The iPod as catalyst.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The iPod represents more than a cheap, simple digital music player. The incredibly rapid adoption of the iPod as a platform for digital music was the culmination of several years of trial and error style failure on the part of electronics developers. Why did the iPod succeed where other mp3 players met with only minimal success? The obvious answer is the simple and intuitive interface. This, however, only touches the surface of the phenomenon. The truth lies in the fact that the Napster generation had achieved gestation, and was prepared for the birth of a complete paradigm shift. This paradigm shift is a process which is far from complete.

One concept which is overlooked, but which is of great importance is the fact that the iPod is laying the groundwork for numerous keystone technologies which will eventually coalesce into an altogether different user experience from that with which we are currently familiar:

• Direct audio input cables are quickly becoming a standard feature in modern cars. This reflects a sea change in the attitude of auto makers. Where before choice was limited to proprietary devices, now the prevailing trend is to modularize the consumer experience, potentially leading us inexorably toward a new culture of rapid innovation.
  
  
• Constant digital feedback is becoming an expectation for an entire generation of young people, which will result in even more rapid evolution of the personal information space.
  
  
• Peripheral devices such as the EyeBud monocle promise to usher in an age of accepted wearable computing, where previous generations of wearable devices have failed. Again, this is due largely to the fact that these devices are designed with a modular end-user experience in mind.
  

Where does all of this lead? Directly to widespread adoption of gargoylism, wearable computing, or ubiquitous computing... one step closer to Singularity.