Picky Fickle Buyer

Finally, after more than a year of resisting to buy myself an iPod, and raving about the pros of having an iPod in my blog iPod, iMac, iWant!, I am buying myself the new (released in September 2006) 30GB iPod!

Hurrah, Yipee, Yehey!!!

I initially decided to buy an 80GB iPod but decided against it , thinking the 30GB would actually be sufficient for my music playing and video viewing needs aside from the fact that I don't intend to use it to store my photos as I am not yet that narcissitic. I have long delayed buying an iPod because I feel guilty spending so much of my money on myself, I guess settling for the 30GB is a compromise I'm willing to make. The price difference is around Php5,000 and with that I can buy some necessary accessories. Speaking of accessories, I also initially wanted to get a red Shinnorie EZgoing for iPod Video 30GB but I scrimped and striked that off my shopping list.

By the way, I'm having my iPod bought in Hong Kong by a friend of a friend who is also buying an 80GB video iPod. I initially said I'd be getting just an AV cable then, after reading through the Apple Online Store user reviews and after interviewing personnel at three different Apple Stores here in Manila, I thought I would also need a USB Power Adapter. And then, I decided I'd buy the accessories here in Manila at zero interest for 12 months since the price difference is just minimal. At this point, I'd understand if my friend already wants to wring my neck for changing my mind so many times.

But hey, this is an important purchase. I remember I wasn't too picky when I got my laptop four years ago and, while it was so realiable, I kinda regretted not to have exhausted all buying opportunities to get my money's worth. I actually had friends who got laptops at the same time I got mine, at the same price but for more value. My current laptop only has USB 1.0, and doesn't have wi-fi and dvd-rom. But anyway, that was four years ago. What is important is to make the right purchase now.

And so, in case you are buying an iPod, a video iPod in particular, I'd like to share with you some important stuff which I found out about buying an iPod, stuff that you don't get to find out just by going to the ipod page at the Apple website.

1. The box contains earphones, a case, a USB 2.0 cable, dock adapter for use with universal dock (but universal dock is not included), and quickstart guide CD along with your iPod. The li-ion battery is built in.

2. We know what the case, the earphones and the quickstart guide are for but the USB 2.0 cable is primarily to connect your iPod to your PC or mac to (1) sync the iPod with your iTunes library, and (2) to charge your iPod. Note that you cannot charge your iPod without turning on your computer is you just rely on the accessories included in the box since the a power adapter has to be purchased separately. It costs Php 2,000 but costs a few pesos less if you buy it in Hong Kong, Singapore and even in the U.S.

3. On charging your iPod, you need to charge your iPod for 4 hours for it to fully charge or 2 hours to be 80% charged. If you are charging it by connecting it to your PC or mac, you cannot use your iPod unless you "eject" it from the iTunes. With my Motorola Razr v3i with iTunes, I sometimes find this troublesome. On the other hand, the power adapter comes in handy because you can charge your iPod even if it is not connected to your PC and you can even use it.

4. You might have a problem if your PC or mac doesn't have a USB 2.0 because USB 1.0 would be slower. Here, the power adapter comes in handy again.

5. It takes quite a while to adding many songs or videos to your iPod so if you do not have the luxury of time, you should get yourself a firewire which you connect to your PC or mac and to your iPod to be able to transfer songs a lot faster. I am not buying this, incidentally.

6. The case which is included inside the box when you purchase an iPod is a fabric pouch. Might not be good enough if you know yourself to be clumsy. That means you've got to get yourself more protection.

7. As mentioned earlier, the dock adapter is for use with the universal dock which is not included in the box and is quite pricey (HK$300). I am also not buying this because some iPod buyers have attested that it scratches their iPod. Supposedly, it can do the following:

Connect the Dock to your computer with the cable that came with your iPod, then place your iPod in the Dock to sync and charge the battery. No more reaching behind the computer to plug it in.

Connect the Dock to an electrical outlet using an iPod Power Adapter, then place your iPod in the Dock to charge the battery.

Connect the Dock to a stereo or speakers using an iPod AV Cable or a stereo audio cable to play music from iPod.

Control playback from a distance using the Apple Remote.

Display photos on a TV or other video device using an iPod AV Cable or S-video cable if you have an iPod with a color display.

Display videos on a TV or other video device using an iPod AV Cable or S-video cable if you have an iPod with video capability.

Note that without it, you can (a) charge and sync your iPod with your PC or mac, (b) can charge your iPod using the power adapter, and (c) play music, display photos and view videos using the AV cable. The only thing you can't do without the universal dock is to use the apple remote. I think I can live without it for now.

There are lots and lots of iPod accessories sold by Apple and other manufacturers, sure. For now, I'm happy with my purchases. I'll spread the glee out of having new gadgets or accessories some other time.