I have an ipod. Here is why:

-I don't have to carry cd's anywhere, which I inevitably damage if I do.

-I had about 75-100 cds stolen in college, so I'm guarded about bringing cd's anywhere.

-My cd walkmen was chunky and a pain to carry around. My ipod isn't.

-I ride the L 30-40 min. into chicago and back and I have most of my cd collection in the palm of my hand.

-If I change moods I can change songs, cds, artists in about .000001 seconds instead of having to switch cd's which I would probably fumble and scratch.

-I got a brand new ipod and it only cost me $175.

-I can't tell the difference between 192 kbps mp3 and a cd.

5 minutes = not much time
5 minutes x 4000 cds = fuckload of time

filling small 50 cd wallet with cds for traveling = 5-10 minutes = preferable to me = why I don't own an ipod or similar mp3 playing device

I don't think an iPod is a necessity, that's why I've held out for so long. I'm content with my Panasonic portable CD player. I think if I lived in a city where I walked a lot I would buy one because of the convenience, but for now I just don't see the need.

when ipods first started assaulting society a few years ago i had one of those cd players that played mp3s (a riovolt, i believe), so i'd make mp3 cds that consisted of several albums. i was very proud of it. then last year i got a dell dj for my birthday. i was sad to see the cd player get pushed aside, but it's still there if i ever need it.

i have a CD player that does the following:
- plays data CDs containing mp3s (so, roughly 8 albums)
- normal CDs
- AM and FM radio
- keeps trying to break on me, but i keep repairing bits and pieces of it.

as such, i cannot yet justify the cost of an iRiver or comparable device. maybe if i took the subway to work everyday - like i hope to at some point - i could see making a case for one, but right now, i'm still driving, and rarely listening to much else other than NPR.

KPH

also, that CD player cost less than $50 and its sound quality is vastly superior to both the iPod and the desktop Apple machines i use at work. so...

KPH

I have a lot of pirated music (sorry), so I need one of them mp3 players. Right now, I'm using mp3 discs.

I use my iPod way less than I thought I would. In fact I hardly use it at all. This is probably because I no longer ride the public transportation to work. I always drive now with the free parking and driving saves me 20+ minutes each way. It's hard to argue with that.

It looks neat though.

I still use my CD/MP3 player although it has the typical wonky headphone jack. I was all excited about making MP3 CD's of my music when I got it but that faded quickly and I returned to audio CD's out of laziness.

I'd like to have an iPod, but it's very low on my list of spending priorities. Very, very low.

Also, CDs are actually much more convenient for me. It's really easy for to grab 7 or 8 different CDs to take to work each day than it would be for me to constantly update and swap out mp3s on an iPod.

I have an ipod (40G biotches!) and I must say that it rules. I was reading this thread and thinking about how great it would've been to have one when I had an hour long commute via the Metro when I lived in DC...instead I just read a lot of books.

Now, especially in the past year when I found myself driving from Mobile to Atlanta (4.5 hrs, if driven at rapid speeds) or my dad's which is in Alabam, but not very convenient to get to (3 hours, again at rapid speeds, which is harder on them small state roads, especially when the person in front of you is content to go 50) I cannot imagine not having the ipod. You can make mixes at will, you can set it to random, or you can rock whatevr album you want, whenever you want. The initial rip phase does take a minute, but then, like Haq said, adding the new stuff you acquire takes not much time at all.

Also, like Lockness Lobstockster, I had about 175 cds stolen from me the first day I got to college, and there is still a ton of stuff that I wish I had, but wouldn't necessarily buy again (a lot of early/mid nineties rap, some Floyd stuff...random shit) Now, I don't have to worry, cuz I can just put that sucka in my pocket.

i'm hoping 'i hate the ipod' pulls through for a come from behind victory