I wouldn't do it. I'm just saying that you don't have to have an ipod to use itunes. But no, you wouldn't get a noticable drop in quality. It's all digital conversion, with no losses. You could probably even re-rip to 128kbps and not be able to tell.

If there's an easier way to get your DRM tracks onto a non-DRM player, then I'm afraid I don't know it.

Personally, I refuse to use iTunes or any other online store for those reasons: low quality files plus DRM, or buy a CD for a similar price for high quality and no DRM. I know which I choose several times a month.



I never said ipods were bad. They're not, they're very good. Just not significantly better than other players to justify the extra cost.


I hold my hands up to missing number 5 in the list. It wasn't to slag off Apple, more to suggest alternative players that are all highly rated but don't have the hype.

Back on topic - I'd never use a phone instead of an MP3 player. They lack the ease of use, sound quality and capacity.

I'll agree on point three.

But ..... the MP3 player on my K750i is a doddle to use (One button to stop/start. Rocker button for volume up/down hold for track back/forward). Sound quality is pretty good too. As a second MP3 player, it's perfectly acceptable.

If I hadn't wanted a PMP for good video handling, I would seriously be tempted to get a phone and a huge memory card and just use that. Probably a Sony.

It's not elitist, no, it's common... what about those of us that can afford one but choose another (often superior) product through choice

The thing that makes the iPOD/iTunes combination unbeatable for me is the integration with AirTunes. Multiroom audio (with no noisy computer in the room) for £70 a room? I can live with a lot of DRM hassle and even the price-premium on the iPOD for that.

Infact if you did own an Ipod you may now a bit more about what you're talking about.

More and more of the iTunes music store is going DRM free, Apple really want to push this, and the whole of the universal back catalogue is now DRM free, and hopefully more to come in 2008.

It's the labels that want the DRM, apple will happily do away with it.

What's your point? I said you don't need an ipod to use iTunes, DRM or not...

Either way, CDs are better.

You said

"
Personally, I refuse to use iTunes or any other online store for those reasons: low quality files plus DRM, or buy a CD for a similar price for high quality and no DRM. I know which I choose several times a month."

I'm saying more and more of the itunes store is going or is DRM free, so your point is less relevant.

Great! iTunes will soon be offering something that's marginally less inferior to CDs, as opposed to substantially inferior!

You've sold me, well done...

Soooo...let me see...you posted to a thread about whether an iPOD is better than a phone for playing MP3's, yet you fundamentally don't use MP3's because they're not as good quality as CD's.

...and the point is?

I have an SE phone and an iPod (well a few iPods actually) but here's my take on what iPods have over other media players:

- seamless integration with iTunes jukebox software and store (for purchase of DRM and non-DRM music)
- really simple to use click wheel or touch interface
- cover flow
- video, podcasts, audible books (other players can use but it's pretty on an iPod)
- good battery life
- iPod touch - internet in your pocket
- shinyness

TBF, if you want a CD you go out to HMV or order it online and then wait for it to be delivered. HMV may not have it in stock.

iTunes takes seconds to download a whole album on a fast connection and you ca usually just buy the tracks that interest you if you don't want the whole album. Lots of advantages there.

It's not good - it's awful. Low quality encoding, expensive, hard to play on anything other than an ipod - and yes I did try it with an audio book that they encoded in 2 hour chunks and some music which was the same price as a shop bought CD (luckily I didn't pay that due to a voucher).

You think 79p is expensive compared to some places that are 99p and even £3.99 for a single in a shop?

You get so many different mixes and versions on iTunes too.

Doh! My kids are getting ipods for christmas and I asked for a Sony Erricson phone. Am I a wally?

Yes, but mainly because of that crappy emoticon!

I dont see the point in comparing the two that teh OP wants to. While you may be able to argue that there is nothing the iPod can do that the phone can', depending on the type of iPod, it being a dedicated mp3 players is better at doing that than a phone which has an mp3 player bolted on.

Basically, an iPod is better if you want to buy music, videos and podcasts on the iTunes store, and store a LOT of music and what not.

The phone is decent enough for banging about 100 tracks on and listening to them on the bus on the way to work. People who listen to music for long periods of time will be better with an iPod.

It also depends on whether you like pressing buttons or whether you like the touch-sensitive scroll wheel & cover flow.

I use MP3s ripped from CD at a high quality. I listen to my MP3 player for about 3 hours a day, on a decent player. I think I'm relatively qualified to say whether it's better to use a dedicated player or your phone...

Add:
+ huge range of accessories. I can plug my iPod into any of the docks scattered around the office.
+ car integration. I can plug in my iPod to charge and navigate via my car stereo.
+ audio books. tracks pause and you can return to where you left off later, even after listening to some other music. Same for Podcasts.
+ Smart playlists
+ TV out - useful for showing photos and TV programmes.
+ excellent aesthetics and build quality
+ iTunes store vouchers. Physical vouchers, virtual vouchers or gift specific content.
+ high quality industry standard AAC, AIFF or Apple lossless formats supported in addition to MP3.
+ Can also be used as a phone (iPhone obviously)

Yes I do - don;t buy singles anyway and prefer original full length versions of songs rather than tacky remixes to part the gulliable from more money for the same song.

I only buy albums and £8.95 for a full download album is very expensive compared to the £8.95 CD version - especially as the download albums don't have the same production costs associated with them like printing covers and inlays, cases, distribution, a lot now come with free DVD;s, shelf space in shops, staff to put them out, the risk to retaillers of stocking X amount of titles etc and thats without taking into account the poor quality of downloads with the low biterate, and then the hassle of converting them if you want to play on anything other than Apples equipment.

iTunes store is in high quality (but obviously not audiophile quality, in the same way that CD aren't) AAC 256k format and play fine (without conversion) on a wide range of non-Apple hardware.

You can remove me from the list
I do not have one and I never will
own one, even if it cost a tenner.

Thats nonsense.

Many phones now come with a decent amount of storage. A firend has a Sony (dunno the model but it's a nice phone) that comes with 4gb on board. Thats enough for 700/800 tracks.

Plenty others have card slots that you can easily stick 4gb/8gb cards in .... which puts an awful lot of phones on par with a nano capacity wise.

The sound quality on my old K750i is decent enough .... I'd imagine on newer phones it's even better.

I'd say a decent phone with MP3 player capabilities is actually a really good all-in-one option now.

Take into account some of the newer high end ones with decent cameras built in and you're very nearly into three-in-one territory now.

And how many people actually have 8GB memory card / capable phones? Hmmm... none that I know!

Most phones only support cards of around 2GB. I know it's developing all the time, but you've got to look at the majority.

Large memory cards a slow when browsing through them. Songs take a while to start.

The ones I bought from itunes weren't - they were 128k M4P files and to play them on my mobile or 8Gb sandisk player (incidently half the price of my old nano and pisses over the nano for build, battery life, ease of use and sound quality) they needed converting - apples way is to burn them to CDR then re-rip as MP3 which was impossible for the audio book I bought as it was split into 12 parts which were all too large for a CDR.

I only bought what I did as I had a £100 itunes voucher for £20 - noway would I spend the same on a digital download as a physical product (not forgetting that even if iTunes do have 256k AAC, a CD can be ripped as a 320k mp3 playable on anything or as a FLAC lossless file).

My phone uses 8Gb MS Micro M2 cards without any probs.


Many people are walking around with phones that will accept an 8Gb card.


Less than a second is not what i call slow start & if the card is full up
it does take a while to browse through the files as there are loads
of tracks, this is the same for any storage device that is full of files.