MINI-DISC VS. IPOD

I know several people who own IPODs. They are indeed sleek, sexy, compact, and extremely easy to use (I'm talking about the IPOD, not the several people, although they are also sleek and sexy). You really can't beat the user interface; that "wheel" is just awesome. Please note that I am complimenting the IPOD. Truthfully, the only complaint I've heard is the life of its powersource. But hey, it'll only get better, right? Among my coterie, I am outnumbered. Debates have ensued, research has been done, meetings and conferences have been held, data has been compiled, tests have been done, etc., etc.

So why am I being so stubborn? Why won't I convert? Yes, one could argue that the minidisc is more "klunky" than IPOD, and I whole-heartedly agree. IPOD holds more music, too. And the access to all your music, pictures, audiobooks just can't be beat. So, here it is: for me, it all comes down to PRESERVATION. I've been a big fan of minidisc ever since it came out years ago. Finally, something to replace those horrible cassette tapes. UGH!! Always hated those, but that's what I used because that's what was available. Regardless of the supposed "quality" of the tape, things recorded always had that "muffled sound. Then came CDs, then came the minidisc. With the minidisc, I was able to preserve and archive my entire vinyl collection. The music I recorded years ago onto minidisc still sounds great. For those of you who're old enough to remember, I'm referring to 45's and 12" records. The things where the vibration of a needle along a long groove on a vinyl platter produced the sound. (I'm feeling my age here. I can barely remember 8-tracks. And now there's a generation whose first exposure to music is either the radio or CDs or maybe the Internet.)

It's all about the "LINE-IN" and the microphone. It's all about the ability to record from multiple sources. I haven't dabbled in the IPOD software, but I'm guessing that everything must come from a computer. To the best of my knowledge, an IPOD does not have a "line-in" or a microphone, features that the minidisc does have. Also, I can't get past the idea of "losing" everything once an IPOD breaks down. "Losing" may be too strong a word. IPOD owners have told me, its all in your computer. I do understand this. But I hate being "tied" to the computer. Thane of the Universe (or anybody else who happens to read this blog), perhaps you could answer this question: What is the bare minimum I would need (hardware & software) in order to get the music from a vinyl record to an IPOD? CDs are wonderful, but not everything has gone to CD, not all music has gone to CD. And then, there are perhaps live performances worth saving. With an IPOD, I cannot record from any other source but a computer. So there it is. It's all about preservation. If my minidisc player breaks down, I just buy a new player. The music on my discs is still intact. If I were to buy an IPOD, it would eventually break down (as with anything mechanical), and I'd have to transfer everything all over again from my computer. HMMMMMMMMM. A minor inconvenience, and with today's computers, it probably wouldn't take very long, but a point of contention with me, nonetheless.

I can only hope that minidisc, although not the most popular format, will be here for at least as long as I am.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE LINE-IN...
IT'S ALL ABOUT PRESERVATION...