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12/13/2006: "iPod Followup"
We talked earlier about the iPod and it's domination of the portible music player market. These days, it seems like everyone has one - or two! But it's one thing to say you're the leader - how can you really show it? Sales is one way, and Apple certainly has the facts and data to back that one up - last time I checked, they'd sold nearly 70 million of the things. But here's another way to show dominance - become that essential item people won't leave home without.
Years ago, there was a radio show called "Desert Island Disc". Listeners were asked what 5 records they would want to have with them if they were stranded a la Gilligan and asked to justify their picks. Now, most of us will never be stranded on a desert isle, and we certainly won't have a turntable with us. But we just might have a music player, and I'll bet I know which one ...)
When I travel, packing is always tricky. You have very little room (and less all the time courtesy of the TSA), so you only bring what you really need. For me, that includes my iPod. But I'm not alone in that thought. Think of the ultimate packing challenge - selecting items to bring with you for a 6-month stay on the International Space Station. Talk about not having enough room for everything you need - you can bet only the essentials make the final packing list.
That's the challenge that faced astronaut Thomas Reiter earlier this year as he prepared to blast off to the ISS - what to bring, what to leave. Here we see astronaut Reiter hard at work in one of the ISS labs. Velcro'd to the bulkhead just beyond his laptop? That's right - it's an iPod! And I'm betting it gets more use than most of the items on that station ...
