Today Apple announced that the iPod will play video content, such as TV shows and music videos.

I think it’s cool and all, but how many people will use this? Having portable music is great because there are a lot of situations where you can listen to music while you’re out of the house: walking to school, driving, working out, etc. But how many places, other than your house, do you have the urge to watch a video? I can see how it’d be cool to whip out your iPod at the bar and settle the bet on how many times Hurley said “dude” in the latest episode of Lost. Or if you have a long bus ride to work, you could catch up on last night’s TV. The thing with video is that it requires your full attention, and attention is an increasingly rare thing these days. Taking up half of it with music can enhance all sorts of activities, but with video it’s the only activity you can be doing.

Another thing I find odd is that this iPod comes so soon after the last iPod. I thought it was only a few months ago that the iPod was updated to be in colour and show photos. I remember the days when your brand new computer would be obsolete a year after you bought it, and you’d be all like “GOD FUCKING DAMMIT I JUST BOUGHT THIS THING A YEAR AGO AND NOW ZORK 2 WON’T RUN ON IT”. These days, you get a new gadget for Christmas, and it’s a paperweight by Valentines Day.

Oooh and look, it comes in black now. Everything was black two years ago, and Apple was strikingly original because their stuff was white. Now it’s awesome that they’re making black stuff. Two years from now they’ll switch back to white and we’ll piss ourselves in excitement, wondering why nobody had thought to make white electronics before.

With all that said, I want an iPod for Christmas. Buy me one please.