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Originally Posted by Podder";p="
IMHO, the 2 main problems with the clones is the sound quality and battery life. If the sound quality is greatly improved with new headphones (significantly, though) then that's one problem solved.
I don't recall what the battery life is (10 hrs or?) but with the current Nanos able to provide 20-24, that's hard to beat even for the price of a clone. Think of it as use time. While the guy who spent $150 on an iPod, the other guy who spent $60 on a clone is probably recharging while the iPod owner is listening to music. You get my point. The other interesting tidbit I have heard about mp4 players is that some use a cell phone battery and are easily replaced. I think if the mp4 player has removable batteries, that's a huge advantage. I could be mistaken but I thought iPods had to be sent for replacement.
With all that said, however, it is easy to suggest considering one of these clones. You are not tied to particular software and you can get one at a decent price. The iPods are overpriced, aren't they? I was thinking of getting one or a brand name mp3 player but only because I was not too happy with the sound in my mp4 player. Also, I have had to buy an adapter and I discovered the player won't play VBR files (another disadvantage).
But, I bet that these mp4 players will eventually improve, both in design and overall quality. It's just a matter of time. For now, I think they are only good for the price. However, given time and addressing the issues, that could change.
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The Nano's are 20-24 hrs battery life? When did that happen? I always read they struggled between 8 and 15, depending on the generation. The Meizu's are known to have better battery life than the Nano's, and they're 20 hours.
OKAY TIME 4 SOME QUICK FAX:
You can change the battery on your Chipod. So long as you are able to snip wires if necessary, solder if necessary, it should be a fairly small easy job. And so long as you can find an iPod battery that has the same dimensions as yours or the dimensions of the opening for your battery, and the voltage rate. The voltage ratings will probably be the same and given that the players are similar in dimensions, the dimensions shouldn't be a problem either. Particularly since the Chipod is thicker than the Nano.
Now all you have to do is find a battery that can fit with a high mah. You can theoretically supercharge your Chipod with a battery that's stronger than the one coming with the iPod.
iPods do have to be sent in for replacement (it used to cost $100, now I believe its $50-60, about the price of a good chipod), but if you're halfway competent, you can do as described above and replace your ipod battery too.
Headphones: You can buy high quality earbuds or headphones with a 2.5mm plug, you just gotta know where to look. I've seen Sennheiser PX100's with the 2.5mm plug on eBay for example. Pair a chipod with one of those and you won't complain about sound quality.
IPods ARE overpriced. They cost less than $90 to make. I think advertising accounts for the rest of the price. The mp4 players will and have been improving. Apparently, so much so that Apple is getting out of the iPod business and into the highly competitive phone business, because apparently, they can't compete with the cheaper, better equivalents that are flooding the market.
I think a lot of things are missed in this discussion about comparing chipods with ipods. You are literally comparing Apples with Oranges. The differences go far beyond a click wheel and a battery. See my chipod v. ipod guide (below) for an idea.