iPod shuffle works seamlessly with iTunes’ AutoFill feature which automatically selects songs from a user’s music library to fill up iPod shuffle with just one click. iPod shuffle is the most affordable iPod ever and is available in two models: 512MB holding up to 120 songs for just $99 and 1GB holding up to 240 songs for just $149.
“iPod shuffle is smaller and lighter than a pack of gum and costs less than $100,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With most flash-memory music players users must use tiny displays and complicated controls to find their music; with iPod shuffle you just relax and it serves up new combinations of your music every time you listen.”
iPod shuffle is based on iPod’s pioneering and widely-used shuffle feature, which randomly selects songs from the user’s music library or playlists. In addition, iPod shuffle works seamlessly with iTunes and its innovative new patent-pending AutoFill feature, which automatically selects the perfect number of songs to fill iPod shuffle from a user’s complete music library on their computer. And at any time, with a flip of a switch on the back of iPod shuffle, users can choose to listen to their music in order rather than shuffled, perfect for listening to a favorite new album.
Users can conveniently charge and transfer music from their Mac or PC by plugging iPod shuffle directly into a USB port. iPod shuffle doubles as a portable USB flash drive with up to 1GB of storage space to back up personal files and exchange them between computers.
iPod shuffle is the newest member of Apple’s popular iPod family for both Mac and PC which includes the fourth generation iPod, the iPod mini, the iPod U2 Special Edition and iPod photo. More than 10 million iPods have been sold since it was introduced, and it is the number one selling digital music player in the world.
The popularity of iPod has also created a booming accessory market, and iPod shuffle is being introduced with several optional accessories. In addition to the included lanyard, there is an optional armband that makes iPod shuffle perfect for many athletic activities. An optional sport case keeps iPod shuffle safely protected from outdoor elements with its clear case and neck strap. An optional dock serves as an elegant and convenient home base for syncing and charging iPod shuffle, and an optional USB power adapter easily charges iPod shuffle when it’s away from the computer by simply plugging it into any electrical outlet. Users can extend the iPod shuffle battery life (up to 12 hours) with an optional battery pack that holds two AAA batteries and keeps the music playing for up to 20 additional hours.
Pricing & Availability
The 512MB and 1GB models of iPod shuffle for Mac or Windows are now shipping for a suggested retail price of $99 (US) and $149 (US) respectively, and include earbud headphones, lanyard and a CD with iTunes 4.7.1 for Mac and Windows computers. iPod shuffle is available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The iPod shuffle arm band, sport case, battery pack, dock and USB power adaptor optional accessories will become available over the next few weeks for a suggested retail price of $29 (US) each.
iPod shuffle requires a Mac with a USB port and Mac OS X version 10.2.8 or Mac OS X version 10.3.4 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB port, or a USB card and Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows XP Home or Professional Service Pack 4 or later.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Apple iPod shuffle - First iPod Under $100
Apple iPod shuffle Now Available In 5 Colors
Apple today announced that the iPod shuffle is now available in five colors: blue, pink, green, orange and the original silver.
“iPod shuffle is the world’s most wearable digital music player,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPod Product Marketing. “Music fans can now choose iPod shuffle in one of five brilliant colors, or they can buy one of each.”
iPod shuffle features up to 12 hours of battery life and lets users shuffle their songs to listen to them in a random order or simply flip a switch to listen to their songs in order, such as when listening to a new album.
Users connect iPod shuffle to their PC or Mac with the included dock, and iTunes’ innovative AutoFill feature automatically syncs the correct number of songs from their music library.
Pricing & Availability
The new iPod shuffle is available immediately worldwide through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for $79 (US). iPod shuffle includes an iPod shuffle dock and earbuds.
Apple Announces Sale of 100 Millionth iPod [Updated]
Apple announces 100 million iPods sold; via a 2-page spread in the Wall Street Journal |
Apple today announced via a press release that it has sold over 100 million iPods.
“At this historic milestone, we want to thank music lovers everywhere for making iPod such an incredible success,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPod has helped millions of people around the world rekindle their passion for music, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that.”
“It’s hard to remember what I did before the iPod,” said Mary J. Blige, GRAMMY Award-winning singer. “iPod is more than just a music player, it’s an extension of your personality and a great way to take your favorite music with you everywhere you go.”
