How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness
I got this in my email today and thought of sharing it with you.
How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness
Steven Levy
Technology Correspondent, Newsweek
Wednesday, November 15, 2006; 12:00 PM
Steven Levy was online Wednesday, Nov. 15 at Noon ET to discuss his sixth book, "The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness." Levy is senior editor and chief technology correspondent at Newsweek. He is a longtime Apple watcher and has known Apple cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs for more than 20 years.
Besides being one of the most successful consumer products in decades, the iPod has become a global obsession. It changed people's behavior, reshaped the music business and made Apple a consumer electronics giant. In his book, Levy gives readers the story of the iPod's creation, including why the iPod is white and how Apple succeeded with its iTunes music store. Levy discusses the iPod's impact on the business and cultural worlds as well as related issues, such as the broadcast industry and copyright.
"The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness" by Steven Levy.
The transcript follows.
____________________
Steven Levy: Hi, everybody. I'm delighted to be able to take your questions on iPods, Zunes, and digital music (and media!) in general. In "The Perfect Thing" I tried not only to tell the story of how the iPod came to be, but to spend a lot of time on the economic and cultural repercussions as well. So feel free to range pretty far in your questions.
_______________________
Arlington, Va.: I am an iPod addict. I think it is a great way to carry around your entire cd collection. How many iPods have been sold in the US?
Steven Levy: As of a couple of weeks ago, Apple had sold 68 million iPods. A reasonable guess is they will sell over 15 million more in the holiday season.
_______________________
Charlottesville, Va.: Will any portable music device rival the iPod any time soon?
Steven Levy: Depends on what you mean by "soon." Apple has dominated the market for five years now, and has been relentless in updating the iPod platform, even the the point last year when it discontinued its most popular model (the mini) and replaced it with a different one (the smaller nano). There are over 3000 add-on products. So any competitor has to scale a huge mountain, and bring in features that Apple does not have.
That's why Microsoft's Zune has something the iPod doesn't--wireless connectivity. But even Microsoft admits that it is only at the beginning of a long competition with iPod.
_______________________
Alabama: I have never owned an iPod, have never been interested in buying an iPod and believe that the culture's ridiculous obsession with this $200 to $400 gadget shows how stupid we are with money -- in particular, how stupid young people can be throwing their cash around. Is your obsession with music so overpowering that turning the radio on in the car, or walking outside without the aid of an electronic device means doom? Get over it. And think about what good that $400 can do. It can feed a poor family in this state for about a month, or put clothing on their children's backs. To spend all that money on a device that does nothing but cut you off from the rest of the world isn't just stupid: It's obscene.
I honestly wish savings accounts got more attention than wasteful consumer products that, frankly, are geared toward the rich or people willing to spend themselves into debt to appear rich. A 25-year-old who puts that $400 in a 401K will be extremely grateful they did so when they hit 65 -- approximately 39 years after the iPod's battery has burned out.
Steven Levy: This is a question that deserves to be treated seriously. A few hundred dollars for a device that gives us the luxury of playing our music on the go is definitely money that can be put to more socially useful purposes. But if we go down that road, pretty much anything we spend for our own entertainment could be seen as wasteful. As luxury products go, I think the iPod, especially now that the basic high capacity model ($249) and the lower cost models ($79 for a shuffle, $150-$250 for a nano) deliver good value in terms of enjoyment. Some concerts cost $150 to attend.
By the way, do you enjoy driving your Yugo?
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: So why IS the iPod white?
Steven Levy: I had a long talk with Jonathan Ive, the industrial designer of the iPod, and he went on enthusiastically at the "shockingly neutral" hue of the iPod. So much so that I felt he was channeling the tumultuous passages in "Moby Dick" in the famous "Of the Whiteness of the Whale" chapter. Also, at that point, Apple has other products in white (the iBook, the iMac), and that was sort of a clean look of their brand.
_______________________
Albuquerque, N.M.: I needed to have my iPod mini repaired. I sent it back to Apple using their web site to coordinate the repair. I can not tell you how pleased I was with the entire process. From the time I shipped the unit until the time I received the new unit was less than 5 days. It was quick, easy and painless. With customer service horror stories out there, it was a pleasure to have such a good experience. Microsoft take note!
Steven Levy: I'm glad things worked out for you. Generally the stories I get anecdotally about iPod reliability reflect Apple's pretty good policy of repairing under warrantee, and some frustration when iPods fail just after the warrantee expires.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: What poses the greatest risk to the iPods dominance? I don't think it is Zune!
