Is an IPOD hi-fi?

Your correct, Seandtaylor99.

However, since that does not exist there is always the internet. With a bit of searching we can listen to samples or complete songs of new artists, which helps make up for where FM has gone.

My favorites are All Music Guide, Pandora Internet Radio and the streaming music at iTunes (all of which is free).

Prices of CD's have fallen too. Many of my purchases are made at Yourmusic.com where $5.99 buys the CD and the shipping is free.

Ferrari,

I don't understand your hatred for Steve Jobs and Apple. I use their system and love it. How about you compare Apple to Bill Gates monstrous money making machine, and realize Apple is the bit player.

Did you stop to consider that many products we take for granted fall into the same category of being built by abused labor, the same as you accuse Apple of?

This stressed out, overworked Asian labor force has taken manufacturing away from Americans simply because of cost. They have a lower standard of living and massive population AND they don't pay the taxes nor do they have OSHA, FEMA, a labor Union or other forces raising their cost of production.

Consider the line up at CompUSA, including all the Windows computer machines built in those factories.

Next, take a look at the cell phone manufacturers, other brands of MP3 players, accessories, computer monitors, mouse and keyboards, desktop lights, CD cases, battery chargers and on and on. There are precious few items in persistent everyday use that don't fall into this category, even our paper shredders, Blackberry's, wireless household phones, ink jet printers and fax machines.

Stop and tally up the items that DON'T source some or all of its labor from the same place and in the same way that Apple does. Even worse are some of the other industries we worship, such as clothing manufacturers. Designer items that we pay hundreds of millions of dollars for, born from some of the crudest sweat shops on the planet.

Not all that long ago, those same work conditions existed right here in America. Some involving child labor with long hours and very low pay. So, do we continue to trade with these countries passing though a stage of evolution that we have already gone through?

Perhaps it's better if we trade with them, continue to press for change as we become more dependant on one another and work toward rights for their people, the same as we have (mostly) accomplished here.

Or Is it preferable that we live in isolation, hoping things will improve by accident? Should we just hope and pray that other governments and power brokers will accomplish a better life for them, hoping they are less "corrupt" than our own capitalist motives?

I'm not happy with things either, but Steve Jobs is not the anti Christ nor is he the problem here.

If you hate Steve Jobs for the way he runs his company, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. For me, he represents one of the few rare creative marketing forces in computers today. Certainly not as gracious as those supporting open source and free internet, at least he does not purposefully build flawed software with source code built in to spy on the buyer.

If you doubt this code exists, download a copy of PeerGuardian and put it on your Windows machine. You cannot even launch a copy of Word without it spitting out data to Microsoft to let them know who you. Same for PowerPoint, Internet Explorer and other popular software.

Apple does NOT do this and their software does not keep count of how many Apple computers you install your operating system on. Combine that with the fact Apple sells their operating system for a fraction of what Windows commands and perhaps you will have a bit gentler idea about what kind of company Apple is.

Are they perfect, hardly. Guilty of making money the Capitalist way? Yes. But considering the conduct of the other players, Apple is a very fair and balanced operation and one that had earned my deepest respect.

Ferrari,

Okay, tell you what I'll do, in the near future, will try the I-Pod again and ask them what format the files are in using the knowledge from this thread. Yes I do understand the concept of compression as i was in the music business with CBS for many years.

Ferrari, be aware of the preset EQ settings imbedded within iTunes.

This allows the user to do massive boosting of both high frequencies and bass.

There are also slider controls which can be used to set levels throughout the spectrum, drastically changing the original program. This EQ can be set up to transfer (EQ and all) to the iPod's hard drive for final listening.

Why do I mention this?

Have you ever gotten into a rental car and had your ears blown out? Checking the controls you find the volume at near maximum and all EQ controls at 100% boost.

I suspect the guys at Best Buy are the ones that had that rent car before us. They go back to work and "help out" with MP3 demo material by creatively adding EQ and volume to cinch the sale.

It kills us but the average 10 second listener is so blow away, he hands over his Mastercard with a smile.

Marco:

Am I hurting the artists I enjoy? I really don't believe I am because I'm actually buying their stuff, recommending them to others, and seeing their shows in many cases. Had I not received the CD-R, I'm sure there would be many, many artists I would simply not be supporting in that way. You have a unique viewpoint having been on the other side. I'd be interested to hear what you think.

If radio stations were doing their job, you would not have to resort to that means of exploring new music. FM radio today is a wasteland of tired, overplayed music that follows promotion guidelines.

If you love Britney Spears you're in luck. But if your searching for alternate art or an emerging garage band, forget it.

I own a 30GB iPod video and with lossless, uncompressed files and a $300.00 set of Ultimate Ears (buds) I get decent sound.

My home two channel system is light years ahead of it, but I find it difficult to board flights with it, what with bin space so limited.

Even at the gym where I'm welcome to bring along the Dali's and VTL's, by the time I get everything in the truck, I'm too tired to leave home.

Seriously Ferrari, I have never download a single song nor have burned a single CDR of borrowed music. Everything on my iPod is from CD's I purchased new.

Ferrari

Even here in the U.S. we have sweat shops, that should turn the stomachs of any of us. But these are faceless workers, not worthy of consideration, because we continue to support the goods manufactured by them.

Agree

Remember there was a time when we all demanded the best from each other, sadly that appears to be dying for no other reason than pure greed.

Agree.

And back to thread itself. In my opinion the I-Pod is not HiFi by a long shot. However it appears to be an excellent storage/retrevial system for down loaded music-

Agree

-and precious little else.

Disagree.

It's an excellent storage/retrevial system for loading UN COMPRESSED compact discs for listening in situations where the iPod is preferable to what else is offered.

This includes (but not limited to)

Airplanes in flight, bad music combined with the sound of jet engines and cockpit chatter over the crappy intercom system.

Muzak at the gym when you are trying to concentrate on a decent work out.

Worse, same gym is tuned to the local hard rock FM station, complete with screaming DJ running his mouth about some contest or traffic conditions.

iPod through existing car system (many have jacks for this now) to avoid listening to FM or talk radio and carrying a case the size of a Zero Halliburton case full of CD's that are likely to be stolen if left in plain view.

Unplug the iPod, put in shirt pocket and all is well.