Apple iPod Essentials   Tracking the Pulse of iPod

I recently purchased the XtremeMac Airplay FM Transmitter from MacMall ($39.00) and so far am very pleased with it. AirPlay features an easy-to-read illuminated digital frequency display, which turns off automatically after tuning to conserve iPod battery power. When iPod begins to play, AirPlay automatically transmits on the last used radio frequency. When the iPod or iPod mini is not playing, the Airplay automatically powers off. With Airplay, there is no need to navigate menus in the iPod. Works with iPod Charger.




Selecting a new frequency is easy, simply find an unused FM frequency on the radio, then press AirPlay's tuning buttons to quickly select the new frequency.

My friends all have iTrips and through several house parties recently, I've had a chance to not only play with theirs, but now compare Airplay to the iTrip in the same setting. While I really like the smooth lines of the iTrip FM Transmitter and the fact that it matches the form factor of the iPod, there's no comparison when it comes to ease of use thanks to Airplay's digital tuner. This makes all the difference when you're driving down the road trying to switch to tune a new frequency. Another feature which was important to me is that Airplay does not block the iPod's lock button. Though admittedly, most of the time you're using an FM transmitter, you'll probably have the iPod planted somewhere and it's less likely that controls will be accidentally pressed.

XtremeMac Airplay FM Transmitter Compatibility

• Also compatible with the new iPod with color display (20GB,60GB)
• iPod photo
• iPod U2
• iPod mini
• 4th Generation iPod with Click Wheel
• 3rd Generation iPod with touch wheel and buttons

Airplay FM Transmitter Features

• No Software Required
• Freely tune any station from 88.1 to 107.9 MHz
• Simple - Just plug AirPlay into your iPod, and press Play
• Compact - The body of the AirPlay FM Transmitter is the same thickness of an iPod mini, and less than two-thirds the width, providing access to the hold switch. AirPlay adds only an inch to the top of your iPod when plugged in
• Illuminated Display - Airplay features an illuminated display for easy-tuning
• Universal Design - AirPlay works with all iPods with Dock Connector and iPod mini
• Uses iPod's own power
• Energy Efficient - Auto Power On/Off, Auto LCD On/Off

Airplay comes with a 90-day warranty and is available from MacMall and other online distributors for $39.00.

Sample and subscribe to thousands of free podcasts at the iTunes Music Store. [link requires you to have iTunes installed on your computer]

last month, the grass-roots phenomenon known as "podcasting" went mainstream. Apple Computer Inc. made the talk or music shows, known as "podcasts," easier to find and download on its iTunes online music store. The site went from zero podcast subscriptions to more than a million in just two days.

Corporate media moved quickly to stake out podcasting as an avenue for reaching new listeners. While early podcasters offered talk radio-style shows with quirky titles such as The Frat Pack Tribute and The Rock and Roll Geek Show, big companies have elbowed in with condensed versions of popular broadcasts. Now, it's Queer Eye Hip Tips and ABC News that dominate as the most popular podcasts on iTunes, making the one-person, in-house shows harder to spot in a sea of media logos.

The result demonstrates how a new technology can remain part of an underground culture only for so long before corporations adopt it. Indie podcasters say Apple's decision has brought them new listeners, but they complain that the iTunes Web site heavily promotes big-name podcasts while leaving out their homegrown shows.

"We invented podcasting," said Todd Cochrane, who hosts his own podcast known as Geek News Central out of his home in Honolulu. "The people who are coming in now are jumping over the fence and joining the party. It's funny how Apple is so focused on the commercial shows and how little they are emphasizing the grass-roots side of podcasting."

Podcasting, coined by joining the word "broadcasting" with the Apple iPod digital music player, is generally credited to former MTV video jockey Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer, who created some of the key software and popularized the idea beginning last year. Subscriptions to podcasts are free to listeners.

The concept works like this: Anyone who wants to rant or discuss a topic can record and post an audio file on the Internet. Listeners can use software to subscribe to the show, getting an automatic update every time a new installment is recorded. Then they carry the show around on a portable music player - an iPod or a similar device - and can listen to it while running, driving to work, etc.