Steven Levy: A lot of people think that the threat to iPods is music in cellular phones. There's a real question as to whether high-capacity storage on phones, along with a nice interface, will mean that people no longer need separate music devices. But this bears watching.
The other threat may be subscription-based devices, where you pay a fee for "all you can eat" from a huge library. Zune does use subscriptions but hasn't really pushed it. The Rhapsody-based Sansa device focuses on this, and goes a pretty good job.
Steve Jobs of Apple has consistently said that he doesn't think subscriptions will catch on. He says the people want to own their music, and will hate the idea that it all goes away when they stop paying the fee.
_______________________
Reston, Va.: Isn't the ability of Microsoft's Zune to wirelessly connect just a lawsuit waiting to happen? As it is, people download and share tunes (illegally) on a regular basis. With the wireless capability, will Zune owners be able to share their files from one Zune to the other "on the street" -- making it that much harder to track file-sharing/swapping?
Steven Levy: Microsoft has been very careful--too careful, for my tastes--in restricting what can be done in Zune to Zune sharing as so to satisfy the music industry. Because of the restrictions imposed on sharing -- a song sent from one Zune to another expires after three plays or three days, whichever comes first--the record labels have signed off, so there is no danger of a lawsuit. However, there is danger that users will be turned off by the restrictions. In some cases, artists have withheld permission and if you try to send a song you get message that you don't have the rights to do so. I imagine this could be frustrating.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: My son has upgraded from an original issue Ipod - the battery needs replacement costing $70. Is it worth the investment?
Steven Levy: I thought the fee was $60. In any case, if your son enjoys his iPod and isn't lusting for a newer model, why not? More often, people with older iPods see that it doesn't cost much more to get a higher-capacity new model and give the old one to a friend or relative.
_______________________
Annapolis, Md.: We bought an iPod for my son and now I'm thinking of getting one of my own. I have a question about the iTunes Library. Right now, the CDs that he's imported, along with a couple of downloads are sitting in the library on the hard drive. Is there a way to create a separate library for my files when I import/download them? I have iTunes on my computer at work, but I don't want to store my music files there. Can I store them on a flash drive and if so, what capacity should I be looking at? When I get onto my computer at home, could I plug in the flash drive and access the library or will it automatically default to the hard drive location, where my son's library is stored?
Steven Levy: Don't want to get too deeply into computer support questions here, but basically the message is this: you can balance different iPods on one master library. The key thing to remember is that iPods connect to a single library--so your home computer should have all the songs that you and your family want to listen to. Then, you can load only the songs you want into your individual iPods. (By checking and unchecking the little boxes next to the songs when you synch the iPod.)
As for other computers, you can designate five computers to play the songs you buy from the iTunes store (unlimited if you rip the songs from CDs.) To move the songs to other computers, you can't use the iPod (without special unapproved software) but must move song files like any other kind of file transfer.
_______________________
Annapolis, Md.: Is Apple doing anything to make the iPod more sturdy? It seems like everyone complains about how easy it is to scratch them up. I must admit that I don't currently have an iPod, but would it get that scratched up just keeping it in my purse or do you have to purchase one of those covers?
Steven Levy: Once I used an iPod to record an interview with Steve Jobs and he saw that I had one of those plastic skins covering it. He was appalled, and insisted that iPods, like people, only gain more character with the occasional ding and scratch. I'm not sure about that (especially if the screen is affected) but for those who worry, there are plenty of cases. By the way, in the small print in packaging of the new iPods, there is a disclaimer explaining that like fine denim jeans, iPods can go through a weathering process. Classic Apple explanation--wear and tear makes iPods cooler!
_______________________
Arlington, Va.: If the Beatles were to finally make their music available on-line, and cut a deal exclusively with Microsoft, as rumored, would they just be shutting themselves out of the entire ipod market? Or would they help Zune make inroads into a sizable chunk of the market?
Steven Levy: The Beatles did make an offer to Microsoft a couple of years ago (when Microsoft was introducing an earlier competitor to the iTunes Store)--they asked for millions of dollars for temporary exclusivity and then demanded that their songs be sold in a separate online store! Microsoft wisely turned them down.
