The iPod Buzz:
As usual, it was the younger generation that was the first to catch on. But eventually, everyone became aware of it. The Apple iPod is the most recent step in a long line of gadgets that lets people listen to music on the go.

The iPod’s ancestor was the transistor radio of the late fifties and early sixties. All the cool kids then walked around with an earplug hanging from one ear. The two-ear earplugs and headphones were still far into the future.

The control of mobile music listening devices stayed in the hands of the Japanese through the sixties, seventies, eighties, and well into the nineties. Companies such as Sony and Panasonic introduced the Walkman, a portable tape cassette player. To be quickly followed by the CD Walkman.

But to compare the iPod to the transistor radio and even the CD Walkman is like comparing Angelina Jolie to Lucy (formerly the missing link between ape-like hominids and the more human-like ones). Sure the basic structure and functionality are similar, but there’s just so much more going on with the newer version.

Apple Inc-The Manufacturer:
The success of digital technology in the field of camcorders and cameras prompted Apple to enter the field of potable music. The original Apple iPod started with a 5GB drive, about one thousand songs when fully loaded.

Newer Models:
Apple iPod has come with a new generation time and again! Every time a new model of the iPod was introduced, it represented a refinement on what went before; without triggering the extinction of previous models. I have at least one friend who has stuck with the first model because it meets his needs as a music lover. On the other hand, I have a young person in the family who is just all about the visual and is welded to her iPod Touch.

Success And Sales:
Even though Apple iPod was launched with some success in 2001, it attained super-stardom after 2006. In 2007, the Apple iPod had 74% of the portable music market share. Apple iPods have seen immense success and the reason is better service, better product and better refinements – and of course, the cool factor.

iPod and iTunes:
People new to the iPod are first attracted by the ability to listen to their music anytime, anywhere. How will you load new songs onto your Apple iPod? Well, Apple would love for you to their own software-service combo called iTunes. It is an online music library that helps to feed your iPod with new hits. Since it is an Apple service, it makes very easy to download music to your iPod. The newest version can even establish a link to the online store ; where you can view and order the latest and greatest. iTunes software can synchronize your complete music library or playlists either manually or automatically from a host computer.

Apart from music purpose, people use the Apple iPods for storing pictures or important files. Newer versions that support video will let you view movies, TV shows and your picture libraries..

Cost Of Apple iPods:
The cost of iPods differs according to the refinements and facilities. Some models have a touch screen or video player and will cost more than the basic. Memory will also affect the cost of your iPod. In any event, apple has tried to make an iPod for every taste .

iPod Revolution:
The first iPod had 1000 songs in its pocket but today an iPod can have nearly 40000 songs. The audio play back and the video playback have added a lot of functionality to the basic model. With one charge you can enjoy hours of entertainment. All the models and generations have been extremely well received. The Apple has moved the enjoyment of portable music light years beyond the early days of tinny sound and one-eared enjoyment.

The iPod Mini is a digital audio player designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It was the midrange model in Apple's iPod product line. It was announced on January 6, 2004 and released on February 20 of the same year. A second-generation version was announced on February 23, 2005 and released later that year. The iPod mini line was officially discontinued on September 7, 2005 and replaced by the iPod nano line.

The iPod mini retained the touch-sensitive scroll wheel of the third generation iPod; however, instead of the four touch buttons located above the wheel, the buttons were made mechanical beneath the wheel itself—hence the name click wheel.

Above the wheel is a monochrome LCD that displays a menu or information about the selected track. Newer-generation iPods have since adopted color displays.

Both generations of iPod mini were almost identical in their external features; their differences lay in their storage and battery capacities. Both versions are 3.6x2.0x0.5 inches (91x51x13 mm) and weigh 3.6 ounces (102 grams). The case consists of anodized aluminum. First generation iPod minis were available in five colors: silver, gold, pink, blue, and green.

First generation models were available in a 4 GB size, while second generation models were available in both 4 GB and 6 GB versions (capable of storing roughly 1,000 and 1,500 songs, respectively) and eventually had the drive size laser etched on the case to help distinguish between the two.
Like the iPod nano, the iPod mini supported MP3, AAC/M4A, WAV, AIFF, and Apple Lossless audio formats. It also retained the iPod's integration with iTunes and the iTunes Store, allowing for syncing between the software application and the iPod mini.

Ever since its launch, the iPod Nano has been on a spree, winning the hearts of music fanatics everywhere. The iPod brought about a mini revolution in the way in which people listened to their music. You were no longer restricted to the random songs that played on the radio, neither were you encumbered by a large walkman or disk man that held only a few of your favorite songs. The iPod allowed you to store over a hundred songs and it was small enough to avoid becoming an encumbrance. And then the makers decided to go even more revolutionary and introduced the iPod Nano.

The iPod Nano may be small, but it seeks to do much more than simply cater to your listening pleasure. The Nano allows you to not only listen to your favorite tracks but also to view your favorite videos on its high resolution display that is 65 percent brighter than the brightest of its predecessors. With its great display, it naturally follows that the iPod Nano is meant to make watching movies, TV shows and movies a whole new experience. You no longer have to wait till you get home to tune in to your favorite shows and you can stay tuned in for as much as 5 hours.

