Thursday, September 6, 2007

Ipods- the latest fashion accessory


Ipod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple. Launched in October 1991, the ipod stores media on an internal hard drive and also using flash memory. "Ipods have won several awards ranging from engineering excellence to most innovative audio product, to fourth best computer product of 2006" (Kanellos 2006:2). IPods often receive favorable reviews; scoring on looks, clean design, and ease of use. The iPod has sparked an extraordinary ecosystem of over 4,000 accessories made specifically for the iPod that range from fashionable cases to speaker systems. Colour cases are available and can be swapped whenever the listener feels they want a change. Such cases proved to be a popular innovation that designers have come up with accessories such as carry cases to transport multiple ipods. The ultimate iPod accessory is Fendi's Juke Box created by Karl Lagerfield. A $1,500 carrying case for transporting multiple iPods. Lagerfield believes that iPods completely changed the way people approach music and sees them as a positive modernisation, owning 40 ipods for perswonal use. "The technology of ipods inspired him to create the iPod carrying cases for Fendi, and he allowed that their shape and materials could also be inspiring for fashion in general" (Kahney 2005: 1). http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/news/2004/05/63423

Danika Cleary, Apple's iPod product manager, said, "The iPod has become iconic, and fashion designers have picked up on it. It's a fashion item in itself." Designers have noted this innovation is a popular gadget and have realised they can make a profit through creating accessories. In our hedonistic culture of mass consumption individuals feel they need new innovations to move forward in the fashion stakes and with society. The ipod has proven that technology can be fashionable and through the media and advertising, the ipod is promoted as a fashion forward item that incorporates the idea of wearable technology.


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