INTRODUCTION
In October of 2001 the world was introduced to one of the greatest inventions, the iPod. Who would have guessed that the iPod would grow so much throughout the years. The iPod started off as a simple device that held about 1000 songs and now the iPod is completely upgraded and has literally revolutionized the world. Many changes have come about the iPod in the timespan of about 9 years. The most high tech and popular iPod is the touch iPod. Throughout this paper I will be discussing how the iPod touch has grown and how it has revolutionized and changed the way things are done in our society.
BACKGROUND
“1000 songs in your pocket” was the slogan for the new iPod, thus beginning the start of the iPod revolution. The first iPod was released October 23, 2001 and it was referred to as the iPod first generation. This iPod ran for about four hundred dollars, had a battery life span of 10 hours and could hold 5-10 GB’s of music. The iPod had a simple look to it, rectangular with a spinning wheel and four buttons in the middle. There were no special features that came with the iPod and it had a black and white LCD screen. This was the simplest and most basic of the iPod chain and it was known as an iPod classic. Apple later released more updated forms of the iPod classic. They are now up to the iPod Classic 6.5 generation and it is easily much different and more updated from the first generation iPod. The first thing that is noticed about the 6.5 generation iPod is that the style is completely different. It is a sleeker and less clunky version of the first one; however, it still has the spinning wheel in the middle with the four buttons. The battery life is an astounding 36 hours and it has the capability to hold 160 GB’s of information. With the ability to watch movies, listen to music, and download pictures all with a color LCD screen, the latest classic iPod has definitely seen some improvement. There are also other versions of the iPod: iPod Classic, Nano, Mini, Shuffle and Touch. The most advanced and popular of the five is the iPod touch. The first iPod touch was released in 2007 and this is what revolutionized the way people listen to music and how things are done in our society. This new device was completely touchscreen and had several new and exciting features. Wi-Fi accessibility, safari web browser, access to YouTube and iTunes store were just a few of the many things that involved the internet on this small device. The iPod touch also launched the success and use of apps. Apps gave the owner of an iPod touch the chance to download games, weather apps, and pretty much anything you could think of. The most recently released iPod is the iPod touch 4th generation. However, detail about the iPod touch will later be discussed in the paper. (Hormby and Knight, 2005)
POTENTIAL BENIFITS
Although the iPod started off as a simple portable device to listen to music on, it has actually grown into something so much more. Several benefits have come from the iPod, especially the iPod touch. One journal article states that the iPod touch is helping students learn and achieve things in the classroom, “The recent sophisticated capabilities of the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad have encouraged further speculation on exactly how K-12 teaching and learning might be energized by such devices” (Banister, 2010). Schools are using the iPod touch as a learning tool because of its many advantages and uses. Using an iPod touch makes it easy for students to access, watch and see media and photos needed for class. The iPod touch comes with several other helpful features such as a calculator, map, weather, and note apps all of which have worked their way into becoming a part of education. Another reason this is so potentially beneficial to schools around the country is because of the price. Compared to laptops and computers, the iTouch is extremely cheap, yet durable and easy to use. “These devices are inexpensive, compared to classroom laptop carts or computer labs, and their portability and durability provide students with potential learning tools that traverse the classroom, bus stop, and home” says Banister. The iPod touch is also becoming extremely useful in the workforce. With the iPod touch the owner has the capability to check email on the go and to access the internet to deal with important work issues. Recently, video conferencing has begun to take an important role in the business world. For businesses dealing with a trade in China, for example, it is much easier to communicate while seeing the person’s face verse just hearing their voice. The latest form of the iPod touch has a camera on both sides of the device. This allows the user to have a video conversation with another person using their iPod touch. All these features are all potentially very beneficial for our society and it could make things easier for the way we communicate and deal with others.
FURTHER REQUIRED RESEARCH
As stated before, the newest iPod touch has two cameras which allow for users to Skype, make video calls, or just take pictures of themselves. This was just one of the hundred new features that were recently added to the newest iPod touch (Apple, 2010). The apple makers call this video calling feature “Face Time”. Another feature added to the latest iPod touch is the retinal display image which has significantly improved the quality of images. An additional upgrade added to the iPod touch is the HD video camera. The first iPod touch didn’t even have a camera built into them and now the newest iPod touch can take pictures, record HD videos and even video call with people! The first iPod had about six extra applications on it and now the iPod touch has several applications. There are apps for the weather, maps, and calendars and not to mention you can download applications from the app store. The new iPod touch also allows for the user to separate apps into folders. With all the upgrades and additions, the iPod touch has made major improvements for the better.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it’s easy to see that the iPod brand has come a long way. Starting off as a simple rectangular device that could only play music the iPod has completely changed. Now the iPod has become touchscreen with the ability to listen to not only music, but also watch videos and movies. The iPod has revolutionized the way things work in our society. Although they are used for personal enjoyment, they are also used for business and learning. Doing research on how far along the iPod has come and how much affect it has on our society really makes me wonder what Apple will develop next.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Apple; iPhone 4 Available in China on September 25. (2010, October). China Weekly News,199. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from ProQuest Asian Business and Reference. (Document ID: 2149799481).
S. Banister, “Integrating the iPod Touch in K-12 Education: Visions and Vices,” Computers in
the Schools 27, no. 2 (2010): 121.
Tom Hormby and Dan Knight, “A History of the iPod: 2000 to 2004,” (2005)
