Clip Zip, to buy or to wait for the announcement?

Hello guys!

I’m planning to order myself a Clip Zip in a few days from now. After searching a while for the perfect affordable MP3-player, I decided that I’m going to settle for the Clip Zip 8GB gray.

However I just found out that SanDisk usually delivers a new Sansa around this time period. Of course if that new one is just as good, then I would want the new one of pick up the Clip Zip cheaper since older products always fall in price. :wink:

Seeing a SanDisk hasn’t officially announced anything yet, I’m asking for your advice. Just buy it or wait a week or 2 ?

Edit:

The hyped facebook image was already posted by them in April as well. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150854375014453&set=a.10150176477564453.316366.9204649452&type=1

get the zip. you can probably pick one up cheap when xmas rolls around. an 8GB could go as low as $40 on a black friday sale. the link of the jpg is a pic of the clip+ which was the 2nd gen clip. the zip is 3rd gen. no point in picking up a next gen player until it’s rockbox-able. sandisk is not known to be revolutionary/innovative so the next gen clip probably isnt worth waiting for. i hope sandisk makes me eat my words and gives us something really nice.

Yea, I was just posting the image since everyone is hyping about it. I’m from the Netherlands though, so we don’t have any black Friday actions here. However I do have a 20 euro discount in the store, so I can pick it up for about €45,-

Sometimes SanDisk issues a new player at this time of year, and sometimes it doesn’t . . . .

:wink:

@7ujr1v0nmsqa wrote:
get the zip. you can probably pick one up cheap when xmas rolls around. an 8GB could go as low as $40 on a black friday sale. the link of the jpg is a pic of the clip+ which was the 2nd gen clip. the zip is 3rd gen. no point in picking up a next gen player until it’s rockbox-able. sandisk is not known to be revolutionary/innovative so the next gen clip probably isnt worth waiting for. i hope sandisk makes me eat my words and gives us something really nice.

The Zip is nothing more than a Clip+ with a slightly larger, color screen. However, it is low-resolutionm making album art look grainy and nasty. Plus I don’t care for the control button layout (on the Zip) which extends all the way to the side of the unit which makes it must easier to accidentally FF or REW in the middle of a track when simply grabbing or picking up the player. Add to that its AAC support is iffy at best, and I believe the Plus model is a much better alternative.

But you can install Rockbox on both units safely. Pay no attention to the rating of Unstable on the Rockbox site. They’re just waiting for someone to finish up the users’ manual before they can change it to Stable. It won’t help the low-res screen or the button layout, but some do actually prefer the Zip over the Plus.

Unless SanDisk has changed their marketing strategy and intend to release a new player closer to the 4th-quarter selling blitz, I doubt we’ll see a new mp3 player from them this year.

Great. I understand that you aren’t a fan of the Clip Zip. However I prefer to just have that extra bit of convienience. Not so much for the album art, but because I think that it will simply allow easier folder browsing. I’m planning to stuff 40GB of much on it +/- (8GB intern + 32GB microSDHC) so I figured that I would be better off with the Clip Zip since it’s just 4 euro’s more expensive & it has more active support from SanDisk’s own firmware updates. (Not planning to install RockBox straight away)

Or is that really such a bad idea?

@metadata wrote:

Great. I understand that you aren’t a fan of the Clip Zip. However I prefer to just have that extra bit of convienience. Not so much for the album art, but because I think that it will simply allow easier folder browsing. I’m planning to stuff 40GB of much on it +/- (8GB intern + 32GB microSDHC) so I figured that I would be better off with the Clip Zip since it’s just 4 euro’s more expensive & it has more active support from SanDisk’s own firmware updates. (Not planning to install RockBox straight away)

 

Or is that really such a bad idea?

 The Zip is OK; theres’ nothing wrong with it. It’s just not any better (in my opinion) than the Plus (and in some ways like the screen res, it’s worse). It provides no “extra convenience”, nor will it allow any “easier folder browsing”.

And the last firmware update SanDsik put out for any of thier mp3 players was for the Clip+. The Zip hasn’t had one since April, and the way I hear it, it won’t be any more.

But do (and buy) what you want. They’re both fine players. I just believe the Plus model has a slight advantage.  Others feel just the opposite. :wink:

“But do (and buy) what you want. They’re both fine players. I just believe the Plus model has a slight advantage. Others feel just the opposite.” Exactamundo.

@tapeworm wrote:



But do (and buy) what you want. They’re both fine players. I just believe the Plus model has a slight advantage.  Others feel just the opposite. :wink:

Agreed 100% on them both being fine players. With Rockbox involved I could be happy with either one…without it, I would  prefer the Zip. 

There are two major hardware flaws with the clip+ that I’m hoping that Sandisk took care of with the zip. The clip is easily broken, and the headphone jack solder contacts eventually break loose. After 2yrs of use I’ve replaced the clip and hardwired an extension to the headphone jack.

Thanks for the advice guys! I’ve just ordered my Zip Clip and it’s due for deliver 7 days from now xD

After 2 years of heavy usage, the battery on a Clip+ is probably worn out. If not, then perhaps other components have worn out. I guess these things are designed with around 2,000-4,000 hours of usable life in mind. If you get 2,000 hours of use from a $40 player that is just 2 cents per hour of use. At 4,000 hours it is only one cent per hour. Not bad at all. What is bad though is a $200 mp3 player that only lasts 1,000 hours. That cost 20 cents an hour to run.

As others have already posted, I prefer the Plus. I am in fact going to order a new one from the Sansa Store.

The clip thingy does break down after a year or so, but it’s still my favorte.