I don’t know about Apple, but I think it’s about time the government declares the iPod an economically dependant product. Why? If you haven’t read, here’s a news story that will explain my reasoning behind it.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a department store is offering 40-minute "iPod Survival" lessons for $150.00. In the 40-minute lesson, you can learn how to use iTunes, how to install and delete videos, how to create playlists and download podcasts. To further interest the iPod buyers, the store is offering the lessons either in-store or comfortably with a home visit.

Having iPod accessories was bad enough, but this deal officially marks another milestone in companies who are trying to generate sales revenue from Apple’s iPod. When the iPod goes down (and it will go down sooner or later), there will be quite a few companies who will shutdown due to iPod’s downfall. Can you imagine the number of people laid off because many tier one companies will have to shut down their iPod Divisions?

In all seriousness though, the iPod fad has gone out of control. At CES this year, I saw a plethora of new accessories for the iPod alone, which isn’t necessarily an encouraging thing to begin with. Apparently, there are people who would buy a $300 iPod and then spend thousands more on additional accessories.

Oh, and those who might be interested in the 40-minute lesson, do yourself a favor and walk a few miles to the Apple Store, which is right around the corner to the department store that’s offering this service. The Apple Store, the iPod user’s manual and thousands of sites explain the iPod inside and out in simple language for free, so there’s no reason for you to spend $150.00 for this service.

Take care,
Gundeep :)