IPod

File:IPod 4G.jpg

A grayscale fourth-generation iPod with earphones. iPod has a multilingual interface, seen here using Dutch.

iPod is a class of portable digital audio players designed and marketed by Apple Computer. (Hewlett-Packard also markets the product under the name Apple iPod + HP.) Devices in the iPod family offer a simple user interface designed around a central scroll wheel. Most iPod models store media on a built-in hard drive, while the smaller iPod shuffle uses flash memory. Like most digital audio players, an iPod can serve as an external data storage device when connected to a computer.

Name

Apple Computer refers to the player and technology as iPod, without use of the definite article the. Apple's web site reflects this usage (for example, "iPod incorporates the same touch-sensitive Apple Click Wheel that debuted on iPod mini"), which resembles Apple's use of the word iMac. The company has other products with a lowercase "i" in front of the name. These include: iSight, iChat, iTunes, and iBook. Recently, some media have started referring to the generation primarily born in the late 1980s, and which in particular has made the iPod popular, as the iGeneration, suggesting that the "i" family of products may have a far-reaching cultural impact.

History

Tony Fadell first conceived of iPod outside Apple; he had difficulty finding funding for an mp3 player he had designed. When he demonstrated it to Apple, the company hired him as an independent contractor to bring his project to the market, putting him in charge of assembling the team that developed the first two generations of the device. Apple's Industrial Design Group, working under the direction of Jonathan Ive designed the subsequent incarnations.

Apple Computer originally released iPod as a Mac-compatible product, but the company later added Windows compatibility. As of October 2004, iPod dominated digital music player sales in the United States, with over 92% of the market for hard-drive players and over 65% of the market for all types of players. iPod has sold at a tremendous rate, moving over ten million units in a total of three years. Research suggests that iPod has served as a sort of "gateway drug" or had a "halo effect", encouraging users of non-Apple gear to switch to other Apple products, such as to Macintosh computers.

Capabilities

Software

iPod can play MP3, WAV, AAC/M4A, Protected AAC, AIFF, Audible audiobook, and Apple Lossless file formats. The Windows version of iTunes can transcode WMA files without copy protection to AAC, MP3, or WAV format for later transfer to an iPod.

Some reviewers have lamented iPod's inability to play some other formats; most often mentioning the Ogg Vorbis and FLAC formats. Many people are also upset that the device cannot give grumpkins.

Apple designed iPod to work with the iTunes media library software, which lets users manage the music libraries on their computers and on their iPods. iTunes can automatically synchronize a user's iPod with specific playlists or with the entire contents of a music library each time an iPod connects to a host computer. Users may also set a rating (out of 5 stars) on any song, and can sync that information to an iTunes music library.

In addition to playing music and storing files, the iPod has PDA functions: the unit can synchronize a user's contacts and schedule with the address book and iCal applications on the user's Mac. It can also display notes, and hence host simple games and store restaurant information. However, iPod has limitations as a PDA, since users cannot edit this information on the iPod but only on a computer.

iPods (with the exception of the iPod Shuffle) also feature games . 1G and 2G iPods feature "Brick", a clone of the Breakout arcade game from Atari. 3G and 4G include Brick, along with three other games:

• Parachute: a game in which the user controls a turret and attempts to shoot down paratroopers and the helicopters which release them. Parachute emulates the Apple II game "Sabotage" by Mark Allen.
• Solitaire: a simple card game resembling the Klondike solitaire card game.
• Music Quiz: an interactive music quiz featuring the user's own songs. The game plays a portion of a random song and prompts the user to identify it from a list of 5 (or of 4 on the iPod Mini). A song drops off the list every few seconds. The faster the users choose the right song, the more points they get. Music Quiz became available through a free firmware update for 3G iPods released in October 2003 and later came standard with the iPod mini and 4G iPods.

iPod Linux/Podzilla

Main article: iPod Linux

The logo of the iPod Linux Project

In 2005, the iPod Linux project started in order to expand the amount of software available (particularly games) and to add support for other media formats such as Ogg Vorbis, and FLAC. The project has written an alternative GUI interface for the iPod called Podzilla. Podzilla comes with many applications built in. These applications include an sh-style text-editor called Sash, a calculator, a paint program, and several games (including a tetris clone).

Once they have installed iPod Linux, users can specify which interface they want to boot into; the default iPod UI or the user-installed Podzilla. They can access the boot loader by holding down the rewind button during boot. As of July 2005, iPod Linux runs with full functionality on 1G through 3G iPods. Experimental development of support for fourth-generation iPods continues; users may experience bugs, especially when using the latest iPod firmware.

