While it may seem pretty common for people to use their phones to listen to music these days, especially given music streaming services such as Spotify or Google Play Music, there are still a minority of people out there who do own separate devices like iPods or MP3 players to listen to their music on.
Back in the early 2000’s, I was one of those people who went through different types of MP3 players and iPods when phones couldn’t hold music. As I enjoy music, I still use my old iPod Classic (6th Generation, 160GB). For those of you not familiar with the old iPod, the “classic” range was announced in 2007 in black or silver. Sadly, the range was discontinued in 2014 with Apple only selling their iPod Touch which has less storage. I consider myself fortunate enough to still have an iPod classic that still works as there wouldn’t be a lot around still.
As my iPod is no longer under warranty with Apple, it has been repaired privately a few times over the years, but despite this, there are a few reasons why I haven’t opted to using my phone to store and listen to my music. Some of these reasons are:
Reason #1 – Storage Limits
A few years ago, when I thought my iPod had stopped working completely, I decided I would trial Google Play Music (which is around $10 a month) and use my Android phone for music. Google Play Music seemed to have a huge database of music that you can download and listen to at any time, however I found that this wasn’t for me as I was limited to the amount of music I could download and store on my phone. It also felt as though my phone had slowed down a lot with the number of albums I had, despite having an external SD card in it.
Reason #2 – I still buy CDS
Given that I still like to purchase physical copies of CDs still and enjoy listening to what I still own, I have come to the conclusion that I really don’t want to pay for services like Spotify or Google Play music as I would be doubling up on what I already have the legal rights to listen to.
Reason #3 – I like having a separate music device
As I am someone who lives for music, I feel I need to have a separate device for my music to get the most out of it.
Reason #4 – Battery Life
Even though the battery on my iPod doesn’t seem to last as well as it did 7 years ago when compared to the phones around back then when I initially got it, I like knowing that when I listen to music it’s not using my phones battery.
Reason #5 – Physical Buttons
Unlike touch screen phones and the newer iPod Touch series, the iPod Classic has physical buttons allowing you to play, pause and skip songs which is quite handy for quick selection.
Reason #6 – No Distractions
For those of you who use your phone to play music, it can be quite distracting when a song stops playing because you get a notification or text – especially when driving or when you’re exercising/ at the gym.
Reason #7 – Great for Travelling
Since data isn’t required for music play on an iPod or MP3 player, it has made a great companion for travelling.
All in all, if you are someone who buys CDS, don’t have enough storage on your phone for the amount of music you like to listen to, uses a lot of battery on your phone each day and travels a lot, an iPod or MP3 player is still for you. But if you aren’t fussed about these things and listen to top 40 songs all the time, then having a subscription to a music service is probably suitable for you.
