Aldoblog

I am frequently asked, “Which audio player should I buy to use with my audiobooks?” At first I would reply with a great deal of information, most of which is completely irrelevant to the question. I’ve come to realize that the answer is quite simple. You only have to make one hard decision:

What’s Your Favorite Color?
iPod nano, Silver	iPod nano, Black	iPod nano, Purple	iPod nano, Blue	iPod nano, Green	iPod nano, Yellow	iPod nano, Orange	iPod nano RED	iPod nano, Pink

If you’re the type that just wants the answer, you can stop reading now. But if you’re the type who wants to know why, well, we’ve got a lot to talk about.

But first, about these recommendations

There are lots of descriptions and reviews of digital audio players available on the Internet. Read those if you want to get a broad perspective of what they are and what they do. I’m focused here exclusively on using a digital audio player for listening to audiobooks. Not music, not other content. I almost never listen to music on my iPod, and that colors my perspective quite a bit.

Why an iPod?

There are two reasons. The first is simple, my instructions use iTunes to import audiobooks from CDs, and iTunes works best with an iPod, syncing audio files automatically. So, if you use iTunes, you’ll want to use it with an iPod.

The second reason is I believe the iPod Click Wheel is an essential part of listening to an audiobook, because it allows me to rapidly scroll backwards and forwards through a book, to repeat a passage, to return to a section, etc. No other navigation tool works nearly as well, or is nearly as versatile. Being able to “scroll” through the audio track (by swirling your thumb or finger around the Click Wheel) is an amazing ability, and no other player has it.

If you really still need another reason to get an iPod, ask yourself, when was the last time you treated yourself to something that is the very best in its class? Don’t you deserve something that is the very best? The iPod is far and away the best experience in audio players, for audiobooks, music, and even video and photos. Buying a Lexus would cost many thousands of dollars — an iPod is comparatively cheap!

Isn’t an iPod more expensive?

An 8 gigabyte iPod nano costs less than $140 at Amazon.com. That’s pretty darn cheap, and will hold 30-40 audiobooks, letting you carry them around in your pocket. That’s not expensive for what you get! Even compared to other products, iPods are reasonably priced; the digital audio player market is competitive, and Apple is fairly aggressive about pricing to stay on top.

More importantly, if you’re going to be listening to a lot of audiobooks, you’re (a) going to be spending a lot of time with your player, and it’s definitely worth it to get the best player, and (b) you’re going to eventually spend way more on the audiobooks than on the player, so the modest extra cost of an iPod is a lot smaller than you’d initially think. Don’t cheat yourself on a false economy here; you will eventually regret it.

Why an iPod Nano?

In a word, size. The iPod Nano has just about the perfect form factor, being wonderfully small in size, while still being big enough to have a good screen and the Click Wheel. It is pretty much as small as a true iPod can be, which means you can take it anywhere. I use mine in two places, the car and when I’m working out. Size isn’t a big deal in the car, but even our iPod mini was pretty heavy and bulky when using exercise equipment in a gym.

Size is also a fairly serious issue if you’re carrying the iPod with you everywhere. Sure, a full-size iPod can go in a coat pocket, and there’s a ton of belt clips and the like. But it is still comparatively bulky, and while some may profess that it’s not a bother, the size of my regular iPod certainly was irritating to me. If I wasn’t in my car, I would decide to take it or not based on whether I was wearing a jacket, because I needed a coat pocket to carry it. Good weather is a bad reason to leave your iPod at home!

The Nano is so small, you can strap it on or slip it into a pocket and barely notice it, so you’ll take it everywhere. But even though it’s tiny, it still delivers the full iPod Experience.

How much capacity should I get?

The eight gigabyte Nano is terrific for listening to audiobooks, with capacity left over for podcasts, contacts, and a good selection of music. It’s plenty big enough. But if you want to carry even more books, or a lot of music, the 16 gigabyte version might make sense for you (it’s only $50 more):

Size	Price	# Books
8 gig	$149	30-40 audiobooks, fills 75% of iPod
16 gig	$199	50 audiobooks, fills 50% of iPod

What does extra capacity get me?

While the eight gigabyte Nano will work very well for audiobooks, for only $50 more, you can have a 16 gigabyte Nano, and that makes some things a little easier.

For example, because I have over two dozen books on my Nano at any given time, I can usually find a new book that suits my mood, no matter what that mood is. I have had the experience of trying to pick out a new book for my commute, and as many as 10 books don’t sound good to me at that moment. “Nick Hornby? Feh. Michael Crichton? Double feh.” Some days you want 30+ books to choose from, even if you’re only going to listen to one.

