Was it the Napster or iPod Revolution?

[Emancipated]

It seems everywhere you go, the trademark white earbuds are in people's ears. It isn't a question of which came first; the chicken or egg -- in my mind, Napster catapulted the iPod to popular culture. Without Napster, Apple would had never concieved the idea of an iPod.

So what's my confusion here? I want to know what you think has made the iPod so fashionable. Or is it just that; the iPod is bought more for its fashion sense than for its intended use.

Let's compare apples to apples, pun intended. Har har. If you harken back to the 80s when the yellow, Sony walkman were all the rage, Sony (and Bruce Lee) made yellow fashionable and cool. It didn't, however, make swapping tapes all that relevant. It was just the culture. Suppose the format of MP3 never caught on, would we still see people with their fashionable iPods out and about? Would people still buy X if it played a cassette? I just have a hard time internalizing the idea that most people who buy iPods do so because they love music. People loved Walkmans in the 80s, but you were never deluged with yellow headphones in public like you are today with iPods.
Hopefully you get the crux of my message.

P.S I'm looking on eBay for some vintage yellow headphones. I'm going to kick it ol' school where old tech meets new tech.

[DaVibe]

In the history of music, there's never been a DE-VALUE on holding the actual music in your hand (actually paying for the music) like there is today.
Napster may not have been the first, nor the last, but it was the was most popular at it and took the most hits. It turned music into Mp3's and smaller, faster and better portable devices.

I love it and I hate it. I can't imagine what the future generations are going to do with it.

[thelefteyeguy]

for me: Napster

[najibs]

Napster did start the MP3 revolution, but, the IPOD was not the first MP3 player. It was the Diamond Rio PMP300, that started it all. I remember almost buying one when they were released back in 1998 or 1999 I think it was.

It was the design of the Rio that inspired the iPod, just look at the center control pad, it's round, the size and shape of the device as well. It had 32Mb of removable flash, so it was expandable to 128Mb I think. It was also priced around $200.

[Emancipated]

In the history of music, there's never been a DE-VALUE on holding the actual music in your hand (actually paying for the music) like there is today.
Napster may not have been the first, nor the last, but it was the was most popular at it and took the most hits. It turned music into Mp3's and smaller, faster and better portable devices.

I love it and I hate it. I can't imagine what the future generations are going to do with it.

If it's in your opinion that Napster and MP3 are synonymous and iPods are irrelevant. I agree.

In that sense, I think it's a tragedy that not more homage is paid to Napster.

LONG LIVE Napster (the spirit)!

[gambit_360]

It was Napster that made MP3 popular.
I'm not too sure Napster helped the iPod any. I mean, Napster was dead before the first iPod even came out.

[Emancipated]

It was Napster that made MP3 popular.
I'm not too sure Napster helped the iPod any. I mean, Napster was dead before the first iPod even came out.

No, sir/madamme. It surely helped the iPod in more ways you care to imagine. Napster left a legacy. Napster is MP3! Bow down to Napster you worthless human being! Hahhahaha!!!!

Fraunhoffer (sp?) should pay royalties to Napster if the world was fair.

[konfusion666]

Napster started the MP3 revolution definitely.

iPod started the trend of fashionization of technology.

[DaVibe]

Child Plays CDs
Finds out about Napster, starts listening to tons of music on their computer
Then the iPod is highlighted as the thing to have ... child puts all his music off his computer (Mp3's) onto his portable music device (likely an iPod).
Child is now an emo.

[elusion]

Child Plays CDs
Finds out about Napster, starts listening to tons of music on their computer
Then the iPod is highlighted as the thing to have ... child puts all his music off his computer (Mp3's) onto his portable music device (likely an iPod).
Child is now an emo.

lol
but yah...Napster came first.

[awesome-o]

iPod wouldn't be what it is without napster.

those were the days...napster, scour exchange and audiogalaxy

[masterballer]

Child Plays CDs
Finds out about Napster, starts listening to tons of music on their computer
Then the iPod is highlighted as the thing to have ... child puts all his music off his computer (Mp3's) onto his portable music device (likely an iPod).
Child is now an emo.

[AloneInACrowd]

Definately, Napster didn't create MP3's, it released them to the mainstream and made them both convenient and easy to find. I remember before Napster came out scouring the net for the newest MP3 of hit songs (BNL - One Week anyone?) or finding friends who bought it to rip them.

If not for Napster, something might have come along to revolutionize it just the same, they just happened to be first. It's hard to predict if something like Napster wasn't made at that time, if someone else would have come up with the idea or something similar. If it didn't obviously the iPod wouldn't have emerged and would never have the mass appeal that it does to day.

But who knows, MP3's could have revolutionized another way, another file format could have been largely advertised (WMA could have been huge?), BT wouldn't exsist if nothing came along like Napster, the world as we know it would be a completely different.

Who knows, people might even still like Metallica.

[Sajjad]

Napster. I didn't know what an MP3 was until I got Napster. I remember having to wake up at 5am to turn of my 56K after I downloaded *one song*. Then later on, iPods became popular, and revolutionized technology with fashioned influences. Well you could say cellphones started fashion & technology.

[xwar]

The MP3 format was out far far before the existence of napster ...

just not to the mainstream.