The Machine That Never Sleeps

Blue, Pink, Green or Silver?

Ipod mini, I mean. I don't have an ipod and in a way, it's been freeing not having to muster up enough responsibility to not lose it or not having to think hard about which accessories to buy. But I'm getting one, I think. Last night our family was all in the computer room, my brother and I glued to our laptops and each listening to our own music, of course. As I was burning three new mixes for the car, I lamented aloud that I "needed an mp3 player" to get me off the computer; I've been on a treadmill kick for the past week and once even contemplated setting up a stool and support system next to machine and placing my Powerbook on top to listen to iTunes with headphones. Way too nerdy. So, my dad said, let's go buy one tomorrow. Ack! Ok, slow down.
In terms of value, if you do a little research, it becomes obvious that the ipod photo is the best choice. Here's how the reasoning works (again, sneaky business tactics):
Starting at the website-
"Ok, let's see, ipods are hella expensive, so how about the ipod mini, the cheapest in the line. (We've already x-ed out the ipod shuffle, lame for not having a screen. In about the same price range as the 512MB Shuffle is Sony's sweet looking competition, this. I was really impressed with the innovative display technology. It's PC only though.)
"Ok, the mini, I like what I see, only 3.6 ounces, 4 GB holds 1,000 songs.. hey wait a minute, the regular ipod gives you 20 GB for only $100 more! Let's check out that baby. I've always liked the clean and classic white look anyway."
"Oohf, that free custom laser engraving looks great on metal. Hmm, I'm liking what I see. OK. This model costs $299. But for a mere $50 more, I can own the King, an ipod photo. Yo the screen is in living color! Oh man, won't my friends be jealous! Now I don't have to wait til I get home to show pictures to people, it's all in my pocket! Ok, the iPod photo it is!"
And that, my friends, is clever marketing that works. My rule for buying guitars: don't buy an axe you aren't good enough to play. That's why I don't own a Taylor or even an electric guitar. In the same way, I don't have 7,500 songs or 13,000 photos and even if I did, they can stay on my laptop, which is easy enough to take around. Buying something so top of the line is a huge investment and you can't say you don't care that Apple will probably come out with a lighter, brighter and sleeker one in the next few years. Ah, technology, can't we just rent our gadgets?

As for the ipod mini colors, I think they're too girly and snazzy. A boy in my class had a blue one, and he was pretty girly. Come on, now!

What do you think about the iPod generation? Will we eventually forget what the outside world sounds like, stop talking to strangers altogether because now there's an excuse to keep walking (oh wait that already happens), and hurt our brains from audio overdose? Since when did music take over life?