iPod: trend or revolution?

With sales of the iPod ever-increasing,

pundits are quick to label the innovative music player a fad: "Rubik's Cube of the 21st century" quips Terril Yue Jones of the Los Angeles Times. Steve Jobs sees things differently:

"I don't think we're seeing trendiness here... I think we're seeing a product that's truly revolutionizing the way we listen to music. We didn't sell 2 million of them last quarter because it's trendy, we sold 2 million last quarter because it's a phenomenal product that's reinventing the way people enjoy music."

Having just moved into new digs, schlepping boxes and boxes of CDs in the process, I can safely say I would sooner throw the lot away and keep the iPod as my sole audio implement than break my back over those relics of 2003 again. Not to mention the difficulty of actually finding the disc you're looking for, unless you're anal enough to keep them meticulously sorted. My vinyl I'll keep, but I feel no nostalgia for the few thousand digital coasters I'm scratching my head over where to put.

It's the physical reality of the iPod – my entire digital music collection collapsed into a unit that fits in my pocket
- that is one level of paradigm shift. Then there's the organization factor: I can find exactly what I'm looking for in 30 seconds or less. I never have to worry about forgetting a disc on a road trip, and there's bound to always be something on the iPod to please my friends' peculiar musical tastes in any social setting. This is no mere trend; this is a more elegant way of experiencing music.

What's your verdict?