03 Nov 05
Apple Vs Creative Apple
I've taken possession of my friend Lucy's 20GB iPod for a few days and I can't say I'm all that impressed.
Ok, I couldn't get my head round the scrolling navigation thing, and I had to research on the net as to how you turned the thing off... but i just didn't like it.
I've got a Creative Zen Extra, (40GB), which personally I think is far superior to the iPod. It weighs pretty much the same, the battery lasts longer, and it can take far more knocks around then the iPod can.
Ok, the iPod has some impressive marketing behind it, and in just four years the iPod has become the gadget of a generation. But it it has been mired by litigation over the poor design of the new iPod Nano, the non-replaceable battery, and the fact that Creative have now filed a paten on how files on a music player are organized.
The Apple iPod was only announced in October 2001, 13 months after we had been shipping the Nomad Jukebox based upon the user interface covered by our Zen Patent.
Creative Press Statement.
Another thing that annoys me is the fact that backing up the iPod is a pain in the arse. iTunes is a horrible program to start with, but I had to go and find a program called EphPod before I could do anything useful with Lucy's iPod.
Anyway, go and buy a Creative MP3 player, because they are all round better and they don't have to work with the pathetically awful iTunes.
Update
The following year I bought an iPod, and I now have an Apple iMac and could not be happier with either.