iPod help please?

[silversolitaire]

Uhm okay guys... so I'm writing this big paper on portable music, Walkman and such. And I'm kinda running out of stuff to write. I know, lamer mistake. Anyway, I was thinking about extending the paper about the iPod some. Actually, it's a must, isn't it? Problem: I know zilch about it. So... PLEASE, call for help. Is there anyone on my f-list who has an iPod and who can initiate me into the magical world of iPodding some? Pwetty please? I was looking into it some but it's all so confusing! x_x; Like iTunes. I don't get this site! Do I have to download a program in order to use their service or what? How does that work? How do they charge? Big questionmark. And I saw this meme going around some weeks ago with your playlists, searching for this word and most heard songs and what not. What's the deal with that. Does iPod keep a record of what kind of songs you listen to and log it somehow? What would you say is the really cool thing about the iPod? The most convincing feature? Is there such a thing as an iPod community? Something that only an iPod can do any no other MP3 player?

Please, I really need input! x.x;;;

Comments

[othersideofthis]

I don't have an iPod but I found two communities on LJ that might be able to help you out:

http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=ipod_support
http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=ipod

[silversolitaire.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yeah I found those communities too but I'd kinda prefer talking to people I know first ^^;. If all else fails I'll go there. >.>;

[corialis.livejournal.com]

I have an iPod. It is my shiny white boxy baby. Not sure what sort of thing you want to know, but just ask and I'll try to answer any questions as well as I can.

[andrewwyld.livejournal.com]

I'm old-tech.  I have had a portable CD player for about eight years, and I got a minidisc a few months back, but you're welcome to anything I can feed you.

[sandrine]

I don't have an iPod, but I think I can help out with iTunes question.

Even if you don't use the iPod, iTunes is a great music program. It works both as a library for all the music on your computer, a conversion tool (wav, and I think rm too, to mp3) and a music store. I'm not certain if there are any other ways, but the most convenient one is to just buy the songs with your credit card. What's kinda annoying about it, though, is that the store is split up in an US store, a German store, a UK store, etc. and that the music is not available worldwide. Some songs / albums are available exclusively on iTunes US, some are only available in France etc.

As for play count, yes, it actually logs that. You can reset it any time you want, of course, but if you don't, it remembers whenever you listened to a song from the beginning to the end (and only that - if you stop three seconds before the song's over, it won't log it, annoyingly enough). There's a playlist it creates automatically called "Top 25 most played". It's a neat feature if you're into statistics and such, but personally I don't use it very frequently.

[silversolitaire.livejournal.com]

Ooooh so I can dl and use it even without having an iPod or Apple computer? Is it free? Is it a program that plays your songs, like Winamp? And do you search, buy and dl songs from the same interface? Does it transfer info to the iPod?

[silversolitaire.livejournal.com]

Well I'm pretty much set on the "old tech". I know it all about the Sony Walkman and Discman and Minidisc. Hehehe... that's actually the core of my paper, as well as the social implications of portable music etc. One thing though, would you say the CD player actually works for your needs? I mean you've had it for eight years, so I assume it does, but from what I've seen one core problem of the Discman (or any portable CD player for that matter) was the fact that it eats batteries like candy. So you can listen to one or two CDs and then the battery dies. That kinda contradicts the idea of freedom and unlimited possibilities that a portable player stands for. Plus, it's a bit bulgy and gets disturbed easily through bumping. So you can't really use it when running and jumping a lot (like during sports). Would you agree with that or not? How do you use you portable CD player usually? Why did you prefer it to a Walkman for example and why didn't you replace it sooner with more modern technology?

[silversolitaire.livejournal.com]

Cool! I basically need to know what I wrote in the post already. One, do you use iTunes? If so, how does it work? I just learnt it's actually a program you run on your computer. Is it freeware and works iPodless, too? Is it required to connect to your iPod? Can you ONLY use this software to get songs on your iPod and do they have to be rights managed then? How does rights management work when you dl it from their site and paid for it? How does the statistic stuff work that iTunes seems to do?

Other than that, why did you want an iPod and decided to get one? What can it do, in your opinion, that a different MP3 Player can't? What does the iPod stand for in your opinion? Do you feel like you're part of some community now? Some cool crowd? If so, how do you experience it? Did you join communities, groups etc.? Do you talk to other iPod users about your iPod and share experiences? Are their any special equipments you bought for your iPod? Which ones and why? Do you do other things with your iPod other than just listening to music? Which?

That's it for now I think! ^^;

[andrewwyld.livejournal.com]

The major problem of the discman is the skipping.  The anti-skip on my non-Sony walkman was actually better than on my shiny, expensive Sony one that I replaced it with when it got dropped one time too many, but even then I would tend to spend my time with my hand crammed against it to stop it bumping my side in my coat pocket.

The minidisc player, by contrast, has excellent anti-skip and scarcely ever kicks out, even during vigorous activity (like running for a bus).  Battery life is also a lot better, and as I have a stack of rechargeable batteries I would always carry replacements anyway, so that was never much of an issue.

The advantages of a CD player over more modern technology are threefold.  One:  mp3 players are still expensive.  Two:  You have to convert stuff from CD format.  Three:  iPods are probably easier to fence, so I am guessing I am less of a target for muggers.  Of course, three is an advantage of owning something crappy, so it's actually a bit of a cop-out.

Anyway -- I haven't switched to new technology because, fundamentally, what I have works and I am lazy and would rather spend the money on more CDs.  I only bought the minidisc because I wanted to make portable recordings, and the software that transfers music from my computer to it seems to have broken itself irrevocably after six weeks, which is a bummer.  I will fix it eventually, but ... lazy.

Oh, and I didn't have a cassette walkman after my huge Ferguson one broke sometime around 1993; that was supplanted by a larger tape recorder, and the discman was bought simply as the cheapest way for me to play CDs.  Our family seems to come late to new media.

[silversolitaire.livejournal.com]

Thank you! So you would agree on the disadvantages of the Discman. And yes, that's actually one of the major improvements Sony did with the Minidisc: they implemented a very effective anti-skip software which basically buffers enough to sustain 30 seconds of shaking or so. Or more. Later they used that on their Discmen (mans?) as well.

Anyway, thank you for your answers! Can I quote you on my paper? If so, which name would you prefer or would you like to remain anonymous?

[andrewwyld.livejournal.com]

Quote away.  My full name is Andrew Wyld.

By the way, the way in which my earlier disc player was better -- if you jolted it enough it stopped playing after ten seconds, whereas with the Sony player if you jolt it enough it stops playing immediately -- with anti-shock turned off or on.

[silversolitaire.livejournal.com]

Okay! Thank you! ^^

And yeah, Sony didn't really manage a big hit anymore after the happy accident of the Walkman... LOL. I mean even their big hits such as the Playstation they're messing up with stupid company policies. Don't get me started on the P2P *g*.

[sandrine]

Ooooh so I can dl and use it even without having an iPod or Apple computer? Is it free? Is it a program that plays your songs, like Winamp? And do you search, buy and dl songs from the same interface? Does it transfer info to the iPod?

Yes to all of those questions, although I've obviously not tried the transfer thing yet. But apparently, it's working very easily and smoothly. To download iTunes (and if you have a decent connection and a bit free space on your computer, I really recommend you do) just go here. It's totally free and a very neat program.

The iTunes Music Store, is it available ONLY through the iTunes software or is there a way to get to it via a website?

I think yes, it's only through the program's interface that you can access the store.