The iPod's Greatness in a Nutshell Date Tuesday, January 15 @ 07:11:30 Topic Apple In reading through the comments trailing off of /.'s recent article, iPod Dissection and Review, I found an exchange that really caught my eye. A user made the comment that the Archos is a superior MP3 playback alternative to the iPod, which solicited a memorable response that sums up, better than I've heard before, what sets the iPod, and Apple, apart. 'Read More' to see the back and forth. ----- Original comment by Quaryon... I can't understand why Slashdot is focussed on this device, which doesn't support most operating systems and is non-hardware upgradeable and therefore limited to a tiny 5gb of storage space. How many times do we have to say Archos Archos Archos!! For those who don't wish to follow the link - it points to the Archos jukebox recorder 20, which has a 20Gb disk drive and can record from analog or digital sources direct to MP3. The disk drive is a standard 9.5mm height 2.5" IDE drive (why do we always specify height in metric but diameter/width in imperial?) and so can be replaced with a 40Gb drive if required, and presumably bigger ones in a fe months time as they become available.. It's no more expensive than the iPod and works with Mac, Windows or Linux, doubling as an external hard drive. I just don't get it.. Q. ----- Second comment by Quaryon For me the main features are the openness of the hardware (able to upgrade hard disk easily) and the ability to copy whatever files I want onto the player - firewire would have been great (since I could use it from my Vaio) but it's not essential since I spend much more time listening to music than transferring it.. I have well over 600 CDs so the hard disk size is a big issue - I upgraded my Archos to a 30Gb drive, which is just enough for now, but I'm looking seriously at a 40Gb drive from Toshiba which is known to work, and presumably bigger in the not-too-distant future. The Archos is heavier and bigger but then it's been around for a year longer and I guess that's the price you pay - I've had this device for a year now, whereas the iPod fanatics are only just beginning to realise how revolutionary ir is to carry your whole music collection around in your pocket. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the iPod is not revolutionary, so why such a fuss? It may have a few things better than other devices, but it's also worse in a number of areas. Nothing to shout about, IMNSHO. Q. ----- Response by shilly... Are you deliberately trying to miss the point? The "few things" that the iPod gets right are precisely what's worth making a fuss about--because they are technologically challenging to achieve. It is an example of a machine that meets the needs, and exceeds the expectations, of its key user market. That user market wants something: 1) that is simple to use (interface, hotsync, size, weight) 2) that is painless to keep up to date (itunes, firewire) 3) that provides more music and more juice than they will require at any one time (hard disk, battery power) 4) that looks desirable (industrial design) the iPod meets all of these needs, and does so elegantly. archos is much more hit and miss: 1) it is not so simple to use 2) it is more painful to keep up to date 3) it provides more than enough music and juice 4) it looks childish, not desirable. the reason that so many people are interested in iPod is because they recognise it as a really superb piece of design. it takes skull-sweat and genius to make something be that simple and easy to use. that's what's revolutionary. apple was never, primarily, about doing things that have never been done before. it was and is about doing things properly, for the first time ever. a genius for commercialisation. ...and I think that about sums it up perfectly. This is the greatness of the iPod, and of Apple. This is why I will never be a Windows user as long as our favorite company exists at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino. This article comes from iPod Hacks http://www.ipodhacks.com The URL for this story is: http://www.ipodhacks.com/article.php?sid=94