7. New Accessories & Custom Options For The iPod

Whether Apple likes it or not, it seems that a 'cottage' industry has developed as a result of the success of the Apple iPod. A variety of accessories and options have already been released for the iPod, and we are certain many more are in the works. Initially, these options centered on ways to house the iPod, or in other words, "cases" for the iPod. Cases are not the only available feature to enhance your iPod 'owning' experience: FM Transmitters, Battery Packs, Car Adapters and even new "sync" software are all available add-on features for the iPod.

Do you really need these accessories to get the most from your iPod? Of course, the simple answer is "no". The features and accessories that Apple has included with the iPod are quite adequate, but users do love to customize and accessorize. Some users claim that additional accessories improve their iPod experience. We have included a sampling of some of the add-ons that we tried; some of these we really liked, others didn't add much to our iPod "experience." As with other electronics products, an optimal electronics product experience depends on what the user expects from the product and how much the user is willing to spend to reach that expectation.