Obviously very big news today with Apple announcing big iPod changes for the fall, including the long-awaited touch screen iPod. This is all very good news for podcasting.
Buried in all the excitement about the event is the news that the iTunes store currently has 125 thousand podcasts. About 80% of those podcasts are audio podcasts.
These numbers indicate a couple of things. First, podcasting is growing at a healthy clip. Consider that it is not very easy to get started in podcasting due to the technical expertise required in producing rich media. Yet hundreds of thousands of people have become producers in this exciting new medium.
These numbers also reveal the fact that video is not even close to overtaking audio as the medium of choice in podcasting. Some folks have boldly predicted that video would fast become the medium of choice for podcasting. And while we know that video podcasting is a strong growth area, Mr. Jobs’s numbers tell us that those tolling the death of audio are very premature.
Whether you’re a producer or audience member. Whether you prefer audio or video. It’s great to know that portable devices are moving forward like this. With the Wi-fi and browser capabilities in the iPod Touch, people will be able to get their content directly to their mobile devices in a much smoother fashion. Consider my order placed.
Source: Engadget