The year was 2001, a year that most Americans will remember as the year that changed our lives forever. It was the year the World Trade Center was attacked by a Middle Eastern terrorist group called Al Queda. War was in our future, and our view of the United States went from being an invincible superpower to a country susceptible to any kind of external terror. What we forget, however, is that there was something else that was about to change our world technologically forever. Apple was really suffering in the computer business. Microsoft was about to release its XP operating system which would revolutionize the way we use computers. Apple had no way to compete with them, but something was being made that would make them a powerhouse in the industry again, and it was only 4 inches long. Downloading music was still fairly new to us, but the only problem was that what we downloaded would only be listened to on our computers. We had no way to listen to it portablely. Apple noticed this and decided to create something that would allow us to take our MP3s wherever we wanted. This device would be the IPOD. At just 4 inches tall, this little giant changed the way we listened to our music. Now you can connect it to your computer via a USB cable and take your entire music library with you. You could take it to the gym, to work, on your morning run, basically anywhere your heart desires. Since 2001, IPOD has been the absolute leader in the MP3 player industry, occupying approximately 71% of the industry. However, Microsoft had it and needed to enter this new world, but it could do it. Microsoft has always been known as a leader in the computing industry. If you only look...... half of the paper......?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9003718Marchetti, Nino. “The Battle Between Two Titans of MP# Gamers: Microsoft vs. Apple.” http://portables.about.com/od/mp3players/a/microapphub.htmMarchetti, Nino. “The Battle Between Two Titans of MP# Gamers: Microsoft vs. Apple (continued).” http://portables.about.com/od/mp3players/a/microapphub_2.htmBriggs, Brian. "Clash between Apple Ipod and Microsoft Zune MP3 players."http://www.bbspot.com/News/2006/09/ipod_vs_zune.html*http://www.moture.net/modules.php?name=News&file= article&sid=64*http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/Home/9F60D74A-0E27-4F5F-B88D-835974628809.htmlKim, James. "Zune vs. the World. http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6490_7-6551614.html*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zune* = no specific author indicated. Although not all sources have been cited, all have been read, and were very helpful in producing this piece