This just ain't Apples week.

[topspeed]

Even the early iPods weren't the first MP3 players, although some find them to be quite revolutionary. They aren't, they were evolutionary.

I think a very convincing argument could be made to the contrary. Apple may not have been first, but they are indisputably the single most important catalyst in popularizing MP3 players and bringing the format to the forefront of the public consciousness. I have a Shuffle and to be honest, have been astounded by the battery life. Maybe it's because it doesn't have to power a color screen, play videos, or whatever else it is people do with these things, but my battery lasts extraordinarily long. I'll also add I've crushed it with weights and dropped it countless times and despite it's fragile feel, it still works flawlessly.

The only thing they didn't improve (grumble grumble) is the sound quality. I'm still not quite fond of that

Rip your music lossless. If you can hear the difference between the source cd and the iPod (or any other player) at lossless, you either have killer headphones and/or far better hearing than I.

[emorphien]

I think a very convincing argument could be made to the contrary. Apple may not have been first, but they are indisputably the single most important catalyst in popularizing MP3 players and bringing the format to the forefront of the public consciousness. I have a Shuffle and to be honest, have been astounded by the battery life. Maybe it's because it doesn't have to power a color screen, play videos, or whatever else it is people do with these things, but my battery lasts extraordinarily long. I'll also add I've crushed it with weights and dropped it countless times and despite it's fragile feel, it still works flawlessly.

I don't think battery life has been as big of a problem lately as it was earlier on. It still seems they don't live up to spec all the time, but they do much better than before.

As far as innovator vs improver, I guess it's a matter of opinion. Apple has been first at some things but mostly first at widespread marketable success. Technology wise it's usually me-too with a dash of "i did better."

Rip your music lossless. If you can hear the difference between the source cd and the iPod (or any other player) at lossless, you either have killer headphones and/or far better hearing than I.

I use MP3s ripped at highest settings with LAME for my portable listening to balance storage and sound quality. I'll leave best sound quality anchored at home from traditional tangible formats. I've never been that enthralled by MP3 playback from iPods however the newer ones are improved.