News
Newsweek writer pens ‘The Perfect Thing’
To coincide with the iPod’s fifth birthday, Newsweek’s Steven Levy will release a new book this month about the iPod entitled “The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness.” According to the publisher’s description, the book aims to be “the definitive account, from design and marketing to startling impact, of Apple’s iPod, the signature device of our young century.” You can read an excerpt from the book here.
“Detailing for the first time the complete story of the creation of the iPod, Levy explains why Apple succeeded brilliantly with its version of the MP3 player when other companies didn’t get it right,” says the publisher. “Besides his inside view of Apple, Levy draws on his experiences covering Napster and attending Supreme Court arguments on copyright (as well as his own travels on the iPod’s click wheel) to address all of the fascinating issues—technical, legal, social, and musical—that the iPod raises.”
In a unique move, the book borrows one of the iPod’s most well known qualities by “shuffling” chapters. “Each chapter of this book was written to stand on its own, a deeply researched, wittily observed take on a different aspect of the iPod,” explains the publisher. “The sequence of the chapters in the book has been shuffled in different copies, with only the opening and concluding sections excepted.”
Related Stories
- Report: iOS 7 ‘black, white, and flat all over’
- Apps: Foursquare 6.2, Hyper Breaker Turbo, Pandora 4.3 + Shazam 6.0
- Apps: ABC Aquarium, Disney Jr. Appisodes, Pinterest 2.4 + Pocket Informant Pro 3.0
- Report: iOS 7 could see Flickr, Vimeo integration
- Google Play Music All Access to get iOS app support?
- Apps: Can Knockdown 3, eBay 3.0/2.3, Jungle Book + Sonic the Hedgehog 2.0
Comments
If you have a comment, news tip, advertising inquiry, or coverage request, a question about iPods/iPhones/iPad or accessories, or if you sell or market iPod/iPhone/iPad products or services, read iLounge's Comments + Questions policies before posting, and fully identify yourself if you do. We will delete comments containing advertising, astroturfing, trolling, personal attacks, offensive language, or other objectionable content, then ban and/or publicly identify violators.
Recent News
- iLounge Weekly coming Monday, giveaway update
- Apple drops refurbished fourth-gen iPad, mini prices
- Judge: US can show Apple e-book pricing conspiracy
- AT&T’s GoPhone to add LTE/HSPA+ support for iPhone
- Report: iOS 7 ‘black, white, and flat all over’
- Apple WWDC Keynote set for June 10
- Apps: Foursquare 6.2, Hyper Breaker Turbo, Pandora 4.3 + Shazam 6.0
- Apple patent application details interactive AirPlay, TV
- Report: iWatch pushed to late 2014?
- Griffin releases iPhone 5 Survivor + Catalyst Waterproof Case
Recent Reviews
- Lynktec TruGlide Pro Precision Stylus
- C4 Electronics Dolry HiFi Stone 30-Pin AirPlay Adapter
- Boombotix Boombot Rex Bluetooth Wireless Speaker
- Nuu Splash Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker
- Scosche boomBottle Weatherproof Sport Wireless Speaker
- HMDX Jam Plus Bluetooth Wireless Speaker
- Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity & Sleep Wristband
- Cambridge Audio Minx Air 100 + 200 Bluetooth + AirPlay Wireless Speakers
- Mophie Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 5
- Ultimate Ears UE Boom
Recent Articles
- Costs associated with using FaceTime
- iMessages showing as Delivered when iPhone is out of coverage
- Inability to use Find My Friends without a passcode
- Calendar info disappears after iCloud restore
- Remove old iCloud backup after restoring to a new iPhone
- Setting up a ringtone in iTunes
- Using a Wi-Fi hard drive with an iPad
- Backing up and restoring an iPod classic
- Can’t restore iPod touch without passcode
- Retaining older versions of Apps during an iOS Restore
1
and in part 2 of this book he discusses how Apple dropped the ball with itunes 7.
Posted by Crash613 on October 16, 2006 at 8:12 AM (PST)
2
I can’t wait to get my hands on this book!
Posted by Rajanna on October 16, 2006 at 8:14 AM (PST)
3
Am I the only one who really really likes iTunes 7 overall?
Posted by bobby booya on October 16, 2006 at 10:21 AM (PST)
4
*See’s all Design students jumping in glee because they found the perfect book for their essay*
I sure will look into buying this.
Posted by moo on October 16, 2006 at 10:34 AM (PST)
5
“Am I the only one who really really likes iTunes 7 overall?”
nope. i like itunes 7 a lot, and i don’t understand the bashing at all…
Posted by olorin took on October 16, 2006 at 10:53 AM (PST)
6
i like itunes 7, i have no issues with it, it is different that what came before it, i do not understand why people bash it either. oh, and “the perfect thing” sounds somewhat interesting but might do better as a podcast. the shelf life of this book has got to be extremely short with a limited audience.
Posted by BayportBob on October 16, 2006 at 11:48 AM (PST)
7
Haven’t read this one yet, but if you enjoy “iPod-ness” books . . . try “iPod, Therefor I Am”.
Good book.
Posted by Ben O. on October 16, 2006 at 12:14 PM (PST)
8
QUOTE: i like itunes 7, i have no issues with it, it is different that what came before it, i do not understand why people bash it either.
When you say “different” do you mean like taking 2 hours to sync instead of 2 minutes? yes, i guess that IS different
Posted by Crash613 on October 16, 2006 at 12:50 PM (PST)
9
I LOVE itunes 7. the itune 7.o, i didn’t like very much, but itunes 7.1…NICE
Can you buy the book on audiobible for your ipod as shown in the picture?
Posted by LawnBoy04 on October 16, 2006 at 1:30 PM (PST)
10
How can anyone complain about iTunes 7. It syncs my iPods at the same speed, and it provided the very necessary addition of gapless playback. Fantastic!
As for the book, I like the idea of shuffling the chapters. Nice touch!
Posted by Mike Watt on October 16, 2006 at 7:40 PM (PST)
11
WTF is this “Shuffling Chapters?” I enjoy reading technology business history like this, but when I read history, I want it to be in chronological order.
Don’t ASSUME that everyone likes to shuffle their music—I sure as hell don’t.
Posted by Cameron Talley on October 17, 2006 at 10:15 AM (PST)
12
I’m really missing the boat by commenting on the obvious on a chat room, instead of writing a book. I think the next thing I’ll do is create a website that sells nothing and makes no money, then sell it for billions. Oh, wait…
Posted by DSM on October 17, 2006 at 4:13 PM (PST)
13
Wonder if this will be released on Audible so we can listen to it on our iPods? Maybe even shuffle the already shuffled chapters?
Posted by BulkHedd on October 18, 2006 at 1:52 PM (PST)
14
i dont like iTunes 7
i dont know if it’s just me but podcasts take WAY longer to download then they did before.
Posted by mohammad on October 24, 2006 at 4:52 PM (PST)