Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

powerbook, iriver

Apr 16, 2005 12:38AM PDT

I am planning to buy a powerbbok/iBook and an iriver. Will i be able to transfer music mp3 files from the PB/iBook to the iRiver. I am interested in the iRiver(photo)--becoz one can record on that and have the radio too and one can play movies too on that.... and is less costly than an iPod(photo)
any suggestions??/

thanks

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Yes, but...
Apr 16, 2005 3:36AM PDT

the files will have to be MP3 files and NOT AAC or tracks that you have downloaded from the iTunes music store.
I'm not sure that you will be able to use iTunes to move the MP3 files across but the iRiver should appear on the desktop and allow you to drag and drop the files onto it.
I guess you could watch a movies on the two inch screen while the machine makes toast too!

P

- Collapse -
got the point...
Apr 16, 2005 3:42AM PDT

got the point macfixit!!
but thanks for the reply----just wondering if the supposedly..#1 mp3 player could put in a few extra features--like its iRiver counterpart---wont hurt it much , will it??

theres one loyal fan of apple out there---for sure!!

- Collapse -
iPod
Apr 16, 2005 5:10AM PDT

I thought the idea of an MP3 player was so that you could listen to your own music and not something churned up by some radio station that gets paid for playing it.
I have a camera that takes much better pictures than a cell phone, I can record onto my iPod if I wish, I can use it as a mobile Hard Drive, I can use it at the #1 music store and it plays music formatted to international standards. What more would I want to be able to do with it?
Better to be very good at one or two things than to be mediocre at lots. It's an expectation thing, I seem to expect quality while you expect quantity.
Just a matter of choice

P

- Collapse -
It should show up in itunes, but...
Apr 22, 2005 2:18AM PDT

It should show up in itunes as a device. The only problem is that it will only transfer mp3 files. If you encode any songs using Apple's AAC format, then your player will not be able to play the songs. The other side is true also in that itunes will not play windows media files. In the windows itunes program, there is an option of re-encoding a windows media files to AAC, cannot do this on the mac side. Apple wants to keep the AAC format proprietary.

- Collapse -
iPod inferiority
Jul 26, 2005 12:31AM PDT

Mr. Mac Fixit,

Your argument might hold water if the iPod were actually better than an iRiver at its main job. I've compared iPods to my iRiver, and they just don't sound as good. Neither the amplifier nor the supplied headphones of the iPod sound as good as their counterparts with the iRiver. And why doesn't the iPod support Ogg Vorbis? It wouldn't cost anything extra in licensing fees for Apple to include it, and I can't imagine the development costs would be greater than negligible.

So if I'm spending >$300 for a box to take up what precious little space I have in my pocket, why wouldn't I want as many features on it as possible? I listen to public radio on my iRiver almost as much as I listen to Oggs of (some of) my 1500 CDs. I use it to rip my LPs to mp3 to make them portable. I record concerts and lectures on it. I can mount my iRiver on my Windows and Linux boxes and transfer files (use it as a portable hard drive) WITHOUT ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE. Moreover, what is the "iPod Photo" if not an mp3 player with a mediocre additional feature? The iRiver sounds better, has more features, and is cheaper than an iPod. Why on earth would anyone get an iPod?

As for the #1 music store, don't you mean Wal Mart? Anyone who buys music with DRM either doesn't really care about music or is inviting a world of hurt down the road when they find out some minor glitch renders their collection unplayable.

Stop trying to console yourself for having settled for less by trying to humiliate other people into making the same mistake.

Fanboy.

- Collapse -
So Glad
Jul 26, 2005 5:36AM PDT

that you find everything you need in your iRiver.
I too, mount my iPod on Windows, Linux and Macs for use as an external Hard drive without the need for extra software.
I have no idea why Apple does not support Ogg Vorbis, I was not part of the planning team.
I have moved my LP's to AAC (MP4) as well.
Yes, WalMart is the number one store, I have shares in them too. However, their music store is not worth working with, even if it did support Mac.
Why would anyone buy an iPod? I really don't know. Guess you could ask some of the 6 million who did.
If you are happy with your iRiver and I am happy with my iPod, then there is nothing more to say.

P