IPod Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The iPod is a portable audio player designed and marketed by Apple Computer. It stores its music on a built-in hard drive, which gives it much larger capacity than other portable audio players which rely on flash memory. This also gives it the ability to serve as an external hard drive while connected to a computer; a user can store any kinds of files on it.Designed by Apple's Industrial Design Group under Jonathan Ive, iPods feature small size, a simple user interface designed around a central scroll wheel, and FireWire and USB 2.0 connectivity. As of October 2004, the iPod dominated the digital music player scene in the United States, with over 92% of the market for hard drive-based players and over 65% of the market for all types of players.
The iPod can play MP3, WAV, AAC/M4A, Protected AAC, AIFF, and Apple Lossless file formats. It cannot play Windows Media Audio or RealAudio files; and Apple seems unlikely to add support for these formats, as they compete with Apple's QuickTime.
Apple designed the iPod to work with the iTunes software. When an iPod connects to a computer, it will automatically (by default) launch iTunes and mirror any recent changes to the user's music library.
The iPod uses ultra-thin hard drives made by Toshiba.
The iPod recharges its internal battery while it has a FireWire connection to a computer. It also comes with a wall plug which can connect with the FireWire cable; the wall plug sends power over the FireWire connection, but no data, so owners can recharge their iPods without using a computer.
The first incarnation of the iPod functioned solely as a music player. Later, firmware upgrades added some PDA functions: the unit can store a copy of information from the Address Book and iCal applications on the user's Mac, and can also display notes, though users cannot edit any of this information on the iPod.
Newer iPod accessories include a memory-card reader and a voice recording module, both manufactured by Belkin and officially licensed by Apple Computer.
The iPod originally interacted only with Macintosh computers, but on July 17 2002, Apple Computer began selling a Windows version with its internal hard drive formatted as FAT32 instead of as HFS+. [1] A Microsoft Windows version of iTunes was released on October 16, 2003 [1]; previously, Windows users needed third-party software such as Musicmatch Jukebox, ephPod or XPlay to manage the music on their iPods.
The most recent generation of dockable iPods removes the Mac/Windows distinction; the iPod is shipped with its hard drive formatted for use with a Macintosh, and the user can reformat it for Windows use after purchase. An iPod with its hard drive formatted as HFS+ operates only with a Macintosh, because Windows does not recognize HFS+, but since the Macintosh can handle FAT32, an iPod formatted as FAT32 can operate with a Macintosh as well as with a PC. But HFS+ leaves slightly more space available to store data, and it lets the iPod serve as a boot disk for a Macintosh computer.
On January 8, 2004, Hewlett-Packard announced that they would license the iPod from Apple to create an HP-branded MP3 player, dubbed the HPod. The following day, Hewlett-Packard chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina unveiled the new, blue iPod-based device at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show. The production model is completely identical to the Apple iPod and is sold as the "Apple iPod + hp", and is now available from (among other places) retail giant Wal-Mart, who includes a disclaimer explaining that it will not work with their own online music service.
The head of the iPod firmware team at Apple was Jeff Robbin. His team wasresponsible for integrating the core firmware by PortalPlayer with the user interface library developed by Pixo. (Pixo was founded by a developer who had worked on the Apple Newton, a personal digital assistant formerly produced by Apple.)
This photograph shows what an iPod looks like inside.
From left to right:
While all iPods are roughly the same size and have the same capabilities, the design has undergone several revisions since it was first introduced to the market. There are four distinct generations of iPods, commonly known as 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G. (These designations are not related to the Power Macintosh G3, G4, or other Macintosh models.)
Within any generation of iPods, various models have been available with different sizes of hard drives, at different price points. Usually, three sizes of iPods have been on the market at any given time, priced at $299, $399, and $499. The least expensive comes with earphones, a FireWire cable, and a wall plug to recharge the iPod's internal battery. The other two models include all that along with a belt-clip carrying case, a wired remote control, and a docking cradle.
The iPod Mini is a smaller unit available in various colors and is not considered a member of one of the "generations," though it was released between the 3G and 4G models.
The mechanical scroll wheel, the most distinctive feature of the iPod, was designed by Apple but developed by Synaptics, a firm that also developed the trackpad used by many laptops, including Apple's PowerBooks. The 1G iPod featured four buttons - Menu, Play/Pause, Back, and Forward - arranged around the circumference of the scroll wheel.
The 2G iPods replaced the mechanical scroll wheel with a touch-sensitive, non-moving one (also made by Synaptics) which could detect the motion of the user's finger circling around it. The button in the center of the wheel was now also touch-sensitive, though the buttons around the wheel were still mechanical. These iPods came with a wired remote control and belt-clip carrying case.
On April 28, 2003, Steve Jobs introduced an "ultrathin" iPod series. These were slightly smaller than their predecessors, and their edges were more bevelled. Over the life of the 3G iPod series, models were available in 15GB, 20GB, 30GB, and 40GB sizes.
These iPods used a new kind of connector, longer and flatter than a typical Firewire plug. This allowed them to fit more easily into a docking cradle (which shipped with all but the least-expensive iPod, and was also available separately).
The 3G iPod featured touch-sensitive buttons located below the display. They would glow red for a few seconds when touched, allowing the iPod to be used more easily in the dark.
