The iPod is about letting people define there own playlist and lifestyle, which of course is a huge threat to people like those quoted, who are in the business of defining lifestyle and culture.

The iPod didn’t cause people to withdraw, it allowed them. For urbanites, with the cacophony of distractions, and being assaulted with messages everywhere, simply walking around has become an uncomfortable experience. Add to this a growing demand that we do more things individually. So the iPod protects us from being overwhelmed by the demands of urban society.

Also neglected is the almost single-handed rescue of music, and maybe literature. Instead of assisting the growth of music piracy, it can be argued that Apple converted a big chunk into legitimate sales. It also broke the stranglehold by a few goliath corporations on production and distribution. Nowadays pretty much anybody can and does record and distribute their own music.

Podcasts have “democratized” what was the exclusive bailiwick of commercial radio – with ownership even more concentrated than the music publishers. The stations used to control what we heard by charging “co-promotion” fees (aka payola) to play your music. But with podcasts as diverse as Celtic, Afro Caribbean, and maybe even left-handed Basso Profundo aria, it’s hard NOT finding new music.

It can be argued that iPods have boosted book sales. iPods changed the clunky Books-on-Tape model into the simple and convenient Audible category. They exposed us to personal entertainment devices, spawning the Kindle, et al. FInally, in an oblique way, they increased demand for actual books. Before the iPod, reading was difficult, but made commuting less painful. The iPod enables us to read in relative peace. There were times I was ripping through more than a book a week when I commuted 30 minutes each way.

Sure, the iPod closes us off from some of the world, but it expands it in other directions.