MP3 players forum: Getting first ever MP3 player, help please!

there if a difference between audio quality with the ipod. the ipod has average audio quality which pretty much sounds like the cheap chinese knock off i bought. you can definitely tell a difference to the other brands such as sony and creative. they have more bass and a sharper sound which is what i personally perfer.

the nice thing about apple is that you probably know several people with one. this provides your own tech support (one reason i bought one-which was my first) the ipod is easy to use and some say audio is as good but hey, i think it sounds fine. im sure some are better but there is always something better. I bought a good quality docking station for work and it sounds great-several people have commented on how well and clear it sounds.
apple is very easy to use another reason i bought one.

for you. While iPods audio quality is not up the standards of the Sony or Creative products, it's still considered 'good'. Get a better set of headphones than what comes with the iPod and you won't really know the difference, since by the sound of things you don't consider yourself an 'audiophile'. Just don't listen to someone's Creative Zen and you'll be all set.

Since you're already comfortable with iTunes there's no real reason to re-invent the wheel. I'm not sure about your Podcast issue as I really don't understand exactly what you mean. On my Creative Zen I use ZenCast software that came with the player and podcasts do show up grouped together under their own menu and title by date.

If audio quality is not your top requirement than I would say go with the new 80 GB iPod. They are getting good reviews here on CNET and you can't beat the amount of aftermarket goodies that are available. Lot's of people have them and while I see more 'problems' listed here with them I'm pretty sure that's just because so many more are sold and it's just a statistcal thing. I prefer flash players to hard drive players but I'm mostly into it for the music so I don't do much in the way of podcasting or video, despite my players ability to do so. 16 GB with the SD slot for possible expansion is more than enough for me.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Sounds like you're leaning toward the Apple anyway and I think you'll be happy.

M.