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The iPod and other MP3 players are one of the biggest success stories in personal electronics of the early 21st century. Millions of people have joined the revolution in personal entertainment by purchasing one of the "portable media players" made by Apple, Creative Labs, iRiver, Microsoft, Rio, Samsung, SanDisk, Sony or many other manufacturers. Originally just for listening to music (often stored in the "MP3" digital format) these little marvels eventually sprouted video-quality viewing screens that made for easier navigation and, ultimately, viewing photographs and watching videos. The amount of storage also grew as the price of memory fell and it quickly became possible to store your entire music library in a little box that fit in the palm of your hand.
Apple did much of the ground-breaking work that made digital music - and their iPod players and iTunes web site - grow so fast. iTunes made it possible to avoid buying an entire CD and just buy the "good parts" from an artist's library (and do it legally).
