Ipods and Networking

Ipods and Networking 1

IPODS AND NETWORKING

Ipods and Networking

Kevin bailey

Indiana-purdue university fort wayne

Abstract

Since the introduction of the ipod in 2001 it has become a very popular technology. In this research paper I will attempt to explain the functions of this new technology and how it can be used individually to acquire information. I will also discuss about the inner components and how those components work to connect to a network. Furthermore I will discuss about what protocols are used to implement this technology and what hardware is used in implementation. In conclusion I will talk about how far this technology has come since the public has had access to it and how it will be used in the future.

IPODS and Networking

Apple ipod is a portable media player that is marketed by Apple Computers Inc. the ipod was released to the public on December 24, 2001. This particular technology came from apples digital hub strategy. They came up with the idea as the company began creating software for the growing market of digital devices being purchased by consumers. Since the time of its original release the ipods technology has grown rapidly. The first generation of ipods were MP3 players with the storage capacity of 5,10,and 20 gigabytes at the time in 2001 that amount of storage was unheard of. Ipods work by using interface design and capacitive sensor technology. Along with the ipod apple also launched a digital intergraded jukebox/ media player software called itunes, which comes with your ipod when you purchase it. It is stored on your computer and you could use it to download files, organize, play videos and movies, and upload files from and to your ipod. The software was designed to work in conjunction with the apple ipod. Through auto-synchronization users could download music from this software by connecting the ipod’s fire wire cable to the fire wire ports of a MAC Machine. You could also charge the ipod battery using a power adapter by connecting the ipod to your computer through the fire wire ports and by using the fire wire cable that came with the ipod. Eventually the fire wire cable was only offered as an option of purchase, because of the popularity of using USB port 2.0 as a means of transferring data. But apple still recommends that customers use the fire wire cable to recharge the ipods battery.

The operating system in the ipod is stored on a dedicated medium. An additional NOR flash ROM chip contains a boot loader program that tells the device to load its OS from this storage medium. Ipods are also capable and able to play a good amount of software like MP3, AAC/M4A, Protected AAC, AIFF, WAV, Audible Audio Books, Apple Lossless, MPEG- 4, .MP4 and Quick Time video formats. But the ipod does not support Microsoft WMA Audio format but a converter is provided with the windows version of itunes that is a non- DRM WMA file and that can be converted to compatible files using the advanced menu on itunes. The ipod also lets MACK users import songs from CD’s by converting audio files to the MP3 format and storing them on the computers hard drive, along with the MAC Computer ipod’s also work with Microsoft Machines. Basic hardware the ipod comes with is 30 GB 1.8-inch hard drive, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, a mechanical touch-sensitive wheel with buttons, a 2.5-inch LCD screen, a microprocessor portal player PP5021C with dual ARM7TD MI core, a Broadcom video chip, and a Wolfson microelectronics WM878 codec audio chip. The hard drive features 4200rpm and uses a USB interface that weighs 1.7 ounces and fits 30 GB into a single platter and squeezes in 93.5 gigabytes per square inch. Even though it fits so much into a small space it gives the ipod increased sensitivity that allows for a great number of recorded bits per square inch. The display screen is a 2.5-inch 16 bit 320*240 pixel resolution with an o.156 dot pitch that connects to the backside of the motherboard. All chips that work in the ipod are connected to the motherboard. The microprocessor portal player and broadcom chips send audio signals to the audio codec for output through the headphone and speaker jacks.

The click wheel on the ipod is touch sensitive with four mechanical buttons under the hardware’s plastic surface, they are menu, back, forward, and play/pause and one button in the center that is select. The wheel works very similar to a touch pad on a laptop computer mainly because the design manufacture Synaptics created this touch pad for the ipod as well as touch pads for laptop computers. Synchronization operations have been conventionally performed between portable devices and host computers. In this case involving media players like the ipod they have been able to synchronize with a host computer when a bus connection over a cable is made. Therefore the synchronization can be made automatically when the cable is connected between the host computer and the media player. However when the ipod came out a disadvantage with synchronization was that the connection must be made manually. Without a cable the synchronization process can not occur. Basically because the user can simply forget to connect the cable, but connection could be difficult if the length of the cable used in implementation is to long. In order for synchronization to occur the shortest length of the cable must be 2 feet and the longest 6 feet within the area of the host computer for synchronization to occur. When dealing with a media player and host computer synchronization is a form of media management because the host computer can manage the media items residing on the media player. For example when you add a song or play list or video image to an ipod the software of the itunes jukebox identifies the item to be added to the itunes database list and downloads that file to be stored on the itunes play list automatically.

Furthermore any play list or video image on the itunes play list that is new will be automatically uploaded to the ipod. But their can also be a problem with the auto-synchronous protocol between the ipod and itunes software. Because if you happen to have a song on your ipod that is not in the itunes library when you go to download the songs on your list to itunes the autosyncronous protocol erases that particular song that isn’t related to your original list. However you can eliminate this problem by turning off the autosyncronous mode and download your music manually to your itunes list. Furthermore, sharing your music using an ipod and itunes digital music jukebox to communicate on a network enables you to use this technology in the manner it should be used. Through the itunes digital music jukebox software you can share your musical library with others on a sub network. Apple Computers itunes digital music jukebox software has been one of the few music sharing technologies that has successfully been able to allow those on a network to share music and examine other music collections on the same network. For example you can use itunes to share music collections on the same sub network via a rendezvous or zero configuration discovery protocol. Rendezvous is a zero configuration networking protocol that supports publishing and discovery across a sub network. A sub network is a small division of a computer network, created by an administrator that reduces the volume of network traffic by allowing machines on the same subnet to bypass routers and communicate directly with each other. Since the network is peer-to-peer as far as it relates to file sharing users see others shared music automatically, they do not have to take any extreme network connection actions like logging on to an external internet(like internet explorer). For example let’s say thirteen people get on a sub network in their office building and all share their music on itunes.

All of these people work at a particular company of a smaller stature. All of these people get on their computer and on itunes and make their music libraries and share them with others on a network within their company sub network. Let’s say this network is a local area network that is connected through the building and through a sub netting protocol. So the employees of this company get on the network and turn itunes music sharing on and share their personal music list. They all share their music and comment on how well they like it. So they exchange music and copy it to each others musical libraries and interact on a peer-to-peer basis on their sub network. Basically that is how you connect to a network when using an ipod through itunes musical jukebox software. This same method can be used to access more than just music files on this type of network. You can also share conversation through an ipod and video and video and picture files if you don’t mind being sociable that way. Since 2001 the ipod has come a long way, since their has been four more generations of ipods to come out. One is the ipod nano, another is the display less ipod shuffle and the ipod mini. With each generation apple has made improvements that enable the ipod to be more than just a mainstream media player. They have improved it enough to become a multitasked media device that is easily accessed through the internet. Future plans for the ipod include airline seat connections that power and charge ipods during flight and allow video content on the ipod to be viewed on seatback displays. Furthermore look for ipods to continuously be used in cars through radio connection.

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