Podcasting & Apple

Can I tell you how much I like podcasting?!? Yes, I'm a bit late to the game but don't call me a luddite.

You see, I recently acquired a Nano from my mother-in-law (she won it in a raffle) and now finally understand why people are fanatical about Apple products. They're just so damn easy-to-use and not to mention beautifully designed. The last time I used an Apple product was back in my college days at Dartmouth where Apple had a deal with the college and all students used Macs. Once I graduated and entered the business world, however, there was no reason to go Mac.

So what about podcasting ...

Apple's collection of podcasts is very well-merchandised in their music store (by category and top lists) and most importantly, the quality of content is high. I love the fact that they have all types of NPR and NY Times podcasts. It's really opened up consumer access to very niche and specialized content. For example, I can subscribe to a podcast on Tai Chi or even learning Spanish.

Props to Steve Jobs and team for building beautiful hardware, easy-to-use software paired with content that is unique to my interests. While it's unclear that iTunes will own the podcasting space, it's clear they've done a wonderful job of integrating it into the core product.