As many other types of media players, the iPod line can be also used for external data storage (like a USB stick). The storage capacity for the iPod ranges from the iPod Shuffle's 2GB, to the iPod Classic which is able to store up to 160 GB. Since their release, all models have been redesigned at least once, the most recent redesigns being registered on September 1, 2010.
Apple's iTunes software is what customers use to transfer their music from a personal computer which is running different versions of Machintosh or Windows, to their iPod. For those who have computers which don't support iTunes, or just don't want to use it, there are several open source alternatives. The Apple iTunes and its alternatives can also transfer photos, videos, web bookmarks, settings, contact data information, calendars, e-mail settings or games, as long as the specific iPod which you transfer these files on can support them. The name iPod also the name used to brand the music player application used on the iPhone Internet and multimedia enabled smartphone and the iPad tablet personal computer. Basically, the iPod application on the iPhone, is a combination of the music and video players from the iPod, but they are still treated as separate devices.
The iPod line also presents some discontinued lines, such as the iPod Mini, which is now called the iPod Nano, and the iPod Photo which turned into the iPod Classic. The Apple iPod is able to play a large range of audio formats which include the known-by-all MP3 format, the Apple Lossless, the AAC/M4A format, and many others. The iPod Photo introduced to the line the possibility of opening files with JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG and other photo formats.
Since the fifth and sixth generation of the iPod Classic, and the third generation iPod Nano, the iPod line can also play MPEG-4 and QuickTime video formats, but are restricted by the size, encoding technique and data rate of the specific video. Originally, the Apple iPod line was intended only for working with Mac OS (Machintosh) based personal computers, and the support for Microsoft's Windows operating system came with the release of the second iPod model. Unlike most media players out there, the Apple iPod does not show support for Microsoft's WMA format, but there is a WMA converter present in the Microsoft Windows version of the iTunes software.