No other accessory can perhaps define the first decade of the 21st century than the iPod. First introduced by Apple in 2001, it is ranked by Time Magazine as one of the most influential gadgets of all time. More than just a portable music player, it is the most ubiquitous of people’s daily accessory aside from the cell phone. At present, more than eight out of ten people who owns an MP3 player has the iPod.

During its launch, it immediately distanced itself from the other portable music players available at that time. It was smaller, easier to use and had ten times more song storage capacity than the other existing MP3 players. Transferring songs from the computer to the music gadget is also faster, at a rate of one second per song, compared with the others. Battery life was also a major differentiator as the rechargeable battery can run for up to ten hours of continuous play.

However, early predictions by industry analysts state that consumers might not accept the iPod easily. The first concern was that the introductory price of $399 is too expensive for just a portable music player. The second major gripe was that the market for the iPod was limited since the music player is compatible only with a Macintosh computer.

Initial sales during the first two months after the launch proved that people accepted the cost in return for improving music accessibility and creating a more superior listening experience while on the go. Incompatibility with the bigger crowd of Windows users turned out to be a non-issue as they used third party software to use their iPod with their PCs.

It was however during the release of the third generation iPod that its popularity exploded. Two important features that contributed were USB connectivity instead of FireWire and the release of iTunes for Windows users. An ingenious advertising strategy also appealed to the teenage demographic that pushed its sales figures. At present, the iTunes application can be downloaded for free for both Mac and Windows users.

Eight years after its launch, there are several variations of the latest generation of iPods designed to fit every user’s taste, preferences, and budget.

The smallest in the iPod family of music players is the shuffle. It is also officially the world’s smallest music player. With a storage capacity of 4GB, it can store up to a thousand songs. Navigation is easy with the easy access controls located at the earphones or with the new VoiceOver feature.

The iPod Nano is for the music lover that wants to wear his personality on his sleeve. This music player comes in nine cheerful colors and is available at 8GB or 16GB storage. Aside from music, one can load movies, TV shows, games, and photos in it. The 2-inch color LCD screen has LED backlight and can be viewed either vertically or horizontally.

The undisputed king of music player capacity is the iPod classic. With a storage capacity of 120GB, you can store practically everything in it. Adding countless songs, movies, TV shows, games, and photos is worry-free as it will definitely take a long time before you fill it up. Wherever you go, you have your entire music and movie library with you. This is the one travel accessory you should never leave behind.

For users who value the latest technology to be wrapped up in the most elegant design, the iPod touch is the perfect accessory. The contoured design gives an ergonomic feel while in one’s hands. The touch screen technology provides for a sweet and easy experience whether flipping through your library to choose a song, play a game, watch movies or TV shows, or browse the Internet via WiFi.