jefflivney
02-28-2004, 02:52 PM
Ok, I'll start off this thread by saying I have only had the device for a day. I don't want people yelling at me for writing a review before I have had adequate time to review the product.
Now that that is out in the open, I have to say that I love this product. When I was first considering a replacement for my lost Creative Labs Zen, I looked at almost everything on the market. I looked at the tiny flash-based mp3 players all the way to the enormous hard drive based rock called the Neuros. I really liked the iPod and the Apple brand name. I had made up my mind; I was getting the iPod 15 GB.
Then something new came out - something special. I saw the iPod mini 4 GB. Granted, for $50 more you can get 11 GB more, but that didn't matter to me. I had about 5 GB of music on my last mp3 player and could never find a song when I wanted it. After reading reviews, comments, comparing features and prices, I decided I would order the iPod mini.
On February 1st, I called Apple and placed my order. Two weeks later, I checked on the status and realized it would not ship until March 10th. Ouch! I then checked around and saw that J&R Music World had it "in stock" and shipping in 1-2 business days. I cancelled my order with Apple and placed with J&R. 5 days passed and I began to think, "Where is my mini?" I called J&R and they said the item was backordered, which is strange because when I ordered over the phone, I was told it was in stock. Funny how that works, eh?
I looked around once more and I don't know why, but I thought of Fry's Electronics. They have everything! I went to the website and they have it to ship the same day! Wow, amazing. I placed my order last night (Feb 27) around 6 p.m. and received my mini today (Feb 28) at 11 a.m. Afterall, overnight shipping was only $3 more.
Kudos to Fry's! Your stores may be packed and messy, the salespeople may be pushy and annoying, but you sure know how to get the job done fast, right, and hassle-free.
I have to say, I love it! It is tiny, light-weight, and comes with a plethora of cables and attachments. So far, the ease of use of the product by far is the best on any mp3 player that I have seen. My Zen was a pain in the neck - always glitchy and having problems. The iPod mini seems to be heaven.
One thing that I do not like about the mini is the life of the battery. I'm not saying how long the battery lasts between charges, but the actually life of the battery. Appearantly, the built-in iPod batteries only last for about 18 months. After that, you have to pay Apple $100 to replace the battery and they will give you a refurbished one in return. There are online places that you can send it to and they will fix it and give you yours back or send you a kit to do it yourself.
And a word to the wise: if you plan on purchasing in iPod, you may be enticed by the free laser engraving. Do so at your own risk. If you ever want to sell it later, it will be extremely hard. Also, Apple does not accept returns for items with laser engraving.
Overall, I give the iPod mini an A+. Truely phenominal.
Now that that is out in the open, I have to say that I love this product. When I was first considering a replacement for my lost Creative Labs Zen, I looked at almost everything on the market. I looked at the tiny flash-based mp3 players all the way to the enormous hard drive based rock called the Neuros. I really liked the iPod and the Apple brand name. I had made up my mind; I was getting the iPod 15 GB.
Then something new came out - something special. I saw the iPod mini 4 GB. Granted, for $50 more you can get 11 GB more, but that didn't matter to me. I had about 5 GB of music on my last mp3 player and could never find a song when I wanted it. After reading reviews, comments, comparing features and prices, I decided I would order the iPod mini.
On February 1st, I called Apple and placed my order. Two weeks later, I checked on the status and realized it would not ship until March 10th. Ouch! I then checked around and saw that J&R Music World had it "in stock" and shipping in 1-2 business days. I cancelled my order with Apple and placed with J&R. 5 days passed and I began to think, "Where is my mini?" I called J&R and they said the item was backordered, which is strange because when I ordered over the phone, I was told it was in stock. Funny how that works, eh?
I looked around once more and I don't know why, but I thought of Fry's Electronics. They have everything! I went to the website and they have it to ship the same day! Wow, amazing. I placed my order last night (Feb 27) around 6 p.m. and received my mini today (Feb 28) at 11 a.m. Afterall, overnight shipping was only $3 more.
Kudos to Fry's! Your stores may be packed and messy, the salespeople may be pushy and annoying, but you sure know how to get the job done fast, right, and hassle-free.
I have to say, I love it! It is tiny, light-weight, and comes with a plethora of cables and attachments. So far, the ease of use of the product by far is the best on any mp3 player that I have seen. My Zen was a pain in the neck - always glitchy and having problems. The iPod mini seems to be heaven.
One thing that I do not like about the mini is the life of the battery. I'm not saying how long the battery lasts between charges, but the actually life of the battery. Appearantly, the built-in iPod batteries only last for about 18 months. After that, you have to pay Apple $100 to replace the battery and they will give you a refurbished one in return. There are online places that you can send it to and they will fix it and give you yours back or send you a kit to do it yourself.
And a word to the wise: if you plan on purchasing in iPod, you may be enticed by the free laser engraving. Do so at your own risk. If you ever want to sell it later, it will be extremely hard. Also, Apple does not accept returns for items with laser engraving.
Overall, I give the iPod mini an A+. Truely phenominal.