“Without the iPod, the digital music age would have been defined by files and folders instead of songs and albums,” said John Mayer, GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist. “Though the medium of music has changed, the iPod experience has kept the spirit of what it means to be a music lover alive.”
[Update - 9 April 2007, 23.30 BST] - Apple appears to be very proud of its 100 million iPods sold figure and has taken out a full 2 page spread in the Wall Street Journal today. The Apple.com homepage has also been changed to reflect the news.
Apple iPod (2001)
Apple iPod (2001)
If the Walkman is the aging king of portable media players, Apple's iPod is prince regent. It rules the realm of digital music like no other device: According to the NPD Group, more than eight out of ten portable players sold at retail by mid-2005 were iPods. Yet when the $399 iPod first appeared in October 2001, it was nothing special. It featured a 5GB hard drive and a mechanical scroll wheel, but worked only with Macs. A second model released the following July offered a 20GB hard drive, a pressure-sensitive touch wheel, and a Windows-compatible version. But the third-generation player, which appeared in April 2003, proved the charm: A 40GB drive, built-in compatibility with Windows and Mac, support for USB connections, and a host of other small improvements made it wildly popular, despite its relatively high price and poor battery life. Now the fifth-generation iPod threatens to do the same thing for a new breed of portable video players. The iPod is dead; long live the iPod. Read more in Dennis Lloyd's Brief History of the iPod. PCW photo by Rick Rizner; iPod courtesy of Michael Kubecka.
Apple says UK guy invented the iPod
Ask anybody and they’ll tell you Apple invented the iPod. Not entirely correct according to Apple themselves, who has credited a UK man as author of some of the original patents that outlined how today’s PMPs work. Kane Kramer had no idea about iPods back then, but he sketched out a rudimentary media player in 1979. Sadly, financial difficulties in 1988 meant he couldn’t renew the patent and so it entered the public domain. Apple then used the concept as evidence in their legal case against Burst.com, who were accusing the company of patent infringement and looking for a slice of iProfits.
Kramer’s PMP was called the IXI, and stored only 3.5 minutes of audio and oddly enough it even looks just a bit like what eventually became the iPod. The inventor had to endure ten hours being questioned by Burst’s legal team, who had claimed that the intellectual property of four patents they held was being used by Apple without payment or agreement. Obviously now that Apple has fessed up, Kramer is looking at some kind of compensation. Apple did give Kramer a free iPod that apparently broke after several months. Sadly if not for the lawsuit Kramer may have lived in relative obscurity and we would never have known.
Apple's iPod Cracks 100 Million Barrier
Apple announced today that it has sold its 100 millionth iPod music player. The first iPod was launched in November 2001 and has gone on to become the "it device" when it comes to portable music players and commands over 75% of the digital audio player market. The iPod family has changed the way we view digital music and the signature white headphones can be seen everywhere from subways to gyms to college campuses.
"At this historic milestone, we want to thank music lovers everywhere for making iPod such an incredible success," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "iPod has helped millions of people around the world rekindle their passion for music, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that."
Apple notes that five and half years after the iPod introduction, over 4,000 accessories are custom tailored to the iPod and that more than 70% of 2007 model year automobiles available in the U.S. feature iPod connectivity. The company also signed up six airlines in November 2006 to provide in-flight iPod connectivity in individual seats.
Apple’s current family consists of the iPod, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle. Prices for these players start at $249, $149 and $79 USD respectively.
"At this historic milestone, we want to thank music lovers everywhere for making iPod such an incredible success," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "iPod has helped millions of people around the world rekindle their passion for music, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that."
Apple notes that five and half years after the iPod introduction, over 4,000 accessories are custom tailored to the iPod and that more than 70% of 2007 model year automobiles available in the U.S. feature iPod connectivity. The company also signed up six airlines in November 2006 to provide in-flight iPod connectivity in individual seats.
Apple’s current family consists of the iPod, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle. Prices for these players start at $249, $149 and $79 USD respectively.
An Apple milestone: 100 million iPods sold
Apple Inc.’s announcement Monday that it has sold 100 million of its iPod music players marks more than just a business milestone for the once-struggling computer company.
The remarkable sales figure also is evidence that Apple has, in just a few short years, played a major role in transforming a fringe technology into a mainstream phenomenon — spawning massive ripple effects in both the music and technology industries.
What’s more, analysts say, Apple’s more recent forays into selling movies and TV shows — and, soon, its own cell phone — could be poised to transform those industries as well.