To download iPod Linux and updates to it, visit http://www.ipodlinux.org

Hardware

Except for the iPod shuffle, all models of iPod offer FireWire connectivity, although Apple has recently stopped including FireWire cables with iPod mini and iPod photo models in favor of Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0), probably as a cost cutting measure (most Windows based PCs do not offer Firewire). iPods recharge their internal batteries using FireWire (all generations) or USB power (only 4G and higher) while connected to a computer or to an iPod AC power adapter. Both USB and FireWire-based power-adapters exist. Full sized iPods use a proprietary 30-pin dock connector to connect the iPod to a computer’s FireWire or USB port with a proprietary cable. The iPod Shuffle has a USB connector that plugs into a standard USB port for recharging and for data transfer.

The first three generations of iPod use two ARM 7TDMI-derived CPUs running at 90 MHz, while later models have variable speed chips with a peak of 80 MHz to save battery life. iPods use 1.8 in (46 mm) ATA hard drives (with a non-standard connector) made by Toshiba. The iPod mini uses one-inch Compact Flash hard drives made by Hitachi. iPod has a 32 MiB flash ROM chip which contains a bootloader, a program that tells the device to load the operating system from another medium (in this case, the hard drive). All iPods have 32 MiB of RAM, a portion of which holds the iPod OS loaded from the firmware and the vast majority of which serves to cache songs loaded off of the hard drive. For example, an iPod could spin the hard disc up once and copy about 30 MiB of upcoming songs on a playlist into RAM, thus saving power by not having the drive spin up for each song.

Unlike CD players or other competitors (such as the Rio Karma and the iAudio M3), the iPod cannot play songs without a short gap between songs. The iPod does not play most music gaplessly; however, when encoding CDs in iTunes, users have the option to merge individual tracks into a single track with track markers. This alleviates the problem somewhat (for newly encoded music), but does not provide a solution for music encoded outside of iTunes.

Earphones

All iPods come with earbud headphones with distinctive white cords, a color chosen to match the design of the original iPod. The white cords have become symbolic of the iPod brand, and advertisements for the devices feature them prominently.

Like most headphones that come bundled with other hardware, the stock white earbuds class as fairly low-quality, and some users choose to replace them. Users rate the sub-standard bass response as the most apparent negative characteristic found in the standard headphones. The signature earphones have such good recognition characteristics that they can become a liability — after crime in the NYC subway system rose immensely due entirely to iPod theft, the New York Police Department issued a warning advising iPod owners to replace the earphones, so as to not make themselves a target. However, most people do not take this advice.

Some third-party manufacturers sell white earphones (for example: White Sony EX71, Etymotic Research ER-6i) marketed as replacements for the iPod's earphones, though they also work with other devices. The Zen Touch and Zen Micro digital music players and the PlayStation Portable incorporated white earbuds in their product-releases after the iPod became successful, although Zen Micro may have been designed their models in keeping with their own overall colors.

Compatibility

The original iPod interacted only with Macintosh computers running Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X, but on July 17 2002 Apple began selling a Windows-compatible iPod, with its internal hard drive formatted in FAT32 instead the original HFS Plus. [1] Apple released a Windows version of iTunes on October 16, 2003 [2]; previously, Windows users needed third-party software such as Musicmatch Jukebox (included with Windows iPods before the release of the Windows version of iTunes), ephPod, or XPlay to manage the music on their iPods.

An iPod with its hard drive formatted as HFS+ operates only with a Macintosh, because Windows does not recognize HFS+, but since the Macintosh can handle FAT32, an iPod formatted as FAT32 can operate with a Macintosh as well as with a PC. HFS+ leaves slightly more space available to store data, and it allows the iPod serve as a boot disk for a Macintosh computer.

On January 8, 2004, Hewlett-Packard announced that they would license the iPod from Apple to create an HP-branded digital audio player based on the iPod. The following day, Carly Fiorina (chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard) unveiled a blue iPod-based device at CES 2004. While a blue iPod never made it into production, the current HP model, completely identical to the Apple iPod, sells as the " Apple iPod + hp". Retailers of this model include (among others) the retail giant Wal-Mart, which includes a disclaimer explaining that it will not work with its own online music service.

