Podcasts (audio files you download and play on your computer or MP3 player) have become mainstream, and it is, once again, Apple Computer that has led the way.
Although most people have not yet downloaded and listened to a podcast, the new medium has been growing rapidly, with thousands of podcasters and listeners estimated in the millions. Just as Apple, using the iPod and its iTunes software, singlehandly rewrote the rules of music publishing, Apple has once again, using the same combo of the iPod and iTunes to rewrite radio.
Apple has not added any new systems or technology to the podcast medium. Instead, the company has done what it always has done--made finding and listening to podcasts dead simple.
Prior to integrating podcasts into iTunes, potential listeners had to wander from Web site to Web site, or visit mostly hard to use (by comparison) podcast link directories. Using iTunes, it is easy to browse and sample the thousands of podcasts already offered by the iTunes store, and downloading them onto your computer is a one click operation, where they are seamlessly categorized and ready for listening. Plug your iPod into your computer, and you can squirt a podcast onto your MP3 player so that you can take the podcast with you....instant, customized radio.
It has enormous potential for tourism, especially historical and music tourism. iTunes is free for both Windows and the Mac. Give it a try.