The History of an MP3 Player
MP3 players are portable devices that play back digital audio files. Digital audio files come in a number of formats, but the most popular by far is the MP3. From the invention of the MP3 format to the dominance of the iPod in the early 2000s, MP3 players have changed the face of portable music.
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Format History
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Invented by an international team led by Fraunhofer-Gesellshaft, a German company, the MP3 digital audio format stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3. MPEG stands for Moving Picture Experts Group. Since its invention in 1991, MP3 has risen to replace and dominate all other digital audio formats because of its high quality-to-size compression ratio. With the invention of flash-based memory, MP3 players took off, eventually replacing the CD-based Discman.
Eiger Labs MPMan F10
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SaeHan Information Systems, a Seoul-based company, developed the first MP3 player sold in North America. It was imported by Eiger Labs and branded the MPMan. Appearing in stores in 1998, the MPMan had 32MB of memory and was very compact. It could not be upgraded easily, and most users found the MPMan difficult to use.
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Diamond Rio PMP300
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Soon after the MPMan, a company called Diamond Multimedia launched the Diamond Rio PMP300. With a built-in screen and easy-to-use navigation, the Diamond Rio was similar to modern simple MP3 players, but like the MPMan, only had a 32MB storage capacity. Its high retail price and poor branding made the Rio popular only among a niche group.
The iPod
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MP3 players gained in popularity through the early 2000s with many manufacturers taking advantage of the new market. Hundreds of models in various styles were produced, and each had its own loyal following. In 2001, when the first iPod launched, the MP3 player was an established portable music player but the style and ease of use of the iPod opened up whole new consumer groups. Soon Apple dominated the market and continues to this day.
Future
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MP3 players have continued to evolve with more features and more storage capacity. Many new devices like PDAs, personal media players and smart phones have integrated MP3 players. Soon, MP3 players as pure music players will probably disappear and be replaced with these multi-purpose devices exemplified by the Apple iPhone.
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