An iPod in my future

I can't stop now... They've got a hold of me!

I looked into an MP3 player not too long ago when I was looking for a new flash drive. You know, those little USB drives you plug into your computer to carry around files you need. I was looking for one that was also an MP3 player just because I thought it would be neat.

I've never thought about getting an iPod because they are ridiculously expensive for a device used solely for listening to music. And I never thought that anything like that would take off where I live because it is so expensive and it is somewhat religiously connected to Apple computers.

Well, last week I attended the Kentucky Press Association's annual convention in Lexington. While knocking back a few free drinks before the banquet, we were sitting around with some other newspaper folks and one of them was a photographer. She was talking about listening to music when she was shooting football games and that struck me as ingenius. I have no idea why I hadn't come up with this sooner.

Generally, I'm usually talking with coaches, players, trainers or doctors during most football games when I'm not broadcasting them, but music would add a little inspiration during those long football and basketball games I'm shooting. More basketball games for me because I'm usually standing around by myself. Doubleheaders are the worst.

Last night I was listening to some music on my Mac, in iTunes of course, and I had just sat down for a long session of MP3 player research. I love doing research for cool stuff I'm about to buy.

It just so happened that every song I was listening to was purchased through the iTunes Music Store and then it dawned on me. Nothing I buy through iTunes will play on anything other than a true iPod. Sure there are ways around the protection placed on the .m4p iTunes files, but that takes time and it will take up space for the extra copies.

My research was cut short because I'm not paying $200 for an iPod nano so the screen can get scratched up and I'm not going to spend more than $100 anyway.

So a 512 megabyte iPod Shuffle it will be when I get a chance. I now see the vicious cycle that Apple has created and I'm drinking the kool-aid.