The Beatles will eventually realize that holding out from the online world hurts their sales and gives them no advantage for the future. My guess is that at some point Apple Computer will settle its lawsuit with Apple Records and part of the settlement (face saving all around) will be that the Beatles will roll out, with great fanfare, on the Apple Store. Some time thereafter, Beatle songs will be available on Microsoft, Rhapsody, Napster, etc.
_______________________
State College, Pa.: Do you think that heavy iPod users may be isolating themselves socially or that lonely people are using iPods for that very purpose?
Steven Levy: HI, to my grad school Alma Mater!
I get into this at length in the book. Sociologists studying the matter find that people (loneliness has nothing to do with it) find personal audio devices like Walkman and iPod environmentally useful for two reasons: escape and enhancement. In some cases, it's a useful signal for others to "stay away and leave me alone." But mostly, its a way to alter one's environment, creating a dynamic soundtrack to an otherwise mundane setting.
_______________________
Bethesda: Is there a device you can attached to your IPod so you can listen to the radio when your not near a radio?
Steven Levy: Though Apple does not, like many of its competitors, include built in FM radio, it does sell a $50 accessory that's a combination FM radio and remote control (you can modulate volume and skip songs from the clip-on remote when the iPod itself is in your pocket or backpack).
_______________________
Vienna, Va.: The iPod has obviously had a big effect on the music business. What do you think will be the next big thing or things technology-wise that will change the music business?
Steven Levy: I am very excited about the new wave of "recommendation" sites on the Web, ranging from MySpace to music blogs to social sites (mog.com) to ones that give you "similar music" to songs you specify (pandora.com, mystrands.com, last.fm). One day the music industry will more actively support these and allow looser sharing so that their artists will be exposed more quickly.
_______________________
Raleigh, N.C.: Where do you think iPod software is going? I've seen map, tour guide, and language programs. I'm considering buying an audio wine guide by a company named CyraKnow. Do you know of other iPod software makers?
Steven Levy: There are oodles of stuff available in this vein. From iTunes you can get podcasts and audio books. Other stuff is available from third parties but not so well integrated. One thing I write about in "The Perfect Thing" is the ShasPod, an iPod preloaded with two thousand hours of Talmudic commentary. (There's plenty of Bible stuff, too.)
_______________________
Lenexa, Kan.: Please, talk more about your use of an iPod to record interviews. How do you do this? What additional hardware and software do you use? Thanks.
Steven Levy: I simply used an add-on microphone from a third-party accessory maker. To be honest, since then I've found it more reliable to use a dedicated digital recorder, though using the iPod was easy in the sense that once it synched back to the computer, the interview was automatically loaded into iTunes.
_______________________
St. Mary's City, Md.: Do you see the iPod as making it easier or harder for performers to find new fans? Does it increase or decrease the ability of listeners to find non-mainstream performers? I had imagined that record labels would become less relevant in the iPod era, that a 21st-century Frank Zappa could reach audiences directly without having to fight his label over artistic content. Is that realistic?
Steven Levy: I think that the iPod, and the digital music world in general, can make it easier for artists to find and cultivate new audiences. As you mention, it's possible for small labels to bypass distributors and go straight to iTunes and other online stores to reach fans. This is the "long tail" effect so well described by Wired Magazine editor Chris Anderson.
However, I recently was disappointed that I could not buy early Mothers of Invention albums on iTunes. What gives?
_______________________
Mount Airy, Md.: Steve: In the past I found that in order to listen to an iPOD you had to purchase music from the Apple music store. I believe there are ways around this now, but purchasing from Apple is the only way to fully utilize all of the features of the iPOD. Will the ZUNE have similar restrictions? Thanks.
Steven Levy: Let me clarify something: in order to listen to music on an iPod (or Zune for that matter) you do not have purchase music from any digital store, but have the opportunity to take your existing CD's (or buy new ones) and "rip" them into your music library.
The problem you have heard about it that when you do buy songs from an online store. you are limited in where you play it back. Purchased songs from the iTunes store won't work on a Zune, and Zune songs won't work on an iPod (or even on an earlier Microsoft effort, devices on the "plays for sure" standard.
This is an intolerable situation. I think that customers who pay for music should be able to play them on any device they choose. The point of copy protection is to prevent piracy, not to lock anyone into a single system.
_______________________
Claverack, N.Y.: Has Apple ever been tempted to make a game-friendly iPod, with a "+" pad joystick and a few buttons? Or are they not interested in riling the half-ton beast that is Nintendo?
