iPod

I finally craved to temptation and bought an iPod (Classic 80GB) while I was in the US. However, it took me nearly three weeks to unpack and use the device.

I must admit it seems like a nice device, but overall I am not that impressed perhaps because I have used them numerous times before. I thought I would actually feel more excited about it. Maybe I am just over new gadgets etc. I am not sure it feels kind of weird as I was hoping for this great excitement when I unpacked the box and got the device to work. To me the novelty wore off after about 2 minutes.

I think I was more impressed when I got my first Sony Walkman back in 1987 from Singapore. The Walkman seemed to be way cooler, but it was perhaps due to the fact I was a kid back then and it was such a radical movement back then when as the iPod was just a natural progression, much like the iPhone.

The reason for getting the device was that it was cheaper to get in the US. Otherwise I intended at some stage to get a second hand iPod from TradeMe.

What disappoints me most is that for a cool device it is so expensive even when the device has been around for ages. Apple just likes to keep their prices very high and shaft customers.

I found Apple's online, phone, and store service not very friendly nor efficient. However, I found one store (Apple Stanford Shopping Centre) to actually quite good, but most of the shops in general are there just to put the cash in the register and give you the product. Most of the people I have talked to in the stores would have no idea on how an actual computer works or what is involved let alone these embedded / mobile devices.

I didn't go for the iPod Touch since I bought an iPhone. At least with the iPhone I have opened the box up and turned the phone on. The only thing I can't do with it is actually use it since Vodafone are slow at turning my mobile phone contract (SIM card) on ... perhaps another blog post to come about the iPhone and Vodafone trials and tribulations.