The iPodLinux project has successfully ported an ARM version of Linux to run on iPods. It currently supports first through third generation iPods, and features simple installers for Mac OS X and Windows. A SourceForge project exists for the project [3], and copious documentation appears online. [4]

The iPod uses standard USB and FireWire mass-storage connectivity, and therefore any system with mass-storage support can mount it and use it as an external hard drive. The iPod will also charge from any powered USB port, regardless of software support. A special database file serves to list the songs available to play, however, so users require a program such as iTunes to upload songs. As of 2005 only gtkpod offers such functionality for Linux and other UNIX variants. Apple has not yet released a Linux version of the software used to flash the firmware of the iPod.

Design

Jeff Robbin headed the iPod firmware team at Apple. His team integrated the core firmware from PortalPlayer with the user interface library developed by Pixo. (The founder of Pixo had worked on the Apple Newton, a personal digital assistant formerly produced by Apple.) The Pixo libraries provide the user interface, though iPod photo has incorporated some visual elements from Mac OS X, such as the animated Aqua style progress bar. Until the release of iPod mini, the user interface of all iPods used "Chicago", the font used on the original Macintosh computer from 1984. iPod mini uses the "Espy Sans" font (previously seen in eWorld, the Newton, and Copland), while the color fourth generation iPod (previously known as iPod photo) uses Myriad Pro, Apple's corporate typeface.

This photograph shows the internal view of a third-generation iPod:

iPod internals

From left to right:

• An intact third-generation iPod.
• The front of the iPod casing (face-down). The lighter green circuit board controls the iPod (and leaves room for the battery to fit beside it), and the darker green board beneath it controls the touch-scroll wheel and the buttons. Note three connectors: the battery connects in the lower-right corner; the hard drive connector lies to the left of the black area in the lower left; and the headphone jack, wired remote control jack, and Hold switch (all located on the top of the iPod) connect as a single plug in the top right.
• The lithium ion battery.
• The hard drive, surrounded by a layer of soft rubber which also extends beneath it to insulate it from the circuit board. The layer of rubber also helps to protect a spinning hard drive from shock damage while the owner of the iPod moves about.
• The rear of the iPod. Wires connect the ports and switch on the top of the case to a small plug. A hole on the bottom of the case allows access to the FireWire port on the circuit board.

The unit's case snaps together, with no screws or glue involved (though the 4G has some glue holding the battery in place). The plastic front of the case has clips which lock under a ridge inside the rim of the metal case back. A servicer can pry the iPod open by carefully inserting a small screwdriver to pull the metal away from the clips.

iPod contains a small internal speaker which generates the scroll-wheel clicks and alarm clock beep sound, but this internal speaker cannot play music.

Use

iPods (other than iPod shuffle) have five buttons:

1. 'Play/Pause'
2. 'Menu' (which backs up one level in the menus)
3. 'Previous' (which skips back through tracks in play)
4. 'Next' (which skips forward through tracks in play)
5. 'Select' (the button in the center of the scroll wheel; this selects a menu or a song to play).

(Note that fourth-generation iPods — and the Mini and Photo models — incorporate these buttons into the "click wheel" scroll wheel.)

A 'Hold' switch also exists on the top of the unit. Setting this switch to display orange will make the buttons and scroll wheel unresponsive, so that users do not activate them accidentally.

Holding down the 'Menu' button for two seconds will turn off the display's backlight. Holding down the 'Play/Pause' button for two seconds will turn the unit off.

If the iPod becomes unresponsive, the user can force it to reset. On a 3G or earlier iPod, slide the switch on the top of the unit to 'Hold' then back the other way, then hold down the 'Menu 'and 'Play/Pause' buttons for six to ten seconds until the Apple logo appears. On a 4G (click-wheel) iPod, toggle the 'Hold' switch as above, then hold down the 'Menu' and 'Select' buttons.

Users can place iPod into FireWire Disk Mode, in which it behaves like a FireWire hard drive without any of the additional iPod functionality. On a 3G or earlier iPod, reset it then hold the 'Previous' and 'Next' buttons until the display reads "Disk Mode". On a click-wheel iPod, hold 'Select' and 'Play/Pause'. Reset the unit again to return it to normal functionality.

iPod's firmware contains a diagnostic menu. On a 3G or earlier iPod, reset it then hold 'Previous', 'Next', and 'Select'; on a click-wheel iPod, hold 'Previous' and 'Select'. Release the buttons after a few seconds, and the unit will chirp and briefly show a backwards Apple logo before displaying the diagnostic menu. Navigate through the menu with the 'Previous' and 'Next' buttons (not the scroll wheel), and select items with the 'Select' button. Press 'Play/Pause' to exit a test. (Apple has never publicly documented the functionality of the diagnostic menu.)

