Rotten to the core…
Thursday, October 4th, 2007Or why I swapped my iPod for a 4 year old Creative Zen XTRA and learned to love music again.
Before I reveal why I committed that most heinous of crimes - downgrading a gadget - I first want to talk about Apple and the history of the iPod.
Although it took four generations for the iPod to become the design icon that it is today, there was always that hint of Zen like minimalism from the beginning. Its shiny white surface and simple layout set the iPod aside from all its competitors with their fussy angles, multiple button layouts and confusing colour schemes. The iPod stood up and said “this is what I am, love me”. And by golly we did.
As the iPod passed through different generations, it became even less cluttered and on the 12th October 2005 we were finally blessed with the Video iPod. Absolutely ruthless in its use of available space, it was pure gadget nirvana. Smooth, thin, shiny on the back with simply a small grey circle for interaction. It looked like something from both the past and the future - timeless. No other MP3 player, or gadget for that matter, had come close to its unerring perfection. This was the time at which I jumped ship from Creative and took the plunge into the calming pool of Apple. I had had enough of the aluminium bricks that everyone else was selling.
During this honeymoon period Apple could do no wrong. Alongside the iPod Video was the Nano and the Shuffle, both retaining that purity of design. This was Apple’s defining moment. While all other companies’ product offerings read like a menu at Starbucks, the Apple store proudly stated “Which iPod are you?” as we stared at this faultless trio. Sure there was another colour choice, but Black or White was hardly diluting the brand.
However, trouble was ahead. Yes we’d had the iPod Mini debacle, but everyone had glossed over that and was still in awe of these three heavenly beauties. Suddenly strange things started happening over at Apples Cupertino HQ. The shuffle quickly changed shape and spawned multiple colour choices (4), as did the Nano (6). Then more recently came the announcement of the iTouch, iPod Classic, new iPod Nano and Shuffle (both of which available in a multitude of unpleasant colours). What had happened to the purity? I for one had been relieved by the lack of choice that went with buying an iPod. It said to me that Apple had created a product so perfect and believed so fully in its design that you didn’t need variety. As Henry Ford (had apparently not) said “You can have it in any colour as long as it’s black” - or white in Apple’s case. When I browse the Apple store these days, it feels more like the aforementioned Starbucks menu; “I’ll have an 8Gb iPod Nano in shocking green with a dash of milk, one and a quarter teaspoons of sugar, chocolate sprinkles and a marshmallow on the side”. I miss those heady days of simplicity.
But surely, I hear you ask, the state of the current product offering shouldn’t be reason to relinquish the perfect gadget. After all, you still have its pure, white, shiny goodness. I hear what you’re saying, but unfortunately I could rarely hear what my iPod was saying…
VOLUME
Seriously, how hard can it be to make the Sound Check feature on the iPod actually work?
Like most people who own a hard drive based MP3 player of cavernous proportions, I have quite an eclectic mix of music, and while the iPod is performing its shuffle, there is a very good chance of Beethoven being plonked right next to Led Zeppelin. Endlessly adjusting the volume is not my idea of exercise and I’m sure the police would have something to say about its affect on my ability to drive.
Creative had this problem solved years ago, so how come Apple are still struggling?
This is why I finally traded in the perfect gadget for an aluminium brick. Sure, it’s not going to win any awards for aesthetics, but since returning to my Zen XTRA I’ve not had to adjust the volume once and my left hand can remain where it’s supposed to firmly grasping the steering wheel, Officer.
