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The quandary the nano has introduced.


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The quandary the nano has introduced.
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Gizzer
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Hampshire (the original one)
 
2005-09-15, 09:24

I was going to post this in Purchasing Advice but I guess I'm not after advice as such but I am interested if anyone is in the same quandary as me:

I own a second generation 20Gb iPod. I've now got about 21Gb of music so I have to sync selectively rather than syncing everything.

Logic says that my next purchase should be the iPod 60Gb. That gives me enough to carry my whole music library plus I'll now have the option to copy my whole 7.2Gb iPhoto library. This will leave me with 30Gb+ to spare. From my point of view, I doubt I will ever fill it. My music expansion has slowed dramatically (it was the initial copy of all my CD's that took up the majority of my initial 20Gb, all ripped at 160Kbps), and although my photo's will grow, as I don't currently have the functionality anyway, it's no great deal. Finally, the 60Gb iPod is also physically the largest of all the iPods. So although it's got a colour screen (and all the new funtionality that was introduced from 3G iPods onwards), it will feel like I've got the same fatboy iPod I already own. But with 30Gb of space I'll likely never use.

Now then. The iPod nano comes along and throws a spanner in the works. It's probably the best looking iPod by far (IMO) and screams at me to buy it BUT if I do, it's weeny 4Gb capacity (compared to what I'm used to) means that I might actually have to engage my brain and start really thinking what I want to sync onto the nano!

This makes me think that with the new lineup of iPods, surely there is now a bit of maneuvering space for Apple to redesign and shrink the full size iPods. With all the practice they've had creating the Mini & now the nano, it seems like surely they could shrink The Daddy to a more sexy size. Even if the thickness remains, maybe it's height could be squished so that the click wheel is moved nearer the screen & reduced slightly in size? Also, they could shave some of the bevel from the sides of the screen to slim it down a bit.

Maybe it's me but the full-sized iPods seem to have lost their sexiness compared to their newer siblings.

So that get's me back to my original quandary. iPod nano, or 60Gb iPod. Decisions decisions.....

Does anyone else think that the full iPods have lost their sparkle?
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Wrao
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Join Date: May 2004
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2005-09-15, 10:08

The original iPod is still a great for the car, which, is about the only place I use mine. (40 GB model)
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Mikester
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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2005-09-15, 10:25

I have a five year old Creative Jukebox Zen which is (miraculously) still in perfect condition. It has not a scratch on it and its battery lasts for at least 8-10 hours. It is 20 Gb, although I've only filled 12. However, it is the size of a large, old MP3 jukebox. It's okay for in the car, on a train, on a plane or in my house (connected to my stereo), but not so great for wandering round town, running, in the gym, etc. It also doesn't have the "cool" factor it used to. And I can't put my photos on it. Or podcasts. Or audiobooks.

"What will you do about it?" I hear you all cry (actually, I'm amazed if you've bothered reading this far). Well, I can see that it would be useful to have two such devices. My big old brick for long journeys, etc. when I would want my entire music selection with me, and a Nano for around town for my selected playlists and podcasts that I will change fairly regularly (Do you see where this is going? Yes, I'm convincing myself that I "need" to buy a Nano!).

Hands up if you think this is a good idea. Then tell me whether I should get black or white.

Seriously though, if Apple slimmed down the 20 Gb iPod, I'd buy it today.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2005-09-15, 10:34

If there was a shuffle-like random autofill, that would be perfect...I'd get the sexy, small nano in a heartbeat! Is that a capability that could be added with a future software update maybe?

I may be confused, and it already does this?

I have just under 12GB of music...what, exactly, would happen if I connected a 2 or 4GB nano to my PowerBook? Would it tell me to manually copy songs, or would it fill itself up, randomly? What's the deal on this?



But yeah, the full-size iPods are indeed looking a bit poochy and big, thanks to the shuffle and nano.
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torifile
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2005-09-15, 10:44

I just listed my nano on ebay because I couldn't reconcile my need to have all my music with its small size. It was a pretty hard decision to make but I think it was the right one. I guess I'll need to wait for them to increase the capacity before I go thin. I'm going to continue using my 40gig b&w iPod for now.

