Technology Research Document

Apple's iPod is quite possibly the most desired electronic device of the people of America besides cell phones, and its popularity is constantly growing. Everywhere you look, somebody has an iPod or a cell phone. They are considered to be among the top ranked electronics in both convenience and quality by customers. If a problem ever develops with the devices, Apple seems to be very helpful from most customer perspectives. They always seem to aggressively promote their product development at all the right times. In this research paper we will share with you some aspects of product development, product applications, possible future applications, and also information from our own personal survey.

The iPod is a high tech music player that is taking over the music industry. It is well on its way to completely replacing the use of CD's and radio stations. It holds thousands of songs according to how many GB (gigabytes) are in the iPod you own. The iPod is the new revolution of music everywhere. It has come from holding just songs to now being able to hold pictures as well as videos. The opportunities are endless for this product if Apple continues to market it correctly and if their customers continue to be satisfied.
Apple has brought the iPod through many development stages along the way to their current status. The first iPods had many limitations like no remote control, no games, and a starting price of about 400dollars. This price definitely limited the accessibility to many consumers. Several months later a new 10 GB iPod was released with many of the defects fixed on it. A few months after that the 20 GB came out and this newer model cut the price of both the 10 and the 5 GB iPods down drastically. It was also PC compatible. Along with the 20 GB there was also a major change in the scroll wheel design. Instead of actually having to turn the wheel, it became touch sensitive. Later on, Apple announced that there would be a third, even smaller version of the iPod coming out, again with a different button layout. This iPod would come in the 10 GB, 15 GB, and even 30 GB version. The most influential update was that of iTunes because people were now able to download music for $.99 per song and then put that music onto their mp3 player. In 2003 Apple made iTunes available to PC users as well, and this put their market on a whole new level. Later on in the year, Apple came out with the new iPod mini, which was only 4 GB, but was also only 1 inch wide! Apple and HP merged a few months later to show Apple's continuing efforts to make PC accessibility easier. Apple recently has released a 40 GB and even 60 GB version which can also hold pictures, videos and have color screens. Apple's latest release is the iPod nano, which is a cross between the Mini and the original. These are the main developments of Apple's iPod.

The iPod has been so influential in today's society that our group thought that it could be very informative to do a survey about it. In our survey, about 50% of the people asked did own an iPod, all of whom said that they enjoyed it. The people in our survey said that the iPod can be helpful in exercising, and they also said that it is convenient to be able to have a portable music library with you wherever you go. In our survey we also asked if people had cell phone. Almost 100% of those surveyed did own a cell phone, and all owners were satisfied. The last question we asked was if they would be interested in a product that combined both iPods and cell phones. Three out of four people surveyed said that they would be interested if the two were combined. This information was helpful to us in furthering our way towards a possible new product development.

Lastly we would like to talk to you about our new product that could come out in the near future. This product would be a combination of Apple's iPod and the cellular phone. This would combine the two technologies into what could possible be one of the most dominating products in the 21st century. We think that this would be a great path for Apple to follow in order to continue their reign at the top. In order to stay successful they need to keep innovating and coming out with new products, and we think that our product would definitely be a smart investment for them.

In this research paper we shared with you everything from product development, product applications, possible future applications, and also information from our own personal survey. Hopefully, you can now see how the iPod has progressed over the past few years, so that you can understand why they are so far above the rest of their competitors. Their devices are smaller, easier to use, and also have extraordinary product development. If Apple continues their pursuit of excellence by adopting our new product, they will find themselves at the top of the electronics business for years to come.

 

http://mtdewvirus.com/archives/2005/09/08/ipod-size-comparison/

 

 

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