Apple's iPod Media Players
The iPod, the ultra-popular series of media players from Apple, have become so closely identified with portable music that "iPod" is often used interchangeably with "MP3 player" (even though the iPod doesn't use the MP3 music format). And iPods have become much more than just music players, with the addition of screens that allow you to view videos and photographs, too.
The new, top-of-the-line media player from Apple is the "iPod touch",
which features the fancy new "multi-touch" interface that was first seen on the iPhone. It's got a 3.5" video screen and comes in 8GB and 16GB models (unfortunately small compared to the "classic", see below). It's also the first iPod to provide wireless connectivity to the web via 802.11b/g WiFi. Make yourself the owner of an iPod touch...
With the introduction of the "iPod touch", the standard iPod player is now known as the " iPod classic".
The "classic" has a 2.5" color display and is available in 80GB and 160GB sizes (enough to hold up to 20,00 or 40,000 songs!). That's also plenty of space to store lots of photos and videos. Find deals on the iPod classic...
The " iPod nano"
is the slightly smaller sibling of the "classic", with a 2" inch screen encased in a shorter box. A lot less storage, too, with either 4GB or 8GB - still enough for 1,000 or 2,000 songs (or a combination of music, videos, audio books, TV shows, podcasts...) More about the iPod nano...
The " iPod shuffle"
has been redesigned to an even smaller "footprint" (maybe "handprint" would be more appropriate in this case? or "pocketprint"?). No video screen on the "shuffle" but it is the least expensive alternative, with 1GB of capacity for music and podcasts. Learn all about the iPod shuffle...
All of the iPod models use the iTunes software (available for both Mac and Windows PC's) to upload content to the player. iTunes is also the biggest online seller of digital song titles, so you can easily add tunes to your collection for play on both your PC and your iPod. (Even if you don't own an iPod, iTunes is a pretty good option for organizing your tunes on your PC. And there's a lot of free content available from the iTunes store, ranging from audio podcasts to video replays of lectures from major universities!) Visit the iTunes Store Home Page for more information and the free iTunes software download.
