Describe the Innovation and Critically Relate It to one of the Concepts Covered in the Course

Describe the innovation and critically relate it to one of the concepts covered in the course.

"Thirty years ago, apple was a fruit. Today when one goggles' the word the primary reference to apple are no longer associated with the fruit, but to the Silicon Valley technology firm Apple Inc."(Sakar, 2007) Apple Inc. is a distinguished hardware and software company known for their personal computers, consumer electronics and computer software. Steve Jobs introduced the world to the very first iPod 14 years ago; changing the way we listen to music as well as vastly transforming the music industry. But why did apple choose the field of music? Well its simple, Steve Jobs explains that music is a part of everyone's life, music has been around forever and it will always be around. This is not a speculative market, and because it's a part of everyone's life, it's a very large target market, all around the globe it knows no boundaries. Even though the iPod was not the first MP3 player, it was the first become popular in the market. Throughout the years, just like other technology, the iPod has transformed in many ways and become better and more advanced in its functionality and numerous features.

Out of all their products, the iPod is one of Apples most successful products since its introduction in October, 2001. At the time there were a few portable MP3 players already available on the market but most of them had many defaults preventing them from being appealing to potential buyers. The Diamond Rio and the Nomad Jukebox are some examples of MP3  which apple inspired from. Both MP3 players were unable to hold more than 6GB worth of songs, with large and clumsy navigation structures. Steve Job claimed that the first lesson on the iPod innovation was "start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology"( Nielson, 2014). The main difference found in the iPod that separated it from the other existing players was not the technology but the customer experience. The new technology introduced by Apple in their iPods was to aid and enhance the customer experience.

The early iPod relied on using a Toshiba 5GB hard disk for storage instead of flash memory , was only compatible with Macintosh computers and was sold for $399. In addition, Apple had also introduced iTunes, a media management software which made the downloading and transfer process simpler. Over time, apple improved the iPod by increasing storage capacity and introducing new and improved features such as the touch wheel instead of the scroll wheel, which in later generations got replaced by touch-screen iPod. Furthermore, they made iPod and iTunes compatible with Windows computers which meant a larger target spread. Additionally, Apple included additional features such as pedometer that could be linked to Nike footwear that allowed you to count your steps and calories, as well as a car integration enabling to connect the iPod to your car audio system. But most importantly the creation of the App Store. took the iPod beyond music. IPod became a media device enabling user to game, browse the internet, photos, videos, utilities, etc.