Why The Ipod Plays a Role in My Daily Activities

iPod is a new technology of portable media players generated and sold by Apple and was released into the market on November 10, 2001. The product line presently comprises of the hard drive-centered iPod Classic that stores media, the iPod Touch which is a touchscreen model, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact model known as iPod Shuffle, all of which use flash memory to back up their small size. iPod is also used as an external data storage device for documents, data and music, with the storage capacity depending on models that range from 2 GB for the iPod Shuffle to 160 GB for the iPod Classic. iTunes software developed by Apple may also be used to transfer photos, web bookmarks, videos, games, e-mail settings, contact information, and calendars to iPod models that support the features. iPod demand has steadily grown in the recent past due to its features that are used daily by millions of people around the world including myself, thus being deprived from it will create great inconveniences to many people.

The introduction of this iPod technology has immensely benefited me, by making my work easier in terms of the mobility of the models and the multiple functioning nature of the gadget. As a student, iPod creates a perfect tool to store my academic data that relates to coursework timetable, assignment submission deadlines, and reminder on daily events among others, to ensure that all the activities are up-to-date. It also stores audio and video media files that can be transferred through compatible software. This is made possible through all the iPods except the iPod touch only. Day 1 was very enjoyable, since I could listen to the preferred music to take away the boredom and loneliness that appeared in between the classes. iTunes store also provided an access to the online media store that stocks a variety of music and full length movies thus allowed room to select the preferred combination of songs like the MP3. I also enjoyed playing games for example; Bricks, Parachute Solitaire and Music quiz games. The introduction of iTunes store led to availability of additional games to purchase that are compatible with 6th and 5th iPod classic generation and the 5th and 4th iPod Nano generation. I also used iPod to check emails and news without necessarily visiting a cyber café and social centers where such services are provided, which would however be expensive and time consuming. This information is accessible through the iPod irrespective of the location for example while in trains, when travelling, in a library among others. It was therefore very convenient for me to access and send both music and video clips to my friends.

Importance of iPod

iPod technology is very important in my daily schedules since it serves as reminder for all the activities of the day to ensure that none is left unattended. All my academic data are stored in the iPod making it my closest companion wherever I go. It also provides the chance to access websites and email information both for academic and social interaction purposes, including social chart platforms like Facebook and Twitter, through internet connections. iPod also plays a major role in my learning activities in the sense that I read and study well when listening to soft music to avoid losing concentration. This therefore makes me have earphone to avoid distractions during personal study sessions. These sentiments are also shared with four of my friends whom I interviewed to know their use of the technology. They mentioned that 70% of theirs free time is spent on iPod use, either when reading emails, listening to music, watching videos or when charting with friend on the social network.

Day 1 of Deprivation

My day 1 of deprivation was mired with a lot of challenges including being late for class since the iPod that I had set as reminder was not with me. In as much as I had a wrist watch, most of the time I would forget to check and only realized when it was already late. To cover up for the iPod, I went to the cyber café to try read emails and to chart with friends later in the evening. This turned to be time consuming since I had to be stationed in the bureau for more than one hour and spent more money than I would have if I had the iPod.

Day 2 of Deprivation

This was equally a gloomy day for me without entertainment that I was used to. My friends and colleagues had started complaining for the reason that they could not reach me in time and that I took so long before I responded to their emails. Due to communication breakdown, I missed a friend’s birth day party, for the reason that I could not read the invitation mail early enough. This was a bad experience for a friend who two months ago attended my party.

Day 3 of Deprivation

Life was already unbearable without the iPod technology that I was so used to. Because of the frustration and the cut link between me and my friends, I spent most of the day sleeping at home. My level of concentration when revising and studying went down, having that I could easily be distracted by the lowest sound around. I tried using home music system to reduce the boredom, but was not interesting having that the preferred iTunes that I had initially downloaded were missing. This is when I noted that iPod was such an important technology to me and felt frustrated without it, but however realized that I was getting addicted to the use of iPod which was rather very dangerous.

Day 4 of Deprivation

Day 4 was occupied with the search of alternative technology to cover up for the lack of iPod. I tried the use of an iPhone, but however, never matched the iPod technology which had bigger storage capacity for music, video and data. For this deprivation period, I had to copy class timetable in a piece of paper including the assignment submission dates and pinned one copy at home while carried another copy in a folder wherever I went. This was a bad experience for me owing to the fact that I was never used to carrying other items like the ones I had, for the period I was deprived the iPod technology.

Day 5 of Deprivation

At this time, I was already getting used to working without iPod technology. However, my operations were still minimized and I could only perform a few activities in a day. I started getting used to studying without music, to ensure that I do not get behind on the coursework, and started to maintain a diary for my daily activities as my remedy not to miss any program.

Day 6 of Deprivation

It appeared like I had not used iPod technology for months. Instead of iPod movies that I used to download, I went out with friends to a cinema venue to catch up with the latest movies.

Day 7 of Deprivation

My collage colleagues who had their iPod technology intact appeared slight ahead of me regarding information circulation. Occasionally I would depend on them for the updates regarding the availability or postponement of a lecture. This is because they received information instantly as was sent by the instructor through the iPod.

Day one of Return

This was a great day for me after suffering for seven days without access to iPod technology. Work was easier on the first day of normal use when I could easily listen to the preferred music, watch the best movies as they were released, timely check emails and updates from course websites and from friends through social networks like Facebook as soon as the notifications were released, and ensured that all the pending mails were responded to. My use of iPod this time was even more intense since I felt I had missed it for a long time and never wished to lose it again. However, my experience without iPod made me realize that overdependence on an item like the technology brought about addiction if not controlled. This can lead to serious consequences when the technology is deprived, to an extent that one my fail to operate normally and also makes people lazy not to think of alternative remedies. The iPod technology is good, though must be used with caution, to avoid such disorganized experiences as was seen during the seven day deprivation period.

In conclusion, iPod technology created by Apple provides portable media players that increase mobility for the lovers of music and movies, as well as storage of data. The technology increased social networking among the users through the internet connections, easy transfer of music and movies and its ability to store big volumes of data. Deprivation of such technology may have far reaching effects on the operation of those already addicted to the technology. This was experienced in this journal when the iPod was deprived for seven days. On the other hand, deprivation of such technologies like iPod, Facebook, Twitter among others should be encouraged to some extent, to control the over dependence and make the users try develop alternatives should the technology fail or be denied.