Ipod or ?

[BobT]

A few years ago I bought our daughters each an MP3 player. I chose Sansa players from Sandisk. One of the girls' players got damaged and the other got lost a few months ago. I know they both miss their players and so I've been thinking about replacing them for Christmas this year.

From Sandisk I've been looking at their Fuze MP3/MP4 players. These are available up to 8GB.

I hear so much about Apple's Ipod that I thought I'd check them out too. Pricewise their 8GB Ipod Touch are about double the cost. The Nano isn't quite so expensive but it doesn't support MP4 format.

I don't know much about MP4 but if I understand correctly, MP4 is video format whereas MP3 is audio or is MP4 a higher revision of MP3? At any rate, what is the real advantage of the Ipod over the Fuse or other players like it? It appears that the Ipod Touch is much more than just a player with available apps that turn it into a hand-held computer. Is this an accurate assessment?

Edit: In the sport of my conversations about American Made products in another thread, I have checked and both of these company's corporate headquarters are in California. Both have worldwide offices as well.

[zamboni]

I have a Nano and I love it. Not sure about the MP3 or MP4 difference, but I know mine shoots video with sound and it does a great job.

[pulsar_nx]

3 hard years of a ipod touch here, looking to get my second, soon as I can find the new gen 4 touch to buy.

You should be able to find discounted Ipods now as all but the classic have just been updated.

Apple is engineered in America made in China, by Foxcon.

[spearchucker]

iPod Touch is more than an mp3 player like you said. It has WIFI and bluetooth with internet capabilities. You surf the web and get email with it as well as play music.

[deadeye]

I have a creative zen and while I do like it I still wish I would have just gotten a Ipod. Idk, itunes seems so much nicer to use than the other stuff and its nice to get itunes gift cards as a gift or give as a gift.

[SkunkedAgain]

My boss gave ipod classics to my wife and I a few years ago. They are great except her screen is mostly dead and both have "memory" issues that I guess are common with models that incorporate hard drives (like your home computer) versus flash memory. The flash memory holds up much better to the drops and hard life that young folks subject their equipment to these days. The down side is that flash memory isn't offered/available with as much storage space, meaning that you can get a 160GB ipod with a hard drive or a 60GB flash drive. For most that may not make any difference but I've got every bit of my 80GB ipod filled with music and wish that I could store more!

[pureinsanity]

How old are your daughters???? If they are likely to forget them or lose them. I would say you should go with the cheaper version until they are responsible enough to not lose it. Or if you do get them an ipod say if they lose this one you are never buying them one again

[CJH]

Ipod is slick and the best integrated with the software (itunes). That being said, you can load your own music into itunes that you already own if its in the correct format or you have unprotected CD's. You are somewhat beholden to iTunes/apple and what they choose to do with their software and any protected content you buy from them.

[PierBridge]

I'd probably lean towards I-Pod. One, the Kids will like the I=Pod unit better than there Sansa's it's a status thing with the kids. And two it's a lot easier to have an I-Pod fixed either through warranty or on your own down the road where as the Sansa's and other brands are basically throw a ways.

So beings its not my money I'd get the more expensive I=Pods!

[delcecchi]

I don't think the newest Ipod nano's do the video thing any more. Check features. If you can swing it I think the ipod touch is the coolest. If all they want is to listen to music a classic or nano would be the choice. Unless you have a lot of CDs or other ways to get music, filling up even a nano is an expensive proposition.