There comes a time that occurs all too often in life. A time where every man has to make those life altering decisions. Sometimes those decisions contradict all common logic. Often times, these decisions will be met with criticism and slander. However, deep down, you know these decisions are right, and the results will serve for the betterment of mankind. Alright, perhaps that is an exaggeration, but at least you know you will benefit from the outcome.
Take me for instance. Just recently, I was faced with an incredibly difficult decision that tore me straight down the middle. See, in today's tech world, it is imperative that us tech-heads must stay on top of the latest and most cutting edge of technologies. We must be in possession of those devices that are the shiniest and slimmest. However, it is also important that we must know when to those weigh those seductive urges, and balance them against the benefits of functionality and sensibility. After weeks of struggling with my inner-demons, I did the unthinkable. I decided to trade in my iPod Touch for an iPod Classic.
Though both the iPod Touch and iPod Classic were unveiled on the same
day, this decision to switch from the former to the latter, may be considered a technological step back. The iPod Touch has the elegant wide screen touch interface, internet access via 802.11, and all of the other features of the iPhone, sans phone calls. And the iPod Classic is well, an iPod. With a click wheel. And no touch screen. No internet.
So why the switch? Though the iPod Classic lacks some of those cool features that makes the iPod Touch such a treat, it is the simplicity of the Classic that makes it right for me. Sure it is nice to be able to scroll through coverflow with a swipe of your finger, or resize your pictures with a pinch of your thumb and forefingers. It is, however, not a treat to have to constantly pull that microfiber cloth out of your pocket to wipe away those smudges. If you have ever been in the situation, where you were listening to music on an iPod Touch and had someone come up to you and start conversating, then I am sure you are aware of the frustration of having to pause the player. Tap the home button to wake up the Touch, tap the home button twice more to bring up the play/pause options; oh wait, it didn't take that time, tap the home button two more times to successfully call the menu up, then look down at the screen to find the position of the pause button and perform one more tap. As opposed to a tradition click-wheel iPod, where you can reach in your pocket and hit pause button without even looking. Don't get me started on skipping songs. And, though the Touch's solid state drive may be more suitable for physical activities, such as working out at the gym, the touchscreen makes it almost unusable in those situations.
Which then brings me to the storage capacity. Now, I'm completely fine with having only 8 or 16GB of hard drive space. I think the concept of limited storage forces upon you, ways to tap into your creative side and come up with some really intelligent smart-playlists. However, where the Classic really shines is at times like when you are at a friends house and you just need them to hear a song to settle a dispute. Or to put your friends on to an artist that they may be missing out on. You know that you own that song, but darn, it didn't
make its way into the playlist on your iPod. Another example of needing ample storage space, is for people like me that like to listen to the iPod while driving a car, via an Auxiliary or USB port on your radio. It is very inconvenient to be limited to a select amount of songs during your road trip. I am also not a fan of being able to have only two or three movies available, since it shares that storage space with everything else on your iPod. That would not be feasible for a trip that may last more than a couple of days.
What about all the other cool features of the iPod Touch? Yes, it is very nice to have a wifi enabled web browser in the palm of your hands. However, unlike the iPhone, the iPod Touch is not powered by the all encompassing Edge network. Thus, to browse the internet, you must be in range of an 802.11 wireless access point. I can't speak for everyone, but 99% of the time I am in an area with wifi access, I also have access to a computer of some sort. Perhaps if the Touch took advantage of the wireless capabilities in creative ways, like the Zune (wireless syncing, music sharing) for example, then I would consider the Touch a must have. As for contact and calendar syncing, it is often overlooked, but the iPod Classic, as well as many of the older generations of iPods, have that feature built in.
As a previous iPod 5G user, I must say that the iPod Classic is a nice upgrade from the older players. The interface is slick and intuitive. It is a neat feature to see previews of cover art or photos as you are browsing through the different directories. The new search feature comes quite in handy for those times that you can remember the name of a song, but not the artist. The video quality is exceptional as usual, and I can't wait to try out the games that are available for the Classic.
