i'M Sick of iPod and iEverything Else

i Won't even mention Christmas shopping in this post, but a recent perusing through a Sharper Image catalog, a Crutchfield catalog, and a SkyMall catalog made me realize that our world is becoming iEverything.  iT's very annoying, isn't iT?  Do we really need to have our music with us 24 hours a day and an iPod to show others how cool we are?  (Well, I have a Creative Labs Zen mp3 player so I'm not that stylish).  Sure, we all like to listen to music we like, but how about listening to the radio or even satellite radio to see what other people are listening to?  How about hearing new music and not having every song we hear be one that we already know?

Wrapsol: Clear Protection for your iPhone or other Mobile Device.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg.  Because iPods have become so prevalent, every other electronics device lets you plug your iPod iNto iT.  Everything from a car stereo to a clock radio to a docking speaker system to a massage chair.  Maybe it's a conspiracy to get us to buy 10 iPods a piece so that we can have one hooked up to every other electronic device we own.  I referred to this in one of my earlier posts, but as an audiophile wannabe, one of my major issues with iPods is that they encourage the recording of compressed music so that we can each jam tens of thousands of songs iNto our little iPod or other mp3 players.  Compressed files don't have the sound quality that the original CD's have.  This made me think of a quote...

"Listening to compressed music is like observing fine art with blurry vision."

To me, this statement is accurate.  With compressed music on iPods, listened to via headphones, we are missing out on the fine details of the music like the singer taking a breath, the guitar player tapping the guitar for rhythm or strumming in a way that brings about a subtle extra noise that lends realism to the listening experience.  I wish some of these iPod fanatics would take some time to go to a stereo store and hear what they're missing.  Perhaps then they'll understand that music is also about quality, not just quantity.  I must say that the iNfiltration of our culture with iPodishness is getting a bit out of hand. iT must be iNterrupted.

+ Atul

 

Comments

[chancelucky]

Atul,
good lord, you sound like an audiophile! :}
I've never mentioned this on my own blog, but I used to be a fairly hardcore audio hobbyist.

1) no an mp3 doesn't sound as good as the CD or an analog master on 32 ips tape, but it's greatly expanded the number of places and ways we can listen to music.

2) there's a growing community in the high end arguing that the hard drive is potentially the highest fidelity storage medium currently available. With larger storage capacities, compression isn't as necessary and the decoding schemes are getting faster and more efficient.

3) As recently as 10 years ago, there was a very serious vocal minority who were essentially arguing that audio-fidelity hadn't improved since the 1920's. Single-ended Western Electric 800B tubes, horn-loaded speakers or single-driver speakers, turntables with stylus and according to some acoustic rather than electrical recording.

It's really only been in the last couple years that there's been real progress. IC's have gotten a lot better....things like Class D amps really are interesting now that they can switch much faster.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the tubes, turntables, and single full range driver folk finally admit that there's been some progress in 100 years of recorded music, say in five years or so.

fwiw, there's no comparison between an IPOD soncially and a transistor radio from the 60's. I think the level of the casual sound system is much better than it was. It's just that fewer and fewer people seem to care about really hearing music well.

[Atul]

Good points Chance. The sound quality argument is one of the many I make against iPod craziness, but you're right that the earbud/iPod combo sounds much better than what we had 15 years ago. It's more the fact that so many other products revolve around being able to hook up iPods specifically and some people need to have their earbuds glued to their ears to listen to just what they want to hear and not what else is out there. It also helped to drive the "stealing music is OK" culture. Pretty soon, nobody will want to produce music.

[deepsoul]

wierdly enough, i love my mp3 player and can't give an *******'s *** what make it is (yeah it's an iPod so Apple did get some cash off me...BUT) i didn't buy my mp3 player for coolness but back then options for iRivers, Zens etc were fewer - i bought an mp3 player because music is my answer to the emptiness of transit time and that in-between commercial and social time. i love music. i make music. and for the record i'd make music whether it was sellable or free (the question really is would my music be worth listening to, and the jury's out on that)

[Lola]

Headphones are great. Especially headphones with base that sound just as good as any stereo.

Stop buying five dollar walmart headphones folks! Compressed music is quick, convenient, sounds great, and follows you wherever you may travel in your day to day life!

