Leader: Why we keep our eye on the iPod

When you're mentally shaking your fist at the emo-loving teenager next to you playing their iPod too loud on the train, you might not be thinking about the link from the world's favourite MP3 player to enterprise technology.

But even now, with 100 million devices sold, the iPod remains big news. Aside from the numerous business applications you can run on an iPod, Apple's MP3 player means a lot more to the tech industry than just the ability to listen to music or podcasts on the go.

DRM has long been a monkey on the back of digital content and it will be interesting to track what ripples the Apple announcement causes.

So why does silicon.com care about the iPod? What we are interested in is its tendency to be a lightning rod for greater changes afoot in technology these days. As the device has proved, there's no longer such a clear defining line between enterprise and consumer hardware.

iPods are regularly turning up in offices and finding their way onto corporate networks, as sys admins will testify, along with any number of storage-heavy devices, such as cameras and USB memory sticks, and causing CIOs any number of headaches with the possibilities of virus vectors and data theft looming large.

Of course, the iPod's storage is a lot more than a worry to network security. As storage prices come down, people are finding more and more to do with their memory. Google believes it will be a few short years before the iPod stores all known content. We can only imagine how such advancements will affect the tech industry - imagine the possibility of having all content available on the internet in your back pocket.

In many ways, the iPod is a barometer for changes sweeping the wider industry. Think of the arguments over DRM - the iPod became central to rows over digital rights management and then for the music industry's decision to dump its self-imposed restrictions on digital content. DRM has long been a monkey on the back of digital content and it will be interesting to track what ripples the Apple announcement causes.

The iPod is also breaking new ground - or rather old ground in a new way - with the launch of the iPhone. Once again, it's being watched keenly by pundits hoping to see whether the Mac maker can move into new territory with its converged device and encourage users to take up all the whizz-bang features that phone makers routinely cram into their devices.

The iPod is admittedly a smart bit of kit which has a fan base built around some nifty brand building. So far, so teenage. But for the CIO the iPod has a lot more significance technologically and will remain one to watch for years to come. And we'll keep watching.