ResearchSix Innovations of the iPod
Apple computer corporation was once the industry leader in the desktop computer with it's MacIntosh system, before being out-shadowed by later competition in that market. But they pulled the iPod out of their hat, and so far this system is without peer. After all the sound and fury of the computer revolution, it turns out the iPod will have it's share of innovations it helped spark. Herein, a list of some of the ways the iPod has changed the face of technology.
Podcasting: Podcasts have emerged as a whole new media form. These can range from commercial studio productions to homemade shows recorded by bloggers with their webcams and microphones. Just as regular listeners tuned in for radio dramas of the forties and fifties and as modern listeners follow radio talk shows today, iPod users now commonly have weekly podcasts which they listen to. If you've never subscribed to a podcast, you're missing out; it can be anything from news to entertainment, but always as current as this hour's headlines, with the side benefit of the excitement from being part of a new media format as it emerges.
Storage volume: Executives are now predicting that an iPod will hold all the world's TV in 12 years. At the FT World Communications Conference, it was demonstrated that in the coming years the plummeting price of storage and its increasing volume-to-size ratio will give iPods almost unlimited potential to hold music and video. By 2012, iPods could launch at similar prices to those on sale now and yet be capable of holding even a whole year's worth of video releases. Around ten years down the line that could be expanded, creating iPods that can hold all the music ever sold commercially. The iPod wave has helped fuel increasing interest in dense micro-storage technology.
User interface design: The iPod has become a legendary role model for aspiring interface designers. In our modern world of gizmos that are so complicated that you are lost without the manual, the iPod is sleek, compact, and inviting to operate. The wheel control has won acclaim for being an excellent way to present a whole range of user interface options without being overwhelming.
Mapping: The iPod's video display, plus easy uploading from a computer and today's bandwidth speeds, have all come together to produce an innovation that nobody would have thought of five years ago: the portable electronic map. Commuters on public transit now routinely store subway, train, and bus route schedules and maps on their iPod.
Video viewing: Recent innovations have sprung up to convert video, dvd, Tivo, DivX, computer video formats such as .mpg and .avi, and RealMedia to the iPod video format. Amongst other things, Google's YouTube Internet video-sharing site allows easy upload between the site and the iPod, allowing yet another avenue for video sharing.
Complete software systems: One could hardly mention iPod innovations without including the unique ability to load your own custom operating system onto the iPod. Hardly a year had passed after Apple launched the iPod before videos began circulating which instructed users on how to load a custom operating system such as Linux onto their iPods. Since Apple bases much of it's software architecture on BSD Unix for all of it's devices already, embedding Linux on it is a natural step.