iPod or Not?
Chrystabel Lin ICT 150: Term Paper Sal Poloai November 26, 2008
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Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………….3 Chart Summary……………………………………………………………...4 Term Paper Summary……………………………………………………….8
Appendices…………………………………………………………………9
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It is evident that iPod is the next best thing when it comes to satisfying your music-listening needs. The iPod has been successfully popular over the years ever since its first release October 23, 2001. (1. Wikipedia) Practically everywhere you go there is someone with an iPod in their hand whether at school when doing class work, at work during break, or when someone is jogging in the evening. If there is not an iPod to be seen then, the trademark white earphones raise a red flag that there is an iPod nearby. iPods are simply the fad especially for today‟s generation. What about regular mp3 players and CD players? Have they become outdated? What is an iPod? First of all, it is just a brand of portable media players that was designed and is marketed by Apple Inc. (1. Wikipedia) It is not that iPods replace these older forms of media, it is just that iPods are better, easier, far more convenient than the CD players and the old fashioned mp3 players. Though CD players have been around for a long time, CD players are becoming used less these days. CDs are still around but the best way to hold a lot of music is something that can hold a lot of music, something like the iPod. iPods can consist of space up to 32G to 80G which is equivalent to several thousand songs for one little, hand-sized equipment. I wanted to find out what people preferred most, iPod, CD player, or regular mp3 player by conducting a survey that asks questions of their opinions on these certain media players. The survey would determine whether people liked iPods better than CD players and regular mp3 players. My survey consists of 20 questions; some are multiple choice questions and yes or no questions. I wanted to keep my survey simple yet full so I could obtain as much information as I could that will help me determine the outcome of each survey. I think that people like iPods better than CD players and regular mp3 players because they are better, convenient, and very portable that it is not a hassle when carrying it around wherever you go. Though the iPod is expensive, people still would choose it over a cheap CD player or mp3 player. I would think that as long as there is music to listen that is all that matters, but it is not just about the music, it is about compatibility and entertainment. The iPod serves both for the consumer with its many features such as games, photos, movies, music, and more. As each new model of iPod comes out, the more convenient and amazing it becomes. That is why people love the iPod so much. I hope to prove my hypothesis correct that people choose iPods over CD players and regular mp3 players because it is convenient and easier to manage.
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Gender
Female Male
There were 20 survey takers. 10 were females and 10 were males.
Age 25 20
Age did not diversify in this survey. Many of the participants ranged from 17 years old to 21 years old.
17-20 15 10 5 0 17-20 21-35 years 36-45 45-older 21-35 36-45 45-older
Ethnicity
25 20 15 Series1 10 5 0 Samoan Caucasian Chinese Korean Tongan Other Ethnicity
Not much diversity in the participants of this survey as far as ethnicity goes. All of the survey takers were of Samoan ethnicity.
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Religion
Aetheist Other Religion Seventh Day Mormon Catholic
The majority of the participants were Catholic (15). There were three Mormons and two that stated they were of other religion.
0
5
10
15
Employed?
There were four survey takers who are employed and 16 who are unemployed.
Yes No
Marital Status
Marital Status
Married Single
All of the survey takers were single. None were married.
0
5
10
15
20
25
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Level of Education
19 participants have a high school education and have high school diplomas, whereas only one participant has a college degree.
20 15 High school 10 5 0 Level of Edu. College
DO you own an iPod?
Yes No
Half of the participants own an iPod and the other half do not.
Would you prefer an iPod to a CD player?
When asked “Do you prefer an iPod to a CD player?” 18 people said „yes‟ and only two said „no‟.
Yes No
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Would you prefer an iPod to a regular mp3 player?
Yes No
When asked, “Do you prefer an iPod to a regular mp3 player?” 16 people said „yes‟ when only four people said „no‟.
If you had $300, which would you buy?
When asked, “If you had $300, would you buy an iPod, a CD player, or a regular mp3 player?” 17 people said they would buy an iPod and only three people said they would buy a regular mp3 player. No one said they would buy a CD player.
CD player 1 Mp3 iPod
0
5
10
15
20
Right now, which would you listen to?
When asked, “Right now, if there was an iPod, a CD player, and a regular mp3 player sitting in front of you, which one would you most likely listen to?” 18 people said they would most likely listen to the iPod, whereas only two people would most likely listen to the regular mp3 player.
20 15 iPod 10 5 0 1 Mp3 CD player
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My survey proved my hypothesis correct that people prefer to listen to iPods than CD players or regular mp3 players because the iPod is easier to have with you, it holds a lot of music, and has additional features that make it the more enjoyable. My results showed that even though people prefer the iPod, they know the advantages of CDs and regular mp3 players. CDs are cheaper and more accessible than an iPod, considering that it is expensive. Though CDs don‟t hold that much music like an iPod, it still holds music that people can listen to. People said that as long as there is music on the CD, they‟ll listen to it even though they would want an iPod. Regular mp3 players are also cheaper than an iPod and people also knew the advantages of a regular mp3 player. The mp3 player holds more music than a CD, you could do more with it than with a CD such as save documents on it and pictures and such. They only difference between the regular mp3 player and the iPod is that the iPod has more memory that can hold a lot more music, videos, pictures, games, and more. Overall, even though people knew the advantages of CDs and a regular mp3 player, they would rather have an iPod because it has more memory to have to more music and it has additional features the CD and mp3 does not have. 50% of the people who took my survey do not own iPods and said that the iPod is a better music listening device than the CD player and regular mp3 players. When asked if they had $300 to spend, which would they buy, an iPod, a CD player, or a regular mp3 player? 85% of the people who took the survey said they would buy an iPod. 35% said they would buy an mp3 player and none said they would buy a CD player. Today, the iPod is a popular amenity and many people would buy the iPod even though it is expensive. 20% of the people who took my survey said they prefer the mp3 player to the iPod and only 10% said they prefer the CD player to the iPod. There also some variations on the demographics of my survey. All of the survey takers ranged from 17-20 years old, which was an age group I put as one category for one of my demographic questions, “What is your age? A) 17-20, B) 21-35, C) 36-45, and D) 46-older. Not one surveyor was older than 20 years old. Half of the surveyors were female and half were male. I asked what religion they belonged to and 75% said they were Catholic, 15% said they were Mormon, and 10% said they were of another religion and they were all of Samoan ethnicity. All of the surveyors were single and 80% that which were unemployed and 20% that are employed. 95% said that their highest education as of right now is high school therefore; they are in college right now. And only 5% has a college education. Though the majority of the people who took my survey said that they prefer the iPod to CD players and regular mp3 players, they realize and understand the advantages of CD players and mp3 players. CD players and mp3 players are cheaper, more accessible, it holds music so it counts for something, and it is better than nothing. The iPod if a popular accessory, like I said before and people want it.
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Appendix
1. No Author. “Ipod- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.” Wikipedia. 23 Nov. 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipod
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