iPod vs. iRiver (1 Viewer)

[MikeH1]

The more I read about the the ipod the more I realize I'm so much better off with the iRiver. The salesman said when I was browsing last month for a portable player that the iRiver would be the "ipod killer". I'm starting to understand why. Now, I'm not here to shit on the iPod, it has been a great portable player ( I have never owned one but have read all the wonderful things it does). But apple had better get with the times or sales are going to start dropping rapidly. And here are some reasons why.

Line in/out. ipod doesn't have any. What the hell were they thinking? iRiver has both and even optical when chosen.

Ipod - 8 hour battery life
iRiver - 16 hour battery life (but this just isn't true, closer to 10 - 12 hours)

ipod does not support WMA, obviously, being an apple product. But since I prefer WMA's over MP3's, I'm sure glad iRiver supports it. iRiver: MP3, WMA, ASF, WAV and OGG (yes, OGG Vorbis). ipod: AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, AIFF, Apple lossless and WAV

From a review site:


You gotta be kidding me. The carrying case for the iRiver allows all controls to be handled and still does a good job of protecting the unit.

The iRiver also includes voice recording and a FM tuner. The ipod does not.

The iPod 40 GB model is $499.99 at amazon. The cheapest I could find the 40 GB iRiver was at pricegrabber for $359.00

When hooking up the iRiver to your pc, it basicly recognizes it as a external hard drive. Open up the folder and drag/drop songs into the folders you have made. It is just too easy. And, no software is needed although some plugins will soon be available.

The ipod remote, from the pics I have seen , does not include an LCD screen. The iRiver does and it lights up with 4 lines of text.


I'm just giving some food for thought for all you in the portable player market. I also found some decent forums reagarding these devices at

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=8

and here's a iRiver website with much info and forums.

http://www.misticriver.net/

 

[Joseph S]

I think you'll need to a look at a new review on the 4g.

Aside from the no WMA and LCD remote, all of the above and more including digi cam storage can be done with a 4g for $50 more prior to discounts/coupons. All of 4G - battery life can be done with a 3g obviously now at reduced prices.

 

[MikeH1]

The link didn't say to much about what the 4G was about and the features. Good to know that apple is adjusting accordingly.

But, it IS only a 4 GB player right? Not enough room for my tastes

Edit: Just did a seach on the features of the iPod mini 4G. Your right when you say it has a line in, but it seems to be an option. And not only that, it also seems you need to buy an accessory kit to be able to plug into a home stereo through the "dock".

http://www.apple.com/ipod/specs.html

http://www.apple.com/ipod/accessories.html

Seems like after you spend on some accessories that it may not be such a good price afterall.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

My iPod works seamlessly with my computer. I just plug it in, iTunes and iSync launch right away. That way I can keep my calendar and contacts entirely up to date and I can then add songs to my iPod. It's so simple that anyone can do it, and you don't have to know a thing about it just being another hard drive. I bet the majority of computer users wouldn't "get" that.

And obviously the iPod works at the number one on-line music store and that store is fully integrated into iTunes, which is fully integrated with the iPod. Everything works together, and that's a huge selling point. None of the other players have been able to get that kind of simplicty and ease of use. When the big selling feature is "it plays WMA files" people don't really seem to care. If they did Napster, BuyMusic and even Wal-Mart would have successful music stores.

Neil

 

[MikeH1]

Now your taking what I said out of context. I mentioned this along with many other features. Seems though this new iPod will have a lot more bases covered. But at the time of writing, I did not know about a iPod having a line out. And the point remains, one *shouldn't* have to spend extra on a accessory to aquire a line out. But as I don't have one I'm not going to say ...

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Do either of these players fix the typical 'gaps between tracks that should segue' problems?

 

[Joseph S]

4G = 4th Generation

 

[McPaul]

The real question, Michael... is what music service to use?

I just downloaded napster canada for the 30 day free trial and the selection is horrible, the usability is bad, and while playing of tracks (not buying, but just playing) it waits to buffer every little bit.

any news on when itunes will be available to us Canucks?

 

[Angelo.M]

Well, DAPs are designed, first and foremost, to be portable music devices listened to with headphones, so it is not obvious to me at all that a line-level output ought to be a de rigeur feature of a DAP. At any rate, with regards to a line-out for the iPod, it's available and it's not expensive. The basics for the typical user to get up and running are included in the box of every iPod, however...

...As an iPod owner, I'd grant you that there are two items that ought to be shipped with all iPods: a USB cable and a protective case. I've never understood how a product can be at least in part targeted at the PC market and shipped (at least some models) without a cable for PC owners who aren't equipped with FireWire.

All in all I love my iPod (Pods, actually, I have 2). It's not perfect, but it's perfectly fun to use, it has a clean and intuitive interface, it sounds great, and it's terrific for active users (it's great for jogging). I'm glad that there's so much competition in the marketplace which will drive the improvement of these little toys.

At any rate, enjoy the iRiver; it seems like a great device. How about a review once it's up and running.

 

[Nick Sievers]

I'm not saying one is better than the other but for my needs and budget the iRiver 40gb suited me perfectly. Either one would be a fine choice. I don't use an Online Music service so it isn't a concern for me.

 

[Seth_L]

I bought a 40 gig iRiver myself. It fit my wants much better than the iPod.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

Since we are comparing 40GB units, the 40GB iPod ships with the dock.

Neil

 

[Michael St. Clair]

It's not really a question for me, as I won't pay even 50 cents for a lossy song with DRM.

My MP3 use is strictly for my own CDs (and for the 8GB of legal MP3 that I downloaded from EMusic back when there was no limit).

 

[Angelo.M]

I became an iPod user without regard to the the Apple music store. I've used it on a handful of occasions; it's a convenient way to sample something I'm interested in. But I wouldn't factor the "music service" into a decision to buy a particular DAP. The iPod would still be a superb device without the Apple store.

 

[Brian L]

I would agree with Michael....no $$$ from my pocket will ever go to 128K crap, but I continue to be amazed at how many people ARE willing to pay for low rez sound.

I do however, download one free piece of 128K crap from iTunes very Tuesday. It helps keep me in touch with music I would not likely hear anywhere else. And on one occasion, I actually did make a purchase after a free download, but what I bought was the cee-dee, at only a couple bucks more than the download.

As for iTunes as a service, as Angelo indicated, its a reasonable site to sample music, and if you do have an iPod, it works very well as the means to populate it with music. And it works wonderfully to rip, catalog, and organize the cee-dee's that I have ripped.

BGL

 

[McPaul]

I'd love to get one of those 4G players that were just announced... but they wont be around in Canada for probably another 6 months.

And regarding iTunes, it's not even available in Canada yet. We can use the jukebox program, but can't buy from the store.

Nasty Canadian content laws...

 

[Julio H]

Paul, can't you just order one from the Apple Online store?

I could care less about the ITunes music store. I rip from my CD's; either WAV or apple lossless. Can't stand lossy sound.

 

[McPaul]

I'd love to. They don't ship to Canada. Thus, the staggered release dates.

 

[Joseph S]

You can order from Amazon. Unless you want Pink, which took 2 months to get for a relatives gift direct from Apple, the others are in decent supply. I ordered a Blue mini the other day and it shipped that night. I'm pretty sure the world release is this week as well.

 

[Marc Colella]

Amazon.com doesn't ship electronics to Canada.

Amazon.ca doesn't seem to carry electronics other than videogame systems.