The Ipod - What is it?

Apple is easily the most well known name in MP3 players or personal music players. The iPod has taken the music world by storm and each time a new one is released it seems to break all previous barriers. Initially, they were slightly larger than their counterparts but they were hard drive based and so held thousands and thousands of songs but with the introduction of the iPod Nano this soon became a thing of the past. The iPod Nano uses Flash based memory and so it is infinitely smaller. In fact, it is as thin as a pencil.

The iPod is popular for a reason though. As well as being durable and very advanced it features access to iTunes. ITunes is the Internet's largest music store and allows iPod users to download tracks to their computer or to their MP3 player. ITunes has also become huge in terms of popularity.

The 2GB Nano allows the storage of up to around 500 songs, the 4GB Nano 1,000 songs. They are both available in either black or white and despite their miniature size they are hardy and resistant to general wear and tear. With predictions that the next iPod to be released will be the video iPod, Apple once again look certain to take the portable media device to yet another level.

Is the iPod changing the way we listen to music' Undeniably. With an iPod, we can take our music anywhere, and not just one album like we could with the walkman. Now we can carry our entire collections everywhere we go. It can play mixes at parties. You can bring it on the commute to work or for a jog. You can save Microsoft Word documents on it and photos for that matter. Don't like a particular song on an album' Delete it. Thanks to the iPod, music has become an even bigger part of our lives because now it's just a click away, and it's exactly how we want it.

Apart from the possibility of our entire collections being with us at all times, the iPod's capabilities have done something even better. By being able to store over 700 albums, the iPod is encouraging us to try types of music we might not have listened to before. When burning a CD to an iPod takes a short few minutes, what's there to lose'

But is it all just a trend' Doubtful, especially with people spending on average 100 pounds on iPod accessories. It's difficult to picture something people now say they can't live without vanishing, unless Apple CEO Steve Jobs finds another way to outdo himself yet again. And on that note now Apple has come out with the smaller, cheaper version of the iPod called the iPod shuffle. Will it have the same impact as its predecessor' Only time will tell.

Buying an iPod now also requires buying into an iPod. Those who own them love them, but there are some that are skeptical due to its price being quite high compared to other MP3 players and the fact that they feel they are paying for the Apple brand. However, the iPod is an excellent personal audio player and you will have to go a long way to find one that is as good and offers a service similar to iTunes.