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| If you haven't heard of Apple's iPod you must have been living on a remote island without radio, TV or any means of communication! But maybe you don't actually know what it does or what its benefits are, so lets begin by looking at the history. First came the Walkman by Sony. Then it was the Discman. You could go for a walk with the Walkman or even take a jog. But as soon as you started to bounce the music would also bounce and skip. It wasn't great and the Discman was even worse. In addition, they were too bulky to carry comfortably and they didn't hold many tracks. Then, in 2001, Apple produced the first iPod and all of that changed. At that time it was just another music player that could handle MP3 files but what a player! It was lightweight at just 6 ounces and it used a miniature Hard Drive that never skipped a beat. Best of all, it could hold thousands of audio tracks - music or books - and the software to load those tracks was free. In addition, the iTunes software was available for MacOS and for Windows. It allowed you to "rip" music tracks from CDs and put them into your iPod. Then Apple got a little bit clever and, after months of negotiations, struck a deal with the record companies that allowed it to set up a web site where you could pay to download audio tracks with a choice of over a million songs. These tracks could be loaded into your iPod and off you go; a four hour flight was no problem - you could listen to music or audio book tracks all the way. The iPod has a rechargeable battery inside so you simply charged it up before leaving home. The early iPods had problems with an earphone connection that broke easily and a battery that barely lasted a year and was expensive to replace. At first, you had to return the iPod to Apple and pay almost as much as a new iPod but soon it was possible to buy a replacement battery kit from independent suppliers and Apple reduced its own prices to compete. The latest iPods have a colour LCD screen and can hold both audio and images - so you can show your holiday pictures to your friends and family with relative ease. They are also slightly smaller, lighter and less "clunky" than the original iPod, as well as cheaper. But the price drop comes at the expense of losing the carrying case (with the infamous clip that always broke) and losing the Firewire cable which is required for connection to older Apple Macs. Instead, you get a USB2 cable that is compatible with most modern PCs - Windows and Mac. This cable is also used to connect the iPod to its neat little charger unit which can be plugged into any mains power supply from 110 to 250 volts with a suitable pin adaptor (available from Apple). Apple introduced a smaller version of the iPod called the iPod "Mini". This was available in a choice of colours and has a plastic belt clip. Although obsolete, it's still worth buying. Note that some iPods - such as the mini - come without a battery charger. To replace the iPod "Mini", Apple brought out the iPod "nano" which is a smaller version and comes in a choice of metallic colours. Its small size came at the expense of Hard Drive capacity but it can still hold up to a thousand tracks (4GB version). The "nano" was followed by the iPod "Shuffle" which is about the size of a highlight marker pen. It plays hundreds of tracks in random order but lacks the LCD display and control buttons of the standard models. Since the iPod accepts any MP3 audio track, you can record radio programmes via the iTunes software and load them into the iPod. And the latest craze, spawned by the iPod, is the "Podcast". This is an audio track - usually produced in a radio show format - which is made specifically for downloading as an MP3 file for loading into your iPod. The latest version of iTunes software supports these Podcasts, making it a simple matter to download them. There are thousands of Podcasts available now and you can browse the list via iTunes to choose those that might interest you. "New Scientist" magazine produces one. There are several that deal with Apple Mac and Windows news. My favourite is one about technology, called "Connecting The Dots", by Steve Borsch. The earphones supplied with all iPod models are white with white cords. These look cool but they scream "Mug me, I've got an iPod". My preference is for the Sony "Fontopia Plus in-ear headphones" from Argos (MDR-ED21LP). These are black, give a good bass response and are very comfortable in my tiny shell-like ears! The iPod has spawned a lot of businesses and is boosting economies everywhere. Small companies are producing add-on equipment that lets you use the iPod in a car or lets you use it as a dictation machine. There's a big choice of in-car chargers and adapters. Apple itself is making money from its iTunes music download store and from sales of Apple Mac computers that have been boosted by the presence of the iPod. Suddenly it's cool to own a Mac - you don't have to be a geek. Many people are switching from PC to Mac or buying an Apple Mac to use in conjunction with their ordinary PC. The latest iMac products are very popular and the Apple Mac "Mini" computer is a relatively low-cost unit that can be used with an existing PC keyboard, mouse and monitor screen. Indeed, I just bought one for my 78 year old mother and she loves it! For those of you in business, the iPod presents an opportunity to expand. You can offer a battery replacement service and you can sell accessories. You might also like to look into servicing Apple Mac computers as they increase in popularity. For many repairs, this is simply a matter of replacing the internal memory battery or the Hard Drive - both standard parts as used in PCs. Those who get in first will leave behind the competitive PC market and will find that Apple Mac work commands far higher prices.
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