You can turn your Android into an iPod, but why?

Not long ago an app called Idrod surfaced in the Google Play store. What is this you say? What if I told you it was an app designed to make your Android look exactly like an iPod? You may say “cool!”, but I say “why?”. Before you begin your attack please hear me out and then you can hurl your insults.

First of all I get it — nostalgia. After all, the iPod is fast becoming yesterday’s device. Sure, it is largely credited with turning Apple around when the company was on the brink of failure. It solidified Steve Jobs’ place as a genius of design and marketing, although the latter should be considered the biggest part given that Apple didn’t invent the MP3 player.

Second — yes, the app is very cool. It’s well done, looks authentic, has lots of options, etc., etc. There are plenty of people who still want an MP3 player, although those numbers are quickly dwindling. And, yes, the iPod is the all-time classic in the field.

But, and here is my point, who stores music on their phone these days? In 3+ years with Android handsets I have never once transferred a single song to a device. I own more than 80 GB of music, but every bit of it is available for streaming from anywhere via Google Music. In fact, it’s also on Amazon Cloud Player as well, just for a backup to the backup. If I grow tired of all of that then I have Pandora to fall back on — I even pay them $4.99 per month for ad-free service. Those who don’t care for Pandora have countless other choices like Spotify and Rdio to choose from.

My real point isn’t to make fun of Idrod — it’s a very cool, well done and a good looking app. It’s more to wonder why this, or any other MP3 player app, is even necessary today. Do you have an answer? By all means, let me know.