Dan's Thoughts

The iPod certainly got a lot of attention when I showed it to people, including a Windows guy named Bill Gates. He spun the wheel, checked out the menus on the display screen and seemed to get it immediately. “It looks like a great product,” he said. And then he added, incredulous, “It’s only for Macintosh?”— Steven Levy

This will be a little discussion of the pop-culture phenomenon that is the Apple iPod MP3 player. Firstly, I have to state that I really like these little doodads. They are an unbelievably cool gadget and I think they are very practical. With that established, I hate the damn things.

Everyone and their brother either has one or wants one (amplified by the current holiday shopping season and aggressive marketing by Apple). Who wouldn’t want one really? You can hold about a weeks worth of non-stop music files, pictures from recent vacations/ceremonies/etc, and now video. Soon they will massage your feet, make your dinner, get you a cold one, and keep an eye on your significant other. But do you really want one? Can you justify $200-$400 (Excluding the Shuffle) on a tech toy that will undoubtedly be upgraded within six months? Do you have a problem switching from Windows Media Player over to iTunes, assuming you don’t have a Macintosh PC, and lets get honest…if you have a Mac, you’re either an Art major or having serious identity issues. Are you going to be able to keep track of your iPod and keep it in good condition? It isn’t too hard for a shadowy figure to perform a heist on a 1.5oz device. Are you going to pay for the all extra accessories? Have you taken into account the reliability issues with the new Nano Ipod (http://www.nanoscratch.com)?? The incurred costs of the FM tuner, the 46 different color/fabric holders, the dock, the stereo that plays your songs, the stereo that plays and recharges your iPod, etc etc.

Everyone walks around campus with those little white buds firmly implanted in their ears, sauntering around the quad in a zombie-esque trance. iPods have nearly single-handedly eliminated the social atmosphere of weekday interaction. At the mall, hopping from tile-to-tile singing “I’m Walking on Sunshine”, the kid in the library on the computer next to you head banging while he writes a paper on decriminalization of marijuana, the poker player who every orbit asks at least twice, “Huh, is it my turn to act?” because he can’t turn down his Taking Back Sunday a decibel or two.

Lastly, why the iPod? Since it was introduced in 2001, Steve Job’s little cash cow has owned the MP3 market (>75%) and reaffirmed Apple as an innovative, creative, and most importantly, profitable, player in the PC industry even though Macintosh’s account for far less than 10% of American computers. It has evolved from the original into what we see today through five distinct generations. The scroll wheel, the color screen, the pictures, the video, the now extinct Mini, and the new Nano have all been great sellers regardless of release date. Is it that much of a pop-culture status icon that we must overpay for a product that has numerous substitute goods? This Chrismakwanzakhuh when you are thinking of asking for or buying an iPod as a potential gift, evaluate the things I’ve mentioned.

Not that I really care as I’m not Anti-iPod, I’m just jealous that I won’t be getting one.