“It’s pretty clear to me, as to most people who have watched it, that the record label business is just the canary in the coal mine,” said Phil Leigh, an analyst with Inside Digital Media who has followed the digital music business for years. “The Hollywood studios and the TV production companies — they need to pay attention because their businesses are going to change just as rapidly, and they need to adapt.”
Apple said Monday that it had sold 100 million iPods since the gadget was introduced in November 2001. The company also noted that it had sold more than 2.5 billion songs, 50 million TV shows and more than 1.3 million movies through its iTunes music and media store.
If there was any doubt, the numbers offer definitive proof that the iPod has crossed from being a gadget for music lovers and technology geeks to being a mainstream hit with everyone from kids riding the bus to grandparents out for an afternoon walk.
Of course, there were other companies before Apple that offered the ability to listen to music over the Internet, and to play back songs on small digital gadgets. But while most of those systems required a fair amount of technical prowess, experts credit Apple with making the technology easy enough to appeal to a mass audience.
“Apple took a totally different approach than most of the other companies,” said Roger Kay with Endpoint Technologies Associates.
While other companies saw digital music players as primarily for gadget geeks, Kay said Apple decided to “human engineer this so that people will like the experience. That was very, very key (to) setting the pace for everyone else in the industry.”
The understated device, with its clean look and easy click wheel, was mirrored by an iTunes music service that offered a simple way to buy songs at a relatively low price.
By contrast, companies such as RealNetworks Inc. offered a variety of services, including subscriptions that essentially let people rent songs. Other portable digital devices often required complex steps to program and use, and it was sometimes extremely difficult to transfer songs from computers to the devices.
Apple also had an advantage in that its music service and device were made to work together, whereas other music services and devices were built by different companies that tried to mesh them. The result could be frustrating and rife with glitches.
It didn’t take long for music lovers to see the convenience of not just listening to songs over a digital player, but also buying them via an online service. Experts credit Apple with helping to legitimize online music downloads, which was rife with piracy.
Now, thanks in large part to iPod’s popularity, many think it will just be a matter of time before the tried-and-true method of going to a store and buying a CD becomes a thing of the past.
The remarkable sales figure also is evidence that Apple has, in just a few short years, played a major role in transforming a fringe technology into a mainstream phenomenon — spawning massive ripple effects in both the music and technology industries.
What’s more, analysts say, Apple’s more recent forays into selling movies and TV shows — and, soon, its own cell phone — could be poised to transform those industries as well.
“It’s pretty clear to me, as to most people who have watched it, that the record label business is just the canary in the coal mine,” said Phil Leigh, an analyst with Inside Digital Media who has followed the digital music business for years. “The Hollywood studios and the TV production companies — they need to pay attention because their businesses are going to change just as rapidly, and they need to adapt.”
Apple said Monday that it had sold 100 million iPods since the gadget was introduced in November 2001. The company also noted that it had sold more than 2.5 billion songs, 50 million TV shows and more than 1.3 million movies through its iTunes music and media store.
If there was any doubt, the numbers offer definitive proof that the iPod has crossed from being a gadget for music lovers and technology geeks to being a mainstream hit with everyone from kids riding the bus to grandparents out for an afternoon walk.
Of course, there were other companies before Apple that offered the ability to listen to music over the Internet, and to play back songs on small digital gadgets. But while most of those systems required a fair amount of technical prowess, experts credit Apple with making the technology easy enough to appeal to a mass audience.
“Apple took a totally different approach than most of the other companies,” said Roger Kay with Endpoint Technologies Associates.
While other companies saw digital music players as primarily for gadget geeks, Kay said Apple decided to “human engineer this so that people will like the experience. That was very, very key (to) setting the pace for everyone else in the industry.”
The understated device, with its clean look and easy click wheel, was mirrored by an iTunes music service that offered a simple way to buy songs at a relatively low price.
By contrast, companies such as RealNetworks Inc. offered a variety of services, including subscriptions that essentially let people rent songs. Other portable digital devices often required complex steps to program and use, and it was sometimes extremely difficult to transfer songs from computers to the devices.
Apple also had an advantage in that its music service and device were made to work together, whereas other music services and devices were built by different companies that tried to mesh them. The result could be frustrating and rife with glitches.
It didn’t take long for music lovers to see the convenience of not just listening to songs over a digital player, but also buying them via an online service. Experts credit Apple with helping to legitimize online music downloads, which was rife with piracy.
