iPod

First introduced in 2001, the iPod has established itself as the portable media device to have. Whilst initially designed as an MP3 player it has since broadened its range to include photo and video support. Since the iPod pushed portable media players into the foreground of public awareness there have been many contenders to the iPod's throne (such as the Zune) but at present the iPod looks set to remain king of the hill.

The key to the iPod's success has been it's sleek design and ease of use, with each generation of iPod (we are currently in the 5th generation) the user interface has become more intuitive and pleasing to the eye. This in part is due to the parallel development of iTunes, the iPod computer software that allows users to manage their media collection.

The iPod has also spawned 2 other variations, the iPod nano and the iPod shuffle. The nano offers a smaller storage capacity (and no video support) while the shuffle is a bare bones iPod with no view screen that simply shuffles the songs placed in it's memory. With these 2 sister products Apple have effectively produced an iPod for everybody's tastes and look set to stay the media player of choice for quite some time.