Steven Levy: Apple recently began selling games for iPods, and while they are fun, they are no match for a full fledged productions on the PS2 or Nintendo DS, let along the supercomputer game consoles we're seeing now. I doubt that Apple will release a game controller for the iPod.
_______________________
Alexandria, Va.: I am in the market for a portable media player and am leaning away from the Ipod and towards the Toshiba Gigabeat (MES30VW). Am I wrong to not want the Ipod?
Steven Levy: Anyone who carefully researches this space may find that one player in particular satisfies his or her needs. There's no right or wrong, it's about what will make you happy. So far, though, three fourths of people are voting for iPod with their purchases.
_______________________
Falls Church, Va.: I use my iPod on the metro to escape the bustling crowds and often rude behavior of daily commuters. I am shocked at the number of times I can hear other peoples devices through their earbuds at some feet away. Are we all just killing our eardrums one commute at a time?
Steven Levy:"Killing Me Loudly?" It's a very good idea to keep the volume down. Apple offers parents a way to permanently set the volume level at lower than power-drill levels, so that kids don't put themselves at risk.
_______________________
Boston, Mass.: How much of the iPod's dominance is the iTunes music store? The iPod could never have been so successful on its own.
Steven Levy: You are right in implying that the iPod's success is not due solely to the device, but the interaction with the iTunes software and the music store. It's no accident that Zune is attempting to duplicate that model.
_______________________
Arlington, Va.: Hi Steven, Where do you see the iPod going in the next two to three years? Especially after the release of Microsoft's Zune and the ability to access digital content wirelessly. Will Apple follow suit? Thanks.
Steven Levy: Apple doesn't share its future plans very freely, especially with journalists. That said, most observers think that in the next year or so we will see an iPod with a screen covering its full surface (with touch-screen controls), and an "iPhone" that may not be an iPod but will be a rethinking of the mobile phone Apple-style, with music built in. Wi-fi in iPods is another strong possibility. I'll be watching just like everybody else, eager to see if any of these come to pass, or something entirely different.
Thanks so much for participating. There are a bunch of questions I didn't get to, but you can ping me either at Newsweek or the blog I use for the book at stevenlevy.com. Have a great day!
How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness
Steven Levy
Technology Correspondent, Newsweek
Wednesday, November 15, 2006; 12:00 PM
Steven Levy was online Wednesday, Nov. 15 at Noon ET to discuss his sixth book, "The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness." Levy is senior editor and chief technology correspondent at Newsweek. He is a longtime Apple watcher and has known Apple cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs for more than 20 years.
Besides being one of the most successful consumer products in decades, the iPod has become a global obsession. It changed people's behavior, reshaped the music business and made Apple a consumer electronics giant. In his book, Levy gives readers the story of the iPod's creation, including why the iPod is white and how Apple succeeded with its iTunes music store. Levy discusses the iPod's impact on the business and cultural worlds as well as related issues, such as the broadcast industry and copyright.
"The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness" by Steven Levy.
The transcript follows.
____________________
Steven Levy: Hi, everybody. I'm delighted to be able to take your questions on iPods, Zunes, and digital music (and media!) in general. In "The Perfect Thing" I tried not only to tell the story of how the iPod came to be, but to spend a lot of time on the economic and cultural repercussions as well. So feel free to range pretty far in your questions.
_______________________
Arlington, Va.: I am an iPod addict. I think it is a great way to carry around your entire cd collection. How many iPods have been sold in the US?
Steven Levy: As of a couple of weeks ago, Apple had sold 68 million iPods. A reasonable guess is they will sell over 15 million more in the holiday season.
_______________________
Charlottesville, Va.: Will any portable music device rival the iPod any time soon?
Steven Levy: Depends on what you mean by "soon." Apple has dominated the market for five years now, and has been relentless in updating the iPod platform, even the the point last year when it discontinued its most popular model (the mini) and replaced it with a different one (the smaller nano). There are over 3000 add-on products. So any competitor has to scale a huge mountain, and bring in features that Apple does not have.
That's why Microsoft's Zune has something the iPod doesn't--wireless connectivity. But even Microsoft admits that it is only at the beginning of a long competition with iPod.
