IPod

A white 5^th generation video iPod with a sleeve and earbuds.

The iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple Computer. Apple chose to focus its development on the iPod's simple user interface, rather than on technical capability. Devices in the iPod family are designed around a central scroll wheel except for the iPod shuffle, until recently, and the full-sized model stores media on an internal hard drive, while the smaller iPod nano and iPod shuffle use flash memory. Like many digital audio players, iPods can also serve as external data storage devices.

As of September 2006, the lineup consists of an enhanced version of the 5^th generation iPod (featuring a video player and support for arcade-style games); the second generation iPod nano (featuring an aluminum exterior); and the second iteration of the iPod shuffle. All three models were released in September 2006. Discontinued versions include two generations of the iPod mini, four generations of the full-sized iPod, the first generation of the iPod Nano, and the first version of the iPod Shuffle.

All iPods come bundled with iTunes, which transfers music, photos and videos to an iPod from a computer. As a music jukebox application, iTunes stores a comprehensive library of music on the user's computer and can play, burn, and rip music from a CD. The most recent version of iTunes has photo and video synchronization features.

The iPod is currently the world's best-selling digital audio player, and its worldwide mainstream adoption makes it one of the most popular consumer brands. Some of Apple's design choices and proprietary actions have, however, led to criticism and legal battles.

History and design

The iPod came from Apple's digital hub strategy, as the company began creating software for the growing market of digital devices purchased by consumers. While digital cameras, camcorders and organizers had well-established mainstream markets, the company found digital music players lacking in quality and decided to develop its own.

Hardware design of the 3^rd generation iPod.

Tony Fadell, a former Philips executive in the company's Windows CE division, left Philips to create a hard drive based MP3 player and music service . He founded a company, Fuse, to develop and sell the idea to major media companies. After RealNetworks turned him down, Apple accepted and the development of the iPod began in February 2001, one month after iTunes was released. It was announced to the public on 23 October 2001 as a Mac-compatible product with a 5 GB hard drive that put "1000 songs in your pocket."

Uncharacteristically, Apple decided not to develop the iPod's software in-house. Instead, Apple contracted with PortalPlayer, who already had a reference design (based on 2 ARM cores) with rudimentary software running on top of a commercially available microkernel embedded operating system. PortalPlayer had been working on an IBM-branded MP3 player with Bluetooth headphones.

Apple reached out to another company, Pixo, to create a refined user interface under the direct supervision of Steve Jobs.

Once established, Apple gradually refined the look-and-feel. Starting with the iPod mini, the Chicago type family (once used on early Macintosh computers) was replaced with Espy Sans, originally used in eWorld and Copland. Apple and the most recent iPods use the Myriad type family. The iPods with color displays adopted some Mac OS X themes like Aqua progress bars and brushed metal in the FM tuner and lock.

User interface

File:Ipodui.PNG

The display screen of a 5^th generation iPod, playing Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz

The iPods with displays use high quality anti-aliased graphics and text, with sliding animations. These iPods have five buttons and newer generations have the buttons integrated underneath the scroll wheel, an innovation which confers an uncluttered, minimalistic interface. The buttons are:

• Menu (to traverse backwards through the menus, and toggle the backlight on older iPods)
• Center (to select a menu item)
• Play / Pause (this doubles as an off switch when held)
• Fast Forward / Skip Forward
• Fast Reverse / Skip Backwards

The other operations such as scrolling through menu items and controlling the volume are handled by the scroll wheel in a rotational manner. A Hold switch on the top of the unit prevents accidental button presses.

The iPod shuffle has five buttons which function differently to the larger models. It has a Play/Pause button in the center, surrounded by four buttons: Volume Up/Down and Skip Forward/Backwards.

Newer iPods automatically pause playback when the headphones are unplugged from the headphone jack, but playback does not resume when the headphones are re-inserted. An iPod that has crashed or frozen can be reset by holding Menu and Center (Menu and Play on the 3G iPod) for 6 seconds.