Now, thanks in large part to iPod’s popularity, many think it will just be a matter of time before the tried-and-true method of going to a store and buying a CD becomes a thing of the past.
Can iPods Interfere with Pacemakers?
At the 28th annual Heart Rhythm Society’s meeting on May 10th, most of the attention was focused on a 17-year-old high school student who presented a study of the effects of iPods on pacemakers.
Originally intrigued by reports about cell phones’ effects on pacemakers, the student wondered if iPods would have interfering effects as well.
Michigan high school student Jay Thaker worked with a professor of cardiovascular medicine and electrophysiologists, but the bulk of the research was done by the teen himself. Dr. Krit Jongnarangsin, assistant professor at the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan, told the press, "At first I was surprised when Jay contacted me with the idea. He seemed genuinely interested in doing the research and has a real curiosity about the subject. I felt comfortable with Jay doing the [study]."
The analysis performed by Thaker and his group showed some kind of iPod interference in more than 50% of single and dual chamber pacemaker patients studied. The group studied a group of 83 patients with a median age of 76.1. The experiment involved holding an iPod two inches from the chest area for a period of five to ten seconds.
They discovered three separate types of problems. Telemetry interference, in which the pacemaker can misread the rate of a patient’s heartbeat, occurred in 29% of the patients. Oversensing, or sensing heart problems where there are none, occurred in 20% of patients, and in one case iPod interference caused a pacemaker to stop working completely. Misreading can create problems for heart patients by causing them to be treated incorrectly. "If a physician was to go back and look at [the pacemaker’s history], the physician might think that the patient was having abnormal heart rhythms," said Thaker.
Even when the iPods were held as far away as 18 inches from the pacemakers, there were still registered disruptions to the telemetry equipment. Thayer admitted that while most 77-year-old heart patients are not the prime target market for iPods, the risks are still significant enough to merit warnings. Jongnarangsin agreed. "Most patients are not iPod users – [but] this needs to be studied more," he said to the press, adding that many older patients do have grandchildren who visit while wearing the trendy devices.
While the study was done on a small-scale level with a limited patient test group, Thayer is receiving national attention because no other studies documenting iPod effects on pacemakers have yet been published. Thayer, whose parents are an electrophysiologist and a rheumatologist, plans to attend medical school. His next project idea is to study the iPod’s effects on implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).
The teen is taking the attention he’s received for his study in stride. Michigan’s Okemos high school, where Thayer attends, is celebrating his accomplishments. Okemos principal John Lanzetta told reporters, "We’ve been so proud…when students engage in internships and research. One doesn’t normally expect medical breakthroughs from a 17-year-old high school student."
Originally intrigued by reports about cell phones’ effects on pacemakers, the student wondered if iPods would have interfering effects as well.
Michigan high school student Jay Thaker worked with a professor of cardiovascular medicine and electrophysiologists, but the bulk of the research was done by the teen himself. Dr. Krit Jongnarangsin, assistant professor at the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan, told the press, "At first I was surprised when Jay contacted me with the idea. He seemed genuinely interested in doing the research and has a real curiosity about the subject. I felt comfortable with Jay doing the [study]."
The analysis performed by Thaker and his group showed some kind of iPod interference in more than 50% of single and dual chamber pacemaker patients studied. The group studied a group of 83 patients with a median age of 76.1. The experiment involved holding an iPod two inches from the chest area for a period of five to ten seconds.
They discovered three separate types of problems. Telemetry interference, in which the pacemaker can misread the rate of a patient’s heartbeat, occurred in 29% of the patients. Oversensing, or sensing heart problems where there are none, occurred in 20% of patients, and in one case iPod interference caused a pacemaker to stop working completely. Misreading can create problems for heart patients by causing them to be treated incorrectly. "If a physician was to go back and look at [the pacemaker’s history], the physician might think that the patient was having abnormal heart rhythms," said Thaker.
Even when the iPods were held as far away as 18 inches from the pacemakers, there were still registered disruptions to the telemetry equipment. Thayer admitted that while most 77-year-old heart patients are not the prime target market for iPods, the risks are still significant enough to merit warnings. Jongnarangsin agreed. "Most patients are not iPod users – [but] this needs to be studied more," he said to the press, adding that many older patients do have grandchildren who visit while wearing the trendy devices.
