Looking to Purchase Ipod - no experience

[HuntersTrophy]

Hello. I am looking to purchase an IPod for my husband. His job will require him to travel extensively. He wants the touch (I think he just wants it because it is "cool") I currently have a 2G nano several years old that I have to have my daughter do everything on. I have picked out my songs and she does the rest. My husband is even worse than me.
I have no knowledge of what all the capabilities are on the IPods, nor how each one is different than the others. I would like to purchase one for a minimum of a weeks worth of music and movies. I think all of them hold pictures too, right?
He will be gone for 2-3 weeks at a time, and I would like to make sure he has ample entertainment - ON HIS IPOD!!!! What other features are useful? Is there anything we need to download befoer we use it?
Which purchase would be best for us? We probably want something we don't have to replace for several years. What should I know before and after purchase?
Thanks everyone.

[battye]

Probably the iPod Touch 32 GB is going to be best. Obviously entertainment factor is the key if he's going to be away for a few weeks at a time.

Everything is quite intuitive, you basically just press the songs you want to play. For example, from start to finish:

Press: iPod
Press: Songs
Press: the song you want to hear (flicking your finger up and down to scroll through the list)
...........or pressing "Shuffle" to just play songs at random.

To watch a movie/video is probably just 2 or 3 more taps.

The added bonus with an iPod Touch as opposed to something like a Nano or a Classic is that you can install apps on them. So you could throw on a few games or logic puzzles or whatever your husband would like.

It may not be important if he has a laptop or other means of internet access, but the iPod Touch also has Wi-Fi (Wireless internet) so if he is in an area where there is Wi-Fi available he could send you an email, watch Youtube or browse the internet.

A 32 GB iPod Touch would, off the top of my head, probably hold 5,000 or 6,000 songs. Obviously, this number will decrease if you start adding movies into the equation

You could easily add a dozen movies and a few thousand songs, easily a weeks worth I think.

If the iPod Touch works like the iPhone does, adding photos is possible (but not as easy as it could be). You have to manually go in and select which photo albums you want to sync, etc, etc... your daughter will be able to help you do this, or you could ask on MacTalk

If you want to go all out, you could get a 120GB iPod Classic (in other words, between 3 and 4 times as much storage capacity as the iPod Touch 32 GB), but it's probably overkill, and the Classic doesn't have as many features as the iPod Touch (no apps, no internet, no touch screen, etc).

Overall, I think the iPod Touch is the way to go. Have a look at this page for all of the other information about it (size, battery life, etc: Apple - iPod touch - Technical Specifications)

[HuntersTrophy]

Wow! Lots of cool features on the touch. I didn't even think about him not having access to a computer. Next thing you know he will want a laptop too!
How practical is using the internet for browsing the internet? He likes EBay and stores' websites. Don't think he really plays games, but could possibly just do the apps for IPod.
Now I am debating between a classic ipod and purchasing a laptop, or just get the IPod touch. Yes, he is higher maintenance than I am!
Also, how easy is it to learn how to get the most from the IPod? If the menus are abundant, he will just get frusterated and never use it.
I don't plan on relying on my teenager to do it all, I think she plans on moving away from her computer illeterate parents when she's 18!
Oh, do you have to buy all the music and movies from ITunes? Is there maybe a more economical way to build a collection? I have heard rumors (from the teenager again) that I cannot download my itunes songs more than 7 times on my ipod, and that if I hook my ipod up to another computer I cannot get my songs off of the ipod onto the computer for use later. I have a nano if that makes a difference.
Thanks

[timothy]

You are in Michigan... No experience necessary...

Get him the iPod Touch... The 16GB is plenty. 32GB is a massive amount of storage.

He will love it and he will learn how to use it... Ask here if you need help setting it up...

The instructions are on the box, Plug and Play... literally... are you on a PC or a Mac?

You will need iTunes 8 and an internet connection at home will help get the most out of the device...

