What if MP3 technology moves ahead? How long will my MP3 player be relevant in terms of availability of MP3s that can play on it?
MP3s are just a type of file. MP3s happen to be the most common type of music file around at the moment, but most ‘MP3 players’ play other sound files, like WAV or AIFFs too. When technology moves on, the new types of files will have to be stored, just like MP3s, and they will need software to play them, just like MP3s. Unlike your tape player, which started to become obsolete with the advent of CDs, or your CD player, which started to become obsolete with the advent of DVDs, MP3 players store data on computer formatted disks. Theoretically the formatted disk can hold any appropriately formatted computer file. In fact that is something the Archos models boast – you can use the jukebox as a detachable and portable hard disk to store any type of computer file that your computer normally uses. In the event of tapes or vinyl being surpassed by CDs, it was the medium on which the music was recorded which became obsolete. In the case of MP3 Players the medium is computer memory and as long a