If anyone's interested in bidding it's here.

If it's not red and showing substantial musculature, you're wearing it wrong.
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Gizzer
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2005-09-15, 10:51

Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0
But yeah, the full-size iPods are indeed looking a bit poochy and big, thanks to the shuffle and nano.
Obviously I don't know for sure, but when the iPod mini existed, the full size iPod almost had to stay the same size just to highlight the size difference between the two. Now the nano exists which is vastly smaller than the mini, I'm sure Apple could slim down the iPod to be nearer the Mini. Obviously the physical size of the hard drive imposes certain limits, but you've only to look at the Sony 20Gb units to see that there's room for more shrinkage.

C'mon Apple - make the original iPod shine again!!
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psmith2.0
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2005-09-15, 11:12

That sucks, torifile.

Well, maybe you'll get a really good price for it...maybe even come out a bit ahead, if the right person wants it bad enough?

I've thought long and hard about that very thing (having all 12GB of my stuff with me, vs. only 1/3 of that). I don't know how - or if - it would bug me. Part of me thinks I might listen to some of the more obscure stuff more, because it would autofill, and I'd not have the flexibility to choose my 200 or so "stand-by" favorites (which I'm always doing on my 15GB iPod).



I'll probably just resist all temptations (so far I have), continue to save my dough and treat myself to a snazzy new, redesigned Intel-based PowerBook or iBook - and whatever nano is available at that point...hopefully less than a year from now!

I'd rather have two new shiny goodies to unwrap and play with, even if it means waiting another 6-12 months.


Last edited by psmith2.0 : 2005-09-15 at 11:14.
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Messiahtosh
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2005-09-15, 12:03

Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0
If there was a shuffle-like random autofill, that would be perfect...I'd get the sexy, small nano in a heartbeat! Is that a capability that could be added with a future software update maybe?

I may be confused, and it already does this?

I have just under 12GB of music...what, exactly, would happen if I connected a 2 or 4GB nano to my PowerBook? Would it tell me to manually copy songs, or would it fill itself up, randomly? What's the deal on this?



But yeah, the full-size iPods are indeed looking a bit poochy and big, thanks to the shuffle and nano.
You know what you could do? You could just use the party shuffle feature, make the list really long (display 100 upcoming songs), highlight all 100 and drag and drop them to the nano...do it 5-10 times and you've got a nano filled with random music from your library.

It's not as neat as autofill, but it works.
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Paul
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2005-09-15, 12:47

or you could just make a smart playlist that fills randomly and is 3gigs in size...

it should reload every time you sync it.
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torifile
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2005-09-15, 13:05

Agghhh! Shit. I don't know what to do. I just pulled the plug on my auction because I'm still not sure!!! I love the nano and it's great to jog with. My 40gig is too big for that. I may just keep both... but I can't afford that (damn wives and their budgets!!). Whatever. I'm going to keep it for now.

If it's not red and showing substantial musculature, you're wearing it wrong.
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psmith2.0
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2005-09-15, 14:06

Holy cow. There could be a new reality show based on torifile's iPod situation...



"Will he? Or won't he? And just went you thought it couldn't get any hotter, a surprise guest shows up...and you won't believe who it is! This fall on NBC...'I Want to Keep my iPod', Tuesdays at 10, 9 central."
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torifile
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2005-09-15, 14:10

Not a bad idea and it would be better than 99% of the crap on t.v. these days anyway.

I'd keep it interesting. Like, in one episode, I could accidently have some porn on my iPod nano and my wife would see it. She'd flip out because she thinks porn degrades women. We get into an argument and I have to sleep in the guest room. I get pissed at the nano because my 40giger doesn't have photo functionality! Damn you, nano!! My marriage is on the rocks...

What'll happen next? Find out Tuesday. 10, 9 central.