Though I may be out of 'touch' with the latest technologies, I feel the benefits and simplicity of the iPod Classic outweighs the elegance of the iPod Touch.
Take me for instance. Just recently, I was faced with an incredibly difficult decision that tore me straight down the middle. See, in today's tech world, it is imperative that us tech-heads must stay on top of the latest and most cutting edge of technologies. We must be in possession of those devices that are the shiniest and slimmest. However, it is also important that we must know when to those weigh those seductive urges, and balance them against the benefits of functionality and sensibility. After weeks of struggling with my inner-demons, I did the unthinkable. I decided to trade in my iPod Touch for an iPod Classic.
Though both the iPod Touch and iPod Classic were unveiled on the same
day, this decision to switch from the former to the latter, may be considered a technological step back. The iPod Touch has the elegant wide screen touch interface, internet access via 802.11, and all of the other features of the iPhone, sans phone calls. And the iPod Classic is well, an iPod. With a click wheel. And no touch screen. No internet.So why the switch? Though the iPod Classic lacks some of those cool features that makes the iPod Touch such a treat, it is the simplicity of the Classic that makes it right for me. Sure it is nice to be able to scroll through coverflow with a swipe of your finger, or resize your pictures with a pinch of your thumb and forefingers. It is, however, not a treat to have to constantly pull that microfiber cloth out of your pocket to wipe away those smudges. If you have ever been in the situation, where you were listening to music on an iPod Touch and had someone come up to you and start conversating, then I am sure you are aware of the frustration of having to pause the player. Tap the home button to wake up the Touch, tap the home button twice more to bring up the play/pause options; oh wait, it didn't take that time, tap the home button two more times to successfully call the menu up, then look down at the screen to find the position of the pause button and perform one more tap. As opposed to a tradition click-wheel iPod, where you can reach in your pocket and hit pause button without even looking. Don't get me started on skipping songs. And, though the Touch's solid state drive may be more suitable for physical activities, such as working out at the gym, the touchscreen makes it almost unusable in those situations.
Which then brings me to the storage capacity. Now, I'm completely fine with having only 8 or 16GB of hard drive space. I think the concept of limited storage forces upon you, ways to tap into your creative side and come up with some really intelligent smart-playlists. However, where the Classic really shines is at times like when you are at a friends house and you just need them to hear a song to settle a dispute. Or to put your friends on to an artist that they may be missing out on. You know that you own that song, but darn, it didn't
make its way into the playlist on your iPod. Another example of needing ample storage space, is for people like me that like to listen to the iPod while driving a car, via an Auxiliary or USB port on your radio. It is very inconvenient to be limited to a select amount of songs during your road trip. I am also not a fan of being able to have only two or three movies available, since it shares that storage space with everything else on your iPod. That would not be feasible for a trip that may last more than a couple of days.What about all the other cool features of the iPod Touch? Yes, it is very nice to have a wifi enabled web browser in the palm of your hands. However, unlike the iPhone, the iPod Touch is not powered by the all encompassing Edge network. Thus, to browse the internet, you must be in range of an 802.11 wireless access point. I can't speak for everyone, but 99% of the time I am in an area with wifi access, I also have access to a computer of some sort. Perhaps if the Touch took advantage of the wireless capabilities in creative ways, like the Zune (wireless syncing, music sharing) for example, then I would consider the Touch a must have. As for contact and calendar syncing, it is often overlooked, but the iPod Classic, as well as many of the older generations of iPods, have that feature built in.
As a previous iPod 5G user, I must say that the iPod Classic is a nice upgrade from the older players. The interface is slick and intuitive. It is a neat feature to see previews of cover art or photos as you are browsing through the different directories. The new search feature comes quite in handy for those times that you can remember the name of a song, but not the artist. The video quality is exceptional as usual, and I can't wait to try out the games that are available for the Classic.
Though I may be out of 'touch' with the latest technologies, I feel the benefits and simplicity of the iPod Classic outweighs the elegance of the iPod Touch.
