Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness

waste

Steven Levy has written an excellent book that I didn't want to put down. It not only traces the development of the iPod over the last five years, but the book is filled with independent chapters that can be, and in fact should be, read in any order. Indeed, when looking at multiple copies of this book, you'll find only chapter 1 is in the same place--other chapters are "shuffled" and appear in different orders. I found myself enjoying this feature as much as the iPod--first I read about Podcasts, then Downloading, then how the iPod remains so "cool" for such a wide range of people.I chose to read this book not only because of how amazed I am at how people (including my teenaged kids) love their iPods so much, but also because I'm curious about the future of music as we know it, the disappearance of the CD and along with it the album cover and lyric booklet, and the explosion of songs available for purchase through the iTunes store.The writing in this book is terrific--informative and provocative. I highly recommend it!

I had no idea how much fun this book would be. I expected to learn how the iPod was developed, and I did. I expected to read about how cool the iPod is, and I did. I expected to read about the way the iPod changed both Apple and the music industry, and I did.I did not expect to laugh out loud every few minutes, but I did. Steven Levy is a great writer - his knowledge of Apple combined with his knowledge of popular music makes the book great fun to read. Levy is simply an excellent writer, writing about an excellent product.As a bonus, this is a valuable book to read if you design products of any kind, because it provides insights into how exceptional products are created - i.e., fanatical attention to detail, and an inner drive to make not just a good product, but a great one.If you like music and technology, I guarantee you will enjoy this book. Of course, I own a couple of iPods, so I am biased. If you own a Zune, you may disagree. But even Zune owners might find it interesting to see how great products are designed.

And how's THIS for timing? I read Levy's book on the plane, en route to the massive, mind-boggling, 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.But before I'd even read this book -- and strictly based on its Wall Street Journal review -- I ordered a box of copies and sent 'em to my clients, which are mostly radio stations...because radio stations are in iPod's cross-hairs.If you read Levy's stuff in Newsweek, you already know that THIS GUY CAN WRITE. And he's done something downright poetic, by offering the chapters "on shuffle." They're in different order in different copies of the book...and can be read in any order.My two favorite chapters are the one ABOUT shuffle (which, if you own an iPod, WILL deliver you an "oh wow" moment); and the chapter recalling how Walkman was received in its day.HIGHLY recommended reading.Holland CookeNews/Talk SpecialistMcVay Media

I have read Mr. Levy's book "Hackers" several times. I found the information he supplied regarding the early days of computing very entertaining and of interest to me. This new book just hasn't grabbed my attention. I stopped after about 15 pages as it seems more like an Apple advertisement than an historical presentation. I realize there is not as much meat here to write about, but I really don't know why he bothered. It is not that interesting a subject, and probably was done just to cash in on his previous successes.