MiPod

[Pic Courtesy Apple]

While there are situations where I use an MP3 player(while running at the gym, during the walk after lunch, on an airplane, etc.), I'm not one of those guys who walks around with earbuds seemingly attached permanently to the ears. So while I have always had an eye on the incredibly sleek and cool-looking Apple mini iPod, I could never get myself to plunk down the $250 that the MP3 player cost. So I settled for the iAudio CW200. At around $80, its 128MB(that holds 25 - 30 Tamil songs) seemed like a good deal.

But the desire for the mini iPod never really died down. I got my chance when Citibank Online offered a free iPod for opening an account and paying atleast 2 monthly bills using their Billpay (they've been offering some really cool goodies to sign up. My friend got himself a Sony DVD player and recently there were offering $200 in cash). Since I pay all my bills online anyway, this wasn't a major departure for me and I quickly signed up and moved 2 of my monthly bills to Citibank.

Its been about 3 months since I opened the account and I finally received my mini iPod today. Its silver and is supposed to hold 1000 songs in its 4GB space. This is my first Apple product and the first noticeable thing was the packaging. It was simple and elegant with a single line "Designed by Apple in California" on the box. The package itself opened like a book with the mini iPod neatly encased in the middle and accessories hidden in boxes on either side. The iPod itself is a little larger than a credit card and very impressive to look at.

Needless to say, I had it connected to my computer the next minute, moving over a few of the albums I've been listening to, in a flash. Inspite of the small package, the sound quality is awesome. And since I've used the other MP3 player, the mini iPod's click wheel seems very easy to use and makes navigation a breeze.

The iPod created a revolution in the MP3 player market, helping Apple very quickly capture a leading share of the market. Now I know why. Let the music begin...