[cprovancher]

I'm considering the purchase of an iPod Nano (my first iPod). I'm a Mac user. Am I imaging things, or did I hear a rumor somewhere that the iPods sold at the Apple Store (and apple.com) are somehow more Mac-compatible than the ones sold at the usual big box department stores? I plan to use iTunes, naturally, and want to make sure that the one I buy is fully compatible with my iMac running Tiger.
I asked the 13-year-old salesman at Circuit City, and of course he assured me that the iPods they sell are fine for all homes.
Can anyone shed any insight on this? Thanks.

[Rugby]

ermmm buying an iPod (any), is really not "where you bought it dependent", so buy it wherever you see fit
13 year old ? well he is right ....

[kris0l0gy]

I have also heard that companies 'dumb down' their products (Sony, Panasonic, etc.) for the large retail stores like Wal-mart & K-Mart, which is why they sell everything for cheap. I don't know about Apple though. Do they even sell iPods in those stores?
I just get everything from the Apple stores since I'm still in college I get the student discount.

[Rugby]

what and for what purpose ? I do not get it, what would the point be ? An iPod that will not play music or ????

[Graeme_Smith]

It doesn't matter where you get the iPod. They're all the same.

[mdawson]

Apple has strict control over the production of their products so where you buy your iPod, or any Apple product, is irrelevant as long as it is a reputable reseller. Now if you were talking about a back alley deal, then you would be on your own.

[jkthompson01]

It's best to buy from Apple.com so that you can get your iPod engraved.

[Rugby]

actually agree, should something happen to it (stolen, lost etc) it will be easier to trace, but it will of course be hard to sell should you want to upgrade /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[Graeme_Smith]

I agree, if you are ever gonna sell your iPod engraving will probably make it a bit harder.

[sean_67]

I'd say look to see who has the best deals online - some online stores are giving away cases and FM transmitters (after mail-in rebate), and many are offering free shipping - and depending on the store you might not pay sales tax
One thing to check carefully is - who actually has the iPod in stock when you are ready to buy
My $0.02

[ftaok]

In reply to:

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I have also heard that companies 'dumb down' their products (Sony, Panasonic, etc.) for the large retail stores like Wal-mart & K-Mart, which is why they sell everything for cheap. I don't know about Apple though. Do they even sell iPods in those stores?

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I think what you're referring to is when companies make specific products just for certain stores. Many companies do this to meet a price point of a particular retailer. For instance, the $400 laptop that Walmart has been selling this Christmas is made by HP, but you cannot get this particular model anywhere else. I'm guessing that HP put the crappiest components in there to meet Walmart's price.
The easiest way to determine if something is "legit" or "dumb-downed" is to check the model number. In many cases, the dumb-downed merchandise has a model number that has special codes or something.
Keep this in mind when buying electronics from a bargain retailer.
Oh yeah, the iPods don't fall into this category, for now. Just keep in mind that Apple did make special Mac models for different retailers in the past. Sears would get one model Performa while Silo would get a different one.
ft