iPOD
The iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple Computer. Apple chose to focus its development on the iPod’s simple user interface, rather than on technical capability. Devices in the iPod family are designed around a central scroll wheel except for the iPod shuffle, until recently, and the full-sized model stores media on an internal hard drive, while the smaller iPod nano and iPod shuffle use flash memory. Like many digital audio players, iPods can also serve as external data storage devices.
As of September 2006, the lineup consists of an enhanced version of the 5th generation iPod (featuring a video player and support for arcade-style games); the second generation iPod nano (featuring an aluminum exterior); and the second iteration of the iPod shuffle. All three models were released in September 2006. Discontinued versions include two generations of the iPod mini, four generations of the full-sized iPod, the first generation of the iPod Nano, and the first version of the iPod Shuffle.
All iPods come bundled with iTunes, which transfers music, photos and videos to an iPod from a computer. As a music jukebox application, iTunes stores a comprehensive library of music on the user’s computer and can play, burn, and rip music from a CD. The most recent version of iTunes has photo and video synchronization features.
