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.

http://www.eirikso.com/images/Diamond%20Rio%20and%20iPod%20Video.jpg

[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 :lol:
but yah...Napster came first. :cheesygri

[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.

:D :D :D

[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.

[Sajjad]

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

just not to the mainstream.

Exactly, then Napster came and it went on fire. Then later, on it got shut down. Then Kazaa came, faced some lawsuits, and then it died because it had massive spyware. Then Bit Torrent, and I haven't looked back (well until this thread).

[mlc2000]

I preferred Scour over Napster.

[x86asm]

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

just not to the mainstream.

Correct, it was released sometime in the late 80's /early 90's. But back then PC's couldnt handle it, only high powered DSP's could do it reasonably.

MP3's only became mainstream around the time when the P120Mhz and P133Mhz were mainstream, these chips could playback MP3's (128KBPs, 44.1kHz Stereo) with ~40% CPU usage.

[konfusion666]

Correct, it was released sometime in the late 80's /early 90's. But back then PC's couldnt handle it, only high powered DSP's could do it reasonably.

MP3's only became mainstream around the time when the P120Mhz and P133Mhz were mainstream, these chips could playback MP3's (128KBPs, 44.1kHz Stereo) with ~40% CPU usage.

yup while playing the mp3's we'd just stare at the screens like fools (because if you moved the mouse around it'd start skipping)

and then winamp came out with the visualizations :P

[asim99]

napster, for sure

ipod was a late comer to the scene

[NG]

Agreed on Napster.

If anything I would place the Apex AD-600A above the Ipod for sparking any sort of revolution.

When someone thinks of non-pc MP3s they seem to automatically thing "Ipod" but few remember that it was the AD-600A that was the first consumer electronic device in North America (in China it was called the VDDV and different names from around the world depending on who imported them) that allowed people to play MP3s away from their computer way back in 1999

In addition it also allowed (via a hidden menu accessible via remote - a first for it's time again) to change the region coding for the machine to 0 to play and disc on earth and disable macrovision. Both very common now but it created quite the splash back then - even making it into publications like Time.

Oh - and if that wasn't enough it also has a Karaoke machine built in (another trend in North America the AD-600A sparked ;) ).

Edited to add: It also really brought down prices for DVD players. When this thing hit the market in Canada it had a regular price of $299.99 when other DVD players were around the $500 mark.

http://www.dariv.com/ebay/apex/AD-600A.jpeg

[NG]

I preferred Scour over Napster.

Same here. I didn't have DSL when I had it so I couldn't take advantage of the video download feature but it's inclusion put it miles ahead of Napster imho.

[xwar]

Correct, it was released sometime in the late 80's /early 90's. But back then PC's couldnt handle it, only high powered DSP's could do it reasonably.

MP3's only became mainstream around the time when the P120Mhz and P133Mhz were mainstream, these chips could playback MP3's (128KBPs, 44.1kHz Stereo) with ~40% CPU usage.

Yep, I remember the time, I used to get them all from IRC and went crazy when I first got my P90. It ran them fairly well with Winamp classic.

[Shaner]

I didn't know what an MP3 was until Napster came out.
I stumbled upon Napster while it was big, but before it became huge. I was the first one out of my group of friends to ever use it.

I remember telling them about how great it was, what it was, etc. They all looked at me like I was stoned. They had never heard of such a thing and the word "napster" just confused them even more.

I lived in a very small town at the time so technology and internet crazes were slow to come around. Once I introduced all my friends to it, they never looked back. They would have stumbled across it either way I'm sure, but I take pride in knowing I assisted with the spreading of the Napster legacy. ;)

Napster was, is and always will be the god of music sharing!

[xtal]

I remember having to search through a multitude of FTP sites to find MP3's before the days of Napster. Ahhh... residence high-speed networks were never so improperly used. I remember renting a CD burner one weekend with my roommates, and spending 72 straight hours burning CD's (MP3, data, etc.)

[NLI10D]

Napster might have brought the mp3 format to the forefront, it isn't as revolutionary as you think. while shawn fanning was getting famous with napster and subsequently getting sued and shut down, justin frankel made much more of an impact with his gnutella.

[x86asm]

I remember having to search through a multitude of FTP sites to find MP3's before the days of Napster. Ahhh... residence high-speed networks were never so improperly used. I remember renting a CD burner one weekend with my roommates, and spending 72 straight hours burning CD's (MP3, data, etc.)
I remember downloading my first MP3, I think in 97 or 98 from an FTP using GetRight haha. It took me like 4 days to get the MP3 (was really slow, the guy hosting it was probably using a 56k modem, just like me!!).

EDIT: I remember the song now, it was My Name IS by Eminem lol. Then after that it was the Real Slim Shady song.

[Sajjad]

OMG YES! 2KB/s!!!! wowoowowowowowowowo, dad come look!!!!!!!
:lol:

[konfusion666]

I remember downloading my first MP3, I think in 97 or 98 from an FTP using GetRight haha. It took me like 4 days to get the MP3 (was really slow, the guy hosting it was probably using a 56k modem, just like me!!).

EDIT: I remember the song now, it was My Name IS by Eminem lol. Then after that it was the Real Slim Shady song.

GetRight
IE 4.0
Netscape 4.07
VCDGear

V.FC
V.Fast
V.Ultra

I forget the rest...

[killbillvol1]

People forget (or dont realise) that the ipod made mp3 management simple to the noobs out there. Is there a better device to manage a few thousand mp3s, and find what you need in couple of simple clicks? And have better build quality? Don't think so.

[charger]

Is there a better device to manage a few thousand mp3s, and find what you need in couple of simple clicks? And have better build quality? Don't think so.

Yes.

IPODs are total garbage. You have to use the itunes software, and the build quality is well subpar of the equivilant samsungs.

The Nano has a 3 month warranty!

The Ipod's express purpose is to suck as much money out of the sucker who buys it through an extended "warranty" and through buying stuff through the itunes website.

I sell Ipods all day and keep my mouth shut, but the amount of complaints I hear about IPODS is incredible.

[stevethewheel]

Napster started the MP3 revolution definitely.

iPod started the trend of fashionization of technology.

Well put. Apple understands fashionization.

[Slimfast]

Man, all this nostalgia reminds me of the time I scraped enough money to buy a 128mb rio 500 and a 64mb smart card. I was soooo psyched and I remember all my friends going, "Whoa! What is that thing!"

Now everybody and their mothers have an iPod; not that that's a bad thing.

[Siefer999]

napster streamlined my mp3 downloading process. i was downloading mp3s before it but napster made it 100x easier until it got to popular and started getting filled with all that bull sh/t