An iPod unable to start (due to either a firmware or a hardware problem) displays the "sad iPod" image, reminiscent of the sad Mac icon of earlier Macintosh computers.

Models

iPod Mini (left), first generation iPod (right)

Apple currently markets four kinds of iPod. Some models come with different capacities (a higher capacity allows the storage of more music) or with different designs. The model range as of 2005 covers:

• iPod (20GB and 60GB). Color screens, which first appeared on iPod photo (now defunct), now form part of the regular iPod design.
• iPod mini (4GB and 6GB and in various colors).
• iPod U2 Special Edition (20GB).
• iPod shuffle (512MB and 1GB).

Several product revisions have taken place since the original model of iPod appeared, leading to the existence of four distinct generations. As with most hard drive-based devices, the actual drive space available for music, photo, and data storage does not quite attain the advertised capacity. This comes about because the capacity advertised uses metric prefixes, not binary prefixes. [5] For example, a 4 GB iPod mini actually has 3.77 GiB of usable memory.

iPod

While all iPods have roughly the same size and the same capabilities, the design has undergone several revisions since its introduction to the market. Four distinct generations of iPods exist, commonly known as: 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G (these designations do not relate to the Power Mac G3, G4 or other Macintosh model designations — do not confuse such designations with the storage capacity of any given model of iPod).

Within any generation of iPods, various models with different sizes of hard drives have come onto the market at different price points. During the third generation, three sizes of iPods have co-existed in the marketplace at any given time, priced at US $299, $399, and $499. Currently, Apple sells two sizes of iPod: a 20 GB hard drive for $299, and a 60 GB model for $399. Note that Apple claims that 1 gigabyte of storage will hold 250 4-minute songs in 128 kbit/s AAC. Encoding songs at higher bitrates will take up more space on the hard drive. One can scale this proportion up; the current 20-gigabyte iPod can hold roughly 5000 songs.

As with any device containing a hard drive, a discrepancy exists between the advertised storage-space of the iPods and what the operating systems report as available; confusion regarding binary prefix nomenclature accounts for this.

First generation

File:Original iPod 5GB.jpg

The Original 5GB iPod.

First announced on October 23 2001, the original iPod cost $399 with a 5 GB hard drive. [6] Critics panned the unit's price, but iPod proved an instant hit in the marketplace. Apple announced a 10 GB version ($499) in March 2002.

Apple designed a mechanical scroll wheel and outsourced the implementation and development to Synaptics, a firm that also developed the trackpad used by many laptops, including Apple's PowerBooks. The 1G iPod featured four buttons (Menu, Play/Pause, Back, and Forward) arranged around the circumference of the scroll wheel. Although superseded by non-mechanical "touch" and "click" wheels, the circular controller design has become a prominent iPod motif.

Second generation

File:Ipod g2 front small.jpg

A 2G iPod.

Introduced on July 17, 2002 at Macworld in 10GB and 20GB capacities, the second generation iPod replaced the mechanical scroll wheel of the original with a touch-sensitive, non-mechanical one (manufactured by Synaptics), termed a "touch wheel". Due to the new Toshiba hard drives, the 2G iPods slightly exceed their first generation counterparts in thickness and weight.

Third generation

File:Ipod3g.jpg

A 20 GB 3G iPod with included dock, earphones, and beltclip carrying case.

On April 28, 2003, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced an "ultrathin" iPod series. Slightly smaller than their predecessors, they had more distinctively beveled edges. Over the life of the 3G iPod series, Apple produced 10 GB, 15 GB, 20 GB, 30 GB, and 40 GB sizes.

These iPods use a 30-pin connector called the Dock Connector — longer and flatter than a FireWire plug. This allows them to fit more easily into the new iPod Dock which Apple introduced at the same time. The iPod Dock came bundled with all but the least-expensive iPod, and also retails separately.

The 3G iPod featured touch-sensitive buttons located below the display. The new buttons featured red backlighting (controlled by the same preference as the screen backlight), allowing easier use in darkness.

With the 3G iPod, Apple stopped shipping separate Mac and Windows versions of the unit. Instead, all iPods now shipped with their hard drives formatted for Macintosh use; the included CD-ROM featured a Windows utility which could reformat them for use with a Windows PC. These iPods also introduced Hi-Speed USB connectivity (with a separately-sold USB adapter cable).

When purchased through the online Apple Store, the iPod featured custom engraving: a purchaser could have two lines of text laser-engraved on the back (for an additional charge, although currently free).

