I own an mp3 player, but it isn't an iPod. It's a Dell, a Jukebox I believe, 30 GB, and it's a fine piece of machinery. When I bought it, I did so in consideration of all the factors that a reasonable and practical then-40-year-old would consider. I already owned a Dell computer and knew it would be a well-made player. It synced up perfectly with Musicmatch, a staple at the time of my home audio experience. It was easily the best-priced 30 GB model I could find (although one week after ordering this was no longer so - oh, well). And I could purchase it online, without the inconvenience of dealing with arrogant audio- or technophiles who would try to make me feel ignorant about technology at the same they tried to fleece me into spending more money. It was a perfect synthesis of practicality all wrapped up in one very impractical purchase.
Sure, I considered the iPod itself. In design, it is easily the most aesthetically pleasing mp3 player out there. The sleek white case, nifty little earbuds (which just look cool even if, as I have been told, they are the weakest part of the product) - plus the hallowed Apple name. As a member of the PC world by necessity, I have always been curious about the Apple computers and their supposedly superior performance and user-friendliness, and if I ever have some mad money to invest in technology, Steve Jobs is getting it. But I held back when confronted with the iPod. First, it is so obvious what it is that the player is a clear target for thieves, whereas my Dell is less ostentatious. And its very ubiquity lessens significantly the cool factor, given the proliferation of borderline senior citizens riding the TTC oblivious to their surroundings while listening to Michael Buble or Josh Groban. By going outside the mainstream for my player, I was being a rebel.
But a funny thing has happened in recent months. Despite a glitch-free seven months of use, despite doubling as personal player and in-office sound system, despite accepting without protest the addition of tracks by such non-entities as Hilary Duff and Jesse McCartney for my daughters' listening pleasure - despite, in essence, serving me above and beyond the call of duty for an electronic device - I no longer love my Dell.
I want an iPod.
This isn't one of those midlife crisis things. I'm not like those men who abandon a beautiful wife for a sometimes-less-beautiful-but-always-much-younger mistress just because she's a fresh new face. I remember a conversation I once had, some 20 years ago, with my stepbrother Ken. He was on his second wife by then, and we were discussing women and marriage and sex - you know, guy stuff. Ken had a rather rollicking romantic past, but he was telling me that this was all behind him. Looking at his home, his children, his wife, he was pleased with his life. Sure, he met women all the time who he was attracted to. But he didn't see the point of infidelity, because his marriage would break up and he would lose everything he had only to discover in a few years time that what he wanted was a wife, children and home. So why chase other women? It was poignant and powerful, and it made a real impression on me. Until, of course, a few years later when Ken left his wife for another woman, with whom he now has a home and children. Ken's then-wife was quite attractive, although she was also possibly the most boring woman I have ever met. His new wife (well, nine years new) is, from the accounts of others, possibly the dumbest woman they have ever met. Nice to see Ken still pursuing extremes.
Anyhow, with the iPod it isn't the beautiful new face angle that attracts me. It's the accessories. There are so many cool toys to connect your iPod to, to cover it with (socks, for God's sake!), to share it with others. The latest one to catch my eye is the Bose SoundDock, the hype for which is presently blanketing St. George subway station. I don't own a very good home stereo, my rationale being that it would be a wasteful purchase as long as I live in an apartment. I have long said, and in fact stated this to my wife this past weekend, that my first serious investment once we get our own house is a kick-ass stereo. So my attraction to something that could convert my very personal player into a nice intermediate step while I await future audio glory is natural. However, I do not own an iPod. I own a Dell. Go to www.dell.ca, and check out their toys. It does not inspire one to fits of rapture.
Maybe it is in fact a midlife crisis. Regardless, I'm trying to hold out. I only have a one-year warranty on the Dell, which almost certainly guarantees that it will die before next summer. I am a patient and frugal man, and I will not hasten it's demise. But I will not mourn it either. We all want to go mainstream once in awhile, because rebellion is very exhausting. And while my Dell has served me well, it is not, as I frequently remind my daughter, an iPod.
Sure, I considered the iPod itself. In design, it is easily the most aesthetically pleasing mp3 player out there. The sleek white case, nifty little earbuds (which just look cool even if, as I have been told, they are the weakest part of the product) - plus the hallowed Apple name. As a member of the PC world by necessity, I have always been curious about the Apple computers and their supposedly superior performance and user-friendliness, and if I ever have some mad money to invest in technology, Steve Jobs is getting it. But I held back when confronted with the iPod. First, it is so obvious what it is that the player is a clear target for thieves, whereas my Dell is less ostentatious. And its very ubiquity lessens significantly the cool factor, given the proliferation of borderline senior citizens riding the TTC oblivious to their surroundings while listening to Michael Buble or Josh Groban. By going outside the mainstream for my player, I was being a rebel.
But a funny thing has happened in recent months. Despite a glitch-free seven months of use, despite doubling as personal player and in-office sound system, despite accepting without protest the addition of tracks by such non-entities as Hilary Duff and Jesse McCartney for my daughters' listening pleasure - despite, in essence, serving me above and beyond the call of duty for an electronic device - I no longer love my Dell.
I want an iPod.
This isn't one of those midlife crisis things. I'm not like those men who abandon a beautiful wife for a sometimes-less-beautiful-but-always-much-younger mistress just because she's a fresh new face. I remember a conversation I once had, some 20 years ago, with my stepbrother Ken. He was on his second wife by then, and we were discussing women and marriage and sex - you know, guy stuff. Ken had a rather rollicking romantic past, but he was telling me that this was all behind him. Looking at his home, his children, his wife, he was pleased with his life. Sure, he met women all the time who he was attracted to. But he didn't see the point of infidelity, because his marriage would break up and he would lose everything he had only to discover in a few years time that what he wanted was a wife, children and home. So why chase other women? It was poignant and powerful, and it made a real impression on me. Until, of course, a few years later when Ken left his wife for another woman, with whom he now has a home and children. Ken's then-wife was quite attractive, although she was also possibly the most boring woman I have ever met. His new wife (well, nine years new) is, from the accounts of others, possibly the dumbest woman they have ever met. Nice to see Ken still pursuing extremes.
Anyhow, with the iPod it isn't the beautiful new face angle that attracts me. It's the accessories. There are so many cool toys to connect your iPod to, to cover it with (socks, for God's sake!), to share it with others. The latest one to catch my eye is the Bose SoundDock, the hype for which is presently blanketing St. George subway station. I don't own a very good home stereo, my rationale being that it would be a wasteful purchase as long as I live in an apartment. I have long said, and in fact stated this to my wife this past weekend, that my first serious investment once we get our own house is a kick-ass stereo. So my attraction to something that could convert my very personal player into a nice intermediate step while I await future audio glory is natural. However, I do not own an iPod. I own a Dell. Go to www.dell.ca, and check out their toys. It does not inspire one to fits of rapture.
Maybe it is in fact a midlife crisis. Regardless, I'm trying to hold out. I only have a one-year warranty on the Dell, which almost certainly guarantees that it will die before next summer. I am a patient and frugal man, and I will not hasten it's demise. But I will not mourn it either. We all want to go mainstream once in awhile, because rebellion is very exhausting. And while my Dell has served me well, it is not, as I frequently remind my daughter, an iPod.
posted by George @ 12:36 p.m.
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