Monday, May 16, 2022

THE PASSING OF THE iPod

It was Christmas 2008 when I bought my iPod Nano. In those days, remember, local shopping was fairly good, and Hallie was with me at Walmart. I don’t remember whose idea it was that I should have an iPod – probably Hallie’s because I don’t think I knew anything about them. I remember asking her if it was worth the $200 I would pay for it, or if it would soon be replaced by new technology. She opined that it was technology that was here to stay.

I immediately loved my iPod. Initially we transferred music and lectures from my CDs by way of my laptop. (Remember when CD drives were standard with computers?) And then son Murray suggested that I might enjoy a podcast. As soon as I discovered old-time radio podcasts, that became my interest. I’d rather listen than watch any day.

So now, 13+ years later, I’m still using my iPod as Apple announces that they are discontinuing the it altogether. I know, folks use their phones for everything these days, even listening to music and podcasts, but I like the simplicity of managing my podcasts on my iPod My favorite programs line up by presenter as well as chronologically, and I like that better than a hodgepodge of various programs, some of which I don’t care about.

Apparently I’m not the only one who feels partial to the iPod. An Apple representative recently said that she had heard from many people, both young and old, who prefer to listen with the iPod rather than their phones. We like that the iPod is dedicated to just one function.

I have used my iPod daily for 13+ years. I suspect it’s on borrowed time, and when it fails, it will be the end of a long friendship. I felt like I had a close call the other night when my iPod locked up as I connected it to my laptop to update my podcasts. This happens occasionally and there’s a procedure to reset it, but I haven’t had to do it in years. Fortunately, I was successful in resetting it, but for half an hour, I feared my good friend was a goner.

One thing is certain. I got my $200’s worth. KW

2 comments:

Hallie said...

Is that the protective film on the screen? If so, you can remove it already. ;)

The ipod is wonderful in its lightweight, compact size. I used to have an armband for my ipod and I would listen to music at the gym. I would never do that with an iphone. And, I hate how I always have to look at my phone just right or put in a passcode for it to open. You don't have to do that with an ipod!

Kathy said...

Hi Hallie! I checked, and that's just an anomaly of the picture. You set up my iPod, so we know the protector wasn't left on the screen. I did buy a protective case for it but quickly abandoned because it got in the way.

The Apple rep was asked if iPods are available on eBay, etc., and she hesitated and then declined to comment. The thing is, it's not just the iPod just also the system. Updating the programs doesn't work as well as it used to.