I think the innovation is making the iPod very simple aesthetically.
This allows easy use and doesn't intimidate people who may be
otherwise put off using new technology. The touch/clickwheel is also
very tactile, offering immediate feedback and being obvious how to
use.
In my own experience, I have let friends of all ages have a go with my
iPod and without any explaination from me they have understood how to
use it within a minute or so. This is testament to its intuitiveness
which is again, another advantage over more visually complex rivals.
The more complex arrangement of playlists and so on can be set up via
your computer so you have a decent sized screen to work with, and the
actual song tranfer process is almost transparent - connect your iPod
in its dock and the software automatically recognises it and copies
your music across.
The iPod also has the backup of the iTunes music store which is the
largest of the current online stores - and the iPod is the only mp3
player compatible with it. The iPod doesn't work with WMA files, but
unless you use some of the other online stores such as Napster or
mycokemusic then this isn't a big problem for most people. The iPod is
compatible with many other formats as can be seen on the iPod
specification page (http://www.apple.com/ipod/specs.html)
The iPod product line has expanded in recent times to include the iPod
photo, the iPod, the iPod mini and the iPod shuffle - this means that
you can find the right iPod to suit your needs, whereas rivals usually
don't offer a family of devices, just one or two models with slight
variation. |
