Changing digital trends silence the iPod

TWO years ago, a tech blogger wrote rhetorically, “So, who are iPods for?” and answered his own question by saying: “They’re for people who don’t have a smartphone, and that’s about it.”

In the digital world, change is unnervingly rapid.

A little more than 10 years ago, the iPod was a sensation, as the following report shows.

iPod even more intoxicating than beer for US students

Apple’s iPod portable music player has proven more intoxicating to US students than even beer drinking, a new survey has concluded. Students from 100 US universities surveyed by Student Monitor, a market research firm, ranked the hand-held hard drive a full two percentage points above social drinking, according to the poll.

Not since 1997, with the rise of the internet, has campus boozing been knocked from the top spot on the list of favourite student pastimes.

“Apple has been selling iPods faster than it can make them,” Eric Weil, managing partner of Student Monitor, said. “For students, the iPod is not a fashion accessory, it’s functionality.”

The iPod’s “in” factor has leapt more than 20 percentage points from last year’s student survey. Part of the explosion in its popularity may be due to the iPod’s use as a learning tool in the form of “podcasting”, technology that allows students to download lectures directly onto their hand-held devices to be listened to and viewed at their convenience, suggested Weil.

“Professors are using whatever way they can to jam information into students’ brains,” said Weil.

US college students, known by marketers as “early adopters”, are generally considered to be six to 18 months ahead of the general population in national trends.

“But don’t sell your brewery stock just yet,” warns Weil. “Just like 10 years ago, beer drinking could be back on the top of the heap by next semester.”

Apple sold 28 million iPods in 2005, a 409% increase over the previous year. – Sapa-AFP