Back in June of 2004, The Economist published an article entitled “The Meaning of iPod”, which attempted to explain the striking success of the iPod from a social perspective. The piece included an analysis by one Michael Bull, a lecturer at the University of Sussex in England, alleged to be the world’s leading expert on iPod culture, and who is also known as ‘Professor iPod”. In his assessment, Dr Bull attributed the popularity of the iPod largely to its ability to provide better control over the one’s environment, thus allowing users to “… escape into their own little private bubbles”. The article goes on to suggest that adding phone features to the iPod would be a bad idea, and that video iPods (this was back in June of ’04) would not fit the typical usage patterns of the (audio) iPod. It would appear that the good professor was forecasting the demise of the (already unpopular) ROKR and similar such products, simply because they allow intrusions into that ‘privacy bubble’. One would surmise from the above that even the new video iPod might be in for some less-than-smooth-sailing. That’s a shame really, as the latest iPhone concept from Isamu Sanada, this time a slider, looks like it might have been a winner … 
The meaning of iPod - The Economist, Jun 10th 2004
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