Although past models proved widely popular, after the release of the 3G model Apple's iPod sales skyrocketed, with a combination of effective advertising and celebrity endorsement making iPods a fashionable item.

Fourth generation

File:Ns ipod-4g.jpg

Newsweek Cover

In July 2004 Apple released the fourth generation iPod. In a new publicity route, Steve Jobs announced it by becoming the subject of a Newsweek magazine cover (at left).

In the most obvious difference from its predecessors, the 4G iPod carries over the click-wheel design introduced on the iPod mini. Some users criticized the click wheel because it does not have the backlight that the 3G iPod's buttons had, but others noted that having the buttons on the compass points largely removed any need for backlighting. Apple also claimed that updated software in the new iPod allows it to use the battery more efficiently and increase battery life to 12 hours. Other minor changes included the addition of a "Shuffle Songs" option on the top-level menu to make it more convenient for users. After many requests from users asking for these improvements to operate on earlier iPods as well, Apple on February 23, 2005, released a firmware update which brings the new menu items to 1G through 3G iPods.

Originally, the 4G iPod had a grayscale screen and no photo capabilities, like its predecessors. It came in one of two sizes: 20GB for $299 and 40GB for $399 (Apple discontinued the 40GB model in February 2005). The grayscale 4G iPod, slightly thinner (about 1 mm less) than the 3G iPod, introduced the ability to charge the battery over a USB connection.

iPod photo / Color iPod

File:Ipod Photo.JPG

An iPod with color screen

For more information on iPod photo prior to its merger with the main iPod line, see iPod photo.

Released on October 28, 2004, iPod photo (originally named iPod Photo — with a capital P for "Photo" — but renamed less than a month after its launch) featured a 65,536-color, 220 x 176-pixel screen and the ability to store and display JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and PNG images. One millimeter thicker than the standard grayscale fourth-generation iPod, iPod photo could also play music for up to 15 hours per battery charge. iPod photo originally came in 40 GB and 60 GB versions, which cost $499 and $599 respectively.

On February 23, 2005, Apple discontinued the 40 GB model, introduced a lower-priced 30 GB model, and dropped the price of the 60 GB model. However, unlike the first iPod photos, the lower-priced 60 GB and the new 30 GB models lacked the dock, FireWire cable, carrying case, or AV cables (accessories valued at approximately $120).

On June 28, 2005, Apple Computer merged the iPod and iPod photo lines, removing all grayscale models from the main iPod line. The 20GB iPod now has all of the capabilities of the former iPod photo line for $299, the same price as the previous grayscale version. The price of the 60 GB iPod photo, now known as the 60 GB iPod, dropped from $449 to $399, and Apple discontinued the $349 30GB iPod photo model. Apple Computer - as well as prominent fan sites (such as iLounge) - continue to refer to this lineup as fourth-generation iPods. Along with the new lineup, Apple also updated iTunes to version 4.9, which added podcasting capabilities to iTunes and to the iPod.

To manage the photo library on the iPod, Mac users use Apple's iPhoto software, while Windows users can use Adobe Photoshop Album or Elements. New Mac computers ship with iPhoto, while Windows users must purchase either of the Adobe products.

As of June 28, 2005, the iPod comes bundled with a USB cable and an AC adapter. Popular optional accessories include the dock, a Firewire cable (which owners can use in lieu of USB), an iPod AV cable (to view photo albums on a TV set), and an iPod Camera Connector (to transfer and view images directly from a digital camera to iPod).

iPod U2 Special Edition

File:Indexfrontbackse10262004.jpg

Color U2 iPod

On October 28, 2004, Apple released a black-and-red edition of the fourth-generation iPod called iPod U2 Special Edition. Originally retailing for $349, it has a black front with a red click wheel (the colors of U2's latest album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb), and features the signatures of U2's band members engraved on the back. It also includes an iTunes Music Store coupon redeemable for $50 off of the price of "The Complete U2", a "digital boxed set" featuring over 400 tracks of U2 music. [7]

On June 28, 2005, at the same time as the announcement of the merger of the iPod and the iPod photo lines, Apple added a color screen and photo capabilities to the iPod U2 Special Edition while dropping the price to $329.

iPod mini

File:IPod mini 2gen.jpg

A blue 2G iPod mini in its dock.

Main article: iPod mini.

