steve kwan user experience designer

iPods suck

(January 27th, 2005 - 10:13PM)

So I bought an iriver H320 the other day.

Why an iRiver? Why not an iPod, like the rest of the spoiled rich kiddies? Everyone else has one. According to CNN, the Apple iPod accounted for 92.1% of the hard-drive music player market in October 2004. So why aren't I jumping on the bandwagon?

Below are my five main reasons.

5. The iPod isn't the best product on the market.
Sure, they've got a shiny marketing image, but their product just isn't the best on the market. One big knock against the iPod for me was that it doesn't have an FM tuner. I was thinking about going with an iPod, but I like the radio and I just couldn't convince myself to purchase a product that doesn't have one.

People kept telling me, "Sure, the iPod doesn't have an FM tuner, but you can always buy an extension!" Call me crazy, but if I'm spending upwards of $500 on an MP3 player, I'd expect it to have the features I want. And I don't think asking for an FM tuner is a big thing. On top of that, it doesn't even look like the iPod has an FM tuner extension.

And since when did the absence of design become design? What's with Apple's big white shiny products? I have a feeling that Purgatory must look like it was designed by Apple.

4. Apple thinks you're stupid.
It sounds to me like Apple's ultimate goal is to produce interfaces that have only one button. They still use one-button mice.

3. Apple interfaces suck.
I really don't think the iPod's "touch wheel" is a good idea. If you guys don't know what I mean, one version of the iPod has a large circular button on it that you are supposed to slide your finger around in order to navigate through songs. I suppose this passes for a "clever" interface, but I didn't find it that straightforward. I've heard the touch wheel has been removed in newer versions of the iPod, so maybe this complaint is invalid.

2. Apple is a losing team.
No matter how you cut it, Apple just ain't a winner. Remember the Macintosh? What happened to the Macintosh? Ten years from now, will the iPod have met the same fate as the Mac?

1. I hate Apple.
Maybe this is being unreasonable, but I just don't like Apple. They're too shiny and preppy. Their image irritates me.

Anyway, if you're thinking of purchasing a hard-drive based MP3 player, I'd recommend the iriver H320. I haven't had mine for long, but it's been great so far! The interface is really great and the battery life is impressive. Check it out.