The iLoad sat on my desk for a good week before I decided to take it out of its box. It wasn't that it didn't look sleek, (while it's a little heavy it does match the regular iPod and my MacBook) but more that as a 21st century woman, I find the idea of it a bit confusing. When I eventually tried it out, I did realize the device's use, but still don't think I'm its target customer.
The iLoad device takes your CDs (apparently it will work with DVDs soon too), as well as any music, album and video data, and loads them directly to your iPod without using a computer or requiring an Internet connection. As someone who has a computer and constant internet access to download from iTunes, this seems silly, but for those people who avoid/don't have computers but do have an iPod (i.e my mother), it could be real handy.
To check out additional images of the iLoad and more of my review, read more
The device itself is pretty "sturdy" - it weighs about 4 pounds and is 8-inches by 7.25-inches and 3.4-inches high. It features about 256 MB DDR RAM, RCA-style jacks, 2.5mm headset/Speaker, microphone and line in, mouse Port, keyboard port, monitor port and ethernet port. It costs $299.
Because its use is so simple - put music on your iPod without a computer - I think the iLoad could really take off if it was half the size and (I know this is never going to happen) half its price. Last year my sister spent some time in Japan without her own computer (she used the computers at her school or internet cafes), but would write home about how bummed she was she couldn't add all her new Japanese pop CDs onto her iPod without losing all the music that was already on there. I think the iLoad could be a perfect traveling companion in that case, if only it were more compact.
Taillissime
Kookai
Crocs
I could see that as being useful to some, I wouldn't use it though.
1Same here.
2iLounge had actually reviewed the iLoad and created a video posted on YouTube that showed the iLoad and iTunes ripping a 60 minute CD to two same generation iPods. Their findings? The iLoad took nearly 20 minutes to rip and load the CD to its iPod while iTunes finished its CD in about 5 minutes and then they actually were able to rip and load a second 60 minute CD with iTunes with time to spare. Of course, it's not scientific or anything, but it's something to consider. Granted it could be very useful to those who don't have computers and do have iPods or those who aren't tech savvy enough to use iTunes, but in my experience (with my mother), she can't even figure out how to work our DVD player, much less an iPod so I'm seeing it as a product with a very small target audience because I don't know how many other people a) have time to kill waiting for it to slowly load or b) have the extra space to put that clunker.
Anyway, if you're interested in the iLounge review and multi-part video, here it is: http://backstage.ilounge.com/index.php/backstage/comments/getting-rid-of...
3Interesting concept, but I agree, I don't think I'd use it.
4interesting but how are you guaranteed the file names are correct? would you be able to edit? i think i'll pass.
5Hmm...if it worked with DVDs and did solely that I could definitely see its use. Ripping DVDs to iTunes for use on your iPod is much more difficult than ripping CDs, so if they could make it smaller, make it primarily for DVDs, make it faster, and make it cheaper (which is A LOT for the company to do) then I could see it finding its perfect niche.
6that would be useful for when you're traveling,
especially when you have a stepdad like mine, who doesnt let me download itunes on his traveling laptop.
at the same time, does it have preferences where you can pick certain tracks?
because on some cds, you may not want all the songs on it,
7Especially when you have a nano like me, you have to be wise about what songs you want before your ipod gets fille dup
It will go the round of reviews, get a few mentions on a few websites and then fade into obscurity. I'd love to see the Marketing Requirements Document for this one, who would their demographic be? Let's people who own iPods but no computers and need to rip CDs some how.... now that would be... let me think... 0!
8ooht his is kinda kewl
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