Last week, I acquired an iRiver Mp3 and was somewhat sceptical to say the least.Last week, I acquired an iRiver Mp3 and was somewhat sceptical to say the least. <\/p>\n
Having never heard of the device, let alone the brand, I wondered what I was letting myself in for. <\/p>\n
Although far from a die-hard Apple fan, I have owned a couple of their iPod models, back when the 80GB version was first out in 2005. <\/p>\n
When I say a couple, I mean Apple replaced my original purchase when it broke six months into the year-long warranty.<\/p>\n
A lousy battery was the problem there, although countless friends of mine also had similar experiences. ; <\/p>\n
When my 8GB broke again, which at the time cost me more than $400, just outside the warranty I swore never again would I give Steve Jobs’ company a penny of my hard earned cash. ; <\/p>\n
The reason I bought it? iPods were seen as the coolest thing in town five years ago so as a teenager I was dying to hop on the ibandwagon. <\/p>\n
So how long it would be before it be before my iRiver suddenly decided to go kaput or the headphones wiring snap off. <\/p>\n
However, from the moment I turned it on, I was very pleasantly surprised. <\/p>\n
The sound was crisp and clear – a far cry from the Sony Walkman Mp3 I previously owned – and could never remember my iPod being so easy to use as this little wonder-device.
<\/p>\n
So why do we buy pricey brands, is it reputation, prestige, innovation? <\/p>\n
I recently read a blog in the New York Times which flouted the idea that buying technology is essentially a subscription, in other words that consumers are subscribing to the notion that they will inevitably have to replace the model in a matter of years. <\/p>\n
But is it more than that?<\/p>\n
Tech consumers are in my view subscribing to a way of life, a lifestyle, a belief in better technology and the benefits it (supposedly) brings.<\/p>\n
But unfortunately these products don’t always live up. Where do they turn to then?<\/p>\n
I’m turning to my trusty iRiver and vowing to look before I leap before buying big ever again. <\/p>\n
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Last week, I acquired an iRiver Mp3 and was somewhat sceptical to say the least.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","hentry","category-archive","category-comment-archive","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"yoast_head":"\n