iPod Technology Scary To Some; UK Companies To Help

T his is not a late April Foolis joke, at least, we donit think it is: British newspaper The Independent is reporting that some people are finding the iPod, and the technology that surrounds it, including the iTunes Music Store, technically challenging. Indeed, these techno-phobes are finding the iPod so challenging, they need help to use their iPods. Even more interesting, the newspaper says that new companies are being launched to fill the teaching void, and help people with their scary iPods.

No kidding.

From The Independent article, The iPod set are cool, but clueless:

Itis the epitome of cool, a must-have item rated No 1 with teenagers, oldies and muggers alike.

Yet the iPod digital music player has confused so many thousands of new owners that the gadget has spawned its own service industry - to help technophobes download their own songs.

Even though the designer-creation from Apple has been flying off the shelves in a storm of favourable publicity, few realise how complicated it can be to operate.

Some music fans complain they have to upgrade their computer to get the iPod to work. Others report spending hours or even weeks transferring just a few tracks from their CD collection to the new player.

Now companies are springing up to meet the need, including the London-based wePod, which does the hard work of converting disc tracks into electronic files for the iPod, using its own specially developed software. Even though it does not advertise, the new venture claims it has been inundated with inquiries.

There is another section of the article that talks about other bits of technology that seems to confuse some folks, such as the digital watch and the VCR. Itis an interesting read, so stop by The Independent for the full article.