| iPod is a digital mp3 / mp4 player | | | | and Skip Backwards/ Fast Reverse. An |
| developed and marketed by Apple Inc., an | | | | additional Hold button is provided for |
| American consumer electronics | | | | accidental button pressing prevention, |
| multinational corporation. During their | | | | and it can reset the iPod if it has |
| research, Apple found that in comparison | | | | frozen or crashed. Functions such as |
| to available camcorders, digital | | | | volume control, scrolling are handled by |
| cameras, and organizers; digital music | | | | the usage of the rotational click wheel. |
| players recorded poor sales, primarily | | | | Later models have some minor changes in |
| due to their awful user interfaces. | | | | the functions of the buttons but overall |
| Apple wanted to do something about it | | | | the number of buttons has remained at |
| and so Jon Rubinstein, Apple's hardware | | | | five. |
| engineering chief brought together a | | | | To market this path-breaking mp3 / mp4 |
| team comprising of Tony Fadell (who | | | | player, they needed a suitable |
| dreamed of a hard disk based music | | | | futuristic name and so they hired a |
| player), Michael Dhuey (hardware | | | | freelance copywriter, Vinnie Chieco, and |
| engineer), Jonathan Ive (design | | | | other writers to give a name. Inspired |
| engineer), and Stan Ng (marketing | | | | by the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and |
| manager). In less than a year, they | | | | the dialogue "Open the pod bay door, |
| designed a hard disk based music player, | | | | Hal!" with reference to the context of |
| that had a 5 GB hard drive and capable | | | | the Discovery One spaceship and its |
| of storing 1000 songs. | | | | white EVA Pods, Vinnie Chieco proposed |
| Apple's iTunes software is utilized to | | | | the name of the product as iPod. The |
| operate the iPod (m3 / mp4 player). The | | | | management of Apple accepted the |
| software is compatible with all Mac | | | | proposed name and on 23 October 2001, |
| systems. The operating system is stored | | | | the iPod was officially launched. The |
| on its hard disk. A boot loader program | | | | rest they say is history. |
| is contained in a NOR flash ROM chip | | | | To enable customers to access songs of |
| (either 1 MB or 512 KB) which instructs | | | | their choice, Apple opened up an online |
| the device to load the operating system | | | | media store The iTunes Store on 29 April |
| from the hard disk. The iPod has a 32 | | | | 2003, where individual songs could be |
| MB of RAM, a portion of which is used to | | | | downloaded at prices less than a U.S. |
| hold the operating system from firmware, | | | | dollar per song. The purchased songs |
| and the rest is used to cache songs from | | | | can be played only on iPods. Subsequent |
| the hard disk. Apple also invented a | | | | versions of this iPod (mp3 / mp4 player) |
| technology whereby the hard disk of iPod | | | | also featured video capabilities, and |
| could spin up once and about 30 MB of | | | | thus iTunes Store started selling short |
| upcoming songs could be cached into the | | | | videos from 12 October 2005. From 12 |
| RAM. This did not require the hard disk | | | | September 2006, full-length movies were |
| to spin up for every song and thereby | | | | also available at the iTunes Store.iPods |
| saved battery power. Apple also | | | | have come a long way from their |
| introduced a Windows version of iPod, at | | | | inception, and now the latest fifth |
| a later stage. | | | | generation iPods possess multimedia |
| The audio files that iPod (mp3 / mp4 | | | | capabilities and are available in both |
| player) supports are MP3, AAC/M4A, | | | | Mac OS and Windows OS versions. |
| Protected AAC, AIFF, WAV, Audible | | | | Usually, if a new iPod is plugged into a |
| audiobook, and Apple Lossless audio file | | | | Mac OS computer, then the hard disk of |
| formats. MIDI and WMA files can be | | | | this mp3 / mp4 player is formatted as |
| played only after a convertor | | | | per the HFS+ file format, and if it |
| accomplishes conversion, for non-Digital | | | | plugged into a Windows OS computer, it |
| Rights Management (DRM). Ogg Vorbis, | | | | is formatted as per the FAT32 file |
| FLAC, and other open-source audio | | | | format. From being a digital music |
| formats are not supported at all. | | | | player, the iPod has now transformed |
| Apple wanted an extremely user friendly | | | | into a digital media player. |
| interface and thus adopted the | | | | Roberto Sedycias IT Consultant |
| minimalist interface, which features | | | | This article is under GNU FDL license |
| only five essential buttons, namely, | | | | and can be distributed without any |
| Menu (to access functions and to toggle | | | | previous authorization from the author. |
| the backlight); Center (for menu item | | | | However the author´s name and all the |
| selection); Play/ Pause (this also works | | | | URL´s (links) mentioned in the article |
| as an off switch when held for few | | | | and biography must be kept. |
| seconds); Skip Forward/ Fast Forward; | | | | |