Sometimes we are left wondering what we are doing with our lives. A similar revelation took place recently when I read an article on Apple selling its 100 millionth iPod. Having heard about it all these years as a wonder gadget, I'd just let it pass by, assuming it to be an advanced version of the Sony walkman, or Diskman at most. How wrong I was! A visit to the Apple website opened my eyes.

Starting from the smallest sized Mini that has a capacity of 1GB, to the latest fifth generation 80GB Video there is a huge variety to suit each need. Besides these two, iPods are available in sizes of 2GB, 4GB, 10GB and 30GB. When I pause to think that just a few years ago I was the proud owner of a PC with a HDD of a then princely 4 GB, I feel humbled. Why, even my current laptop (bought the latest available three years ago) has a now seemingly low 30GB of space. One look at the iPod and I didn't know where to hide! Is it time for me to exchange my laptop for the little magical gadget, then?

Well, maybe not quite, but even that time is not far I guess. The iPod offers multiple choices for its users, the very basic being its function of allowing you to download music from the Apple website and a host of others. Apple allows downloads which are compatible with its in-house development, the itunes music software that allows seamless integration with the audio.
Now here's the best part - you don't have to restrict yourself to just music. There's a host of options available - like listening to audio books that you always wanted to read but could never find the time for. Or you could listen to those French lessons you always wanted to take while driving to work, and slowly, at that - the iPod allows you to run the audio at variable speeds. The author of the article I read, a doctor by profession, uses it to store his patients' x rays and medical histories, always carrying a ready bank of medical cases to refer to. Others use it as a travel companion, downloading the latest movies and watching it at leisure on the 2.5-inch LCD screen. 80GB is a lot of space.

You can even hook up your iPod to a host of accessories like a Bose stereo, your TV, or even your car audio. Use the convenient charger to charge it from your laptop, or use a common adapter for your car charger. The battery life achieved depends upon the usage - the least batteries being consumed while listening to audio, and the maximum, naturally, seeing video.
Besides the Apple website, the iPod is one of the hottest selling items on ebay as well. Not to mention the thousands of other online stores whose sales figures I didn't have time to check out. You have a choice between buying a brand new 80GB iPod ranging upto the current $350 on the Apple website, or a refurbished one generally available cheap on one of the e-auction sites. Going by the reviews to the refurbished ones (which are basically nearly new iPods, but gone faulty due to some reason and now repaired), not many people are complaining. So maybe it's not a bad option if you want to save a few dollars.

Don't think any more. It is not a product - it's a phenomenon.

As for life passing me by - I've already ordered one!

The author loves mixing music. You can make your own music by setting up a home recording studio and using a good music production software. Learn all the music terms with the help of an online music dictionary.