Datasheet

24
Par t I: Podcasting on a Worldwide Frequency
The 800-pound gorilla called iTunes
With the launch of iTunes version 4.9 in June 2005, podcasting went from
what the geeks were doing in the basement of the Science Building to the
next wave of innovation on the Internet (which was, of course, developed by
the geeks in the basement of the Science Building). As always, a step into the
mainstream market brought some dismay; the hardcore, independent pod-
casters considered this a sad day for podcasting as corporate entities (spon-
sored by Disney, ESPN, BBC, and so on) dominated the iTunes Music Store
podcast directory (shown in Figure 1-6). What about the indie podcasts —
the ones that started it all? Would they be forgotten? Go unnoticed? Languish
unsubscribed? Well, at first, it seemed that many of the original groundbreak-
ers that the podcasting community knew and loved (The Dawn and Drew
Show, Career Opportunities, The Catholic Insider, GrammarGirl) might get lost
in the stampede. But not yet, as it turns out.
Apple’s iTunes (available for download at www.itunes.com) works as a pod-
catching client. It lends an automatic hand to people who don’t know where
to find aggregators, where to find blogs that host podcasts, and which pod-
cast directories list the shows that fit their needs and desires — now they
too can enjoy a wide range of podcast choices.
Figure 1-6:
The Apple
iTunes
Music
Store’s pod-
cast feature.
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