MP3 User Survey - Results
In preparation for a podcast feature on MP3 players, we ran a poll to find out a little more about how our listeners use MP3 players and listen to content on the move. Here are the results
The Survey:
We put together a short online questionnaire asking a number of questions about portable music players. The survey is still online, if you'd like to take part.
Fill in the survey: MP3 Player User Survey
The Results:
We took a snapshot of the results so far in early March 2010. Here are our findings:
What make of MP3 player do you have?
Apple iPod: 41%
Apple iPhone: 25%
Nokia Mobile Phone: 18%
Other MP3 Player: 14% (Mostly Sansa)
Sony: 8.93%
Other Mobile Phone: 7.14%
Creative: 5.36%
Cowon: 3.57%
What do you listen to on your MP3 player?
Podcasts 93%
Music 84%
Radio 57%
Spoken Books 39%
What sort of headphones do you use with your MP3 player?
Headphones supplied by manufacturer: 42.86%
Set of expensive inner-ear buds 30.36%
Set of cheap inner-ear earbuds 17.86%
Over-the-head headphones 16.07%
Noise-cancelling headphones 12.50%
Wireless Bluetooth headphones 7.14%
Do you have a dedicated case for your MP3 player?
Yes 55%
No 45%
How do you listen to your MP3 player in the car?
Via a wireless FM transmitter: 27%
Via a cable connection to the car's system: 23%
On headphones: 4%
Through device's own built-in speakers: 2%
Do you ever connect your MP3 player to a speaker system or hi-fi?
Yes: 63%
No: 37%
How do you connect your MP3 player to your PC/Mac?
USB cable: 77%
Docking Station: 13%
Wirelessly: 5%
Your MP3 Player comments:
At the bottom of the survey form, we also asked for your comments on MP3 Players - and here's a small selection of replies:
Comment: The iPhone is not only the best app phone but also the best mp3 media player on the market. You could say the iPod touch is however the iPhone allows remote downloading of content such as music and podcasts using the 3g network. Its Bluetooth also enables sound to travel to other Bluetooth enabled devices. Overall its only let down is memory and price!
Comment: Interesting that the Zune isn't available in the UK, but the next generation of Windows Mobile phones (Windows Phone 7) will have a Zune-style interface. Does this mark a Microsoft resurgence into the MP3 player market..? Also, the Sansa Clip is brilliant, cos it's tiny and has an FM radio in it.
Comment: growing phone memory will make mp3 players obsolete. mifi from three is a good idea with iPod touch. mp3 players should have built in Transmitters which can transmit up to 20 yards. Darren
Comment: I bought a Sansa Clip to listen to podcasts because it lets me fast forward and reverse. As I never listen to music on it I needed the easy navigation. I use RSS feeds for new podcasts and resent the way the world revolves around iTunes.
Comment: My four year old first gen iPod shuffle is all I need. Small 512 MB is all I need delete all the mp3 from yesterday load up the new lot and go with six hours of podcasts recorded R4 progs from my pure DAB radio. I do not need a umpteen GB flash system. Oh boo to iTunes not a nice prog drag and drop from computer to player is fine. I do use mp3tag http://www.mp3tag.de/en/ to change tag names so as to get iTunes to play in my required order.
Comment: I use iPod because it handles podcasts better but I hate the lock-in attitude of Apple and would use anything else if I could
Comment: I use a Sony PSP as my media player, it does an excellent job of audio and video
Comment: The iPhone is a top quality music player along with everything else it can do. For hi-fi buffs a minimum bitrate of 320 kbps is necessary. 250 is just about acceptable. For those listening to Internet radio via apps some apps don't use the best quality of sound available e.g. Tunein radio. Presumably this is to ensure continuous connection in a poor 3G area but we should be given the option for better quality sound e.g. from radiobox or icarradio.
Comment: I'm a but a bit of an old rocker and listen to a lot rock down the Gym 3 or 4 times week. Being 55 my eyes have seen better days so I struggle to read my iPod Nano screen. How about recommending some MP3 players with humongous fonts for us oldies with dodgy peepers? I've asked Tekzilla and the Labratts the same question but nobody's every followed it up. Many of us 50+s have lot of spare loot and tech savvy, kids have left mortgage paid, spend lots of dosh with apple so probably a good target for some switch on manufacturer, how about the Fartpod, the Sagapod, or, the oldgitpod even? Cheers Phil Bridges, New Forest
Comment: I see reviews on just the players a lot but they seem to forget the experience of putting music on the device. This is where the iPod is so good because its just plug and play minimum mucking about maximum listening enjoyment. so please include device management in your review thanks for your excellent podcast
Comment: Delighted you called them what they are - MP3 players. The ongoing description of an iPod for an MP3 device annoys considerably - especially as Apple were very much the later arrivals to the party. (Same goes for thinking that smartphones and the iPhone are one and the same, but that's an argument for another day! - Raymond, Glasgow.
Comment: Since the invention of iPhone and other smart phones, there is no need for a dedicated MP3 player. I guess the future of iPod and the like is very limited. How many dusty 64, 128 and 256 Meg memory stick players do we have sat collecting dust with a leaky AAA battery still inside ?? Still on my N95 8GB, and with the likes of Spotify I have on it, WIFI and 3G is much more important to me anyway !!
Comment: I rarely connect to a PC, as I download most of the content that I listen to (predominantly Podcasts) directly onto the phone.
Comment: I use the Sony device as a portable hard drive. I bought it before I had had the opportunity to try an iPod. Apple devices seem to me to be the best available because their interface is so easy to use compared to others.
Comment: I have tried a few mp3 players. I am looking for good sound, good navigation (folders) and decent memory. I am still using my trusty Sony NWZA818 does all three and still in use every day. Hardly listen to FM at all nowadays.
Comment: OK so MP3 is the dominate format, but it is patent encumbered. I have a Sansa clip which is a great little player, and it also supports the ogg format. Perhaps you could cover the support of the ogg format. Regards Stuart Ward
More information:
- MP3 Information - A look at players, and MP3 format itself
- Get more from your MP3 Player - Our feature on add-ons and extras
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