What is an MP3 Player
From LoveToKnow Music
If you're relatively late to the technology revolution, you might be wondering, Exactly what is an MP3 player? These days, the term MP3 is thrown around as freely as Hello! in youthful circles, but those out there who haven't been as close to the cutting edge might still feel a bit out of the loop. But there's no need worry. Like many a good teacher has said, there is no such thing as a stupid question. This article will answer the question, What is an MP3 player? by catching you up to speed on one of the most influential and exciting technological advancements of the 21st century.
A Brief History of the MP3
Before you can learn what an MP3 player is, the first thing you'll need to understand is what exactly an MP3 file is. An MP3, also known as a MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 file, is a type of compressed audio computer file. Much like a DOC file is a type of file used for word processing documents and a JPG file is a file used for photographs, an MP3 file is used for songs.
The breakthrough that MP3 technology provided the digital world was that the files created were highly compressed, yet still possessed excellent sound quality. In the years before MP3 technology, audio files on computers were extremely large, sometimes as big as a gigabyte or more per song. These files sounded great, but they were so large that they were difficult to store and almost impossible to share. MP3 technology used a new type of digital audio compression that created files that were around 5 megabytes and sounded as good as they did on the CD. The greatly reduced file size allowed people to share these files with one another over the Internet. Users would use software to rip CDs into MP3 files, and then store the files on their computer. In the mid-1990s, file-sharing websites like Napster appeared on the net and exploded in popularity as users logged on and traded music with one another free of charge. This activity has since been declared illegal because of copyright violations, yet many people still engage in this practice of illegally trading and sharing MP3 files.
So What Is an MP3 Player?
An MP3 player, then, is an electronic device designed to play MP3 files. The device is basically a small box with basic controls on it for selecting songs, starting and stopping songs, and adjusting the volume of songs. Inside the box is a small hard drive where the MP3 files are stored, and headphones are attached to it so you can hear the music. If you are familiar with the original Sony Walkman, the device that revolutionized portable music in the 1980s, an MP3 player is very similar except for the fact that instead of playing music from a cassette or a CD, the music is played from the hard drive. The benefit of an MP3 player is that it can store many, many more songs on it than any previous portable music player. Depending on the size of the hard drive in your MP3 player, you might be able to store as many as 10,000 songs on it and carry them with you wherever you go. It's like being able to take your entire music collection with you when you leave the house.
Popular MP3 Players
There are countless MP3 players on the market today, for too many to cover in depth here, but listed below are some of the most popular players available and links to where you can read more about them on the Internet.
- iPod – The iPod is the device that started it all. Having been around for nearly a decade now, there is still no MP3 player on the market that compares to it. Originally, there was only one iPod, but now there are four different models to choose from, ranging from the inexpensive and very tiny iPod shuffle to the super elegant iPod touch. In many circles, the word iPod is synonymous with MP3 player, and it remains the MP3 player by which all others are measured.
- Microsoft Zune – Much like they do in the PC market, Microsoft and Apple are also competing in the MP3 player market. Microsoft's MP3 player the Zune is available in several different models as well, and has become increasingly popular in recent years.
- Creative Zen – Another standard in the MP3 player game is the Zen from Creative Technology. Available in almost ten models, the Zen even has a model that comes with a built in speaker!
New Players Always Coming
The best things about technology is that things keep getting smaller, faster, and cheaper. These days, even cell phones can play MP3 files! As technology continues to evolve, the MP3 player will change with the times. Stay tuned to see what exciting advances are just around the corner.
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