Apple entered the market for "mini" form-factor digital audio players in January 2004, with the introduction of iPod mini, competing directly with players like Creative's Zen Micro and Digital Networks' Rio Carbon. iPod mini has largely the same feature set as the full-sized iPod, but lacks support for some third-party accessories. Its smaller display has one less line than previous models, limiting the on-screen track identification to title and artist only.

iPod mini uses Microdrive hard drives for storage.

First generation mini

On January 6, 2004, Apple introduced iPod mini. It had 4 GB of storage and a price of $249 (at the time, only $50 below the 15 GB third-generation iPod). Critics panned it as too expensive, but it proved to be overwhelmingly popular, and Apple Stores had difficulty keeping the model in stock.

iPod mini introduced the popular "click wheel" that was later incorporated into the fourth-generation iPod: the touch-sensitive wheel means that users can move a finger around it to highlight selections on the screen, while the unit's Menu, Back, Forward, and Play/Pause buttons are part of the wheel itself, letting a user press down on part of the wheel to activate one of those functions. The center button still acted as a select button.

Apple initially made iPod mini devices available in five colors: silver, gold, blue, pink, and green. Silver models have sold best, followed by blue ones. Apple Computer discontinued gold models in the second generation.

Second generation mini

In February 2005, the second-generation [8] iPod mini came on the market with a new 6 GB model at $249 and an updated 4 GB model priced at $199. Most notably, both models featured an increased battery life of up to 18 hours. In addition, they featured richer case colors (though Apple discontinued the gold color) and other minor æsthetic changes (the color of the lettering on the click wheel now matches the color of the iPod mini). Also, the 2G iPod minis did not include the AC adapter or the FireWire cable bundled with previous models.

iPod shuffle

Main article: iPod shuffle.

An iPod shuffle with earphones.

Apple announced iPod shuffle at Macworld Expo on January 11, 2005 with the taglines "Life is random" and "Give chance a chance". iPod shuffle introduced flash memory (rather than a hard drive) to iPods for the first time. The shuffle comes in two models: 512MB (up to 120, 4-minute songs encoded at 128 kbit/s) and 1GB (up to 240). Unlike other iPod models, iPod shuffle cannot play Apple Lossless or AIFF encoded audio files—possibly due to the iPod shuffle's smaller processing power. The shuffle has a SigmaTel processor. One review regards it as having one of the best-sounding audio systems of all the iPod models.

iPod shuffle has no screen and therefore has limited options for navigating between music tracks: users can play songs either in the order set in iTunes or in a random (shuffled) order. Users can set iTunes to fill iPod shuffle with a random selection from their music library each time the device connects to the computer. iPod shuffle weighs less than one ounce (0.78oz or 22g) and approximates in size to a pack of chewing gum. Like the rest of the family, iPod shuffle can operate as a USB mass storage device.

Battery life

Apple designed iPod with an internal lithium ion battery that users cannot easily replace. Like most lithium-ion batteries, the iPod battery lasts roughly 500 full recharge cycles. In other words, the battery will continue to have a useful life through the equivalent of five hundred complete discharges and recharges; through time and use, the life of the battery will generally decrease until eventually it does not hold a charge for very long. Apple has published guidelines on its web site for maximizing the life of an iPod battery. [9]

In late November 2003, film-makers and Apple enthusiasts The Neistat Brothers produced a short movie, downloadable online, which expressed anger because the battery on their early-model iPod had failed after eighteen months and because of this the iPod became unusable. The movie depicted the Brothers vandalizing Apple ads in the New York City area with graffiti proclaiming that "iPod's unreplaceable battery lasts only 18 months." [10] The movie met with some criticism, with other iPod users pointing out that their iPods had lasted longer than 18 months, and some critics suggesting that the brothers had attacked Apple solely for the sake of publicity. [11]

Shortly before, Apple Computer had introduced a battery replacement scheme (now priced at $59) for out-of-warranty iPods [12], and offered users the option to extend the warranty of their iPods ($59). [13] In addition, other companies are offering battery replacements for as little as $50, or users can purchase a battery (at ipodbattery.com, for example) for around $30 and replace it themselves. [14]

Critics often note that competing standalone digital music players often have user-serviceable batteries, and those that don't often require nothing more than the removal of a single screw to replace the (officially non-user-serviceable) batteries. They regard replacing iPod's battery as unusually difficult for a consumer device.

iTunes integration

Apple Computer endorses only one official method for synchronizing with the iPod: iTunes. But several projects addressed synchronization of the iPod with other players, most notably the ml_iPod plugin for WinAmp, that allows users to manage their iPod content through Winamp, and even allows functionality not available through iTunes, such as the copying of music off the iPod.

iTunes Music Store

Main article: iTunes Music Store.

