The invention of the Ipod and it's impact on society Research Paper

The invention of the Ipod and its impact on society - Research Paper ExampleThis adopt explores the social context in which Apples iPod has gained significance in the lives of millions of users. The iPod as a expert and commercial success In October 2001, computer manufacturer Apple launched the iPod, a pocket-sized gadget that plays practice of medicine that may be lis 10ed to by its wearer even piece the latter is mobile. The iPods introductory price at $399 was considered by its critics to be a major problem since it was priced higher than many of the separate music players it was competing with at the time. More importantly, the iPod was released into the market just after 9/11 and at the height of the technology go under (Economist, 2004). Instead, the iPod had instead proven to be the most popular, best-selling, and concededly the most fashionable music-player in the market. In nearly whole public places, people could be seen with the characteristic white earphone leads leading to the device. The earliest models were built with a 5 gigabyte hard disk that could store up to 1,000 songs the later models had upwards of 40 gigabytes and a storage capacity of 10,000 songs, when other MP3 players could only store dozens of selections at the most. Coupled with the iPods huge memory is Apples iTunes that allows music to be downloaded at less than a dollar per track. Techno buffs point out that while the iPod is essentially a fad that may be replaced by other devises and models, it is the first music-playing device to force use of hard disk technology. In the next few years after the iPod was introduced in the market, its straightaway converts belonged to the twenty- and thirty-something status-conscious young adults (Bulik, 2008), and eventually to the teen-agers whose parents could spend the nearly four hundred dollars for one device per child. These meant non only the students in college, but similarly their professors who used their units not only t o record music, but also digital lectures and talks that they would listen to in their free time (Levy, et al, 2004). More recently, and particularly since less high-priced models such as the iPod Nano ($149) had been marketed, there had been growing applications for the very young. Today, nearly one-third of digital media users are ten years old and below, and more than half of them prefer the iPod (Bulik, 2008). They usually benefit from hand-me-down video iPod units when their parents riff to newer models, but which still work well. At the same time, content directed at this age assort have been developed by Disney, such as customized selections from Hannah Montana, High School Muscial and Pirates of the Carribean. Other media companies are followers suit. The early success stature of the iPod culture was further enhanced when celebrities began enthusing over their own units, such as songwriter Denise Rich, Will Smith who called it the gadget of the century, and Gwyneth Paltr ow who praised iPod in Vogue and coincidentally (or not) named her baby Apple. The device and its spot white earplug leads were seen in many movies and TV shows of the early 2000s as a common feature of occasional life (Levy, et al., 2004). During the early years, the iPod had been most conspicuous in big cities and college campuses, and were patronized by students and professionals such as judges (Levy, et al., 2004). More recently, its use had spread even to unconventional locations (for a digital music player) and for reasons other than