The iPod turns 10 Today marks the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the iPod. Touted in a low-key
presentation as a player that would let you carry 1000 (!) songs in a player the size of a pack of cards (!), the 1st gen model didn't really impress
techies (or
mefi), though consumers quickly fell for the stylish white and stainless player. In the ensuing years, Apple kept plugging away at new
models, and today, few even remember that Apple was late to this game. (
previously)
posted by Gilbert
on Oct 23, 2011 -
318 comments
“You can’t roll a joint on an iPod” or how the iPod killed the music industry. First the music biz overlooked the computer CD rom when they put copy control on cd burners. Then they eliminated the single. Shortly after that "mp3" replaced "sex" as the most popular search term. Apple has become the largest music seller largely against the wishes of the music biz, but 99 cents beats free. Yesterday
Apple announced they were eliminating DRM. The questions remains, who needs Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, and EMI, does Apple? When is Apple just going to replace them? There were rumors a year ago that they would
launch a record label with Jay-Z but that does not appear to have come to fruition.
posted by caddis
on Jan 7, 2009 -
105 comments
"The difference between BJ and AJ, Before and After Jobs, is not the process," [Don Norman] continues. "It is the person. Never before did Apple have such focus and dedication. Apple used to wobble, moving this way and that.
No more."
posted by Blazecock Pileon
on May 8, 2007 -
26 comments
Peter Gabriel has introduced a new iTunes plugin for Windows XP called
The Filter. Using the All Music Guide in a fashion similar to
Pandora, the software builds playlists from your library for you after you select a few tracks. Their marketing copy tells you that you should "Prepare to be reengaged and reinvigorated by your iTunes library."
OS X, WinAMP, and WMP versions are slated for the near future.
posted by beaucoupkevin
on Oct 16, 2006 -
55 comments
FairPlay is turned about. "DVD" Jon Lech Johansen, of
DeCSS fame, has reverse engineered Apple's
FairPlay DRM technology, which has thus far prevented 3rd-party digital music players from playing music purchased from the iTunes Store. RealNetworks did
something similar in 2004, but Johansen is licensing it to whomever wants it.
posted by mkultra
on Oct 2, 2006 -
41 comments
iPod competitors talk briefly about the iPod and how they think their products and design philosophies compare to it.
The comments of the CEO of Archos lives up to his country's "we are right and you are stupid" stereotype, saying,
"I do not share the opinion that Apple's design for the iPod is any good."
posted by centerpunch
on Jun 25, 2005 -
66 comments
Is he or isn't he? Slashdot member claims to be an Apple employee and posts detailed commentary on Apple's strategy and product plans, including information about unreleased products. He speaks with authority and seems to know what he's talking about. Apple does not sue Slashdot or fire any of its employees. Slashdot members debate the implications.
posted by alms
on May 17, 2005 -
29 comments
FreedomOfChoice's Apple petition was shut down yesterday by Real Networks after a single day. Why? Seems that allowing comment backfired. Instead of lambasting Apple, everyone used the forum to vent their ire at Real. Only so much freedom at a time, thank you very much.
posted by rtimmel
on Aug 19, 2004 -
16 comments
Real and France's Virgin claim that they deserve to be able to sell their music on Apple's iPod. To prove they're serious, Virgin Mega has filed a complaint against Apple to do so. Perhaps I'm missing something here, but last I checked it wasn't anybody's responsibility to open up their product or service to purposely allow the competition in. That is, of course, unless the government steps in. Are Real and Virgin Mega just being whiny little brats, angered that they're not invited to the party? What are legitimate reasons for the legal system to get involved and to rule in favor of such plaintiffs? While the obvious Microsoft may come to mind, are there other examples you can think of? As for me, I'd like to hand out copies of "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" to both Real and Virgin Mega...
posted by tgrundke
on Aug 6, 2004 -
41 comments
Lather, rinse, repeat. "The forums are ablaze with vitriolic rage. Haters pan the device for being less powerful than a Cray X1 while zealots counter that it is both smaller and lighter than a Buick Regal. The virtual slap-fight goes on and on, until obscure technical nuances like,'Will it play multiplexed Ogg Vorbis streams?' become matters of life and death." Perhaps
1 Infinite Loop has an archetypical drama.
[more q daily newsfilter]
posted by weston
on Aug 5, 2004 -
9 comments
Pro and
con arguments about the iPod. The Pro argument: It changes our relationship to music. It creates an in-group marked by instantly recognizable white earbuds. The Con argument: It changes our relationship to music. It creates an in-group marked by instantly recognizable white earbuds.
posted by Slagman
on Feb 9, 2004 -
79 comments
We've all, I'm sure by now, seen
the movie two brothers made about thier iPod's "unreplaceable battery" and them broadcasting the movie they made of thier tech support call, and their defacing apple posters, to the four winds. We may have even read the article that came out over the weekend
giving/taking credit for the introduction of the
battery replacement program for ipods from Apple as a result of thier movie. (Here's one for 1/2 the price from
other people that you can do yourself). So why doesn't the brother's
movie site have this info? Are they just out for the publicity?
This series of emails seems to prove that, as well as proving the pair of being ungrateful bastids.
posted by Dome-O-Rama
on Jan 5, 2004 -
43 comments
cool or creepy? apple is hyping the way forensic detectives in a southern town have gone mac. are we supposed to focus on the guy with the ipod or the corpse on his screen?
posted by subpixel
on Sep 26, 2002 -
32 comments
Celebrate, Windows users, you too can use the world's best MP3 player, with
the final release of
XPod
today, which gives
iPod compatiblity to
Windows.
And this is not the only option,
ephPod
does the same thing, but does require you to buy a copy of
MacOpener first.
Didn't Apple say they were coming out with their own Windows drivers for iPod
eventually?
posted by Mwongozi
on Jun 24, 2002 -
19 comments
'Bout time. For those of us holding out on the iPod, waiting for more storage space, the time to buy is finally here. One caveat: instead of dropping the price of the 5gb iPod to $299 and debuting the 10gb model at $399, they've kept the same price for the five gig and raised it a hundred bucks for the ten! Not quite what I was expecting...
posted by andnbsp
on Mar 21, 2002 -
31 comments
iWalk : Apple's new device is rumored to be a PDA/MP3 Player with a color screen and airport functionality. Never heard of spymac.com before, but this looks pretty legit. (contains photo)
posted by jragon
on Oct 23, 2001 -
72 comments
Apple Computer will introduce a 'breakthrough device' next week. Will this be the long-rumored Apple PDA that Newton fanatics have been asking for? A device for wirelessly streaming your mp3 collection through your stereo? Your basic portable mp3 player? Or something that hasn't shown up on any of the rumor sites at all? Whatever it ends up being, my curiousity is officially piqued.
posted by toddshot
on Oct 17, 2001 -
42 comments