_______________________
Alabama: I have never owned an iPod, have never been interested in buying an iPod and believe that the culture's ridiculous obsession with this $200 to $400 gadget shows how stupid we are with money -- in particular, how stupid young people can be throwing their cash around. Is your obsession with music so overpowering that turning the radio on in the car, or walking outside without the aid of an electronic device means doom? Get over it. And think about what good that $400 can do. It can feed a poor family in this state for about a month, or put clothing on their children's backs. To spend all that money on a device that does nothing but cut you off from the rest of the world isn't just stupid: It's obscene.
I honestly wish savings accounts got more attention than wasteful consumer products that, frankly, are geared toward the rich or people willing to spend themselves into debt to appear rich. A 25-year-old who puts that $400 in a 401K will be extremely grateful they did so when they hit 65 -- approximately 39 years after the iPod's battery has burned out.
Steven Levy: This is a question that deserves to be treated seriously. A few hundred dollars for a device that gives us the luxury of playing our music on the go is definitely money that can be put to more socially useful purposes. But if we go down that road, pretty much anything we spend for our own entertainment could be seen as wasteful. As luxury products go, I think the iPod, especially now that the basic high capacity model ($249) and the lower cost models ($79 for a shuffle, $150-$250 for a nano) deliver good value in terms of enjoyment. Some concerts cost $150 to attend.
By the way, do you enjoy driving your Yugo?
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: So why IS the iPod white?
Steven Levy: I had a long talk with Jonathan Ive, the industrial designer of the iPod, and he went on enthusiastically at the "shockingly neutral" hue of the iPod. So much so that I felt he was channeling the tumultuous passages in "Moby Dick" in the famous "Of the Whiteness of the Whale" chapter. Also, at that point, Apple has other products in white (the iBook, the iMac), and that was sort of a clean look of their brand.
_______________________
Albuquerque, N.M.: I needed to have my iPod mini repaired. I sent it back to Apple using their web site to coordinate the repair. I can not tell you how pleased I was with the entire process. From the time I shipped the unit until the time I received the new unit was less than 5 days. It was quick, easy and painless. With customer service horror stories out there, it was a pleasure to have such a good experience. Microsoft take note!
Steven Levy: I'm glad things worked out for you. Generally the stories I get anecdotally about iPod reliability reflect Apple's pretty good policy of repairing under warrantee, and some frustration when iPods fail just after the warrantee expires.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: What poses the greatest risk to the iPods dominance? I don't think it is Zune!
Steven Levy: A lot of people think that the threat to iPods is music in cellular phones. There's a real question as to whether high-capacity storage on phones, along with a nice interface, will mean that people no longer need separate music devices. But this bears watching.
The other threat may be subscription-based devices, where you pay a fee for "all you can eat" from a huge library. Zune does use subscriptions but hasn't really pushed it. The Rhapsody-based Sansa device focuses on this, and goes a pretty good job.
Steve Jobs of Apple has consistently said that he doesn't think subscriptions will catch on. He says the people want to own their music, and will hate the idea that it all goes away when they stop paying the fee.
_______________________
Reston, Va.: Isn't the ability of Microsoft's Zune to wirelessly connect just a lawsuit waiting to happen? As it is, people download and share tunes (illegally) on a regular basis. With the wireless capability, will Zune owners be able to share their files from one Zune to the other "on the street" -- making it that much harder to track file-sharing/swapping?
Steven Levy: Microsoft has been very careful--too careful, for my tastes--in restricting what can be done in Zune to Zune sharing as so to satisfy the music industry. Because of the restrictions imposed on sharing -- a song sent from one Zune to another expires after three plays or three days, whichever comes first--the record labels have signed off, so there is no danger of a lawsuit. However, there is danger that users will be turned off by the restrictions. In some cases, artists have withheld permission and if you try to send a song you get message that you don't have the rights to do so. I imagine this could be frustrating.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: My son has upgraded from an original issue Ipod - the battery needs replacement costing $70. Is it worth the investment?
Steven Levy: I thought the fee was $60. In any case, if your son enjoys his iPod and isn't lusting for a newer model, why not? More often, people with older iPods see that it doesn't cost much more to get a higher-capacity new model and give the old one to a friend or relative.
_______________________
Annapolis, Md.: We bought an iPod for my son and now I'm thinking of getting one of my own. I have a question about the iTunes Library. Right now, the CDs that he's imported, along with a couple of downloads are sitting in the library on the hard drive. Is there a way to create a separate library for my files when I import/download them? I have iTunes on my computer at work, but I don't want to store my music files there. Can I store them on a flash drive and if so, what capacity should I be looking at? When I get onto my computer at home, could I plug in the flash drive and access the library or will it automatically default to the hard drive location, where my son's library is stored?
