The Top Five firms that made, or make, ‘iPODS’ of an era
Products that provide convenience, comfort and total consumer satisfaction are truly few and far between, explains Iain Robertson, as he reflects on an era of corporate technology and innovation that packs some of them with hugely practical features.
When I was a lad, my first pocket transistor radio became the envy of the school common room but I had been able to listen to ‘Flowers in the Rain’ by The Move, which was the first pop music tune played by DJ Tony Blackburn on the first day of Radio One, 30th September 1967. I was 12. It managed to survive without teacher confiscation and through several hundred 1.5v battery replacements for more than three years, before slipping out of a jacket pocket, while on a bike ride, and smashing into many irreparable pieces.
Yet, a consumer die was cast for portability, simplicity and relative affordability that would also become an on-going design-centric consideration. Around a year later, during a fast-moving decade in the television scene, my father had bought a Sony Trinitron TV set, which moved on the quality of colour transmissions by a significant margin. Japanese company, Sony, became the brand of domestic innovation, certainly an ‘iPOD’ of its era. It sold well over 100m sets over the next 25 years.
By the time I was working, the prospect of a truly portable voice recording device, to replace the industry-standard UHER reel-to-reel recorders, was genuinely ground-breaking. Once again, Sony set out its stall with the ubiquitous Walkman, of which over 200m units were sold. They paved the way for the CD player and iPod. While Sony had sealed its fate as a well-designed innovator, it was not until 1994, when the company transformed the games arcade industry, by introducing PlayStation, that it enjoyed another enormous run of international success that even the Nintendo Wii cannot crack in volume terms.
Of course, when Nintendo hit the market, it made its first impression in 1989 with the hand-held Game Boy and its teensy 2.6-inch green screen that must have led assuredly to a whole generation of myopic children. However, the aforementioned Wii would not appear until Christmas 2006, both appropriately and fortunately, leading countless grandparents to challenge the rest of their families to games of electronic indoor tennis for more than a decade. The Japanese specialist had actually set the ball rolling in 1983, with its Nintendo Entertainment System that set indelible quality standards that remain prevalent today. Nintendo is definitely an ‘iPOD’ kind of company.
While I am sure that many of us will recall the Motorola Dynatac 8000X mobile communicator that soon gained the soubriquet ‘Brick’ for its chunky but altogether less cumbersome dimensions than earlier means of mobile telephones. Famously, it was first demonstrated (as a publicity stunt) on a busy New York sidewalk but, weightier than a bag of sugar (2lbs) and costing almost £2,000 it was never going to reach the ‘iPOD’ status of the 1999 Finnish Nokia 3210, which has been reintroduced, mildly updated and remains on sale today. It was the first mobile phone to feature an internal antenna and came preloaded with a game. It was much loved for its long battery life and excellent reception, selling well over 160m examples to warrant its place in this memory jerking feature.
Naturally, any mention of ‘iPOD’ must include the massive contribution that Steve Jobs’ Apple Corporation has made to the communications and modern technology market sectors. While the Apple 1, 2 and 3 computers sparked an industry in personal computing from as early as 1976, its disk drives, printers and other peripherals led the world through the 1980s, with laptops (PowerBook etc) continuing the process through the 1990s, although its first PDA arrived in 1994 and was the first to recognise handwriting and transform the sector.
The iBook of 1999 was another transformational product but, in 2001, Apple delved more heavily into the music scene with its original iPod. While it went through several transformations culminating in both Mini and Nano versions, which made earlier cassette tape music players redundant, it was not until the launch of the first iPhone in 2007 that it could be said to have ignited international fascination for the brand. Brazenly but understandably the iPhone reinvented mobile communications, firstly by placing a transfigurable touch-pad on the screen, rather than using separate buttons.
With both the ‘i’ prefix and Apple brand names becoming popular parlance, with next-gen Apple Watches, iPads, iPods and iPhones becoming retail icons supported by ever-eager consumers keen to own the next development, its place in the upper echelons of brand iconography is assured. Yet, for an entirely new generation in the transport sector, one that has been kickstarted by Elon Musk’s Tesla company, it is the charger market, notably of the most vital domestic category, that has a new ‘iPOD’ for today and the future. That company is British SYNC EV.
In all cases stated above, it is wise-sizing, tidy design, discreet dimensions and packing judicious features that makes each of the aforementioned products vital in an ‘iPOD’ manner. SYNC EV has ‘charged’ to the top in a ground-changing new era with the compact and ingenious development of its wall-mounted charger. For a start, ALL makes and models of electrically-powered motorcars can be recharged through just one device. However, its front-loaded packaging means that updates (or replacements) and relocations can be carried out easily and cost-effectively.
Yet, despite its small size, it packs a 7kW punch that qualifies it as a fast-charger and it can be linked via an app to an end-user’s mobile telephone. Of equal importance, its software can be updated remotely thanks to its in-built RFID/SIM-card, without user intervention and, for commercial installations, it even offers a broad range of ‘back shop’ services for added value, including a charge-card swipe facility for payment purposes. As there is no need for a separate earthing rod, there is no need for costly and time-consuming groundworks, and it is supported by a three years’ manufacturer’s warranty, which has led through social media to the SYNC EV being nominated as the ‘installer’s favourite’, an intriguing factor, as it is electrical installers that formed the company in the first place.
As an ‘iPOD’ for the future, SYNC EV is a prime candidate, delivering in abundance today. To qualify for this list, the companies mentioned and their relevant products had to be front-runners in all respects. It will be fascinating to see what the future holds for more additions.
