Enjoying the Apple iPod

Several years back, Apple introduced an MP3 player called the iPod. At first glance, it was nothing special, and the market was already flooded with devices that would play digital music. I had a folder full of MP3s, but even those were always written to CD: my CD collection and CD players saw heavy use. I didn't have much interest in the iPod or any of its competitors.

At some point I became less interested in listening to music. I had a pile of CDs at work, and those same two dozen were constantly played for probably about two years. My full CD rack at home just collected dust over the years.

Then, about four years ago, I decided to start listening to the collection again. I enjoyed listening to it all, but to get the variety I wanted I had to carry a huge pile of discs with me. I decided to look at purchasing a digital music player. An iPod seemed like a good fit--I bought a 3rd generation, 40 GB model and have been absolutely thrilled with it. It's seen four years of heavy use and is still working well (though the battery isn't good for long at all). I always recommend them over any other players, and would buy another the moment this one broke with no hesitation.

I always look at the latest model iPods and think they look really nice. Color screen; click-wheel interface; photo, video, and game capability; longer battery life--they all make it an attractive purchase. In the end, though, the primary use for me would be as a music player, and my current one meets all of those needs.

Those features on the 5.5G iPods are giving me some heavy technolust, but I've managed to hold out. Today's announcements, however, make it even harder to hold back. An 80 GB or 160 GB iPod classic with super battery life would be a great replacement, but I was hoping for something a little more. The iPod touch is almost there: 3.5-inch wide touch screen, WiFi, Safari, and battery life. If it had the 80 or 160 GB drive I'd buy it immediately. But the 16 GB disk is really only just barely large enough for my listening habits...

I guess I'll just have to play with them in the store. Not that that will make a purchase decision easier--I just want to play with them.