A ppleis iPod is not just a music player, it is not just a cool piece of gadgetry, and it is not just a fashion statement for the über-geek and the oh-so-chic: Appleis iPod is a cultural icon. It is so popular, so recognizable, and so in-demand that youid be hard pressed to find someone who hasnit at least heard of the iPod, and travelling the streets of New York City is a virtual iPod tour.
The iPod has so infiltrated our modern culture that the little white box is apparently worthy of appearing on the covers of Time, and now Newsweek. In fact, Apple chose Newsweek to be the vessel for announcing the 4th generation of iPods earlier this week. That same issue has several other articles centering on the iPod, the first of which, titled iPod Nation, examines the iPod phenomenon. Hereis an excerpt:
Music hits peopleis emotions, and the purchase of something that opens up oneis entire music collection -- up to 10,000 songs in your pocket -- makes for an intense relationship. When people buy iPods, they often obsess, talking incessantly about playlists and segues, grumbling about glitches, fixating on battery life and panicking at the very thought of losing their new digital friend. "Iid be devastated if I lost it," says Krystyn Lynch, a Boston investment marketer.
There is more information in the full article at Newsweek, and we recommend it as a very good read.