No portable music player other than iPod can play the DRM-enabled files sold on Apple's iTunes Music Store. Apple encrypts these AAC audio files (.m4p) using their proprietary FairPlay system in such a way that only authorized computers (up to five) and unlimited iPods can decrypt and play them.

Steve Jobs has stated that this restriction aims to increase the sale of iPods: "We would like to break even [or] make a little bit of money [on the iTunes Music Store] but it's not a money maker." Users can circumvent the restriction by burning protected files to an uncompressed audio CD and then re-ripping and encoding them as unprotected files, though this can become tedious and causes a loss of audio quality with each iteration. (It may also violate the DMCA in the U.S.)

Alternately, one can circumvent the copy-protection with a third-party software program named Hymn, or with Apple's own Compressor software included with Final Cut Pro. Also, an anonymous developer has developed iOpener, a program that will find protected AAC files on a user's computer and convert them to AAC files without encryption[15].

The iPod does not support other DRM-protected formats (such as the DRM-protected version of WMA), so iPod users who wish to purchase DRM-protected music online must do so through iTunes or circumvent the DRM of the files downloaded from the other store (which, again, may involve illegality). Music purchased from other online stores will not play on an iPod in protected form. Jon Johansen ("DVD Jon")'s program called PyMusique([16]) offers an alternative which allows iTMS customers to purchase songs without DRM restrictions.

Apple has maintained tight control of its "FairPlay" encryption - Apple's DRM-protected implementation of the AAC open standard - electing not to license it to other companies. As a result, other online music stores cannot sell music files encoded with FairPlay, and competing devices from companies such as Creative Labs and iRiver cannot play such files. Consumers who want to download songs from the extensive iTunes music catalog to their digital audio players have no choice but to purchase an iPod (or, as mentioned above, convert the downloaded files to an open format).

This scheme has seen Apple, the market leader, attracting criticism for creating a "vertical monopoly," using iPod, the iTunes Music Store, and FairPlay to establish a vertical monopoly to lock iPod users into using iTunes exclusively (and vice versa). Anyone who owns an iPod can only use the iTMS if they want to purchase copy-protected music online, and people who have purchased music from the iTMS can only play it on an iPod, not on any of the competing standalone music players.

In July 2004, RealNetworks debuted an application named Harmony, which used a technological workaround to allow iPod users to convert files purchased from RealNetworks' RealRhapsody service into a FairPlay-compatible format which an iPod could play. Apple responded by accusing RealNetworks of "adopt[ing] the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod". [17] Apple later released a firmware upgrade that rendered fourth-generation iPods and iPod mini incapable of playing files converted with Harmony. RealNetworks has vowed to develop another workaround.

The iTunes Music Store recently sold its 498-millionth song [18]. In Europe, music fans have purchased and downloaded more than 50 million songs from its European iTunes Music Stores in its first year.

Third-party accessories

iPod has created a large and growing after-market accessory industry; in the 2005 Macworld keynote, Steve Jobs referred to it as "the iPod economy".

iPod accessories include memory-card readers, FM tuners, and voice recording modules. Some of the accessories, like the speaker systems made by Bose and the in-car audio interfaces for BMW, make use of the docking connectors found at the bottom of the iPod and have the user dock the unit in the device. These connectors provide control and information as well as a path for the sound-signal and power to run the iPod or accessory.

• Third-party software tools supporting iPod include:

• Foobar2000, an alternative music player that has iPod functionality with the optional installation of the foo_pod component.
• AmaroK, an audio player for KDE that has integrated iPod support.
• RhythmBox, a GNOME-based iTunes clone.
• gtkpod, a specifically iPod-targeted GTK-based iPod manager for several operating systems.
• ml_ipod, an open-source plugin for Winamp that adds iPod support.
• EphPod, a Windows application that duplicates many of the features of iTunes, but also allows uploading of files from iPod to computer. EphPod can be downloaded for free, but is not open source.
• iPodLinux Project, a Linux based OS made for the ipod. Currently offers support for the first, second, and third generation ipods. While it may work for the other gen ipods, including the mini, it is not officially supported.

