Well, I finally bought an iPod - the iPod nano 8GB black to be exact. I have been using an iAudio M3 20GB for quite some time, but it finally died on me and no amount of reseting or reformatting has been able to bring it back. I'm not really disappointed though, because I've been wanting to get an iPod for a while and this was the final nudge pushing me back to the Apple store. While the M3, like many other portable audio players on the market, trumps any iPod when it comes to features, I still found the iPod to be a better match for me.


I have used the iTunes store for quite some time now, and it has been my main source of music purchasing. It's so easy to find music, especially music I wouldn't have otherwise heard in a hundred years. I am very picky when it comes to music that I purchase, and my ears are very tired of the same sounds, instruments, voices and song structures being repeated over and over again. Daughtry? Do we really need another Nickelback? The "Top 20?" They all sound the same to me. Thanks to iTunes, I have been able to search for unique and talented artists, making sure I like the sounds before I spend my hard-earned money.

No, iTunes isn't perfect, but it's damn close. Sure the sound isn't CD quality, but it's close enough. I am able to enjoy crisp, clear notes on my Bang & Olufson earphones as well as my Infinity stereo system in my truck (which, by the way, I became more appreciative of after I tried out the earbuds included with the iPod nano). Then there is the pricing: songs on iTunes are cheaper than buying CDs, but I'm still spending a buck a song, which can add up easily due to the ease of purchasing songs. However, as a personal counterpoint, I like to spend my credit card reward points on iTunes gift certificates (thanks American Express), which basically means I get a nice earful of new music every couple months without spending a dime (that I wouldn't have otherwise spent).

I have played with the iPod before, as well as a couple other old and new variants, and I have always liked their ease of use and simplicity, as with most Apple products which I discovered when I purchased my MacBook four months ago. I also don't need most of the features that the iPod lacks (such as an FM tuner; the radio stations here just plain suck so I would never use it). A couple things I wish the iPod had include a more advanced equalizer and easier switching to and from "Disk Mode" (the iPod is able to be accessed through Finder or My Computer to carry data other than music and podcasts, but it requires a sequence of keypresses which I feel is overkill).

I am extremely happy with my purchase, but I knew I would be, which is why I bought the thing. Seeing as I already organized my music and CDs in iTunes, the iPod just made my music consumption that much easier. Instead of purchasing music on iTunes, burning the CDs to play them in my truck, then reimporting them as MP3s to transfer them to the M3, I just plug in my iPod, and my music syncs and goes wherever I am. I attempted to use the M3 through my truck stereo's auxiliary input, but I got tired of fumbling with the controls while driving. The iPod is much easier to use while on the road.

And best of all? Now I'm hip, just like what's-his-face in the Apple commercials... sans white earbuds.