The I-Pod Revolution and the Culture Of... I-Podism?

The iPod family has been around for some time now. And, although it has evolved into more technologically mature tool of self-induced recreation in popular entertainment and as an instrument for non-traditional method of intellectual stimulation such as audiobooks, the iPod is not an exception from the superstar mold of humble beginnings.

Albeit the iPod - even in its early stages - was anything but common, a comparative survey of how it has developed into what it is capable of doing today will reveal that it has covered some substantial ground, as far as technology and innovation is concerned.

It all began with the basic iPod. A monochrome backlit screen that came only in two storage sizes, the 30 GB storage, and the 60 GB storage. Of course, like any revolutionary idea, the iPod and the idea of a portable music player began selling like hot cakes. The iPod topped the charts for list of items that teenagers would rather die than risk being stranded on a deserted island without. Mowing lawns became less of a chore and more of a stroll up and down the yard with the helpful aid of the iPod earphones constantly attached to the ears of our young patrons.

A portable music player may not be new to people within the age bracket of thirty-ish something to forty-ish something. Of course, who can ever forget Sony's Walkman that developed the then-teenagers ability to moonwalk on Michael Jackson's music? But what is so special with this iPod that it is already a sub-culture in itself? For one, our young iPod patrons need not bring along their bulky tapes (during the 1980's) and CDs (during the late 1990s up to the present) in order to enjoy at least 3 hours worth of music-listening without having to repeat songs. With the iPod's 30 and 60 GB storage, an iPod user can store up to 7,500 and 15,000 songs respectively which is definitely more than how much audio tapes or CDs an average-sized teenage room can contain!

Going back to the first generation iPod to the latest iPod video, here are some of the iPod evolutions this generation has borne witness to:

- The first generation iPods used to have only two storage sizes, 30 and 60. Later generation iPods have 20, 30, 40, 60 GB storage sizes, and now, 80 and 120 GB capacity.

- Some first generation iPod versions can only play music and has monochrome backlights. Now, iPods come in color screens that can display photos to the highest qualities and play videos and movies!

- With regards to video iPods, it can play up to 150 hours of video or movie and you can even hook it up with a Mac of PC with a USB for a much wider viewing!

- First generation iPods have smaller screens. New generation iPods come in bigger, wider screens!

- From the fifth generation iPod to the latest, Apple has developed the iPod's ability to play music files such as AAC, MP3, and play Audible Audio Books and play podcasts.

Yes, the iPod came from humble beginnings. But over the span of a few years, this generation has seen the iPod's rise to fame with its ability to play multi media. Who knows what else it can do in a few year's, or even, month's time? The iPod has definitely fascinated us with its unique ability to quickly "evolve" and "adapt" itself to the new demands and multi-media recreational needs of this generation. And after all that has been said of the iPod, all that it is and all that it can be, who can indeed resist jumping into the sub-culture of... iPodism?