[OfficialDebate]

I have an iPod Touch, my first iPod, and it is the greatest thing since Turkish coffee. Its WiFi feature is amazing, downloaded music sounds great, iTunes continues to be solid, and its "touch" functionality, although I was skeptical at first, has turned out to be key. I love it.

[tech-NO!]

AMEN! AMEN AMEN AMEN!!

Nothing will replace the feeling that I am buying a piece of art when I buy vinyl or a CD.

I'm so sick of iThis or iThat!

There is more to life than the latest gadget!

[Pam]

I-pods suck. I have bought my daughter two ipods in the last 18 months and both have managed to suddenly quite charging. I go to the "Apple Store" to get it fixed - oh no - you have to wait 2 hours until they will talk to you and then they want to replace it. Uh.. what about all my music that I bought that I can't get back because my computer crashed. oh yes, I forgot to back it up, my bad. But doesn't anyone see that apple has a great marketing campaign that sucks you in only for you to be crapped on with thier crappy product. I haven't met anyone who hasn't had a problem with thier ipod and oh did I mention the 2 HOURS you have to wait at the apple store becaused EVERYONE is bringing in the crappy computer they bought from Apple. Unbelievable. I will never buy another Apple product for as long as I live.

[Atul]

Pam,

Sorry to hear about your bad experiences with Apple and iPods. IF they really do have a reliability issue, they should do the right thing, fess up, and replace your daughter's iPod. I have been happy with my Creative Labs Zen mp3 player. My original point of the post was to say that many people can't live a minute without their iPods and we have lots of iAccessories available. Also, I don't like the idea of compressed music as it doesn't sound as good as full quality music on a real home stereo.

[Rob]

Ok, so iPods do not sound as good as a record or a compact disk. Get some better speakers. I have a pair of sure ear bud headphones that sound incredible and they were only a few hundred dollars. Also the iPod takes up less space than my collection of compact disks that are flooding my shelves. Now I am someone who was born into a wealthy family so I think they are a great device despite the cost.

[Cheap Computers]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience regarding iPod and iPhone but i am also a user of iPod for the last 18 months but i can't find a single issue regarding its performance it's sound quality is really Awesome buddy i love it Although i belong to a wealthy family that's why i can afford Apple gadget i think Apple should less its product price that's what you can say anything bad about this brand...........
http://www.electrocomputerwarehouse.com

[wholesale electronics]

may be you can use a news ang best one. Because iPods have become so prevalent, every other electronics device lets you plug your iPod iNto iT.
http://www.super-e-world.com/MP5/

[Hannah S]

I understand where you're coming from with everyone seeming so obsessed with bringing their iPod everywhere with them: while mowing the lawn, grocery shopping, in the dentist's chair, and I've even seen a lady at a movie theater plugged into her iPod. But I can't deny that iPods are wonderful to have. As a swimmer I can use it to get pumped up before meets, hook up to my car while I'm driving, and bring with me when I travel. I do not agree with you when you said that we all need to start listening to the radio more for new music. Personally, I hate the radio. Every station plays the same 10 songs over and over and over. I have websites and blogs that I use to find new music, discover new bands, and even find genres of music I'd never heard of before and end up loving. I barely ever listen to the same set of songs on my iPod ever; it is constantly being updated with new music I find. The radio's fine if I don't have a car hook up, but it's disappointing, that's for sure.

[Nicole A]

I completely agree with you. Everyone is so obsessed with having music on them 24/7 it is getting out of control. I am one that likes to listen to the radio and hear new songs. In one of my classes we were talking about downloading music illegally and that changes how the music sounds. I never used one but people in my class were saying they can notice a difference between songs they download from iTunes and music downloaded illegally. They say the music downloaded illegally is less clear.

[Megan S]

As an owner of an iPod, I must say I agree with you. It is sad how we live in an era where the music we listen to is not about the music at all, but more about the "on the go." It is sad to think that since music is on this compressed mission, will pieces of art be too?
Though I may own an iPod, I love taking time out to listen to old records. I love the raw-ness to it. I love hearing the record turn, and all what the artist has to put into the song. So man people thing clarity is everything, but sometimes the raw-ness of something makes it more real- more human.