Especially when you think of other company execs (like those from Sony & Dell) are also walking those streets - must drive them nuts.

As for the low percentage of minis, that's understandable considering the huge shortage at the present time.

http://macobserver.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10503&highlight=

As a New Yorker, I can attest that Brad's post is absolutly accurate. This has always been of interest to me. New York, with its high rate of pedestrians and public transport, is the ideal place to use an iPod (and see others using iPods).

What is like in other big cities? Do you see lots of iPods every day?

You sampled people near the DV Expo. There may be a higher proportion of Mac/iPod users in the vicinity of the Expo. Just a thought.

I THINK I see a lot here in D.C. on the Metro. I'm not sure because everyone keeps whatever they're listening to in their pockets! What can I say, around here even the liberals dress conservatively so you don't see gizmos hanging on people's belts that much.

I am seeing a lot of white headphones which, although not proof, does lead me to believe a lot of iPods are around. And I see a few of the ones with the controls on the headphones as well so I KNOW those are.

I think that I can safely say that at LEAST 50% of the headphones I see now are iPods. Probably slightly more if some people use their own headphones with the iPod.

I was in New York two weeks ago, and I couldn't get over how many people I saw with iPods. I was all over town, and I saw them everywhere. I don't know if the numbers are bigger there than elsewhere, but it is quite obvious that the iPod has taken New York by storm. Way cool if you ask me.

I was in New York on business a few weeks ago and had a bit of time to kill so I went into an electronic gadget store. About .003ms after crossing the threshold I had a sales person all over me. The pitch of the moment was a mini Panasonic video recorded. Now here's the thing. His biggest sales feature pitch was that this thing had a built in iPod (he mentioned that a number of times). Not an MP3 player or a digital jukebox or a Walkman or digital media player but an iPod.

I just about jumped on my high horse to educate him on what an iPod is and what the thing in his hand actually was. But I stopped myself. I had gone through that before, trying to explain to my Mom that her Eureka vacuum cleaner is not actually called a hover.

Walking around downtown Chicago, one can see many iPods as well, probably not as many as Mr. Gibson in New York... but definately a respectable amount, more than any other music device by far. They seem to be even more popular on the L, and other public transportation...

Here in San Francisco it's the same way, actually having an iPod visible is now gauche and tacky, you've got to tuck it away and replace the headphones.

The white iPod with the red lighted buttons is the only one New Yorkers want. Dear APPL: do not change this ipod, to do so would a big mistake. Add features to it if you want, but don't change the size/shape or appearance.

Quote

Guest wrote:
I was in New York on business a few weeks ago and had a bit of time to kill so I went into an electronic gadget store. About .003ms after crossing the threshold I had a sales person all over me. The pitch of the moment was a mini Panasonic video recorded. Now here's the thing. His biggest sales feature pitch was that this thing had a built in iPod (he mentioned that a number of times). Not an MP3 player or a digital jukebox or a Walkman or digital media player but an iPod.

I just about jumped on my high horse to educate him on what an iPod is and what the thing in his hand actually was. But I stopped myself. I had gone through that before, trying to explain to my Mom that her Eureka vacuum cleaner is not actually called a hover.

When I was in NYC two months ago I noticed the same thing, I went to FIT for a presentation and I saw so many white headphones in about a 3 block radius that it was crazy.

I live in Wellington, New Zealand, yes at the bottom of the world (without nuclear weapons). I can walk 2 blocks and see 5 iPods. We are late adopters down here but the iPod is everywhere.

Here in Seoul, Korea, I have never seen an iPod other than my own. Perhaps that explains the recent 10-month, no interest deals on iPods and minis. Man, Apple's market share in Korea must be the lowest of any modern nation.

I was in Buenos Aires last week and I live in Chile. Never seen an iPod here apart from mine. But for the average Joe here in Chile, a 20Gb iPod represents a month salary.

Mark, Valparaiso, Chile

I live in Northern California and have yet to see an Ipod, except online

Over here in Berlin (Germany) there are still more white Sony-headphones taking the underground... But most Mp3-Players are Disc-Players not HD.

To prevent confusion: by "Northern California" I mean 350 miles north of that big Central California city that is adjacent to Silicon Valley in which people liike to describe themselves as from Northern CA

I think the key here is that people in NYC walk, take the train, or take cabs. We don't have room to carry around a book of CDs like those midwest people who drive around in their cars all the time.

I think you are right and add that fads and fashions propogate more rapidly in cities-- for both practical (I'm unlikely to order one without having been able to chech the sound quality with my ear) and cultural (rural people tend to look down on the faddish urbanites and don't want to be mistaken for one) reasons.

I go to a small college in Minnesota. The number of iPod users here is ... amazing, really. I see at least one everyday.

Brilliant ... it was funny, and even more so on one of the most fun places in the world .. i asked 2 of the owners if they also have a mac (unforunately not .. i urged them to make their lives even better by buying one)

cheers

I'm sorry. I can't help it. I'm just so curious to know what Reality Check is thinking right now, I can hardly stand it.

That ppl don't upgrade shows it's imagined status of iPod white they want to show off.
If audio fidelity was an issue, Ogg Vorbis would be supported.

..its not imagined. Its quite real. IPODS RULE. Don't you want to be part of the ruling clan? I live in Minneapolis or, the miniapple. I see ipods on the street and in the gym. I have yet to SEE an ipod mini on the street or in the store or online...geeez, cmon apple, MAKE MORE!!!

"That ppl don't upgrade shows it's imagined status of iPod white they want to show off.
If audio fidelity was an issue, Ogg Vorbis would be supported."

Ogg? Audio fidelity? Please. Ogg is so overrated, it's not even funny. Distortion at high frequencies, lacking bass in even the most bass-heavy music and a generally hollow sound (which, having highly-sensitive ears, drives me nuts). The only reason Ogg has any kind of acceptance is because it has the distinction of being an open-source format, otherwise it'd just be another digital music format among the many out there.

*Ahem*

As for iPod spotting, they're fairly popular in London as well, mainly with city workers and trendy types, though.