Lab+1

**__Sony Walkman vs. Apple iPod__ **
**__  Question__ ****__:__ ** Compare and contrast a Sony Walkman with an Apple iPod, and describe the differences in their physical construction, interface design, technology and delivery of sound. Quick sketches are helpful for this analytical process.

__**Answer: **__  // Physical Construction: The physical construction of the Sony Walkman and the Apple iPod is fairly visible when you look at it. The Sony Walkman is bulky, large and not very attractive in comparison to the Apple iPod which looks sleek, thin and has a nice touch to it. The buttons on the Apple iPod is soft and looks stylish whereas the buttons on the Sony Walkman is visible, hard and has different blocks of buttons for different usages. The iPod's main touch is the hidden wheel, which is easy to use. The iPod also comes in different colors and gigabytes whereas a Sony Walkman does not offer much choice in selection.

Interface Design: The Apple iPod uses a graphical interface which allows the user to know what songs they are listening to. Users can also view the albums they have as well as the individual songs. It also has the capability to select a specific song instead of skipping each song to find the one you want to listen to. The songs are organized by alphabetical order, as well as the albums, allowing the user to easily find and play songs. These features are not available on a Sony Walkman. If you want to choose a specific song, you have to keep skipping it to find it. The Sony Walkman does not show the albums available on it so the user has no way to select a particular album.

Technology: The Apple iPod and Sony Walkman have different technological features and aspects. A Sony Walkman has an external memory source - the audio cassette whereas an Apple iPod has an internal memory that is capable of holding more than hundred songs (depending on the gigabytes of the iPod). The iPod features a touch wheel which allows the user to play, pause and skip songs as compared to the Sony Walkman, which has different bulky buttons to control each feature. Moreover, the iPod is capable of playing songs in different formats.

Delivery of Sound: Since you are able to choose the songs you download you would most likely download the one with the best sound quality, which allows the Apple iPod to deliver great sound. The Sony Walkman does not have that capability. The user can only rely on the recorded cassette or record it themselves, which usually doesn't deliver great sound. Also overtime, the cassette gets old and may not deliver the same quality of sound as the first time. In addition to receiving good sound quality, the Apple iPod uses headphones that puts the sound directly into the user's ear whereas a Sony Walkman uses a headset, which puts the sound on your ear instead of inside.

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