The iPod Dominance
Launched in 2001 the iPod has become an icon in the field of digital audio and video entertainment. It has dominated the MP3 player market since it was introduced capturing as much as three-quarters share. As of September 2009, Apple has sold 220 million units in its different incarnations.
What makes the iPod tick?
First, most owners will tell you they sound great. Some audiophiles may claim that there are other brands that sound better than any of the iPod models, but the point is 75 persons out of 100 who buy MP3 players believe the iPod is best. In the harsh realities of competition for market share what people believe to be the truth may be more important than the truth.
iTunes plays a great role in the dominance of iPod. It is an easy-to-use music management software that organizes and plays music and video files. With the application you can purchase music and video files from iTunes music store, download podcasts, and encode music into different audio formats among a host of other functions.
The iPod now comes in four different models –Classic, Shuffle, Nano, and Touch. Each of these evolved from earlier generations incorporating their best features.
The iPod Classic was introduced in 2001, and has gone through six generations, the last being introduced in 2007. Although there are no major revisions of the casing, its capacity has increased from the 5 and 10 GB of the first generation to the 160 GB of the sixth.
In 2004 Apple introduced the first generation Mini, which was followed by the second generation a year later. The Mini is smaller than the Classic and it comes in five different colors.
The first generation Shuffle followed in January 2005. There are now four generations of this entry-level iPod. It uses flash memory and does not have a screen for videos. While the first generation had a capacity of 512 MB, the current generation, released only in September 2010, has 2 GB.
Following the Shuffle in September of the same year, Apple introduced the Nano. This model replaced the Mini and it has since gone through six incarnations. The latest was released simultaneously with the fourth generation Shuffle. It is the first Nano that includes a multi-touch screen.
The latest model is the iPod Touch, first released in September 2008. The first of this model incorporates a Wi-Fi and Multi-Touch interface. It has a Safari browser and can connect to the iTunes store and YouTube wirelessly. The fourth generation was introduced along with the latest Shuffle and Nano. It has two cameras and is capable of HD video recording.
With these four models and their variations to choose from, there is an iPod that suits your preferences and budget.