While the study was done on a small-scale level with a limited patient test group, Thayer is receiving national attention because no other studies documenting iPod effects on pacemakers have yet been published. Thayer, whose parents are an electrophysiologist and a rheumatologist, plans to attend medical school. His next project idea is to study the iPod’s effects on implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).
The teen is taking the attention he’s received for his study in stride. Michigan’s Okemos high school, where Thayer attends, is celebrating his accomplishments. Okemos principal John Lanzetta told reporters, "We’ve been so proud…when students engage in internships and research. One doesn’t normally expect medical breakthroughs from a 17-year-old high school student."
Wearing iPods Can Make Lightning Strike Injuries Worse
Contrary to popular myth, using a cell phone or iPod headphones during an electrical storm will not attract lightning. But, say doctors who wrote a report in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine this week, the devices can create a channel for electricity that could make lightning-strike injuries much worse.
The letter includes information about the case of a Canadian man who was struck by lightning while jogging with his iPod in 2005. The lightning hit a nearby tree and then "snaked" to the jogger.
Dr. Eric Heffernan, lead author of the study quoted in the NEJM letter, told reporters, "Most people hit by lightning get away with minor burns," adding that skin is usually a bad conductor of electricity. But when a person is holding or wearing an electronic device like a cell phone or an iPod, that changes everything.
The jogger in the story suffered severe burns that traced the shape of the iPod headphone cords on his body, as well as on his hip where the iPod was attached. In addition, he experience major injuries to his jaw and ears, where he had the earbuds.
"In this case, the victim had earphones on and had been sweating from jogging so this was a case of disrupted flashover, and the earphones transmitted the electrical current into his head," said Heffernan to reporters. "It’s the first time we’ve had a recorded case of such an incident involving a person wearing headphones and we think the public should be warned."
Unofficial cases include an 18-year-old man who suffered a Y-shaped burn to his torso and ear damage when he was listening to an iPod while mowing the lawn during a storm, as well as several incidents of people who were struck by lightning while using cell phones.
Dr. Heffernan emphasized that caution should be exercised while using iPods and similar devices, but that wearing them does not increase one’s chances of being struck by lightning.
Emergency room physician Mary Ann Cooper agrees. "It’s going to hit where it’s going to hit, but once it contacts metal, the metal conducts the electricity," said Cooper to reporters.
"Using things like this, a mobile phone or an iPod, there isn’t actually an increased risk," said Heffernan. "But we just suggest that if you are unlucky enough to be hit by lightning while listening to anything with earphones, you many be more likely to do yourself some damage."
As for the injured jogger, he still has residual hearing loss two years after the accident. Dr. Heffernan told the Washington Post in a telephone interview, "He still jogs, and he bought a new iPod after the accident, but he leaves it at home now when he goes jogging."
Hacker's Sidestep Lets Ipod Play Tracks Not Bought From Itunes
Apple may be forced to look again at security for the iPod after a renowned hacker claimed to have found a way of bypassing the copy protection on its market-leading music player.
Jon Lech Johansen, a Norwegian hacker living in California, has managed to sidestep Apple's Fairplay management system and trick iPods into thinking they are playing tracks bought from the company's online iTunes store.
Mr Johansen's breakthrough could potentially unlock the popular music player - which has sold more than 68m units around the world since it was launched five years ago - and make it compatible with tracks sold by other online retailers. The iPod is only able to play music taken from CDs or bought directly from iTunes.
Mr Johansen says he is working with an unnamed client to create a business around licensing his system to web shops and download stores. Monique Farantzos, managing director of Mr Johansen's company Double Twist Ventures, which is based in California, said: "There's a certain amount of trouble that Apple can give us, but not enough to stop this. We believe we're on good legal ground, and our attorneys have given us the green light." Apple refused to comment.
In the late 1990s, 15-year old Mr Johansen gained notoriety for breaking the copy protection software used to encrypt DVDs, bringing down the ire of the technology industry on him and earning him the monicker of "DVD Jon". After a lengthy attempt by the film industry to prosecute him for computer hacking, he was acquitted in 2003.
But this is not the first time he has turned his talents to unlocking Apple's restrictive locking mechanism. In 2003, just months after Apple started selling encrypted music from iTunes, Mr Johansen came up with a basic attempt to break it. Subsequent attempts have improved the system, but the 22-year-old now says he has created a system which is entirely legal because it does not break any of the software built into the iPod.
In the past, others have come up with ways around Apple's system, which the computer company managed to nullify by making alterations to the Fairplay system.
