I finally joined the MP3/iPod revolution. I've been listening to podcasts for some time but like 80% of the podcasting audience, I've listened to them via my PC. There have been two main reasons why I've held off.
- Since I don't have a commute (a common time to listen to podcasts), the other logical time to listen is while I'm working out which I do every day. I guess you could say that I've been a purist not wanting something to blunt the suffering I do when I'm working out -- some kind of odd remnant of being a middle distance runner where the runner who is willing to suffer the most often wins.
- Apparently I have sensitive ears as I've never been fond of little earbuds in my ears. I'm willing to trade one pain for another now that I'll be lulled into a podcast stuper during my workouts :)
Two items kept me from buying an iPod.
- I don’t care for Apple’s corporate practices such as how they sue bloggers, keep their audio formats proprietary, etc.
- I found a MP3 player that is perfectly adequate for my needs including having the ability to record messages (at 1/3 the price). This is handy when I’m working out as I often have ideas I don’t want to forget while I’m out on the trail. My last voice recorder mysteriously disappeared (having a 2 year old in the house makes this a somewhat frequent occurrence).
On a more macro level, market growth figures for podcasting are interesting to track. Here are some figures in the Bridge Ratings:
- 5 out of 300 have downloaded a podcast
- 20% of those people listen weekly
- The average user downloads 6 podcasts and spends 4 hours listening per month
- Only 20% use the MP3 format to listen
- By 2010 a median estimate is that 60 million people will be downloaders of podcasts
(Hat tip to RSS Applied for pointing out these stats)
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