• Griffin Technology makes several iPod accessories, including the iTrip, iBeam, iTalk, PodPod, and Earjam.
• naviPod by TEN Technology is a 5-button infrared remote control for the Apple iPod.
• The inMotion Speakers by Altec Lansing act as a charging station as well as a dock while turning the iPod into a speaker system. The designers have made the iMmini variation on these speakers for compatibility with the iPod mini.
• BMW releases the first iPod automobile interface to come from an automotive company[19]. The interface allows drivers of late-model BMW vehicles to control their iPod through the built-in steering wheel controls and the radio head unit buttons. The iPod attaches to a cable harness in the car's glove compartment.
• The Macworld Expo in January 2005 announced that by spring 2005, more auto manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz and Ferrari will include similar systems.
• A wide variety of other third-party products also exists and more appear every day, from voice recorders through games and other iPod-based software to various connection devices and adapters
• A large accessory market has grown up around the iPod, including cases and tattoos such as those made by Hotromz which feature unusual cases made from faux fur, feathers, organic hemp fiber and mohair; or by foof, who offer fabrics made from tweed, corduroy and kimono obi.

iPod competitors

• iGeneration
• Creative Nomad
• Creative Zen
• iRiver MP3 players
• Dell Digital Jukebox
• Sony Walkman

iPod sales

Fortune magazine reported on 27 June 2005 that Apple has sold over 15 million iPods, including 5.3 million in the 1st quarter of that year. iPod currently dominates the digital audio player market, frequently topping best-seller lists. [20] In its fourth quarter results of 2003, Apple reported earnings of $106 million its highest revenue for Q4 in 9 years. [21] Hewlett-Packard, in contract with Apple for the sale of an HP-branded iPod, has reported sales as "going extremely well", but did not release figures. Apple has acknowledged that HP-iPods made up 6% of fourth quarter sales. [22]. Most recently, Apple shipped 6.16 million iPods during the quarter that ended on June 25, 2005, a 616% increase over the year-ago quarter [23].

Commercials

File:Places toronto billboard iPod.jpg

An iPod billboard in midtown Toronto.

Apple has promoted the iPod and iTunes brands in several successful advertising campaigns.

• The first iPod ads began airing in April 2003, in conjunction with the launch of the iTMS service. They featured plainly-dressed people wearing their iPods and giving a capella renditions of popular songs (ostensibly while they themselves listened to the original version on their iPod), accompanied by dancing, air guitar, and other embarassing performances. The commercials featured a wide range of music, including The Who's "My Generation", Sir Mix-a-lot's "Baby Got Back", Pink's "There You Go", and Eminem's "Lose Yourself".
• In October 2003, Apple changed the advertising to align with their print advertising campaign, featuring people in silhouette against a solid color background, dancing while listening to their bright white iPod and signature headphones. These commercials also feature successful songs, such as The Vines' "Ride", The Caesars' "Jerk it Out", Gorillaz' "Feel Good Inc.", Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl", N.E.R.D.'s "Rock Star" (Jason Nevin's Mix), Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out", and many more. To commemorate the launch of their U2 iPod, Apple Computer released a special commercial with all four members of U2 depicted in silhouette singing their hit song "Vertigo".
• In addition to these major campaigns, Apple Computer has also run several campaigns to promote its temporary deal with Pepsi to offer the chance to win free songs through a promotion with the purchase of a soda. The first series of these ads featured teenagers who would open bottles of Pepsi and would suddenly hear popular music, and even meet the artists themselves. The ads featured popular artists such as Gwen Stefani and Eve.
• Apple Computer aired a second set of ads during the 2004 Super Bowl, starring a number of teenagers sued by the RIAA for illegally downloading music. These commercials featured the song "I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)" by The Bobby Fuller Four.
• The Mac-related writer Scoot Kelby has made the iPod Flea, a satirical advertisment. The advertisment features the world's smallest MP3 player called 'iPod flea, made by Apple Computer. David Pogue posted it at the New York Times for excessive creativity and humor-value. iPod flea Video

In February 2005, Eminem sued Apple for the use of his hit song "Lose Yourself" in an Apple iPod + iTunes commercial, stating that their use of the song implied his celebrity sponsorship of the product and service. Though Apple denied the claim, they settled the case out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Key personnel

• Tony Fadell
• Jeff Robbin
• Sanjeev Kumar
• Steve Jobs
• Jonathan Ive
• Danika Cleary - iPod Product Manager
• Stan Ng - iPod Line Manager

See also

• List of iPod model numbers
• Podcasting
• Apple Computer
• iPod on ipod, an external wiki

External links

• iPod official website
• iLounge
• The History of the iPod - Nov, 2004
• Wired News: Inside Look at Birth of the iPod - July 21, 2004
• Wired News: iPod Plug-In Sets Music Free - May 24, 2005
• The iPod Linux Project