iPod Utopia!

Theme 4. The trend in each emerging medium from utopian ideals to the focus on monetizing.

When a new technology is introduced to the public, it is displayed in a light that makes it seem that a life without the new product is impossible. The new medium is the greatest thing in the world, so why wouldn’t you purchase it? A great example of this is the iPod. Every time a new iPod Nano is created, people rush to buy it. Even though one new feature sets it apart from the last model, the latest Nano is presented as a “must have” item. Why is this? People feel the need to update the old and outdated technologies with new and improved versions. The iPod company presents the new Nano as a simple upgrade. It is as if you are simply replacing an outdated manual can opener with a new electric one. Except, it is a much greater expense!
The public is tricked into thinking that their iPods are dated. With all the advertisements proclaiming the amazing qualities of the newly released iPod, who wouldn’t think about replacing his/her iPod? It is precisely this reasoning that assists the Mac Company in amassing their tremendous profits. If they didn’t advertise the remarkable ground breaking qualities of their latest invention, why would anyone go to the Apple Store, to pick out a new iPod, when the old one functions just fine? People would continue to use their old iPods and never purchase a new one. This definitely would not assist the Mac Company.
My iPod Nano is only about two years old, but yet is considered to be old. I personally believed this too, until I did a little research. While I was shopping online for a cord that would allow me to listen to my iPod in the car, I discovered that I needed to know my Nano’s generation. After discovering that my Nano is a third generation, I was curious what the latest version of the Nano is. The new iPod Nano is a fifth generation and the only feature that sets it apart from mine is its new capability to take homemade videos. My Nano may not be the brightly colored, skinny, fifth generation Nano, but it still plays the same music that a new Nano would. But yet, my Nano is referred to as “the old Nano.”
In the NPR on the Web pod cast, “Web Thinks,” the hosts discuss a new revelation of Internet. Currently, the web is a 2.0 or second-generation world. The pod cast discusses a new revelation of Internet. This new Internet, called Web 3.0, is highly efficient and “does our work for us.” It is a web of artificial intelligence that permits the computer to “make the judgments for you.” No longer does an individual need to hassle with hours of research to find the perfect vacation spot that meets all of his/her requirements for a hotel. The computer searches/scans the web for an ideal match! All that is required is the individual’s spoken requests for the vacation. Who in this day in age wouldn’t jump at a chance for an Internet like that? It cuts the hours of work down for you! Forget the fact that programming common sense into computers, such as the idea of gravity, is extremely difficult. The concept in itself is simply amazing! It would definitely be worth the wait to see if such an Internet was possible!