Steven Levy: Don't want to get too deeply into computer support questions here, but basically the message is this: you can balance different iPods on one master library. The key thing to remember is that iPods connect to a single library--so your home computer should have all the songs that you and your family want to listen to. Then, you can load only the songs you want into your individual iPods. (By checking and unchecking the little boxes next to the songs when you synch the iPod.)
As for other computers, you can designate five computers to play the songs you buy from the iTunes store (unlimited if you rip the songs from CDs.) To move the songs to other computers, you can't use the iPod (without special unapproved software) but must move song files like any other kind of file transfer.
_______________________
Annapolis, Md.: Is Apple doing anything to make the iPod more sturdy? It seems like everyone complains about how easy it is to scratch them up. I must admit that I don't currently have an iPod, but would it get that scratched up just keeping it in my purse or do you have to purchase one of those covers?
Steven Levy: Once I used an iPod to record an interview with Steve Jobs and he saw that I had one of those plastic skins covering it. He was appalled, and insisted that iPods, like people, only gain more character with the occasional ding and scratch. I'm not sure about that (especially if the screen is affected) but for those who worry, there are plenty of cases. By the way, in the small print in packaging of the new iPods, there is a disclaimer explaining that like fine denim jeans, iPods can go through a weathering process. Classic Apple explanation--wear and tear makes iPods cooler!
_______________________
Arlington, Va.: If the Beatles were to finally make their music available on-line, and cut a deal exclusively with Microsoft, as rumored, would they just be shutting themselves out of the entire ipod market? Or would they help Zune make inroads into a sizable chunk of the market?
Steven Levy: The Beatles did make an offer to Microsoft a couple of years ago (when Microsoft was introducing an earlier competitor to the iTunes Store)--they asked for millions of dollars for temporary exclusivity and then demanded that their songs be sold in a separate online store! Microsoft wisely turned them down.
The Beatles will eventually realize that holding out from the online world hurts their sales and gives them no advantage for the future. My guess is that at some point Apple Computer will settle its lawsuit with Apple Records and part of the settlement (face saving all around) will be that the Beatles will roll out, with great fanfare, on the Apple Store. Some time thereafter, Beatle songs will be available on Microsoft, Rhapsody, Napster, etc.
_______________________
State College, Pa.: Do you think that heavy iPod users may be isolating themselves socially or that lonely people are using iPods for that very purpose?
Steven Levy: HI, to my grad school Alma Mater!
I get into this at length in the book. Sociologists studying the matter find that people (loneliness has nothing to do with it) find personal audio devices like Walkman and iPod environmentally useful for two reasons: escape and enhancement. In some cases, it's a useful signal for others to "stay away and leave me alone." But mostly, its a way to alter one's environment, creating a dynamic soundtrack to an otherwise mundane setting.
_______________________
Bethesda: Is there a device you can attached to your IPod so you can listen to the radio when your not near a radio?
Steven Levy: Though Apple does not, like many of its competitors, include built in FM radio, it does sell a $50 accessory that's a combination FM radio and remote control (you can modulate volume and skip songs from the clip-on remote when the iPod itself is in your pocket or backpack).
_______________________
Vienna, Va.: The iPod has obviously had a big effect on the music business. What do you think will be the next big thing or things technology-wise that will change the music business?
Steven Levy: I am very excited about the new wave of "recommendation" sites on the Web, ranging from MySpace to music blogs to social sites (mog.com) to ones that give you "similar music" to songs you specify (pandora.com, mystrands.com, last.fm). One day the music industry will more actively support these and allow looser sharing so that their artists will be exposed more quickly.
_______________________
Raleigh, N.C.: Where do you think iPod software is going? I've seen map, tour guide, and language programs. I'm considering buying an audio wine guide by a company named CyraKnow. Do you know of other iPod software makers?
Steven Levy: There are oodles of stuff available in this vein. From iTunes you can get podcasts and audio books. Other stuff is available from third parties but not so well integrated. One thing I write about in "The Perfect Thing" is the ShasPod, an iPod preloaded with two thousand hours of Talmudic commentary. (There's plenty of Bible stuff, too.)
