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002U0JPE/ref=ase_dapreview-20/102-1412330-4876134?v=glance&s=electronics%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002U0JPE/ref=ase_dapreview-20/102-1412330-4876134?v=glance&s=electronics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Plays music and movies.</p>

<p>buy the 20gb. It has everything that the mini has in a better package. You cannot make any argument against the 20gb that is not easily disregarded. For example, one can say that the 20gb is heavier and bigger so its not as portable. No, at their already small sizes the weight and size differences are completely negligible. Next, one can argue that the mini comes in color and variety. But the 20gb has color too! You can always get it painted, go with the classic Apple White, or buy the nice looking U2 black/red version. Add all these to the fact that the 20gb is only $100 more and holds more than 3 times the songs of the mini, and the obvious choice is the 20gb. I bought a 3rd generation 15gb myself, and I was very happy for not buying the minis that had just come out when i bought mine.</p>