Think about this for a moment: The iPod is only eight years old. In less than a decade, Apple's portable music and media device has become an absolutely necessary part of modern life. The first iPods hit the market on this day back in 2001, with five and 10 gigabyte versions available. The first iPods were hilarious looking, especially compared to current models. They used a clunky mechanical scroll wheel and weighed about ten pounds. They were so solid you could use them for masonry. But like all technology, the iPod evolved quickly. The iPod (and by extension the iPhone) is now not only a music device but also a video player, gaming system, personal organizer, Web browser, messaging system, navigational tool and on and on. Last month, Apple introduced an iPod that has a capacity of 160 gigabytes, enough space to store over 53,000 songs. Consider that in 2000, the best option for carrying around music you liked was to burn a mix CD, which meant that you had 20 or so tunes at your disposal.

Not that it really needed it, but the iPod was also supported by a tremendous marketing campaign, and to this day, getting your song in an Apple TV spot tends to do great things for a band's business. The first batch of iPod commercials featured a track from '90s big beat enthusiasts the Propellerheads, and a number of bands have used iPod commercials as jumping off points to launch new albums (U2, Coldplay) or their entire careers (Chairlift, the Ting Tings). The first group that catapulted to superstardom care of an iPod ad was the Black Eyed Peas, whose song "Hey Mama" propelled their 2003 album Elephunk up the charts. Along the way, iPod commercials have helped give a jolt to the careers of the Caesars, the Fratellis and Chairlift and helped extend the lives of hit songs by Feist and Jack Johnson. Check out the video playlist below that takes a look back at the songs that helped make the iPod into a part of everyday life.

Yesterday's much-buzzed-about Apple announcement delivered a few headline-grabbing developments from the personal computing company that is constantly re-shaping the way we hear and acquire music. In addition to announcing a new design for the iPod Nano, an even bigger iPod Touch and a price drop on several models, the biggest news was a somewhat backwards-looking technological development in iTunes. In short, iTunes LP hopes to revive the practice of associating album art and liner notes with full-length records, something that took a big hit when vinyl gave way to cassettes and CDs and has gone away almost completely now that music has shifted more and more to digital formats. Bands will be encouraged to create interactive experiences that go along with their music, allowing customers to scroll through photos, behind-the-scenes video, lyrics and bonus tracks while they enjoy the album.

"An album can be almost anything on iTunes," explains Apple's Eddy Cue, a VP who oversees action on iTunes and the App Store. Read more...

The great thing about iPods is that you never have to get too attached to them, because you know Apple will roll out new ones just about every 11 months that are going to make you want to toss yours into the technology trash heap.

It was that time again today, as Apple dropped new Nanos and iPod Touches on us, as well as an update to iTunes that lets you create playlists on the fly. The fourth-generation Nano, which comes in nine colors and has an oval shape, is hyped as the thinnest iPod ever and has useless-but-fun functions such as a "built-in accelerometer" that, like the iPhone, automatically switches to Cover Flow mode when the device is rotated and Shuffle mode when the player is lightly shaken. The new models have up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback in the 8GB and 16GB models, with a 2-inch screen. Read more...

By Andrew Ross Rowe

I've been waiting since the first iPhone to own one. I even made the iPhone commercial-song ringtone to put on my normal phone! Having a drop in price made the deal sweeter. But would standing in line Friday morning secure me the next model?

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· And just like that, Warren G is off the hook. After his reps released a statement earlier in the day in which they explained his arrest Sunday for possession with intent to sell marijuana, "They were in the Hollywood area for Kanye's party. He was a passenger asleep in the front seat when the car was pulled over. They charged him because he didn't debrief. Whatever was found wasn't his, it was in the car." The Los Angeles District Attorney tossed the case due to insufficient evidence.

· Guess who got their own radio show (kind of)? "American Idol" season-one runner-up Justin Guarini. On Tuesday, the co-star of "From Justin to Kelly" will debut "The Justin Guarini Show" on BlogTalkRadio.com, where he'll "take to the Internet airwaves to help aspiring musicians find their inner idol" by playing unsigned artists and interviewing producers, managers and agents. Whew, at least he's not still skating along on the whole "Idol" thing. Read more...

So our boss, Jim Fraenkel, totally has this theory that the deal between The Beatles catalog and Apple's iTunes that's been long-rumored and recently buzzed about will somehow be announced tonight, in conjunction with American Idol (or as my dad says, "The America Idol"), using the Lennon/McCartney songbook as part of its daily karaoke-fest television show.

Now, "Idol" fans know this has been coming for a while, and well, they've been talking about it on the show, so that's always a good clue. Funnyman and astute "re-capper," Jim Cantiello, notes that Idol has only done The Beatles twice before: once in Season 2 when Clay Aiken sang, "Here, There & Everywhere" in the finale showdown with Mr. Studdard (Ruben sang, Lennon's "Imagine"), and last year (Season 6), when they did the Idol-studded medley of Sgt. Pepper's.

So, anyway, Fraenkel thinks that the Idol/Beatles news-cycle and the Beatles/iTunes rumor-cycle is just way too in-sync for this Beatles pop-culture orgy not too take place. So there. Also, if this happens, all the televisions and iPods and computers on the planet will explode simultaneously to the tune of "Helter Skelter." And we will tell you that we told you so.

In the meantime, here's more from our boy Sanjaya on the Beatles and American Idol and why it was such a bummer not to be able to sing any Lennon/McCartney when Idol did British Invasion week last year.