_______________________
Lenexa, Kan.: Please, talk more about your use of an iPod to record interviews. How do you do this? What additional hardware and software do you use? Thanks.
Steven Levy: I simply used an add-on microphone from a third-party accessory maker. To be honest, since then I've found it more reliable to use a dedicated digital recorder, though using the iPod was easy in the sense that once it synched back to the computer, the interview was automatically loaded into iTunes.
_______________________
St. Mary's City, Md.: Do you see the iPod as making it easier or harder for performers to find new fans? Does it increase or decrease the ability of listeners to find non-mainstream performers? I had imagined that record labels would become less relevant in the iPod era, that a 21st-century Frank Zappa could reach audiences directly without having to fight his label over artistic content. Is that realistic?
Steven Levy: I think that the iPod, and the digital music world in general, can make it easier for artists to find and cultivate new audiences. As you mention, it's possible for small labels to bypass distributors and go straight to iTunes and other online stores to reach fans. This is the "long tail" effect so well described by Wired Magazine editor Chris Anderson.
However, I recently was disappointed that I could not buy early Mothers of Invention albums on iTunes. What gives?
_______________________
Mount Airy, Md.: Steve: In the past I found that in order to listen to an iPOD you had to purchase music from the Apple music store. I believe there are ways around this now, but purchasing from Apple is the only way to fully utilize all of the features of the iPOD. Will the ZUNE have similar restrictions? Thanks.
Steven Levy: Let me clarify something: in order to listen to music on an iPod (or Zune for that matter) you do not have purchase music from any digital store, but have the opportunity to take your existing CD's (or buy new ones) and "rip" them into your music library.
The problem you have heard about it that when you do buy songs from an online store. you are limited in where you play it back. Purchased songs from the iTunes store won't work on a Zune, and Zune songs won't work on an iPod (or even on an earlier Microsoft effort, devices on the "plays for sure" standard.
This is an intolerable situation. I think that customers who pay for music should be able to play them on any device they choose. The point of copy protection is to prevent piracy, not to lock anyone into a single system.
_______________________
Claverack, N.Y.: Has Apple ever been tempted to make a game-friendly iPod, with a "+" pad joystick and a few buttons? Or are they not interested in riling the half-ton beast that is Nintendo?
Steven Levy: Apple recently began selling games for iPods, and while they are fun, they are no match for a full fledged productions on the PS2 or Nintendo DS, let along the supercomputer game consoles we're seeing now. I doubt that Apple will release a game controller for the iPod.
_______________________
Alexandria, Va.: I am in the market for a portable media player and am leaning away from the Ipod and towards the Toshiba Gigabeat (MES30VW). Am I wrong to not want the Ipod?
Steven Levy: Anyone who carefully researches this space may find that one player in particular satisfies his or her needs. There's no right or wrong, it's about what will make you happy. So far, though, three fourths of people are voting for iPod with their purchases.
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Falls Church, Va.: I use my iPod on the metro to escape the bustling crowds and often rude behavior of daily commuters. I am shocked at the number of times I can hear other peoples devices through their earbuds at some feet away. Are we all just killing our eardrums one commute at a time?
Steven Levy:"Killing Me Loudly?" It's a very good idea to keep the volume down. Apple offers parents a way to permanently set the volume level at lower than power-drill levels, so that kids don't put themselves at risk.
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Boston, Mass.: How much of the iPod's dominance is the iTunes music store? The iPod could never have been so successful on its own.
Steven Levy: You are right in implying that the iPod's success is not due solely to the device, but the interaction with the iTunes software and the music store. It's no accident that Zune is attempting to duplicate that model.
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Arlington, Va.: Hi Steven, Where do you see the iPod going in the next two to three years? Especially after the release of Microsoft's Zune and the ability to access digital content wirelessly. Will Apple follow suit? Thanks.
Steven Levy: Apple doesn't share its future plans very freely, especially with journalists. That said, most observers think that in the next year or so we will see an iPod with a screen covering its full surface (with touch-screen controls), and an "iPhone" that may not be an iPod but will be a rethinking of the mobile phone Apple-style, with music built in. Wi-fi in iPods is another strong possibility. I'll be watching just like everybody else, eager to see if any of these come to pass, or something entirely different.
Thanks so much for participating. There are a bunch of questions I didn't get to, but you can ping me either at Newsweek or the blog I use for the book at stevenlevy.com. Have a great day!
posted by Symphony of Love at 3:35 AM
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