Software

The iPod can play MP3, WAV, M4A/ AAC, Protected AAC, AIFF, Audible audiobook, and Apple Lossless audio file formats. The 5^th generation iPod can also play .mov, .m4v, and .mp4 MPEG-4 (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC) video file formats, with restrictions on video dimensions, encoding techniques and bitrates. Apple does not support Microsoft's WMA audio format, unlike many other media players, but a converter for non-DRM protected WMA files is provided with the Windows version of iTunes. MIDI files cannot be played, but can be converted to audio files using the "Advanced" menu on iTunes. Open-source audio format alternatives, such as Ogg Vorbis and FLAC, are not supported, possibly because they were developed outside of the media industry standards bodies (such as MPEG) of which Apple is a member.

Each time an iPod connects to its host computer, iTunes can automatically synchronize music playlists or entire music libraries. Song ratings can be set on the iPod and synchronized later with the iTunes library. Alternately, the iPod's song list can be managed manually.

iTunes Store

Main articles: iTunes and iTunes Store

The iTunes Store (formerly iTunes Music Store) is an online media store run by Apple and accessed via iTunes. It was introduced on April 28, 2003 and sells individual songs relatively easily and cheaply (for example USD0.99, CAD0.99, AUD1.69 EUR0.99, or GBP0.79 per song). iPods are the only portable music players that can play the purchased music. The store became the market leader a few years after its launch . Apple announced the launch of video for purchase through the iTunes Store on October 12 2005, and TV-compatible (rather than iPod compatible) full-length movies and television shows on September 12 2006.

Purchased audio files use the AAC format with added encryption. The encryption is based on the controversial FairPlay digital rights management (DRM) system. Up to five authorized computers and an unlimited number of iPods can play the files. Burning the files onto an audio CD removes the DRM, at a cost of reduced quality when re-compressed from one lossy format to another.

iPods cannot play music files from other competing music stores such as Napster or MSN Music which use rival DRM technologies like Microsoft's protected WMA or RealNetworks' Helix DRM. RealNetworks claims that Apple is creating problems for itself, by using FairPlay to lock users into using the iTMS. Steve Jobs has stated that Apple makes very little profit from song sales, but Apple uses the iTMS to promote iPod sales.

File storage

All iPods can function as mass storage devices to store data files. If the iPod is formatted on a Mac OS X computer it uses the HFS Plus file system format. If it is formatted on Windows, the FAT32 format is used because Windows cannot access HFS filesystems. The user must still use iTunes or a compatible third-party software to load audio, videos, and photos in such a way that they are playable and viewable on the iPod. Simply copying files to the drive will not allow the iPod to properly access them.

An iPod formatted as HFS Plus is able to serve as a boot disk for a Mac computer, allowing one to have a portable operating system installed. The older iPods with FireWire ports could additionally function in FireWire Disk Mode. With the advent of the Windows-compatible iPod, the iPod's default file system was switched from HFS Plus to FAT32, although they could be reformatted to either filesystem (excluding the iPod shuffle which is strictly FAT32).

iTunes cannot transfer songs or videos from device to computer, unless they were purchased from the iTunes Store and authorized for use on that computer. The media files are stored in a hidden folder together with a proprietary database on the iPod. While the hidden content can be accessed through the host operating system, practical recovery of the audio with correct file names, tag meta-data, and playlists requires the use of third-party software.

Additional features

iPods also have limited PDA-like functionality and can display text files. Contacts and schedules can be viewed and synchronized with the host computer using either iSync, iTunes, Outlook or Outlook Express. The larger models have some built-in games such as Brick, Parachute, Solitaire and Music Quiz. Brick was originally invented by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in the 1970s.

On September 12, 2006, the iTunes Store began to offer additional games for purchase with the launch of iTunes 7, compatible with the 5th generation iPod with iPod software 1.2 or later. Currently, these include: Bejeweled, Cubis, Mini Golf, Mahjong, Pac-Man, Tetris, Texas Hold 'Em, Vortex, and Zuma.