[iryan]

Originally Posted by HuntersTrophy

Wow! Lots of cool features on the touch. I didn't even think about him not having access to a computer. Next thing you know he will want a laptop too!
How practical is using the internet for browsing the internet? He likes EBay and stores' websites. Don't think he really plays games, but could possibly just do the apps for IPod.
Now I am debating between a classic ipod and purchasing a laptop, or just get the IPod touch. Yes, he is higher maintenance than I am!
Also, how easy is it to learn how to get the most from the IPod? If the menus are abundant, he will just get frusterated and never use it.
I don't plan on relying on my teenager to do it all, I think she plans on moving away from her computer illeterate parents when she's 18!
Oh, do you have to buy all the music and movies from ITunes? Is there maybe a more economical way to build a collection? I have heard rumors (from the teenager again) that I cannot download my itunes songs more than 7 times on my ipod, and that if I hook my ipod up to another computer I cannot get my songs off of the ipod onto the computer for use later. I have a nano if that makes a difference.
Thanks

Your music doesnt have to be purchased from the iTunes Store, it can be ripped from CD's or an existing collection. The menus on the iPod touch/iPhone are so intuitive and efficient, yet very simple, the menus on the other iPods are also very easy and simple. The "7 Times" thing you are talking about is an old fact. You can sync music to any iPod an UNLIMITED number of times. You can burn a song puchased from the iTunes Store an UNLIMITED times to a CD, as of the 6th of January, there is no limit to how many times music can be burned. This is because only 2 days ago, Apple made all music on the iTunes store "protection free", which means there is no limit to what you can do with music purchased from the store. If you hook up your iPod to another computer, the music on it will be erased and replaced with the music on that computers iTunes library, thats just a fact of syncing. The internet browser, "Safari", on the iPod touch/iPhone is the best browser on any mobile device. It is very practical and easy to use.

I tried to explain everything simply, if you have trouble understanding anything, or have more questions feel free to ask.

[Redman]

Check this out at the Apple Website. You will get a good idea of what it is capable of, as well of how easy it is to use.
Apple - iPod touch

[Musky]

For a quick point of reference, on my 16Gb iPhone I currently have 2103 songs, so if we estimate each song as being about 3 mins that's the equivalent of over 100 hours of music (Maths don't fail me now!) and I've only used 13Gb so I could still fit more music or movies if I wanted

[Kuma]

Hmm I think the size comes down to what he is going to keep on it...
if its music.. then 16gb is fine.. but if you think he is going to start messing around with movies and tv shows (easiest way via the iTunes store)

then 32gb quickly becomes a requirement. I have 2 movies on my iphone 16gb.. combined with my music and some other stuff.. and I'm running out of room.

32GB will also be more attractive in the future for resale.

[fompsweeva]

I would recommend buying him an iPod Touch and also an iTunes voucher, to allow him to download some content to put on it. He can also use iTunes to rip music to his computer, which will be transferred to his iPod.

[decryption]

You're in the USA, so I strongly recommend visiting an Apple Store. They really are catered for extremely new users like yourself and are more than happy to hold your hand. They even have free classes tailored for beginners who have never touched an iPod or a computer before.

[matthewk]

I'd recommed going to an Apple Retail store too. Try them out, talk to experts.

Go to Apple Retail Store and find a store near you. There are 5 in Michigan.

[Kuma]

Originally Posted by matthewk

I'd recommed going to an Apple Retail store too. Try them out, talk to experts.

Go to Apple Retail Store and find a store near you. There are 5 in Michigan.

They are not experts.. they are salespeople.. remember that.
They want to shift units... they will talk you into the unit that they have to sell

It may not be a hard sell... but they will be very aware of inventory and what has to be sold.

Now when it comes to education - that is a different story.

[HuntersTrophy]

Thanks everyone! I know I am in the US, but this was the fisrt, comprehensible, website I could find. We are expecting 3-6 inches of snow tonight, so we are planning a trip to the Apple store tomorrow. We are fortunate to have one a very short distance away.
Thanks again for all of your help. I hate walking into a store and being a target. At least I now have a bit of knowledge, and I have learned alot from the websites too.

[Kuma]

I think many of us here are jealous of your access in the US. Cheaper Apple stuff, a much more comprehensive iTunes experience.

And Apple stores everywhere...

you lucky thing you...

as for comprehensible apple website... I'm shocked!!

[macuzer]

One thing to remember is that the iPod Touch has a battery life of 4-5 hours when watching video. this means that he'll need somewhere to charge the iPod when away. The easiest way is through an Apple USB Power adapter (sold separately - which plugs into the wall at one end and the iPod USB cable at the other), otherwise he'd need to find a USB port on a computer somewhere to charge it!

Apple USB Power Adapter - Apple Store (U.S.)

[Zem]

Hi, I'd recommend getting an iTouch rather than a classic if he's going to be watching many videos. The iTouch plays videos in widescreen which makes it much nicer to watch.