Jon Lech Johansen, a Norwegian hacker living in California, has managed to sidestep Apple's Fairplay management system and trick iPods into thinking they are playing tracks bought from the company's online iTunes store.
Mr Johansen's breakthrough could potentially unlock the popular music player - which has sold more than 68m units around the world since it was launched five years ago - and make it compatible with tracks sold by other online retailers. The iPod is only able to play music taken from CDs or bought directly from iTunes.
Mr Johansen says he is working with an unnamed client to create a business around licensing his system to web shops and download stores. Monique Farantzos, managing director of Mr Johansen's company Double Twist Ventures, which is based in California, said: "There's a certain amount of trouble that Apple can give us, but not enough to stop this. We believe we're on good legal ground, and our attorneys have given us the green light." Apple refused to comment.
In the late 1990s, 15-year old Mr Johansen gained notoriety for breaking the copy protection software used to encrypt DVDs, bringing down the ire of the technology industry on him and earning him the monicker of "DVD Jon". After a lengthy attempt by the film industry to prosecute him for computer hacking, he was acquitted in 2003.
But this is not the first time he has turned his talents to unlocking Apple's restrictive locking mechanism. In 2003, just months after Apple started selling encrypted music from iTunes, Mr Johansen came up with a basic attempt to break it. Subsequent attempts have improved the system, but the 22-year-old now says he has created a system which is entirely legal because it does not break any of the software built into the iPod.
In the past, others have come up with ways around Apple's system, which the computer company managed to nullify by making alterations to the Fairplay system.
Apple's iPod Grows up Again
Apple announced this week that an entirely new line of iPods is being released by Christmas. It’s not a surprise as Apple tends to upgrade the iPod line annually, just in time for technophiles everywhere to throw out their old "last year’s" model and get the bigger, stronger, faster model. It’s an annual tradition in many households and has served to make Apple billions of dollars. This year is slightly different though, as this is also the year in which Apple released its much touted iPhone, essentially a half-baked telephone installed on an incredibly cool iPod for $499.
What this means though is that those individuals who have been seeking the next best technology but without the bloated service contracts and poor telephone service can now buy a new iPod Touch (as they’re cleverly calling it) for only $299. Additionally, you can purchase a larger 16GB model for a little more.
The classic models are stretching their wings a little as well and now come in sizes up to a whopping 160GB, more portable capacity than any "legally" buying music connoisseur could ever need. If enough space for 40,000 songs isn’t enough, throw a few hundred videos on there and you’ll be set for as long a trip as you could possibly take.
The point of all this is that it is officially September and since their first releases in 2001, the iPod’s announcement has meant the beginning of the fall gadget rush. In the coming weeks, dozens of new products, video games, and DVDs will be released just in time for the holiday shopping season, which starts as soon as the Halloween decorations come down. The point is that the holidays breed excitement for new products and those products sell and then 9 months later, a new product is announced.
Apple is the prime example of this ridiculous turnover, but not the only one. It works with nearly any major industry. Films are huge for only a short time, until everyone has seen them once or twice. The same can be said for the cult of celebrity or the passion of sports. A team can, in one year, be the undisputed best team in a major sport and win the world championship. A year or two later, it’s possible that absolutely no one remembers who won the championship that year (except for those who are devoted to that team or that sport).
The point is that there are certain instances in life in which the human attention span shrinks by ten fold – most often and best illustrated by the iPod. Returning to the handheld multimedia messiah that has singlehandedly changed how a generation walks down the street or sits on a bus, we’ll find some of the reason for that flittering attention span.
First off, the iPod has grown exponentially in the 6 years since it was first released. Those first iPod’s were downright ugly by today’s standards. They were big – the size of a small brick – and had tiny black and white screens and 4 GB hard drives. Two years later they were five times as large in capacity and half the size in design. They added pictures and color display one year, video support the next year, and gaming the next. They grew smaller – infinitesimal for the runners among us – and now sport touch screen displays with 15 hour battery life and wi-fi internet access.
The most telling thing of all though is that they have always had the same price. Somehow, with only 10 months to develop and reengineer their bread and butter, Apple is able to offer a much better product for the exact same price. It’s demand though. The iPhone had a profit margin after building costs of over 50% and the iPod is likely not much different. However, the coolness of owning the newest gadget, especially the slick, simple iPod is almost impossible to pass up. So, the cycle continues and the gadgets keep getting cooler.
