[Ti] Offtopic: likely date for new iPods

[Loren Schooley]

On 3/20/03 10:52 AM, "Michael Bigley" <wakinyan at fuse.net> wrote:

>> The bottom line for me atm is that I can't really afford the 20gb
>> version (yet) but having used mp3 technology for quite some time
>> know that anything less than 40-60Gb will be less than adequate for
>> my large collection, which is also going to take me hours to rip!
>> 
>> At this stage I am considering buying a Firewire HD enclosure from
>> Other World Computing, and putting a quiet and stable single platter
>> 5400rpm 60Gb disk in it.
>> 
>> Of course this would not be a replacement for an iPod but just a way
>> to have all of my music in one convenient place for listening.
> 
> When I first got my 10gb iPod I loaded all my music on it (about
> 9gb), but now I find that cumbersome... unless you are going to be
> away from your computer for weeks, I would suggest using the "upload
> specific playlists" feature; with a 20gb iPod you could have 10gb (5
> days?) of music to listen too, and still have 10gb available for data.
> 
> I know this is a personal choice; but I thing the External FW is a
> great idea, in that if you are going to a party or somewhere where
> you need all your music, you could pack that along. But for "portable
> music" -- especially with smart playlists -- 20gb is a bunch!

I hear this allot: 2000 songs is too much.

But the thing is, it really isn't. Ya really need 4000 songs, and some room
for some software here and there, or a portable database or mail. Nobody
just "turns on a iPod for 4 days to hear all the songs". That's not viable
usage.

If I go to my grannies, I need a playlist with 100 songs, and she may only
listen to 30 over a weekend, she may not like 70 of the others, but the next
weekend at my inlaws, my wifes granny might like 40 of the 70. The following
visit, I'll need yet new songs to entertain her, and I already have them
tucked in there. 

I may have say, 2000 songs, but depending on the crowd I am with, I may only
have 20 songs for each crowd in particular. When I go to a bikers house, I
better have a serious playlist for them too, and if they don't like it, I
got backups songs. I can't be saying, oh, let me go home and download some
more stuff from my 60 gig harddrive. I need a large selection, and I need it
now.

And you don't play a song twice for any particular get together. When you
duplicate songs, people will tend to think your "fancy iPod toy" is outdated
and un-fashionable now, so you have to pump in new stuff all the time. An
extreme metaphorical example of a small amount of songs would be listening
to the same CD over and over, and getting 200 people to listen to it for a
month.

I have playlists for everything and everyone: weddings, draftcard burnings,
opera, children's events, hoola-hoop contests and rollerderby, love-ins,
fight club, birthdays, traveling, war, etc, except I don't waste my space on
top 40, or anything ClearChannel Communication would play, of course. All
that crap is stored on their own FM stereo, anyhoo. With a 1/8" jack, I am
ready for any scene at any place with a stereo input.

But I still need more simply for diversity of the crowds I may find myself
with.