"It's like giving a glass of ice water to somebody in hell."
That infamous quote from Steve Jobs about iTunes for Windows could just as easily be about the iPod as well. Apple has sold hundreds of millions of the iconic gadgets, the vast majority of them to Windows users.
So to Mac owners and iPod lovers, buying an alternative MP3 player must seem like sucking down a packet of hot sauce in Hades.
But for those fed up with the iPod's lack of features and high price, there are other options. Whether they're worth the hassle is up to you.
First, since virtually all non-iPod MP3 players don't natively support Macs and iTunes, you'll need a couple of free programs to easily transfer over all your music.
SyncTunes (nesfield.co.uk/synctunes) will automatically copy iTunes music to some MP3 players, cell phones and PDAs.
Another free option is XNJB (wentnet.com/projects/xnjb), which is less user-friendly but works with more players.
Here are some Mac-friendly hardware options:
• Archos 605 WiFi ($355, 160 GB), available at archos.com
This slim device sports a huge hi-res touchscreen and a WiFi connection, and holds eight times as many songs as the iPod Touch. It also acts as an Internet browser and a DVR, but those and other features cost extra.
• Cowon D2 ($160, 4 GB), available at cowonglobal.com
This tiny player packs in a 2.5-inch touchscreen, an FM radio, a voice recorder, an SD card slot and support for loads of audio and video formats that the iPod doesn't. It's a little more expensive than an iPod nano, though, and isn't nearly as pretty.
• Coby MP-C885 ($25, 1 GB), available at amazon.com
This no-name device is basically a USB stick with a headphone jack. The built-in FM tuner and voice recorder are nice extras the iPod Shuffle doesn't have. However, various sites say it's about as reliable as that cheapo portable CD player you had in junior high. You get what you pay for.
• Apple iPod ($79-499, 1-160 GB), available basically everywhere
Seriously, though, just buy an iPod. It's the most popular MP3 player for a reason. Get it with AppleCare for around $50 extra and you'll have three years of a very generous warranty.
Reach the reporter at: sam.gavin@asu.edu