Now, with Apple's newest software release, those who download podcasts from the iTunes Web site can more easily transfer the audio files directly to their iPods.

The move widens the range of listening content available on the Web site and allows Apple to further promote the iPod as the king of digital media players.

It's logical for Apple to emphasize corporate media podcasts over just any amateur with a show because big names are more credible to listeners who are new to the phenomenon, said Alex Nesbitt, who runs Digital Podcast, an online directory of 2,100 podcasts.

"Getting people to try the media is the first step," he said.

More people are trying podcasts, even the indie ones. Cochrane's technology talk show drew 7,000 to 8,000 listeners per podcast before it became available on iTunes. Now, about 10,000 people tune in to the show twice a week, he said.

But Cochrane said he thinks that big-name podcasts from CNN and Walt Disney Co. take away from the whole reason people started doing it in the first place: to talk comfortably and informally to what is sometimes just a handful of loyal fans.

"I think what's so novel about it is that it's your neighbor creating this content," Cochrane said. "It's the person across the street."

It's not clear that there is a mass audience for podcasting, or whether the phenomenon could turn out to be a fad.

Broadcasters see podcasting as a way to reach new listeners. These days, people want the freedom to listen to audio files whenever they feel like it, rather than on the strict schedule of a traditional radio station, said Phil Redo, vice president of station operations and strategy for New York public radio station WNYC.

Sample and subscribe to thousands of free podcasts at the iTunes Music Store. [link requires you to have iTunes installed on your computer]

This was posted on the Forbes web site recently:

A comprehensive consumer survey by S.G. Cowen & Co. in June lays out a convincing case for a "halo" effect for Apple Computer's (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) Macintosh computers. The effect refers to the impact that one product, in this case the iPod, is having on sales of other products, namely Macintosh computers. Industry watchers and analysts have speculated on the effect for some time, but the Cowen survey actually attempted to document it by surveying over 1,400 people.

Of the 1,443 households surveyed, 3% owned only Macintosh computers, while 7% had both Windows PCs and Macs. But of the 36% of responders who owned digital audio players, more than half owned iPods, which runs on both Mac and Windows computers.

Of the responders who said they had decided to buy a computer in the next 18 months, 7.5% said they were planning on buying a Mac. That doesn't sound like much until you consider that Apple only has 3.3% market share in the U.S. today. If all of the buying intentions pan out, and the survey is representative of general PC buyers, Apple could conceivably double its market share in the not too distant future.

Indeed, Apple's revenue and unit shipments of Macintosh computers has been growing and seems to bear out suggestions of a halo effect. In the second fiscal quarter ended in March, Mac unit shipments grew by 43% to just over one million, and Mac revenue grew by 29% to $1.5 billion. That followed 26% revenue and unit shipment growth in the first fiscal quarter.

For some, the iPod has been their only exposure to Apple products. It appears that exposure is raising interest in other Apple gear. The survey found that overall, only 3% of people primarily using Windows definitively planned on Mac purchases. However, iPod owners with Windows computers were more than three times as likely to buy a Mac.

If you own a first, second or third generation iPod and have had the battery fail, or end up with the battery failing prematurely, you may be eligible for a claim under a class action suit.

If you bought a new First, Second or Third Generation iPod on or before May 31, 2004. You are not eligible to participate in this settlement if you purchased or acquired a used iPod, or if you purchased or acquired your iPod after May 31, 2004.

For all the details on participation in the settlement, see http://www.appleipodsettlement.com/notice.html

My iPod 20Gb (4G Click Wheel) is five months old and the left earbud is beginning to exhibit static rather consistently. Figuring it must still be under warranty, I called Apple Care today (800-APL-CARE) to see about getting a replacement for the earbuds that came with the pod. The service representative said she couldn't help me without my paying for a support incident or buying other support products, but before hanging up she directed me to Apple's web site and said I could get a free replacement set from there.

I suspect one needs to still be within the 1-year warranty period or under an extended warranty agreement, but it was relatively easy to do. Just visit the iPod Support page, enter your Pod's serial number and indicate that your earbuds are flaking out.

I still want to get replacement earbuds/headphones and just started researching the options. If you have a third-party headset for your iPod you're happy with, please leave me a comment.