Open-source alternatives

The iPodLinux project has ported an ARM version of the Linux kernel alongside an interface called "Podzilla" to run on all iPods apart from the iPod shuffle. The development team does not support its usage, however.

An open-source firmware called Rockbox allows the iPod nano, mini, and all iPods after the 3^rd generation to play MP1, MP2, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, Musepack, Wavpack, Shorten, and MIDI files, but not FairPlay-encrypted files from the iTunes Music Store. Rockbox also offers gapless playback and a more sophisticated equalizer but is currently in only testing stages. Tentative release date with iPod support is roughly approximated to be November 2006.

Connectivity

Originally, a FireWire connection to the host computer was used to update songs and recharge the battery. The battery could also be charged with a power adapter that was included with the first 4 generations. The 3^rd generation included a dock connector allowing for FireWire or USB connectivity, although the device could not be charged via USB. The USB connectivity provided better compatibility with PCs, as most of them did not have FireWire ports at the time. The FireWire cables were nonetheless needed to connect to the AC adaptor. The dock connector also brought an opportunity to exchange data, sound and power with an iPod, which ultimately created a large market of accessories, manufactured by third parties such as Belkin and Griffin.

The 4^th generation iPod allowed recharging via USB and eventually Apple started shipping iPods with USB cables instead of FireWire. Later generations continued to lessen the reliance on FireWire. For example the iPod 1G shuffle plugs directly into a USB port and has no FireWire support. The transition from FireWire to USB has drawn some criticism from the Mac community, since FireWire has been a standard feature on Apple Macs for many years, while USB 2.0 support was only added in October 2003. Previously, all Macs had USB 1.1, which had a transfer speed of 12 Mbit/s, as opposed to FireWire's 400 Mbit/s and USB 2.0's 480 Mbit/s.

Chipsets and electronics

+Some electronic components used in iPods
Model	Storage medium	Microcontroller	Audio chip
iPod 1G, 2G, 3G	1.8 inch (46 mm) ATA hard drives (with a proprietary connector), made by Toshiba.	Two ARM 7TDMI-derived CPUs running at 90 MHz.	Various audio codecs manufactured by Wolfson Microelectronics
iPod 4G, 5G		Variable speed ARM 7TDMI CPUs, running at a peak of 80 MHz to save battery life.
iPod mini 1G, 2G	1 inch Microdrives manufactured by Hitachi
iPod nano 1G	Flash memory from Samsung, Toshiba and others	2 ARM 7TDMI CPUs @ 80 MHz
iPod shuffle	Flash memory	SigmaTel STMP3550 chip that handles both the music decoding and the audio circuitry.

Each iPod has a 1 MB or 512 KB NOR flash ROM chip which contains a bootloader — a program that tells the device to load its operating system from its storage medium. Each iPod also has 32 MB of RAM (the 60 and 80 GB 5^th generation iPods have 64 MB). A portion of the RAM is used to hold the iPod OS loaded from firmware, but the majority of it serves to cache songs loaded from the storage medium. For example, an iPod could spin its hard disk up once and copy about 30 MB of upcoming songs into RAM, thus save power by not having the drive spin up for each song.

The current iPod models use internal lithium-ion batteries. The 1^st and 2^nd generations used lithium polymer batteries. The larger models use touch wheels provided by Synaptics.

On April 26, 2006, EE Times reported that Samsung Electronics had won the contract to provide the media processor for a future model iPod, replacing Apple's previous supplier PortalPlayer.

