iPod Classic vs. The Touch

Strange events have taken motion beginning with the release of the anticipated 32gb iPod touch. Suddenly, several of my friends spontaneously gained a great deal of interest in replacing their current iPods (not very current by any means). Out of their desire for a new iPod many questions were raised due to too many options. Apple has milked the pmp market to its best ability. From the initial release of the iPod and the few choices to a lineup large enough to make your head spin.

The basic question at hand is which one to buy. A great question and unfortunately, with so many choices within iPod family, not as easy to answer as you might think. After all, you’re talking about people that are used to carrying around their entire music collection or close to it.

1) Do you really need all your music with you?

This is probably more an emotional question for most. We’ve become accustomed to carrying gigantic music libraries like a security blanket or bragging rights “My playlist is bigger than yours”. Of course, we all know that its not the size of the list but what you listen to. I had to overcome this myself as I struggled with the fact that I really only listened to a few albums with the occasional flashback to an era long forgotten for a quick pick me up. I used to rationalize by thinking that carrying my music on my iPod was really just keeping a backup just in case. Then one day, as is bound to happen, I exceeded the storage capacity and was left trying to figure out what music I wanted. This is when I realized for the first time that i just don’t need so much music with me.

2) How are you going to use your iPod?

This question helps you figure out what features are most important (ie. size, UI, and storage). For example, if you plan on using the iPod only while exercising then you might consider something small like a shuffle or nano. I asked a coworker how he planned to use the ipod and he said primarily at the gym but also on trips. The trips part of his answer drew out that he would like to be able to watch a movie or 2 while on route. You see how such a basic question will start to lead you to the right device? Yet we often forget to ask this as we get caught up in the excitement of the latest and greatest toy.

3) Multimedia is the latest ‘IT’

yeah, we all want to watch movies or the latest sitcom on a portable device we can carry everywhere. It sounds so cool to do it but ask yourself if you can watch a movie on the little display of an iPod touch or ipod classic? I know that I watch more movies and shows on my iPhone than the computer or my big screen. It’s convenient and I really love the display on my iPhone. However, my wife can’t watch anything on a small display like my iPhone so this would rule out the device for her. The moral here is even though you think you would want to, will you really?

That’s it, ask yourself those questions and be honest. Then go to your local Apple store and play with the different options. If you are interested in watching video, check out the iPhone or iPod touch and watch some video on it to make sure you are comfortable with it.

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Tags: iPod, iPod touch, pmp