Feeding Your iPod Addiction

“The first 30 days of using the Nano were intense,” admits Kim. “It took the software longer to load than I thought it would, which scared me a little. And then downloading the updates to the iTunes software was slower still.” Kim almost abandoned her iPod. In fact, she put it aside for few weeks until she had an epiphany.

“I realized that it wasn’t the iPod or iTunes making things creep along,” remembers Kim. “It was the fact that I had tons of crap on my computer, and I hadn’t done maintenance on it in a long time.”

She did some computer housekeeping and the iPod worked like a charm. “It was amazing!” Kim says. “Yes, eventually, I will have to get a new computer, but just cleaning it out really well was totally worth the time because now I can rip music to my iPod a great deal quicker and iTunes loads faster. Everything works faster, actually! Before throwing the iPod out the window, I’d suggest that anyone running into reduced speeds in loading things to their new iPods check out their computers first for maintenance that may need to be done.”

So how does Kim like her iPod now? “I love it,” she says. “I use it all the time. In fact, I’m considering getting a new one for myself and formatting this one for my son, loading it up with music and audiobooks for children. It’s getting to the point where my music collection is outgrowing this iPod.”

Not a problem, according to Upbin, because the upgrades Apple plans for the iPods can handle growing needs. “As iPod design evolves, hard drives get bigger, functions greater and overall ease of use improves.”

Not all iPod users are frustrated by the device at the beginning; many welcome the excitement of technological newness, like Bill Faulkner, a freelance photographer in Las Cruces, NM. Bill purchased his first iPod because he wanted a better way to transport and listen to his music. Since he’s a long-time follower of many computer-based technologies, he found the iPod to be a very natural transition for him.

“I had a 45-minute to an hour-and-a-half commute when I had a studio in San Francisco and it was just a great way to listen to the music or the audio books I wanted to hear,” Bill says. “I also used it as the music source in the studio so I could have continuous music going for the entire day without having to switch out CDs. Clients liked playing with it, too.”