The iPod Nano has introduced the Cover Flow mode. This allows you to view the covers of the albums that you are constantly listening to, and you can browse through them with great ease. The Click Wheel on the iPod Nano allows you to select albums and tracks, to adjust the volume, and explore the Music menu among other things.

The iPod Nano comes with a lot of storage space. You can choose between the 4 GB and 8 GB models depending on how much storage space you require. The iTunes store lets you buy both movies and music to suit your taste buds on a particular day. As for episodes of your favorite TV shows, you can get one for $1.99 and watch it on your Nano. The 5 hour battery life for viewing videos ensures that you can fit in a number of TV show episodes and at least two regular-sized movies at a stretch. If you are so inclined, you could also view the many free audio and video pod casts that the iTunes store has to offer.

If you thought this was it, think again. The iPod Nano has still more on offer. If you are a bit of a bookworm, you could check out the audio books at the iTunes store and choose from among quite an assortment of them. You could also spend your free time playing the three preloaded games or download more from the iTunes Store.In addition to all the cool functions on the iPod Nano, you have to take into consideration the chic look as well. Constructed out of anodized aluminium and polished stainless steel, priced at $149 iPod Nano is a class of its own. If you are looking to buy music and video player, the Nano may be just right.

The Ipod Classic is meant for the entertainment buff who wants to have access to videos, audios, and podcasts in the hard disk of their Apple Ipod. Ipod Classic offers them all, as it comes with a big display screen along with huge memory of 80 GB or 160 GB, which is equivalent to the memory of a computer hard disk.

Variety of sizes, colours and memory capacity all contribute to make Apple Ipods a huge success. Though many products have sprung up in market but no one till now is able to break the dominance of Apple Ipod and it continues to rule the hearts of millions since its introduction to the market.

iPod Classic
Memory: Up to USD160 GB
Colour Options: Black and silver
Price: New Retail Starts @ USD 249

Have a Musical Experience With the iPod Shuffle

Everybody seems to have an iPod these days. It is a great way to keep in tune with your music. Whether you are in a bus or a cab or working solo in the office, an iPod plugged into your ear is bound to keep you whistling while you are occupied with anything. While there is a whole range of iPods that you can choose from, the iPod Shuffle is a good buy. It has a 1 GB memory and allows you to store as many as 240 songs onto this device. So, running out of songs or getting bored of the ones on your playlist is not likely to happen too soon.

At the time of its launch, the iPod Shuffle was available in just one color -- silver. Now, however, the folks at Apple have introduced four new colors. Buyers now have a range of remixed colors to choose from and are not restricted to only one.

The best thing about the iPod Shuffle is that you can take this miniature music player out of its package and straightaway start listening to your favourite tracks. Just clip it onto your sleeve and you could be dancing all the way from your home to the work station at your office and looking hip and stylish all the while.

How do you get music onto your iPod Shuffle? You can buy tracks by your favorite artists at the iTunes store and sync them with your newly acquired music player. Over a period of time, you can amass quite a decent-sized library of your favorite songs and become a twinkle toes in your own right as you dance through the day. The iPod Shuffle comes equipped with a good battery. In fact, the battery life is as much as 12 hours. This means that you could actually be listening to 12 straight hours of music on one of your music crazy days.

This mini music player is a lot like its larger counterparts in terms of appearance and controls. There is a circular control pad right in the centre of the front face of the iPod Shuffle. The button that is bang smack in the middle of this control pad is used to play or pause a track, while the outer keys take care of other functions like switching to the next or the previous track, skipping tracks and increasing or decreasing the volume level.

The iPod Shuffle also has a shuffle switch, which is what gives this iPod its name. Press it once and you will have shuffled all your songs and will be able to listen to them in a random order. Press the button again and you can listen to the tracks on your iPod just the way you like them.

iPod Touch

The iPod touch is a portable media player and Wi-Fi mobile platform designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The product was launched on September 5, 2007 through an event called The Beat Goes On.

The iPod touch adds the graphical user interfaces Cover Flow and Multi-Touch to the iPod line and is available with 8, 16 or 32 GB of flash memory. It includes Apple's Safari web browser and is the first iPod enabling wireless access to the iTunes Store.

In July, The iPod touch will also have access to the App Store for an upgrade fee.

The iPod touch has the iPhone's multi-touch interface, with a physical home button off the touch screen. The home screen has a list of buttons for the available applications. All iPod touch models have included the applications Music, Videos, and Photos (collectively duplicating the standard functions of the iPod classic), iTunes (providing access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store), Safari, YouTube, Calendar, Contacts, Clock, Calculator, and Settings. Later models added Mail (accessing POP/IMAP/SMTP e-mail), Maps, Stocks, Notes, and Weather,which could also be added to the earlier models with the purchase of a software upgrade. Direct links to web sites can be added to the home screen by the user.