iPod more than a fad; carries "cultural oomph"

Columnist Andy Serwer says the iPod is more than a fad. "It's hard to recall any branded recreational product that ever carried the cultural oomph that the iPod now has," Serwer says. "The iPod has also spawned a major peripherals boom for companies like Bose, which makes the SoundDock, and Altec Lansing, which makes portable audio units for the iPod [...] as well as tiny players like Griffin, which makes iTrip radio transmitters. As for accessories, there are iPod cases by Burberry, Gucci, Coach, and even a Crystalmini, covered in Swarovski crystals for $999. Never mind the hundreds of other shells, furry bags, socks, and water- and snow-proof Pod holders out there."

ezGear announces new clearCase models for iPod...

ezGear has announced the clearCase 60, the latest version of its case the iPod. The clearCase is, as its name suggests, a "crystal clear case" that provides both wraparound protection and visibility for an iPod. The case is made of acrylic, has openings on the top and bottom for access to all ports, and an opening for the clickwheel.  The top of the clearCase flips open for easy installation and removal of your iPod.  The clearCase comes with a detachable clearClip and a lanyard.  The clearCase 60 works with the iPod photo 30GB, iPod 4th generation 40GB, iPod photo 40GB, and iPod photo 60GB.

iPods can easily be used for corporate theft

iPods have been used by disgruntled employees to steal information from companies, according to The Guardian: "Anti-fraud experts warned yesterday that the [device], along with other music players, that boast hard drives with up to 20GB of memory, could become widely used by employees to fool security officials and breach data security rules. In one case a recruitment agency found much of its client database had been copied to an iPods's memory and used to defraud the firm." The report says that the iPod's portability and ability to store large amounts of information provides an easy cover for connecting the device to a company company computer.

Weak iPod shuffle sales may deflate flash prices

Apple's iPod shuffle sales are not doing well, according a report from Asia. Digitimes reports that "weaker-than-expected sales of Apple’s iPod shuffle" may drive down by flash memory prices down by up to 40 percent due to excess manufacturing capacity by Samsung: "Although the iPod Shuffle was a hit when it was first introduced on the market, sales of the MP3 player are not justifying the supply forecasts for NAND flash that Apple has secured from Samsung, the sources stated. If Apple cancels the orders, Samsung may release even more NAND flash into a market already being affected by the influx of a number of new NAND flash producers, Shu indicated."