There's very definitely a learning curve, ... I made it work because I absolutely had no choice.

I travel a ridiculous amount, so I've thought a lot about, and spent a lot of time refining, what I carry and how I carry it.

I'm the know-nothing. I'm curious, I try to be entertaining, I try to translate the techno jargon, but in the end I'm the audience's representative.

The key to understanding my career is that I was never into technology. From the beginning, I brought an outsider's point of view, which is why I write for a layman's publication.

Now, there's no such thing as a Video iPod. The new model is simply called the iPod; its thicker, videoless predecessors have gone off to the great eBay in the sky. All the debate about 'Will anyone buy a video iPod?' is suddenly moot, because the new model is the same excellent music player plus video.

Incredibly, Apple has persuaded Disney, which owns ABC, to make available all episodes of five TV series, including 'Lost,' 'Desperate Housewives' and 'That’s So Raven.' Each show costs $1.99 — an easy impulse buy if you missed an episode. They play back beautifully, with no network logo in the corner, no yearlong wait for the DVD, and no commercials. (One 43-minute 'hour' of TV takes 12 minutes to download with my cable modem, and about two minutes to transfer to the iPod over its U.S.B. 2.0 cable.) ...That Mr. Jobs persuaded Disney to dip its pinky toe into these waters is an impressive development — and a very promising sign.