Waiting on another iPod purchase
I desperately want a new iPod. I don't dare say "need," because I certainly don't need an iPod. I have a 30GB fifth-gen unit that's served me well for several years, but it's much too small for my needs these days.
I recently upgraded my MacBook Pro's hard disk drive from the stock 160GB model it arrived with from the factory to a 320GB unit I got on sale at NewEgg.com.
Even before the upgrade, my iTunes library was already considerably larger than 30GB, which forced me to create a special playlist just for the iPod. The first thing I did after the upgrade was to re-consolidate my iTunes library, which I'd spread across two machines some time ago to make more space for "important" files on my laptop (like World of Warcraft).
At this point, my iTunes library has swollen to more than 60GB, and it's nowhere near complete. I've got a lot of music that I have to sync with Bonnie and even more that I still need to rip from our CD collection.
Buying an 80GB or 160GB iPod model is trivial, and after that, I'd have more than enough space for all my songs, with enough room to grow at least for a while. I could even get a decent deal on a factory-refurbished iPod from Apple's own online store, if I wanted to.
But rumors abound that Apple is ready to refresh the iPod product line in September, and it makes me want to wait. I'm not sure what Apple has up its sleeve yet, but I'm hoping that we'll see some significant changes to the product line and I might as well be patient and "get by" with my old 30GB model until then.