Ipod

IPods are portable media players built by Apple Inc. They are so main stream that iPod is synonymous with any digital audio player, much like the “band aid”. The first iPods were able to load and store over 1,000 songs, but worked only with Apple’s Mac computers. The idea was that you could transfer tons of music from CD’s to this ultra compact device. The first iPods were sold in 2001.

In 2002 they increased the storage capacity to 10GB, which will hold over 2,000 songs. By the year 2003 iPods start to get even smaller and thinner. You can get an iPod that will as many as 7,500 songs, and now you can use your iPod with a Mac or a PC. Also the iTunes Music Store opens up and sell over 200,000 songs for 99 cents each. In as little as one week over 1 million songs were sold. By the end of the year they will have sold well over 15 million songs.

 By May of 2004, over 3 million iPods have been sold. In July of 2004 iTunes Music Store has sold over 100 million songs. Without question iPod has taken over the industry, capturing over 80% of all digital music players, and over 90% of all hard drive players. Now accessories like docking set ups for connection to entertainment systems for various applications. There are iPods designed to work as photo storage devices as well.

In 2005 the iPod takes the next step in its evolution, the iPod goes video. You can now download video from the internet onto the iPod using Portal Player software. In 2006 the iPod nano gets a facelift, going with multiple color choices. In 2007 the iPod world merges into the cell phone industry with the iPhone. It has all the functionality of the video iPod plus a soft keyboard and the ability to rotate screen content by the phone’s orientation. It also has AT%T’s wireless edge technology.

In September of 2007 the iPod goes though a complete overhaul. The iPod Touch is the result of this overhaul. It is blessed with twice the storage capacity of the iPhone. The touch screen operations of the newer iPods have taken the iPod line to the next level. The iPod nana improves with a higher resolution screen, and the ability to play games and watch movies.

The next changes to the iPod line come in early 2008, when the iPhone and the iPod touch increase there capacity to 16GB and 32GB respectively. As fast as new concepts can be created, they seem to pop up on an iPod product. As wenear the end of 2008 the iPod line gets yet another facelift. The iPod touch gets a built in speaker, and the touch and nano versions get the shake and shuffle technology where you can shake the iPod to get a new track to pop up.

The iPod has stay on top of the market because of a very innovative and proactive research and development approach. I’m sure something new is just around the corner.