iPod models

Model (and generation)		Image	Capacity	Changes, New Features, Removals, and Release Status	Connection	Battery Life music playback	Release date	Launch price ( USD)
iPod	1G		5, 10  GB	First release. Mechanical scroll wheel	FireWire	10 hours	23 October 2001	$399, $499
	2G		10, 20 GB	Touch sensitive wheel. FireWire port had a cover.	FireWire	10 hours	17 July 2002	$399, $499
	3G		10, 15, 20, 30, 40 GB	Dock Connector. Middle row of buttons.	FireWire (USB for syncing only)	8 hours	28 April 2003	$299, $399, $399, $499
	4G / Photo	iPod 4G	20, 30, 40, 60 GB	Buttons integrated to "touch wheel". Color display with photo viewer replaced B&W display in October 2004 ("iPod photo").	FireWire or USB	12 & 15 hours	July 2004	$299, $349, $399, $599
	5G		30, 60 GB	Slimmer design. Larger screen with video player. No AC adapter, Universal Dock, or A/V cables included. Lyrics support. Headphone-out moved to the top right, four pin expansion port for top mounting accessories removed.	USB (FireWire for charging only)	14 & 20 hours	12 October 2005	$299, $399
	5G (enhanced)	iPod 5G v1.2	30, 80 GB	60GB model replaced by 80GB. Featuring longer video battery life and a brighter display. Comes with new earphones and firmware version 1.2. The new firmware adds adjustable display brightness, search capabilities, gapless playback, and iPod games. The firmware update is automatically applied to other 5G iPods by iTunes 7.	USB (FireWire for charging only)	14 & 20 hours	12 September 2006	$249, $349
iPod mini	1G		4 GB	First release. Available in several colors.	USB or FireWire	8 hours	6 January 2004	$249
	2G	iPod Mini 2G	4, 6 GB	Brighter color variants. Clickwheel lettering matches body color. No AC adapter. Much longer battery life.	USB or FireWire	18 hours	22 February 2005	$199, $249
iPod nano	1G	Original iPod nano	1, 2, 4 GB	First release. Successor to iPod mini. Slimmer design with color screen and flash memory. Lyrics support.	USB (FireWire for charging only)	14 hours	7 September 2005	$149, $199, $249
	2G	The iPod nano	2, 4, 8 GB	Brighter screen. Anodized aluminium case in variety of colours. Capacity determined partially by colour. 24-hour battery life. New earphones, charger, armband, and lanyard.	USB	24 hours	12 September 2006	$149, $199 $249
iPod shuffle	1G		512 MB, 1 GB	First release. 1st iPod without screen or scroll wheel.	USB	12 hours	11 January 2005	$99, $149
	2G	2nd generation iPod shuffle	1GB	Brushed aluminium case, smaller dimensions. Earphones, dock, and built in clip.	USB (via dock only)	12 hours	September 12 2006 (ships October 2006)	$79

Apple has refined the iPod line from the original model and each new generation usually has more features whilst typically being smaller and lighter than its predecessor (excepting when larger capacity versions were introduced which were sometimes thicker than the models they replaced). Notable changes include the touch sensitive wheel (replacing the mechanical scroll wheel), color displays with anti-aliased text, video capability and flash memory replacing hard disks. Their reliability has steadily improved, although there were some reported problems with the iPod shuffle. With the release of the enhanced 5G iPod, a software update was included that allowed game support, gapless playback, and adjustible brightness for all 5G iPods.

The first generation iPods were Mac compatible only. Apple later added limited Windows support. At this time, Windows users required third-party software such as Musicmatch Jukebox, ephPod or XPlay to manage the music on their iPods. Musicmatch was included on the bundled CD. From July 2004 and onwards, every iPod was made fully compatible with either Mac or Windows, after Apple released the Windows version of iTunes on 16 October 2003.

Special edition and color variants

In December 2002, Apple unveiled its first limited edition iPods, with either Madonna’s, Tony Hawk’s, or Beck’s signature or No Doubt's band logo engraved on the back for an additional $49. At a total price of $548, these limited edition iPods were the most expensive ever sold by Apple.

On October 26, 2004, Apple introduced a special edition of its fourth generation monochrome iPod, designed in the color scheme of the latest album (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb) by Irish rock band U2. It had a black case with a red scroll wheel and the back had the engraved signatures of U2's band members. This iPod was updated alongside the iPod photo and 5^th generation iPod.

Apple has also released Special Edition Harry Potter iPods. These are engraved with the Hogwarts Crest on the back and are available only to purchasers of the Harry Potter audiobooks. These iPods are also updated with each new generation.

