Ever since the introduction of the Apple iPod a few years back, it has now become a pop culture phenomenon and has practically been the MP3 player of choice by so many people, even Hollywood celebrities. As the Apple iPod already become an iconic product of our modern times, Apple went through great lengths to be able to further improve on their line of Apple iPods not just to provide better choices for the masses but to be able to keep ahead of the competition as well. Wanna know more about the latest line of Apple iPods to hit the market? Read on to find out:

As people are getting into downloading movies and videos from the Internet, Apple has joined the MP4 bandwagon by updating their classic iPod video. From the usual 30Gig classic iPod video, this popular Apple iPod has gotten a massive upgrade of 80G and 160 Gig. Now, the Apple iPod has become even more capable of storing your whole iTunes library even your whole DVD collection unlike other MP3 players in the market today.
As for the iPod Nano, this sleek and trendy version of the Apple iPod has also gotten a cool new makeover by becoming equipped with a video playing function just like with the classic Apple iPod video. More suited for the younger set, the iPod Nano video comes in a variety of candy colors like pink, blue, green, as well as the classic silver and black. Its size is around half of the usual iPod video and only has a maximum memory of 8 Gig. If you are not much into storing so much stuff in your Apple iPod and would rather go for the trendier version, then this is the Apple iPod model for you. Continued below...

Apple iPod touch 3G mp3 Players have got the Midas touch for sure as is proven by it's ever increasing popularity. iPods in general has turned around Apple's fortune for good, selling over 150 million units by 2008. The new addition to the family is even a notch above. After buying my own touch, I figured, there isn't much noticeable difference from the outside or the inside compared to my old Second generation apple player. Although on first introspection, you may not find any major cosmetic/functional change with music and video playback or the menus but it is way faster. You know it by browsing with safari or while loading your Facebook. With heavier applications for video/music playback the change is more evident. The boot time has significantly improved as well.

What I like most is the new voice control function which is a superb specification. My niece loves it and would snatch it away for me whenever she can. This cool feature just leaves you completely hands free. It allows you to control the music playlist by using your voice. There's no more need to take it out from your pocket anymore. All you have to do is utter "Next" to navigate to the next song or say "shuffle" to shuffle them up. Ok you want to stop and take a call? Just say "Pause" and the music playback will stop. I love using it while I go jogging or during my gym sessions. I recommend the touch over iPod classic which is a little on the heavier side. My touch is so light that I even forget at times that it's in my pocket.

Though I'm advocating so much on behalf of the 32gb model, I suggest you to upgrade your 2G iPod touch only when you really need a lot of storage. Being a music crazy person, I always do, which is why I bought one. Only thing to consider with 3G's faster processing is that it's battery lasts 6 hours lesser than 2G. 3G battery can store power for 30 hours of music playback while 2G bettered at 36 hours, according to apple official specifications. Well I can live up with it, for I don't need to off any power source that long anyway.

Did I forget to mention that the iPod touch 3rd generation 32GB/64GB versions come with an additional accessory? Yes! I'm talking about the free handy microphone. Particularly useful for the voice control feature. Also comes along with it, a remote and earbuds while the 8GB still do not. So primarily, the main feature upgrade is the new CPU and an enhanced Graphic card. According to apple the new cpu is twice as fast just like the iPhone 3GS. The new 8GB is missing out on this as it uses the same old CPU Chip belonging to the old iPod touch second generation.

Apple is incredibly dominant in the mp3 player market - it has over 80% of the US market for example. Why is this?

Firstly because iPods still lead the way for music playing capabilities - most independent reviews say they just sound great. Secondly, the iTunes is the best music management software. On top of that, the iTunes music store is the easiest to use and has the greatest choice.

And last but certainly not least iPods are just such amazingly sexy devices!

The iPod model range changes regularly.

iPod touch
The latest iPod is the iPod Touch. The iPod touch has the incredible touch screen user interface, plus it feels sexy in your hand, thanks to its amazingly thin, contoured enclosure made of polished stainless steel. The iPod touch provides up to 36 hours of audio playback or 6 hours of video playback (which is enough to watch three or four movies between charges). It also has a built-in speaker so you can listen to the music, dialogue, and action without headphones, perfect for casual listening.

iPod Classic
The iPod classic comes with 120GB of internal disk storage, which equates to 30,000 songs, 150 hours of video, or 25,000 photos. It is available in silver or striking new black and now has an upgraded all-metal enclosure composed of anodized aluminum and polished stainless steel.

You can also use the new Apple Remote with an optional iPod Universal Dock to control your music, videos and slideshows. There is of course a huge range of third party accessories with similar capabilities to the Apple ones - sometimes even better than Apple's and often at lower prices.

iPod nano
Apple's tagline for the nano is "impossibly small" and it certainly is incredibly small and light. It is currently available in 8GB and 16GB sizes, which hold about 2,000 and 4,000 songs respectively.

The nano has a colour display, so you can view album art as you play your music. The sexy feature taken from the iPod touch - give your iPod nano a shake and it shuffles to another song in your library - thanks to the built-in accelerometer.

Because it is so small and light, Apple emphasises the nano's wearability. You can easily wear it around your neck or keep it on an armband.

iPod shuffle
The shuffle is the entry level iPod model and is even smaller than the iPod nano - about the size of a pack of gum and weighs less than a car key. The shuffle doesn't have a display so its playlist control is fairly basic - play, pause, skip, repeat, hold and shuffle (random). Like other iPod models the shuffle has been upgraded to use anodized aluminum and is available in blue, green, pink, red, and original silver It is easy to hook up to a computer - just plug it directly into a USB 1.1 or 2.0 port, or use an optional Dock. You can sync a specific iTunes Playlist, or drag and drop individual songs or albums from iTunes into the iPod shuffle. The shuffle also automatically charges during syncing.

Summary
Apple still holds a clear lead over other mp3 music player vendors. The iPods sets the pace in most aspects - storage, packaging, sex appeal and now even price. There is a huge 3rd party add on market that gives the iPod owner a wide choice of accessories. Really, from the position it now has, Apple has to make big mistakes or just get complacent to lose its #1 market position.