IPOD installations

[sailboy21]

Another note: Xantrex makes power inverters that also have a USB connection which delivers power. This is what I used for my laptop and Ipod. I say "used" because it fried, but I'm giving them the benefit of doubt.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by sailboy21

Another note: Xantrex makes power inverters that also have a USB connection which delivers power. This is what I used for my laptop and Ipod. I say "used" because it fried, but I'm giving them the benefit of doubt.

Many laptops will draw more than that particular inverter can put out at a constant. The Xantrex Pocket Inverter 175 can only put out 150 watts continuous and with an iPod charging plus a laptop perhaps that's why you fried it. My MacBook Pro needs 180 watts of charging power and many of the windows based machines need this much or more too... With inverters it's usually best to never exceed 75% of the continuous rating otherwise heat and load can kill them in short order..

[sailboy21]

so you are saying I should have a little chit chat with their marketing dept? pretty sure the box suggested laptops when I bought it

[lbdavis]

i use this and play my ipod through my stereo's fm tuner. Simple, easy, clean, cheap.

[dnr]

My experience with Ipods is that they only last about a year. I've sent two of them back for warranty right at the anniversay of purchase, and both were honered by Apple with replacement units. Granted, these belonged to my kids (teenagers), so who knows what they were subjected to. I was impressed that Apple stood behind the product, but from what I have read this has been a big problem with the product.
Is Ipod the standard that should be used? Can you accomplish the same thing with other manufacturers mp3 players? Are your storing a backup of your music on a computer in the event of Ipod failure?
You stated that automobile stereos are just as reliable, if not more so, than so-called marine versions. Same with speakers?

Doug R

[lbdavis]

Doug,

I can't speak to the pros and cons of marine vs. home speakers and the like, but I can speak about portable mp3 players.

While it is true that many ipods crash I do not believe it is endemic. You’ve got to figure that there are millions of ipods out there and no one is blogging about their fully functioning ipod. I’m headed to the ski mountain this weekend to start the 3rd season with my ipod. I wear it in my breast pocket while snowboarding, it gets damp and knocked around quite a bit, but keeps on rocking!

Are all mp3 players the same? No.

How much music do you have? If it’s in the 5GB (~1200 songs) range you should look at players with flash memory instead of a “normal” high capacity hard-drive. (no moving parts with flash memory).

Another huge consideration, and this is why Apple rules the world in this market, is interface. That is to say, how do you – the user – interact with the device AND how do you – the user – interact with the software on your home computer that syncs with the device.

Itunes is so ridiculously intuitive and easy to use (as are most things Apple) that even luddites are embracing digital music. The ipod interface, though a little awkward for the first 10 minutes, is also intuitive and easy to use.

There are other (cheaper) players out there, but I would suggest using them first. Go in the store, pick it up and play with it. Not for 30 seconds, but for a few minutes. Can you navigate around easily? See if you can do the same with the software you will have to use on your computer…

Sigh, so – to answer your question: Yes. You can accomplish the same thing with other manufacturer’s mp3 players. But I would suggest against thinking they are all the same and grabbing the bargain.

I am in no way affiliated with Apple or any of it’s subsidiaries.

Man, I gotta get back to work. Coming Mr. Jobs!!

Rock on!

[Maine Sail]

That's not been my experience at all! Between my wife and I we own 7 iPods including one of the original 1st generation iPods that I relegated for use in the barn as my source of music. Even the battery still works on it and it's OLD (collectors item)! The biggest problems I had were the headphone jack on the gen 1's and that's it and they had fixed it by gen 2. Kids can destroy anything and iPods are basically hard drives with a pre-amp and video screen so they are not imune. They are not bullet proof but they are damn durable if you treat them the way you would a laptop or any other electronic device. My 80gb video is fairly beat up as I travel with it a lot and despite the scratches and a few "drops" she still keeps on ticking..

[Melrna]

My two cents on Ipods. I am not a big fan of them. I love the creative Zen better.
We have 3 Ipods in our family and one Creative Zen. My Zen is easier to use and more powerful. It sails circles around my Ipod. With Windows base system I find Itunes clumsy at best. I much prefer Windows Media center any day in creating play-list, genre and any other organization that needs to me done with my Zen. Plus I can do those same functions on Zen, I cannot say the same for ITunes or the Ipod. Also the proprietary software of ITunes and Ipod between computers of software uploads, music and other programs is fragile at best. I can take my Zen to any computer and upload and download at ease. One cannot say the same with IPods. Don't get me wrong I think Apple stuff is great especially if one is computer challenge. Apple finally got the marketing right on this one. Of the 3 Ipods, one was return for warranty work with no problems. My Zen battery life is 24 hours, my Ipod is 8 at best. I could go on but I think you all get my point.

[sailingdog]

Melrna-

Unfortunately, the market would seriously disagree with you. There's a good reason that the iPods have over 75% of the MP3 player marketplace. User interface, ease of use, iTunes Music Store, and a few others are among those reasons. You must have an older iPod. My 160GB iPod Classic runs for well over 12 hours on a single charge.

Originally Posted by Melrna

My two cents on Ipods. I am not a big fan of them. I love the creative Zen better.
We have 3 Ipods in our family and one Creative Zen. My Zen is easier to use and more powerful. It sails circles around my Ipod. With Windows base system I find Itunes clumsy at best. I much prefer Windows Media center any day in creating play-list, genre and any other organization that needs to me done with my Zen. Plus I can do those same functions on Zen, I cannot say the same for ITunes or the Ipod. Also the proprietary software of ITunes and Ipod between computers of software uploads, music and other programs is fragile at best. I can take my Zen to any computer and upload and download at ease. One cannot say the same with IPods. Don't get me wrong I think Apple stuff is great especially if one is computer challenge. Apple finally got the marketing right on this one. Of the 3 Ipods, one was return for warranty work with no problems. My Zen battery life is 24 hours, my Ipod is 8 at best. I could go on but I think you all get my point.

[camaraderie]

I've always hated Apple from my days in the "business" as they were always arrogant and tried to control everything in a very proprietary manner...a la I-tunes. Nevertheless...you have to hand it to them on the I-pod in its' many flavors...a stone winner that saved the company IMHO. More importantly, with their dominance in this market the available peripheral devices for other brands is relatively minimal and any purchase of a different brand must be considered with that in mind. I've been waiting for a worthy challenger to emerge and the Zen certainly is one on the lower end and everything Mel says about it is true...and they have a nice range of accessories. On the upper end...the NEW Zune2 from Microsoft is at last a worthy challenger to the Ipod hard drive units with a 80G capacity and lots of other neat features...but accessories are quite limited as it is a new unit. It would be my choice today.
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Here's a head to head comparison with the Ipod that was declared a "draw" bu in which Zune won 4 of 5 categories! http://reviews.cnet.com/4370-11399_7...1.html?tag=eye
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On the issue of car stereo speakers vs. marine speakers, the answer is that SOMETIMES it is true that car speakers are as suitable as marine speakers for use on a boat. There are a couple of key issues:
1. The speaker cones must be made of some sort of plastic...not paper as many car speakers are.
2. The surround on the speaker cones must be butyl or neoprene rubber...not paper or foam.
3. The speaker grills must be plastic AND protective of the speaker...not metal which will rust.
Such car speakers are available and are almost always good sounding and much more affordable than "marine" speakers at similar price points...but they are hard to find.

There is no reason to buy a marinized marine stereo head unit unless the unit will be mounted in the cockpit rather than down below.