MP3 Players

The term that I chose relating to the modern informational society is mobile digital media players, also known as portable MP3 players. The earliest article I found using the term MP3 player is from 1999 in The New York Time, titled “Creative Labs Introduces Redesigned MP3 Player.” This humorous article written by Michel Marriott, touches upon the creation of a new Mp3 player that puts all other mobile media devices to shame. Besides playing the MP3 audio format, the Nomad II is programmable meaning it can download instructions that would permit one to write notes on the device. Designers say that with this feature it is basically “future proof” and will continue to change as the industry continues to evolve. For a whopping price of $400, it is clear that future products, such as the IPod, would outshine this device. Once perceived as “future proof” the nomad was later discontinued in 2004 due to the competitiveness of the MP3 market. The term Mp3 player was then used in scholarly article databases the same year as the New York Times article via ProQuest. In the article “The new MP3 players” critiques are contemplating buying the earliest MP3 devices after witnessing their rapid emergence onto the scene. The first line begins with “They look good, but will you respect them a year from now?” From the debut of the first MP3 devices, competitors have blossomed onto the scene creating devices that will rival one each other, such as the Nomad and Audiovox. Due to the drastically changing landscape and newly innovative devices, critiques strongly recommend holding off on the prototypes in hope that a cutting-edge device will emerge. Little did the earliest manufacturers of MP3 players know that they would all face their supreme competitor with Apple’s introduction of the IPod. Although the term MP3 player is still commonly understood today, it strongly correlates with the IPod putting most competitors out of competition. The IPod today has functions that weren’t even imaginable when compared to the earliest portable MP3 players and as the modern information society progresses, so to MP3 players.