With the 3G iPods, Apple stopped shipping separate Mac and Windows versions of the unit. Instead, all iPods now shipped with their hard drives formatted for Macintosh use; on the included CD-ROM was a Windows utility which could reformat them for use with a Windows PC. These iPods also introduced the ability to be used with a USB2 connection (the USB adapter cable was sold separately).
When purchased through the online Apple Store, the iPod featured custom engraving: two lines of text could be engraved on the back (for an additional charge).
In January 2004, Apple introduced a smaller variation, the iPod mini. With 4 GB of storage and a price of $249 USD (which was only $50 below the 15GB iPod), it was panned by critics for being too expensive; but once again it was proven by its overwhelming popularity, and Apple Stores had difficulty keeping them in stock.
The iPod Mini moves the buttons to the scroll wheel itself. Pressing an edge of the wheel clicks it like a button; hence, the new wheel is known as a "click wheel." Another notable distinction is that the iPod Mini is available in a choice of five colors of anodized aluminum.
The most obvious difference between the 4G iPod and its predecessors was the introduction of the click wheel design from the iPod Mini. The 4G iPod was only slightly smaller, but it increased battery life to 12 hours and introduced the ability to charge the battery over a USB connection. It also offered larger capacities at the same price points; the 20GB unit cost $299 USD and the 40GB unit cost $399 USD.
On October 28, 2004, the iPod Photo was released in 40GB and 60GB sizes with color displays and the ability to store and show photographs.
On the same day, the iPod Special Edition U2 was also released. It is black with a red click wheel, and features the signatures of U2 band members engraved on the back, but otherwise is identical to 4G iPods. It comes with an iTunes Music Store coupon redeemable for $50 off the price of "The Complete U2," a "digital boxed set" featuring 400 tracks of U2 music. [1]
The fourth generation iPod now comes bundled with both FireWire and USB connectivity cables for Mac and Windows PC users.
There have been rumors of a Flash drive based iPod from various credible sources both from the Apple computing world and the financial sector. If there is to be one soon, the 2004 holiday season and the New Year are possible times for release. The current iPods have 60-70% market share of the MP3 Player market, and 92% of the hard drive MP3 player market. If these Flash-based iPods are to be shipped, analysts have been calling prices of $149 for about 1GB of storage. The release of these Mac-world dubbed "iPod micro"s will may well prove to be the definitive key to iPod's complete domination of the MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3) Player market.
Also, it has been rumored that Apple will introduce video-playing capabilities to thier iPods, in addition to the photo-viewing cababilities already introduced. In addition, more special edition iPods are expected to occompany the U2 version, sporting wild color combinations and laser etching.
Like most lithium-ion batteries, the iPod battery lasts roughly 500 full recharge cycles. In other words, the battery will continue to have a useful life through the equivalent of five hundred complete discharges and recharges; the life of the battery will generally decrease until eventually it does not hold a charge for very long. Apple has published guidelines on its web site for maximizing the life of an iPod battery. [1]
In late November 2003, film-makers and Apple enthusiasts The Neistat Brothers produced and distributed over the Internet a movie highlighting that the battery in their early-model iPod failed after what they thought was a relatively short period of time. The movie depicted the Brothers vandalizing Apple ads in the New York City area with graffiti proclaiming "iPod's unreplaceable battery lasts only 18 months." Shortly before this, Apple Computer had introduced a battery replacement scheme (US$99) for out-of-warranty iPods, and offered users the option to extend the warranty of their iPods (US$59). [1] [1] In addition, other companies are offering battery replacements for as little as US$50, or the user can purchase a battery (here for example) for around US$30 and replace it by hand (using this simple tutorial). Many other tutorials are also available online.
No other portable music player apart from the iPod can play the protected AAC (.m4p) files available at Apple's iTunes Music Store. Some see this restriction as a way to increase the sale of iPods. Steve Jobs has said as much: "We would like to break even [or] make a little bit of money [on the iTunes Music Store] but it's not a money maker." It is possible to circumvent the restriction by burning protected files to an audio CD and then re-importing them from the CD, although this is tedious and causes a reduction in sound quality. Another way to circumvent the copy protection is with a third-party software program called Hymn.
This is an Article on IPod. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About IPod Capabilities
Design
The unit's case is snapped together; there are no screws or glue involved. The plastic front of the case has clips which lock under a ridge inside the rim of the metal case back. The iPod can be pried open by carefully inserting a small screwdriver to pull the metal away from the clips.Models
First generation
First announced on October 23 2001, the original iPod was available for $399 with a 5 GB hard drive. [1] Critics panned the unit's price, but the iPod was an instant hit in the marketplace. A 10 GB version ($499) was announced in March 2002, and a 20 GB version in July (introduced at $499 with a price drop of $100 for the other two models).Second generation
Third generation
iPod Mini
Fourth generation
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In July 2004, the fourth generation of iPod was released. In a new publicity route Steve Jobs announced the release by being the subject of a front-page article in Newsweek magazine.Future
Battery life
The iPod was designed with an internal lithium ion battery that was not intended by Apple to be replaced by the user after it died, although it can be done with a little effort.iTunes Music Store
Third-party accessories
Key players
See also
External links