Entertainment and Information

        Ipod Mania

IPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched on October 23, 2001. The line-up currently consists of the original style hard drive-based flagship iPod classic, the iPod touch, the mid-level video-capable iPod nano, and the low-end screenless iPod shuffle. Former products include the compact iPod mini (replaced by the iPod nano) and the high-end spin-off iPod photo (re-integrated into the main iPod classic line). iPod classic models store media on an internal hard drive, while all other models, aside from the Microdrive-based mini, use flash memory to enable their smaller size. As with many other digital music players, iPods can also serve as external data storage devices.

The name iPod was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who (with others) was called by Apple to figure out how to introduce the new player to the public. After Chieco saw a prototype, he thought of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and the phrase “Open the pod bay door, Hal!”, which refers to the white EVA Pods of the Discovery One spaceship.^[1] Apple researched the trademark and found that it was already in use. Joseph N. Grasso of New Jersey had originally listed an “iPod” trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in July 2000 for Internet kiosks. Apple’s iTunes new software is used to transfer music to the devices. As a jukebox application, iTunes stores a music library on the user’s computer and can play, burn, and rip music from a CD. It also transfers photos, videos, games, and calendars to those iPod models that support them. Apple focused its development on the iPod’s unique user interface and its ease of use, rather than on technical capability. As of October 2007, the iPod had sold over 119 million units worldwide (stated in “The Beat Goes On” conference) making it the best-selling digital audio player series in history.

The iPod Classic has a metal face, not a plastic one. The shiny, curved chrome-like backplate is still there, but now it’s attached to an anodised aluminium sheet that curves gently forward before forming a flat space in which the display and clickwheel are mounted. The second-generation Apple iPod Nano sports a seamless construction and a scratch-resistant aluminum body in a variety of colors. The unit retains its slender shape yet should be more durable sans the seams. The Apple iPod Nano supports photos, album art and offers strong sound quality. Apple’s range-leading and video-capable iPod - the succinctly named, er, iPod - has been replaced by a model said to have a 2.5in screen that’s 60 per cent brighter, yet offers longer battery life. Versions in two hard-disk capacities (30GB/80GB) are available now and each can be ordered in white or black. The 30GB model (�189/$240) is reckoned to run for up to 14 hours playing music and 3.5 hours playing video. Apple announces the availability of its 1 GB digital music player, iPod shuffle, in five new colors: blue, pink, green, orange and the original silver. The half a cubic-inch iPod shuffle holds up to 240 songs and is now available in all five colors for USD 79.