Oh, iPod. The earbuds have become ubiquitous, the scroll wheel came to define usability and nearly everyone had one on their wish list. You’d think after so many years and so many versions that the sales would dramatically slow down, but they really haven’t.
Without the iPod, we wouldn’t have the iPhone or the iPad and Apple certainly would not be as big as it is now. In fact, Apple has attributed many PC switchers to them buying iPods after iTunes became Windows compatible. Only Sony’s Walkman had as great of an impact on mobile music listening.
Here’s a breakdown of each (current) model, along with the personality type I usually see owning it:
1. iPod Shuffle
You’re either an athlete of some kind (usually a runner) or don’t have a lot of discretionary income. If you’re a runner, you bought it so you wouldn’t have to worry so damn much about a strap or pouch and if it breaks from concussion or water, it’s fairly easily replaced. You probably bought your favorite color or the one that best matched your jewelry. If you’re not a runner of some kind, you bought it to look cool and you probably constantly complain that it can’t fit all of your rap albums you downloaded from Limewire (yeah, I went there).
2. iPod Nano
You really, really wanted an iPod because everyone else had one but you had no idea why, but you bought the Nano because it was easily the trendiest of all iPods. You usually listen to it while sitting at your computer, making its portability useless. The latest model is seemingly small enough to be used as a watch, though you’d have to be pretty geeky to go that far. You most likely have blue or silver, especially if it was a gift. The Nano is by far the most likely to be a gift than any other iPod.
3. The iPod Classic
You had no idea what iPod to get and you’re probably over 50. Your music/video collection is nowhere near as large as the capacity of the Classic (your computer hard drive is probably smaller) but you bought it anyway because you were always taught to allow for extra storage. Those over 50 probably thought the bigger screen would be easier to read and the scroll wheel easier to navigate. Those under 50 are probably pissed that their Classic still works, so they can’t justify buying a new, shinier model.
4. iPod Touch
You probably REALLY wanted an iPhone, but are either locked in your own contract or on your parents’ plan. You’ve probably owned a Game Boy/PSP/other handheld device in the past and think of the Touch as more of a toy than a mini computer. I’m also betting you really, really wanted a cool Apple product, but a MacBook was out of your price range. Also betting that you paid half while your parents paid the rest.
5. iPhone 4
You are obviously awesome and understand the power that mobile near-computing brings. You most likely don’t make many calls, instead relying on texting, email and social networks for your communication. You probably own at least one Apple computer and have affixed Apple stickers to devices that aren’t made by Apple. If you’re NOT an Apple fan but you own an iPhone 4, you probably wish you were geeky enough to own an Android phone but can’t reassure yourself that you know how it works.
Which one are you?
