Question on iPod--clueless

E

elsie3

Cathlete
I'm clueless about iPods. My 10-year-old daughter wants a Nano for Christmas. She would have to put in some of her own money, which she is willing to do. I'm just not sure how much she'd use it right now. I would hate to spend the money and have a newer, niftier, less-expensive version pop up soon--as is always the case with electronics. Should she wait a year or so? She doesn't DESPERATELY want one--she just thinks it would be nice to have and can't think of anything else she wants.

Also, is the 4GB one enough? It's less expensive than the 8GB, to be sure: but for $50 more, you get 2x the memory with an 8GB.

Thanks guys,

Carol F

P.S. Anyone know of any good deals out there?
 
Oh Goodness, 4 g is actually overkill for a 10 year old! The shuffle runs around 79 dollars and would be fine for her, or the least expensive nano......creative zen and the sony bean are popular with kids too and you are not limited to Itunes for your purchases ....I do like ipod because...well, I don't know why exactly...but for 10, I'd show her some of the cool other mp3s at Target , and get one of those...heck a 29 dollar one would be ok for her! Try Napster.com and often they send you a free one with a 3 month membership.

Good luck, remember when we thought 25 bucks for a Cabbage patch kid was outrageous!!! Kids are getting expensive!
 
Thanks! I told you I was clueless. You're so right about the Cabbage Patch, LOL! I wish she were still a little girl and easy to shop for.

She only wants the Nano because it has video--she doesn't want just music. She'd like to load movies and e-books, which is why I was wondering about the memory. She does read a great deal and the nano is much more compact than the hardback Harry Potter 5 that is currently in her backpack. But this mean mother would absolutely not be letting her take it to school! She'd have to fork over half the money, and I'd hate to see either of us spend so much on something "cool" that will be outdated before she's old enough to really use it.

I have a 512MB MP3 that I use for running, but I just converted my favorite songs off of my CD's to put on mine. Can you do that with an iPod? That would weigh heavily on our decision.

Carol F
 
The Ipods are much easier to use then Creative Zen. Apple is ingenious in making them easy to use, and so far the other MP3's have not caught their software up. Considering her age, I definately would go with the Ipod brand. However, whether she should get one? Don't know. I think it depends on the child. Does she take care of her things or is prone to losing things.

I understand about wanting the video, I want one too!
 
>I have a 512MB MP3 that I use for running, but I just
>converted my favorite songs off of my CD's to put on mine.
>Can you do that with an iPod? That would weigh heavily on our
>decision.

You can definitely do this with an iPod. It's called "ripping" and it converts songs from CD to mp3 to be able to load onto the iPod. You can do this for any mp3 player. Not just the iPod.

April
 
<Apple is ingenious in making them easy to use, and so far the other MP3's have not caught their software up. Considering her age, I definately would go with the Ipod brand.>

The other view is that Apple is overpriced and breaks easily. I highly recommend doing a bit of your own research before spending so much money. I purchased a Sansa Sandisk after doing my own research and am perfectly happy with it. You might try going to Computer Shopper http://computershopper.com/ or Consumer Reports (often available online through your public library) to get some background and recommendations.
 
I agree with Beavs. I also have a Sandisk (two, actually) and my DH does as well. We both love them!

Lori
 
The Sandisk looks like a good option. I showed your replies to my daughter, and she'd like to check other options out, too. She's very responsible, but $150 is a lot of money and things can happen.

Thanks everybody! Keep the opinions coming, please.

Carol F
 
><Apple is ingenious in making them easy to use, and so far
>the other MP3's have not caught their software up. Considering
>her age, I definately would go with the Ipod brand.>
>
>The other view is that Apple is overpriced and breaks easily.
>I highly recommend doing a bit of your own research before
>spending so much money. I purchased a Sansa Sandisk after
>doing my own research and am perfectly happy with it. You
>might try going to Computer Shopper
>http://computershopper.com/ or Consumer Reports (often
>available online through your public library) to get some
>background and recommendations.

I actually do not have an Ipod. But for a child, ease of use is important. My own daughter struggles with her non-Apple MP3 player. She has used her friends IPOD and says it is much more user friendly. I have also looked at a co-worker's IPOD. It is much more user friendly. For an adult, I would say look around for a better price, but for a child, unless you want to be doing everything for them, go with ease of use.
 
I just bought my BBF the smallest ipod for Christmas. It was $78.00 at Walmart and came with a $15.00 iTunes card. I have the larger Ipod which I bought at Costco. It was so easy to learn how to run. My husband has an iPhone, but that's another story.
Ellen
 
Since your DD is willing to front half the money for this present shows how much she really wants it. The fact that she actually HAS the money shows responsibility. These things stand out and make me think that you should consider this purchase for her.

Originally I was going to say go with the shuffle but if she really has her heart set on the video option then the shuffle won't fit the bill. I don't know much about other mp3 players but the first one I had was not an Ipod and it was a piece of junk.

I agree with the other poster who said to research it. Perhaps you can find a player with a good reputation that has video capability but is not as costly as the Ipod. I do tend to think though, that in many cases...you get what you pay for. I think that's why the first mp3 player I had was garbage.
 
Another thing to remember is that a child also has a sharper learning curve than an adult. Kids pick up technology faster than their parents. A 9 year old girl won the text messaging contest this year, set a Guinness record.
 
Thank you all for your replies. DD and I both appreciate them, and they are very helpful--especially since I'll be wanting one soon, giving Cathe's future plans.

Carol F
 
I would have to agree with Dave about youthful technological abilities.

Also, I have found the Sansa to be of equal or better quality to the iPOD (Don't forget the ease of breaking that is more likely with a ten year old!).
 
I have an iPod and I don't think that it's easy to break. I am not easy on mine and I've had no problems with it. It is very simple to use. I just love mine.
LD
 
My daughter has had an ipod since she was about 10 (she is now 14) and has loved it. I also have one. I would get the 8 GB if she is going to use it for video at all. They take up a lot of space.

We have never had a problem with breaking (I also have a 13-year-old who has an ipod) and Apple's customer service has always been outstanding, in my opinion.

Something to think about getting one of the other brands is that ipod is the "cool" one. I know that sounds silly, but tween girls are silly! You cannot go wrong with the ipod as far as having the one that everyone thinks is neat.

Waiting doesn't really help all that much. These things are continuing to evolve and they will never stop. So you would always be waiting.

As for the shuffle, they are cute and fun, but you cannot choose what you are listening to. It just randomly plays the songs that are on it.

Hope this helps!

Stephanie
 
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