Is an IPOD hi-fi?

Ferrari, I have to correct you on the contents being $25.

Modern electronics is largely software, and software is not free. Perhaps the BOM for the hardware is $25, but it's evident to me that a significant effort went into the software both on the ipod and on the Mac/PC platforms, and in the itunes website. A large part of apples' success is because it all "just works". Many of their competitors sell nice products, but getting them to work is a nightmare. Do you think they should give away their software ?

And, last, if people felt it did not represent value they would not buy it. I think that BMWs represent terrible value in a car, and I prefer a Toyota. Does that make all BMW drivers dumb ? No, they just have different interests and priorities to me.

Ferrari,

Okay, tell you what I'll do, in the near future, will try the I-Pod again and ask them what format the files are in using the knowledge from this thread. Yes I do understand the concept of compression as i was in the music business with CBS for many years.

Ferrari, be aware of the preset EQ settings imbedded within iTunes.

This allows the user to do massive boosting of both high frequencies and bass.

There are also slider controls which can be used to set levels throughout the spectrum, drastically changing the original program. This EQ can be set up to transfer (EQ and all) to the iPod's hard drive for final listening.

Why do I mention this?

Have you ever gotten into a rental car and had your ears blown out? Checking the controls you find the volume at near maximum and all EQ controls at 100% boost.

I suspect the guys at Best Buy are the ones that had that rent car before us. They go back to work and "help out" with MP3 demo material by creatively adding EQ and volume to cinch the sale.

It kills us but the average 10 second listener is so blow away, he hands over his Mastercard with a smile.

Marco:

Am I hurting the artists I enjoy? I really don't believe I am because I'm actually buying their stuff, recommending them to others, and seeing their shows in many cases. Had I not received the CD-R, I'm sure there would be many, many artists I would simply not be supporting in that way. You have a unique viewpoint having been on the other side. I'd be interested to hear what you think.

If radio stations were doing their job, you would not have to resort to that means of exploring new music. FM radio today is a wasteland of tired, overplayed music that follows promotion guidelines.

If you love Britney Spears you're in luck. But if your searching for alternate art or an emerging garage band, forget it.

I own a 30GB iPod video and with lossless, uncompressed files and a $300.00 set of Ultimate Ears (buds) I get decent sound.

My home two channel system is light years ahead of it, but I find it difficult to board flights with it, what with bin space so limited.

Even at the gym where I'm welcome to bring along the Dali's and VTL's, by the time I get everything in the truck, I'm too tired to leave home.

Seriously Ferrari, I have never download a single song nor have burned a single CDR of borrowed music. Everything on my iPod is from CD's I purchased new.

Albert, if the RIAA were doing their job we could rent music and then pay an ownership fee if we wanted to keep it. With practically all other products I am able to return it if I really don't like it, but with CD's I'm supposed to fork over $15 and hope that the album I'm buying isn't a couple of cool tracks and a bunch of turkeys.

The RIAA gave people virtually no legal way to sample music, and now they're paying the price.

Your correct, Seandtaylor99.

However, since that does not exist there is always the internet. With a bit of searching we can listen to samples or complete songs of new artists, which helps make up for where FM has gone.

My favorites are All Music Guide, Pandora Internet Radio and the streaming music at iTunes (all of which is free).

Prices of CD's have fallen too. Many of my purchases are made at Yourmusic.com where $5.99 buys the CD and the shipping is free.

Albert - Pandora is great, but does have limitations. Nevertheless it does fill a gaping chasm that radio has left largely unfilled (with the possible exception of Public Radio and some College stations). Sampling music over the Internet is all well and good if you can discipline yourself to dedicate time and effort to the task. Pandora will only give you one song at a time and you have very limited control over what gets played (I think you can only make a few rejections over a period of time). With Pandora you cannot sample an entire CD, you can hear one or two cuts perhaps. As Seantaylor99 points out, one or two hits does not necessarily make for a great CD, and with retail prices of a CD at around $13-18 finding those one-hit wonders is not much fun. I end up buying most of the music I actually take a liking to anyway, and tend to buy more CD's by the same artist unheard at that point. Sometimes that is a disappointment, but most of the time it is not. Interesting point you make about the RIAA and CD's Seantaylor99. I don't know if it makes that much sense to me, since by the same logic you should be able to get your money back if you didn't like a movie you paid $10 to go see at the theatre. What if the entire world operated on the same money-back guarantee that seems to be more and more expected here in the U.S.? So if your employer wasn't completely happy with your day of work you don't get paid. If you don't like the taste of the donut you chose, return it. If the doctor didn't cure you demand a refund. At some point, and we may be there, this stuff gets way out of hand - the expectations of a overly litigious, capitalist society where the finger of blame always seems to need to point elsewhere.

As far as Steve jobs, and the cost of developing a popular gadget and the software that makes it whirr - I too doubt very much the expenses to make those things are $25. According to this article from PC World from 2/05, at that point it was estimated Apple was making around 40% profit on it's iPod Shuffle. I agree, if Apple can make its customers happy, and make a profit, all the power to them. It is a luxury item used in a leisurely pursuit of enjoyment. Purchasing it is a matter of choice. If you want to talk about abuse of an industry that is out of control, take a look at the pharmaceutical industry. In that case the product is not a luxury item, but a necessity for many, sometime making the difference between life and death. If you want to make references to masses of victims of a capitalist society fostering corporate greed and misplaced priorities, you can talk about our medical care system, our education system, and care for our elderly population. An iPod seems like a pretty silly thing to be making such a fuss over in that perspective, especially with the kind of moral outrage that would prompt references to Hitler.

Marco