If it's not red and showing substantial musculature, you're wearing it wrong.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2005-09-15, 14:19

And this is why iMovie exists, people.



There are enough clichés, patterns, production values and visual hooks shared by ALL reality shows to make them a great target for parody (the screaming, cursing/bleeping, shaky camera, crybaby theatrics, muscleheads with puka (sp?) shell necklaces saying "dude" a lot, quick-cut editing, idiotic "twists", forced drama, some C-level celebrity making a surprise appearance/collecting a check, etc.



I wish I had a camcorder...I'd make your show, torifile.
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zippy
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Join Date: Jul 2005
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2005-09-15, 14:22

This is from Apple's Nano web site:

"And if you have more in your iTunes library than will fit on your iPod nano, not to worry. iTunes will create a playlist that fits your style — and your iPod nano’s capacity. If you’d rather hand-pick what goes onto your iPod nano, feel free. Just drag and drop exactly what you want from your iTunes library onto iPod nano and go."

I interpret this to be the random auto-fill feature that pscates2.0 is desiring.
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chucker
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2005-09-15, 15:17

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul
or you could just make a smart playlist that fills randomly and is 3gigs in size...
That's what I've been doing, but...

Quote:
it should reload every time you sync it.
...it doesn't. It's the same list every time. Furthermore, there is no way to manually "reshuffle" the list either.
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torifile
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2005-09-15, 15:22

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker
That's what I've been doing, but...



...it doesn't. It's the same list every time. Furthermore, there is no way to manually "reshuffle" the list either.
Sure there is a way to have it be different every time. You just need to use criteria that change - like last played, play count or rating. If you use just artists/albums/genres, you're not going to get any change (or very minimal and only if you add new music or criteria, obviously).

But there really needs to be an automatic way to do this. Part of my dilemma is the amount of time I'm having to take to get music on the iPod. With my 40gig, it was a no-brainer because everything went on there. The nano actually makes me *think* about what I want to have on there. (And I have a hard time not including all my tori or pearl jam songs, just out of devotion. )

If it's not red and showing substantial musculature, you're wearing it wrong.
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chucker
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2005-09-15, 15:40

Quote:
Originally Posted by torifile
Sure there is a way to have it be different every time. You just need to use criteria that change - like last played, play count or rating. If you use just artists/albums/genres, you're not going to get any change (or very minimal and only if you add new music or criteria, obviously).
Well, yeah. But Smart Playlists have a "Randomly Selected" option. Thing is, that randomizer only kicks in once, it appears. Maybe this has changed in iTunes 5?

Quote:
But there really needs to be an automatic way to do this.
'xactly.
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Messiahtosh
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2005-09-15, 15:52

Or the party shuffle idea I proposed. haha
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nato64
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2005-09-15, 16:31

i had a 20 GB 4G iPod w/24 GB of music so i was in your postions. i just bought the nano and i LOVE it. although you're right... i have to be smart about what to select. but now that i'm working with something so small i can never go back! i tried holding my "old" 20GB iPod and if felt like a brick.
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ast3r3x
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2005-09-15, 16:38

Not reading past like two or three replies, but there are scripts at doug's scripts that I think will allow the shuffle fill you guys want.
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BarracksSi
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2005-09-15, 17:29

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker
Well, yeah. But Smart Playlists have a "Randomly Selected" option. Thing is, that randomizer only kicks in once, it appears. Maybe this has changed in iTunes 5?
Ever since Smart Playlists showed up, I've kept one that listed 25 random songs. Yeah, it picks them once and stays there, but then I can go back to it, select all of its songs, and press Delete -- and it immediately fills back up with different songs.

I've got a 3rd gen 40 gig and a shuffle right now. There's about 20 gigs of music on the big one, along with all of my documents, photos, and files, games that I've downloaded, most of my apps, and a bootable copy of my system files. It's a portable hard drive -- use it as such, not just a music player/photo viewer.
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Electric Monk
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Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-09-16, 10:03

Quote:
Originally Posted by torifile
Not a bad idea and it would be better than 99% of the crap on t.v. these days anyway.

