The government is pushing to get everyone online whatever their age or income because that is where it wants to monitor our lives from in the future.  Even now it is very difficult to access information or make certain payments unless you have regular access to a computer, leading to inequalities across the ages and classes.

I was a little surprised, therefore, to see an advert in ‘the Oldie’ (don’t ask, not my copy) for pre-loaded iPods with all genre of music from the past at your fingertips without you needing to have a computer –  “plug in charger supplied”.  Apart from concerns over copyright, which is probably why it is all pre-1950s stuff, and the enormous cost of nearly £300, I don’t feel this is in the spirit of government initiative.

However, I can see the attraction of not having to download music from the net or CDs, it can take quite a while to upload a collection and in the “I want it and I want it now” world pre-load will have its place. In fact, other companies are providing pre-loaded iPods for people of all ages. I am not sure though that anyone would offer an eclectic enough selection to match my tastes.