You can also fit a lot more music (or podcasts, or videos, etc.) onto a larger capacity iPod, without giving up variety in your audiobook selection.

Note that I’ve written an article about how to manage audiobooks on a small-capacity iPod that gives a lot of tips and tricks for fitting a nice selection of audiobooks and other content onto even a smaller iPod.

Why is (physical) size so important?

If you aren’t sure you think physical size is that big a deal to you, think about where you want to listen to your audiobooks. If it’s 90% at home, 10% elsewhere, you’re right, size is not a big deal. Anything less than that, either you’re doomed to be one of those people with an iPod clipped to their waist everywhere they go, or you’ll be making decisions based on the size of the device. For me, form factor became a huge issue, and I gladly traded my full-size iPod for a Mini, and then gladly spent another $250 for my first Nano, purely for the size reduction.

Look at the devices you’re already carrying. If you’ve already chosen to carry things that are bigger but have more functions (like a so-called “smart phone”), you might want a full size iPod. If you’ve already given up features so your tools will fit in your pockets (like a Motorola RAZR), you’re definitely a Nano kind of person. Ultimately this is a personal decision. Only you can decide what’s right for you.

Why not an iPod Shuffle?

So if form factor is such a big factor, why not consider an iPod Shuffle? Because the screen and a scroll wheel are essential for listening to audiobooks. Although the iPod shuffle is a nice device, its design as a random shuffle music jukebox makes it ill-suited for playing audiobooks, where linear structure is essential. The shuffle has minimal controls for fast forward or reverse, and no way to see where you are. So you will inevitably get into a position where you are in a random spot in the book, not know if that’s were you’re supposed to be or not, and have no good way to skim forward or backward to find the right place.

And that’s the issue in two words. The iPod shuffle was designed with the philosophy that there is no “right place” in your playlist, all that matters is where you are now. Terrific for music, not so good for audiobooks.

What about the other iPods? What about the iPhone?

I’ve recommended the 8GB Nano here because it does a great job with audiobooks, at the lowest price. And as I wrote at the beginning, I’ve considered only playing back audiobooks, which means that extras weren’t a significant part of the equation. But Apple has a broad range of audio playback devices, many of which are very good with audiobooks, and have other advantages and disadvantages. Here are a few thoughts about the other models:

iPod Classic and Audiobooks

An iPod Classic is a lot bigger than an iPod Nano. To me, that’s a big problem. I have repeatedly sacrificed features and capacity for a smaller form factor.

If you have determined that the size of your audiobook device is not that important, then the iPod Classic can be a fine choice. It’s pretty much identical to the Nano in terms of handling audiobooks. And it might be a better choice for you if:

• You want to carry a large collection of music, videos, or podcasts along with your audiobooks. The iPod Classic has 10-20 times the capacity of the largest iPod Nano.
• Your hands are very large, or you have dexterity problems in your hands. The larger size of the controls may be much easier for you to work with.
• Your near vision has problems with small type. The slightly larger screen of the iPod Classic may be easier to read.

iPod Touch and Audiobooks

The iPod Touch is also a lot bigger than the iPod Nano, but it also does a lot more. Much larger screen, a totally different set of touch screen-based controls, and more software functions (including third-party applications). The iPod Touch represents the future of the iPod, and I predict that in the next two years the iPod Nano will look like a smaller version of today’s iPod Touch.

But for now, the iPod Touch is for people who want to have the latest and greatest. If you’re just looking for basic audiobook functionality, it does it quite well, but so does the Nano, at a lower price and in a smaller package.

I personally don’t find the iPod Touch compelling, but that’s because I already have an iPhone, which does even more. To me, the only reason to get an iPod Touch is if you simply cannot afford to have a mobile phone (a $75/month ongoing cost). I’m sure they’re out there, but I don’t know a lot of people who can afford an iPod Touch but cannot afford an iPhone + service plan.

(As for contracts or service providers, I switched from Verizon to AT&T, and I’m perfectly happy with it. All problems with contracts and coverage are short-term.)

iPhone and Audiobooks

I’ve had an iPhone since the day they went on sale, and at some point in the near future, I will write at length about listening to audiobooks on the iPhone. For now I will simply say that it’s a terrific audiobook playback device. (The iPod Touch is basically identical in this regard.) It’s what I use most of the time.

But I will confess that I still use my iPod Nano when exercising, as the smaller, lighter device is much less awkward in gym clothes and on exercise equipment. Maybe the right case/arm band would address this, but for now, I just use both.

If the price of an iPhone + service contract doesn’t scare you, and having the phone and other extra features of an iPhone sounds exciting, then the iPhone is a great way to go. But for most people, I think the Nano represents a better deal, at least for now.