Should You Ditch Your Portable CD Player for an MP3 Player?

By Sarah Borroum

Any time new technology becomes the industry standard, people wonder if upgrading is worth the investment. When we've spent years - more than two decades, in the CD player's case - with something, we aren't sure if we want to ditch that familiar friend for something new.

Now, though, we're wondering if we should abandon our portable CD players for something newer and smaller: the MP3 player. There are plenty of good reasons to switch, but there are also disadvantages that make us pause to think about the investment. The fact that we buy albums in CD format, then rip them to our computers to make MP3s, only makes the decision harder. We still need CDs, so why should we get away from CD players?

Before you make a decision, ask yourself these questions. When you're finished, you'll know if this is the time to start shopping - or if you can wait a while and see what happens.

Do I mind burning mix CDs?
Blank CDs are cheap; making several mix CDs a month isn't a budget-breaker for most people. If you don't mind lugging a few burned CDs around, not to mention the "regular" copies of albums in your collection, you can think twice about upgrading to MP3 technology.

How many CDs do I carry with me?
If you're the sort of music lover who's always toting a dozen CDs around, you will probably enjoy an MP3 player. Today's massive hard drives can hold more songs than you probably have in your entire CD collection. Another advantage is that the MP3 player can be smaller than your hand; the portable CD player, however, must always be at least as large as a CD.

Am I comfortable using a computer for music?
If you've already ripped part or all of your CD collection to your computer's hard drive, you won't have any serious problems with an MP3 player. If the music's already on the computer, you just hook up the transfer cable and use the MP3 player's software to transfer the files. You won't have to burn CDs anymore, which will save you lots of time.

Even if you haven't ripped your CD collection, you can learn how to do this in just a few minutes. Media players are free and easy to use; the help files and easy-to-use interfaces make the process very simple.

How much am I willing to pay for an MP3 player?
Depending on factors such as brand name, hard drive space and extra features, you can pay anywhere from $80 to $400 for an MP3 player. Considering that you can get a high-quality CD player for $30, this is a serious price difference.

If you don't have that much extra money to spend, you shouldn't worry about upgrading. Prices will continue dropping even though MP3 players are getting bigger and better. You don't have to join the revolution right now - the way things look, MP3 players will be around for years to come.

Am I due for a cell-phone upgrade?
Some cell phone models come with integrated MP3 players. If you're going to upgrade your phone soon anyway, you might want to check out these models before you make a separate purchase. They don't hold tens of thousands of songs at this point, but you'll have one less device attached to your belt or taking up space in your backpack.

Ultimately, the decision is yours. We all have different ideas about what's best for us, so you'll have to think about your preferences before you make your choice. But if you've given the MP3-player debate some thought, you'll probably make a decision that pleases you for a long time.

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