You see them on billboards, in newspaper ad-vertisements and you get at least one e-mail a day in your bulk folder offering you one of them -- provided you fill out an asinine number of surveys. Your roommate has one, the girl who sits next to you in class has one and chances are you may already have one, too. I'm talking about the illustrious little wonder that is the Apple iPod.
I have to admit, I've also fallen victim to temptation and bought one, but I don't think I'm obsessed with it yet. (One second, I have to skip a few songs). There. Sorry.
While Apple still makes the bulk of its profits on computers, the iPod and the iTunes Web site have seized a powerful place among personal entertainment devices. And with a variety of promotions and strategic partnerships with big names such as BMW and Hewlett-Packard, this pocket-sized powerhouse shows no signs of slowing.
College students represent a great deal of those grabbing iPods. The Associated Press reported that some 1,650 Duke University freshmen received free iPods in their welcome packages this fall semester as part of a program to "expand the realm of uses for the iPod," though I wouldn't bet on any Sun Devils getting the same deal anytime soon.
Although the iPod is primarily recognized for its ability to store thousands of songs, buyers can use the iPod to save contacts, keep important dates on the calendar, take notes, record lectures and play games--essentially another PDA.
Many students have said that while the iPod is cool, it is just too expensive for their budget. Some students have opted for less expensive MP3 players, and Sony is hoping to gain some ground on it's new Network Walkman, which has many of the same features (sorry, no games), and starts out at a lower price.
Despite the complaints about the price of iPods, the iTunes Music Store has had tremendous success where many thought it wouldn't: in sales. Many worried that illegal file sharing networks such as Kazaa would put a damper on a site that sold songs for 99 cents a pop. Yet earlier this month, Apple announced that iTunes Music Store had sold its 100 millionth song. Sounds pretty lucrative to me. Apple CEO Steve Jobs says that the price for songs won't change any time soon, so likely neither will their success.
So, while the iPod craze continues, rest assured that it will find its way into your life soon if it hasn't already. I did find one person who proved to me that the iPod isn't yet reaching world domination -- civil engineering junior Jason Westlake.
"What's an iPod?" he asked innocently.
Run, Jason. It's coming.
John Ronquillo is a public administration graduate student and new owner of a 20 GB iPod. Reach him at johnron@asu.edu.