The iPod nano and 5^th generation iPod were released in black and white variants.

Criticisms

Battery life advertising

Apple stated that the older original 5G 60 GB and 30 GB iPods had battery lives of "up to 20 hours" and "up to 14 hours" respectively, when used on highly controlled and limited tests. For real-world use, many users report battery lives of less than 8 hours with the 30 GB video iPod. Apple does provide advice for maximizing the battery life of the iPod.

A similar advertising strategy for a computer in 2003 resulted in the Independent Television Committee banning Apple's TV advert, due to it being too misleading. Also in 2003, class action lawsuits were brought against Apple complaining that the iPod battery charges lasted for shorter lengths of time than stated and that the battery degraded over time. The lawsuits were settled by giving individuals the options of getting $50 store credit or a free battery replacement.

Apple later complained that its competitor, Sony, had misled consumers in its advertising for Sony's music player. Apple complained that Sony had not considered real-world usage.

Non-replaceable batteries

The battery in all iPod models cannot be removed or replaced by the user without levering the unit open. This is unusually difficult for a consumer device, although some rival products have a similar enclosed battery. Compounding this problem, Apple initially would not replace worn-out batteries. The official policy was that the customer should buy a refurbished replacement iPod, at a cost almost equivalent to a brand new iPod. All lithium-ion batteries eventually lose capacity during their lifetime (guidelines are available for prolonging life-span) and this situation led to a small market for third-party battery replacement kits.

Apple announced a battery replacement program on 14 November 2003, a week before a high publicity stunt and website by the Neistat Brothers. The initial cost was US$99, but has since been lowered to US$59. One week later Apple offered an extended iPod warranty for US$59. Third-party companies offer cheaper battery replacement kits which often use higher capacity batteries. For the most recent iPods, soldering tools are needed because the battery is either soldered onto the main board, as with the nano; or attached to a metal backplate, as on the video iPod.

Bass response

The 3^rd generation iPod had a weak bass response, as shown in several audio tests. The combination of the undersized DC blocking capacitors and the typical low impedance of most consumer headphones form a high-pass filter which attenuates the low-frequency bass output by up to 10 dB. New capacitors of smaller physical size but higher capacitive value were used in the 5^th generation iPods. The problem is reduced when using high impedance headphones and completely masked when driving high-impedance (line level) loads. The 1G iPod Shuffle does not use blocking capacitors at all and thus does not exhibit reduced bass response into any normal loads.

Equalizer

If the sound is enhanced with the iPod's software equalizer (EQ), many users have noticed that some EQ settings — like R&B, Rock, Acoustic, and Bass Booster — can cause bass distortion too easily.

The equalizer amplifies the digital audio level beyond the software's maximum level, causing distortion (clipping) on songs that have a bass drum or use a bassy instrument, even when the amplifier output level is low. Notable song examples include Bob Sinclar's Love Generation and Jem's Wish I. One possible workaround is to reduce the volume level of the recorded MP3 by modifying the audio files. However, this can take several hours with a large music collection, and it cannot be done with DRM-encrypted music. Also, different tools are needed for each different file format.

Worker exploitation

On 11 June 2006, the British tabloid Mail on Sunday reported that iPods are mainly manufactured by female workers who earn no more than US$50 per month. The report stated that the five-story Longhua factory — which belongs to Foxconn — houses 200,000 workers, with most of them living in dormitories that house 100 people. The report also claimed that visitors are not allowed and that the plant is secured by police officers. These allegations were denied by Foxconn. Apple launched an investigation into these claims which discovered that workers did more than 60 hours a week for a third of the time and worked for more than six consecutive days for 25% of the time. The workers, however, were not forced; rather they chose to work the overtime.

Patent disputes

In 2005, Apple Computer faced two lawsuits claiming patent infringement by the iPod and its associated technologies: Advanced Audio Devices claimed the iPod breached their patent on a "music jukebox", while a Hong Kong-based IP portfolio company called Pat-rights filed a suit claiming that Apple's FairPlay technology breached a patent issued to inventor Ho Keung Tse. The latter case also includes the online music stores of Sony, Real Networks, Napster, and Musicmatch as defendants.