I'd keep it interesting. Like, in one episode, I could accidently have some porn on my iPod nano and my wife would see it. She'd flip out because she thinks porn degrades women. We get into an argument and I have to sleep in the guest room. I get pissed at the nano because my 40giger doesn't have photo functionality! Damn you, nano!! My marriage is on the rocks...

What'll happen next? Find out Tuesday. 10, 9 central.

Dude, no. Make it a comic strip. You obviously have a camera so it's simple. Comic Life and camera it would be awesome...

Page 1:
Top Half:
Shot of iPod nano.
Stark black and white line drawing.

Bottom Half:
Wide shot. iPod nano on a surface. You. Slightly stylized/rotoscoped (think A Scanner Darkly if you've seen the previews).
Insert, bottom right corner:
Close-up. You. Staring into the distance. Highly stylized false colour.
First thought bubble: Damn You...


There's so many possibilities...
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Longhorn
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2005-09-21, 02:12

Hopefully Apple is listening, I've always though the 'browse' button in the top right was pretty useless. They should replace it with a drag down genre/artist/album list and add some buttons up there and have it selectively change. Like 'play random song' for the library and 'autofill' for the ipod.
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madmaxmedia
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Join Date: Oct 2004
 
2005-09-27, 19:04

I used to have a 40GB BW 4G, and EBayed it to get a 4GB Nano. I used to have a Mini, and was pretty sure I could live with the smaller capacity.

But since that time, my music collection swelled to over 20GB, and I found it hard to squeeze everything I wanted into the Nano. After using the 40GB iPod for awhile, 4GB suddenly felt a lot more confining that I thought it would. At the same time, it would be hard for me to logically argue that a 4GB player with really fast transfer speed can't handle your daily music needs...

I ended up EBaying the Nano, and will go back to a full-sized iPod. I'm actually waiting out the next month or so, I think a new iPod is coming.
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jimbo123
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Join Date: Apr 2005
 
2005-09-28, 01:19

I'm torn, either Nano or full size. I love the size of the Nano but the capacity is way to small. Yet the ipod is too big. Can't win!
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The Grim
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2005-09-28, 04:00

I got iPod 40G BW last year and found out I have got more music and audio files to fit all in there. When Apple came out with iPod Photo 60G, I was going to to buy it at first but after some consideration I decide against pick up the new one. I was put off by the high price and the fact that I just got my iPod couple months before. Fast Forward to last month introduction of nano, I hope apple would come out with 8G nano instance of 4G nano. After 3 days, I can not resist my temptation and order black 4G. I am in the nano haven 5 days later. I use nano about 9-10 hours a day form walking the dog, jogging, and using at work, and come to find out I do not listen to everything on 40G all day or week anyway.
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madmaxmedia
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Join Date: Oct 2004
 
2005-09-28, 11:37

I'm wondering if Apple will revise the full-sized iPod form factor, now that the Mini is gone. I know they can't go as small as the Mini, but they should be able to continue eeking out size improvements.

As the 1.8" hard drives have gotten larger in capacity, they have gradually decreased in thickness. At the very least Apple should be able to make new iPods thinner. The 60GB iPod is very appealing to me, but feels too thick compared to the 20GB or 40GB.

If the iPod Video does come to pass in the next release, I guess they won't make the footprint smaller, since they will try to make the screen as big as possible (without changing overall form factor.)
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Paul
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2005-09-28, 11:49

The 40 gb iPod was the same thickness as the 60 gb...
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RowdyScot
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2005-09-28, 12:34

Not quite. The 60GB is a few millimeters thicker. Try slipping it in a leather case designed for the 40GB, and you can see that the case will be stretched further than intended.
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BlueRabbit
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2005-09-28, 17:39

yes, the 60 GB iPod is a bit (although it's noticeable) thicker than the 40. The difference is because (IIRC) the 60 gig drive uses two 30 gig hard drive platters, whereas the 40 gig drive just uses one.
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