Posted by mcerny@gmail.com on 04/12/06 18:01

I suppose it could be cheaper, in theory, but it's not like there's any
real competition that is truly in its class. What makes the iPod (I
have both an iPod mini and an iRiver T30 1GB) so much better is the way
in which it is "one" with the iTunes software and because of it's
simplicity of interface and use. With an iRiver or any of the Windows
media compatible players is that they rely on Windows Media Player
(WMP) as the primary software "mothership." WMP is fine as a general
media player, but it designed to work with every portable player there
is (other than iPods and Sony-baloney) and ends up not quite getting it
right. Also consider that major updates to WMP happen only every five
years or so, and the updates in between are because some hacker figured
out how to break Windows via WMP. With iTunes, there are frequent
updates: every time a new iPod or iPod feature is released.

It's Apple's market because they do the mp3 player thing better than
anyone else. And because pretty much everyone wants an iPod, there's no
reason for Apple to lower their profit margin.

For sake of disclosure: I have an iPod mini (but no stock in Apple,
regrettably) and an iRiver T30 1GB. I bought the iRiver simply because
I can record to it from a line-in source at 320Kbps mp3. For novelty's
sake I listened to some mp3's on it shortly after I bought it, but the
interface requires too many steps to navigate too many menus for simple
operations like selecting a song or playlist. For listening to music
(or podcasts) there's just nothing as elegantly simple as an iPod.

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