Apple's application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a patent on "rotational user inputs", as used on the iPod's interface, received a third "non-final rejection" (NFR) in August 2005. Also in August 2005, Creative Technology, one of Apple's main rivals in the MP3 player market, announced that it held a patent on part of the music selection interface used by the iPod, which Creative dubbed the "Zen Patent", granted on August 9 2005. On May 15 2006, Creative filed another suit against Apple for patent infringement with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Creative also asked the United States International Trade Commission to investigate whether Apple was breaching U.S. trade laws by importing iPods into the United States.

On August 24 2006 Apple and Creative announced a broad settlement ending all legal disputes between the two companies. Apple will pay Creative US$100 million for a paid-up license to use Creative's recently awarded patent in all Apple products. Creative announced their intention of producing iPod accessories by joining the Made for iPod program.

Sales

Since October 2004, the iPod has dominated digital music player sales in the United States, with over 90% of the market for hard drive-based players and over 70% of the market for all types of players. During the year from January 2004 to January 2005, its high rate of sales caused its U.S. market share to increase from 31% to 65% and in July 2005, the market share was measured at 74%. The release of the iPod mini helped to drive this success at a time when competing flash-based music players were once dominant.

In its first quarter results of 2006, Apple reported earnings of US$565 million — its highest quarterly revenue in the company's history although it's not known how much of this was attributed to iPod sales. Apple and several industry analysts have suggested that iPod users are likely to purchase other Apple products such as Mac computers.

On 8 January 2004, Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced that they would sell HP-branded iPods under a license agreement from Apple. Several new retail channels were used — including Wal-Mart — and HP-branded iPods eventually made up 5% of all iPod sales. In July 2005, HP stopped selling iPods due to unfavorable terms and conditions imposed by Apple.

iPod sales according to Apple's quarterly financial results:

iPod quarterly sales.

Fiscal quarter	iPods sold
2002 Q4	140,000
2003 Q1	219,000
2003 Q2	80,000
2003 Q3	304,000
2003 Q4	336,000
2004 Q1	733,000
2004 Q2	807,000
2004 Q3	860,000
2004 Q4	2,016,000
2005 Q1	4,580,000
2005 Q2	5,311,000
2005 Q3	6,155,000
2005 Q4	6,451,000
2006 Q1	14,043,000
2006 Q2	8,526,000
2006 Q3	8,111,000
Total	58,912,000

Advertising

File:Places toronto billboard iPod.jpg

An iPod billboard in midtown Toronto.

File:Wrap advertising light rail.jpg

iPod Lightrail Wrap Advertising, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Apple has promoted the iPod and iTunes with several advertising campaigns including their silhouette commercials:

November 2001

A man dances to music while demonstrating the synchronization between iTunes and the iPod.

September 2002

Switcher Campaign, Interviews with real people candidly discussing why they like their Macs and iPods and what they dislike about their PCs. The campaign includes Hamilton Morris and cult phenomenon Ellen Feiss.

April 2003

Casually dressed people giving animated silent renditions of pop songs, to promote the iTunes Music Store. Songs included Sir Mix-a-lot's "Baby Got Back", The Caesars' "Jerk It Out", Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and others.

October 2003

TV commercials of the silhouette campaign. Songs included The Vines' " Ride", Gorillaz' "Feel Good Inc.", Steriogram's " Walkie-Talkie Man", Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl", Daft Punk's "Technologic" and many more.

October 2004

Silhouettes of U2 band members performing their song " Vertigo".

January 2005

TV commercials of dancers as silhouettes, with an iPod shuffle symbol moving underneath them.

September 2005

Two pairs of hands fighting over an iPod nano whilst viewing it at different angles.

