Comparing digital music players

In any area of business, you have two types of entities or products competing against one another, the "major brand" and the "minor brand". The major brand is that brand that is more quickly recognized while the minor brand is one with a name just because it has to have one OR the major brand may be the product in that area of commerce at the time. This is the case with digital music players today as there are many "MP3 players" on the market right now and there is also the iPod. Consider a few areas of comparison.

Your first consideration is of the fact that you can buy a digital music player from, say, apple for around $250 while iPod produces the same 60GB player for around $400. People constantly see other people discussing the function and advancement of the iPod, comparing it to all others you believe that it is an obvious way to go, but when it comes to the hard drive, space is most important. In this case, it is as easy as saving $250!

The next consideration, if you are the type of person that gets frustrated easily with head games being played by major corporate types is that iPod requires you to use their format to play on their player. Instead of regular MP3 files that most everyone else uses, iPod requires use of their file so if you get frustrated by worthless problems; you might consider a "minor brand" MP3 player.

When it is all said and done, when you are buying a digital music player the argument is the same as just about everything else you purchase for a large amount of money, do you want to be cool or level headed? If you want to be cool and carry your newest gadget on your arm to show off to all of those around you then you need to go with the iPod and not worry about the money. If you want to save money and enjoy a lot of hard drive space to store songs in without regard to what people think of your taste then go with the "minor brand". But whatever you do, make the decisions yourself. You will be overwhelmed if you listen to every salesman you know. Choose wisely. Don't be afraid to shop around for a bargain. This is a major purchase. Don't be forced into anything. Salesmen will push you into something you may not want.

As with any major decision, you need to take your time and choose the player that you will enjoy for years to come. Test them out when you shop around. MP3's and IPods are a huge market. There are dozens of brands and styles to choose from. Also, keep an eye on the Sunday newspaper for sales listings for MP3's and IPods. Sometimes your choice of the retailer you visit can be confusing. One of the best ways to shop around is to make phone calls to the different retailers and inquire about features and prices of different MP3's and IPods.