another PITA about the iPod, I have my iTunes at home and at work loaded with music. your iPod won't let you sink to both to keep them updated with the same stuff. you have to do it maunally and you can't download FROM the ipod. There is freeware that let's you do it, but it's another piece of software. or you have to use your iPod as an external hard drive and do it manually.
They HAD to do that.
As it is, because they are the "800lb gorilla" in the market, the record companies are gunning for them hard. If they wouldn't have made it at least "difficult" to mass copy all of your songs to another persons PC etc, they would have been sued into oblivion.
The GOOD thing is iTunes. The Bad thing is also iTunes.
Good of it:
It just works. That seems to be Apple's philosophy since about System 7.1. (Before that it was arguable) iTunes will let you EASILY play audio mp3's, aac's(both with DRM and without) and video mp4, mov, and m4v. As long as you only have one computer to plug it into, using ONE ACCOUNT, it's very simple.
Bad of it:
Multiple computers. You can use the second computer to charge the iPod, but you have to be VERY careful you don't accidentally "sync" the iPod to the other compie, or you will erase everything.
Multiple accounts, the same problem as multiple computers.
MS proprietary formats. Wait? it plays the generic and apple's proprietary, of course it won't play MS's format.
.ogg The "open source" format. Oh well, I have a converter. But honestly, I've never ripped a CD to Ogg before. soo, ermm
In summary, the iPod is very good, and it "is the mp3 player to have" Hence your confusion about an iPod or an mp3 player.
The iPod is a bit pricey, but I've been very happy with mine, and unlike mbal my battery is still in great shape. (As is everyone's in my family. Father in law gave everyone iPod's last year for Christmas. Granted only his wife got the video iPod, so that might be the battery life issue. Watching video in color on a backlit screen will eat a battery VERY fast. Just like cranking down the brightness on your laptop will save your battery.
Anyway, for your wife, if she's technical, there are "cooler" 'mp3' players out there. If she wants it simple, and will use it on one computer, go with an iPod. (also if she wants it to show off to her friends, etc. "My iPod" sounds much better than "My Creative Zen". The other option is the recently release Microsoft Zune. Haven't seen one yet though.
Happy shopping. and treat everything in here as PURELY my opinion. If your wife doesn't like your choice, it wasn't my fault.
Cheers.