October 2005

A music video of U2's "Original of the Species" (from the Vertigo: Live From Chicago DVD) playing on a video iPod. Alternative ads had a sihouette of rapper Eminem over an 'urban' orange background, and a silhouette of jazz musician Wynton Marsalis over a 'cool blue' background. These backgrounds were more textured and complex than in previous ads.

March 2006

Thousands of CD covers pouring into an iPod nano, with the song "Cubicle" by the French electro-rock band Rinôçérôse.

September 2006

Silhouette of Bob Dylan performing the song "Someday Baby" from the album Modern Times. A dancer, also in silhouette, is shown dancing to the song.

A new ad featuring the updated iPod nano. Silhouette dancers can only be seen when the cross the paths of color generated by their iPod nano. This features the song "The Audience Is Listening Theme Song" by Cut Chemist.

Earphones

The iPod's white earphone cords have become symbolic of the brand, and advertisements feature them prominently. In fact, the earphones have such strong visual recognition characteristics that some have said they can be a liability. After a 24% rise in robbery and a 10% increase in grand larceny in the New York City subway, a spokesperson for the NYC police suggested that iPods might be behind the increases.

Accessories

Several companies produce accessories that are designed to for iPods. This market is sometimes described as the iPod ecosystem.

+Popular iPod accessories
Accessory	Functionality Offered	Manufacturer
External speakers (including the iPod Hi-Fi)	Loudspeakers	JBL, Bose, Altec Lansing, Kensington, Apple, Logitech
Sound recorders	Record analog audio from a microphone.	Griffin Technology, Monster Cable
Portable battery rechargers	Recharge the internal battery "on the go".
FM radio tuners	Listen to FM radio, in-line control of iPod
Wireless remote controls	Control the iPod from a distance
Wired remote control	Control the iPod from a distance.	Apple
Winter sports jacket and backpacks with SoftTouch.	Control panel attached to apparel for remote control.	Burton
Cases and protective films	Protect the iPod from surface scratches.	Apple and many third party companies
iPod Camera Connector	Transfer photos from a digital camera or media card to a color screen iPod	Apple
Audio/visual cable (with proprietary RCA connectors)	Output composite video and stereo analog audio (A standard A/V cable can be used by swapping the RCA connector ends appropriately on the video input device)	Apple
Nike + iPod	Enable iPod nano to be used as a pedometer	Nike/Apple

Car integration

BMW released the first iPod automobile interface that allowed drivers of newer BMW vehicles to control their iPod using the built-in steering wheel controls or the radio head unit buttons. Apple announced in 2005 that similar systems would be available for additional vehicle brands, including Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari , Acura, Audi, Honda (with speech recognition), Renault and Volkswagen.. Industry analysts predict Apple will take the next step and provide auto makers with an in-dash iPod system to futher improve integration as well as cement Apple's proprietary standards into the auto market.

In September, 2006 Apple announced that 70% of the car models offered for sale in the US in the next model year offer the ability to connect an iPod. Showtime Steve Jobs (2006-09-12). It's Showtime (Press Conference). San Francisco: Apple.

Some independent stereo manufacturers including Pioneer, Kenwood, Alpine and Harman Kardon also have iPod-specific integration solutions. Alternative integration methods include using adaptor kits (via the cassette deck or the CD changer port), RCA inputs, or FM transmitters such as the iTrip, although personal FM transmitters are illegal in some countries.

See also

• Digital audio player
• Comparison of iPod Managers
• Foxconn
• Danika Cleary, Product Manager

External links

• Apple iPod — Official website
• iPod Specs/Comparison — Official iPod specifications
• Inside Look at Birth of the iPod
• Apple's 21st-Century Walkman — Brent Schlender writing for Fortune October 30, 2001
• iPod Generations — Electronics and chipsets used in all iPods
• iPod Nation — Steven Levy writing for Newsweek July 26, 2004
• Behind the Music — Ken Aaron writing for Cornell Engineering 2005
• A Brief History of the iPod Tracks the iPod from its birth to current day
• iLounge — Tracks iPod accessories and news from its birth to current day
• iPod reviews — links to iPod resources