The introduction of the wonder music gadget- iPod by Apple brought an absolute revolution in the world of audio entertainment and forever changed the way we listened to our favorite music. The iPods helped us get rid of any kind of external storage device like tapes or CDs and gave the convenience of loading our music directly in to the player and listening from it. No wonder it was quick to gain immense popularity and today for almost everyone, listening to music on the move only means an iPod.

From direct upload and play to mammoth storage capacities- the iPod provide many unprecedented conveniences and are extremely advanced technologically. To add to the joy, there is an iPod available for every kind of usage. You want an exercise companion? Take the iPod Shuffle. Need a high capacity travel mate? Try the latest iPod Nano. What’s more, you even do not have to bother to keep a collection of CDs or MP3s for the music player at home. Just plug in your iPod Classic which is capable of storing your entire collection to it and have fun!

Technological Journey of iPods

Since the launch of the first iPod on October 23, 2001 their technology has been forever changing with new and more advanced models being launched constantly. The thing to note however is, that there are a few basic models of the iPods and technological advancements made in them are defined by their growing generations. That is the reason why you will hear about a 1st generation iPod Nano or a 3rd generation iPod Shuffle. Every increasing generation of an iPod will signify advancement in features, looks and capacity.

The first iPod that was released was later named the iPod Classic and came as a large, bulky device (compared to other iPod models) capable of high storage capacities. It was known for its large color screen too and was capable of video playback also. The latest iPod Classic has mammoth storage capacities of 80GB or 160GB and a suitable battery too. The iPod Classic is bulkier than other models as it uses a hard disk for providing path breaking storage capacities in a portable music device.

The iPod Shuffle is the one which till recently was popular as the tiny rectangle with a large jog dial and eye catching body colors. The Shuffle does not have a screen and is only meant for audio entertainment especially during workouts due to its light weight. The last generation (2nd) iPod Shuffle worked on a flash memory and could store up to 500 songs. The 3rd generation Shuffle is an even smaller device with a sleek, slim body and button control only on the headphone wires. This latest cool offering by Apple can store up to 1000 songs and is almost un felt in your pocket!

The iPod Nano was introduced as a device capable of both music and video playback and yet packaged in a neat, small, light weight body. The latest generation of Nano gives storage capacities of 8GB or 16GB, comes in attractive colors and has path breaking technology like automatically selecting a play list of songs which have the same mood of music or shuffling the songs in your library just by a mere shake of the device!

Next in line is the iPod Touch which is operated through a cool touch screen and is capable of high storage, games, music, full length movies, TV shows and other applications. Apple claims it to be the ‘funnest iPod ever’ and its slim body and swanky looks add to the appeal.

Good to Know

Apple has given a number of pluses with the iPods. Like cool accessories to go with them or wonderful applications to make your experience all the rewarding. The online iTunes store by Apple is one such advantage that will make an iPod even more tempting as Apple lets the iPod users shop for a wide range of wonderful music, videos, games, podcasts and even TV shows to download on your iPod.

There therefore are a number of reasons other than listening to music why you would want to lay hands on an iPod. You could choose an iPod according to your needs however the hottest selling iPods these days are the iPod Nano and the iPod Shuffle. The Shuffle is an ideal companion for work outs while the Nano can be good for work outs, travel, and walks. It also offers video storage and playback and is therefore the most sought after model.

You could pick up your iPod from a number of shops however if you decide to shop for it online you might just be lucky and bag a cheaper deal for yourself as many websites offer cool discounts. So, what are you waiting for? Go and pick your all round entertainer now!