People are enamored with the concept of having the best, of being the best, of bettering themselves. By holding back new features and making each year’s new model look infinitely cooler than the last year’s, Apple is able to create a mindset for its millions of customers that they do not have the best anymore. Every ten to twelve months, Apple unleashes a new concept or creation on its fanbase that forces them to jump up and upgrade themselves so that they can remain better than everyone else.
This is by no means a knock on Apple or their ingenious marketing campaigns. They’ve proven that they are one of the world leaders in creating consumer electronics, not by offering the best product, but by offering the most consumer friendly and "best" product. This mindset has permeated the current generation so thoroughly that now all Apple needs to do is create a new feature every year or so.
Eventually, they will run out of ideas. The 160 GB model shows us that there is minimal room for growth after this generation. Even for the most avid video fiends, 160 GB is more than enough space for anything an iPod owner could ever want to accomplish. The bar very well might be rising too high at this point. However, it will continue to rise and until then we can try and guess where all the old iPods are being sent.
What this means though is that those individuals who have been seeking the next best technology but without the bloated service contracts and poor telephone service can now buy a new iPod Touch (as they’re cleverly calling it) for only $299. Additionally, you can purchase a larger 16GB model for a little more.
The classic models are stretching their wings a little as well and now come in sizes up to a whopping 160GB, more portable capacity than any "legally" buying music connoisseur could ever need. If enough space for 40,000 songs isn’t enough, throw a few hundred videos on there and you’ll be set for as long a trip as you could possibly take.
The point of all this is that it is officially September and since their first releases in 2001, the iPod’s announcement has meant the beginning of the fall gadget rush. In the coming weeks, dozens of new products, video games, and DVDs will be released just in time for the holiday shopping season, which starts as soon as the Halloween decorations come down. The point is that the holidays breed excitement for new products and those products sell and then 9 months later, a new product is announced.
Apple is the prime example of this ridiculous turnover, but not the only one. It works with nearly any major industry. Films are huge for only a short time, until everyone has seen them once or twice. The same can be said for the cult of celebrity or the passion of sports. A team can, in one year, be the undisputed best team in a major sport and win the world championship. A year or two later, it’s possible that absolutely no one remembers who won the championship that year (except for those who are devoted to that team or that sport).
The point is that there are certain instances in life in which the human attention span shrinks by ten fold – most often and best illustrated by the iPod. Returning to the handheld multimedia messiah that has singlehandedly changed how a generation walks down the street or sits on a bus, we’ll find some of the reason for that flittering attention span.
First off, the iPod has grown exponentially in the 6 years since it was first released. Those first iPod’s were downright ugly by today’s standards. They were big – the size of a small brick – and had tiny black and white screens and 4 GB hard drives. Two years later they were five times as large in capacity and half the size in design. They added pictures and color display one year, video support the next year, and gaming the next. They grew smaller – infinitesimal for the runners among us – and now sport touch screen displays with 15 hour battery life and wi-fi internet access.
The most telling thing of all though is that they have always had the same price. Somehow, with only 10 months to develop and reengineer their bread and butter, Apple is able to offer a much better product for the exact same price. It’s demand though. The iPhone had a profit margin after building costs of over 50% and the iPod is likely not much different. However, the coolness of owning the newest gadget, especially the slick, simple iPod is almost impossible to pass up. So, the cycle continues and the gadgets keep getting cooler.
People are enamored with the concept of having the best, of being the best, of bettering themselves. By holding back new features and making each year’s new model look infinitely cooler than the last year’s, Apple is able to create a mindset for its millions of customers that they do not have the best anymore. Every ten to twelve months, Apple unleashes a new concept or creation on its fanbase that forces them to jump up and upgrade themselves so that they can remain better than everyone else.
This is by no means a knock on Apple or their ingenious marketing campaigns. They’ve proven that they are one of the world leaders in creating consumer electronics, not by offering the best product, but by offering the most consumer friendly and "best" product. This mindset has permeated the current generation so thoroughly that now all Apple needs to do is create a new feature every year or so.
Eventually, they will run out of ideas. The 160 GB model shows us that there is minimal room for growth after this generation. Even for the most avid video fiends, 160 GB is more than enough space for anything an iPod owner could ever want to accomplish. The bar very well might be rising too high at this point. However, it will continue to rise and until then we can try and guess where all the old iPods are being sent.
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