A digital audio player is known sometimes also as an MP3 player. It is a consumer electronics gadget that stores and organizes audio files and plays them back. Portal media players are also digital audio players (DAPs). But they also, in addition, image-viewing and may also support video-playing. MPMan player launched by SaeHan Information Systems in 1997 was the first mass produced DAP. Compaq launched the first hard drive based DAP with 4.8 GB capacity in 1998. Apple went ahead and unveiled the first generation 5 GB hard drive iPod in the year 2001. The next year saw the launch of its second generation update. The iPod series with the inclusion of microdrive as well as flash players soon established as the market leader.
Archos introduced Archos Jukebox Multimedia in 2002. This was the first portable media player to be launched. Viewing images and playing videos were introduced later. It was in 2003 that MP3 players were first installed into mobile phones in South Korea. Soon enough by 2005 the other major mobile phone companies such as Motorola, Nokia, LG, Samsung and Sony Ericsson introduced musicphones globally. Apple followed with their iPhone. Over half the mobile phones in the world now are musicphones.
The capacity of flash-based players ranges as much as 32 GB. The extent of battery power usage is low. There are also no moving parts. Tens of thousands of songs can be stored in the hard drive-based players which has a higher capacity of as much as 250 GB. Some MP3 CD portable players also play MP3 audio files which are stored on CDs. The WiFi network is used to connect networked audio players to the Internet for receiving and playing audio files. iFM radio tuners are installed in some DAPs. Built-in microphone is there in DAPs such as Sandisk Sansa M250 2GB
iTunes Store came into existence in 2003 selling songs as well as albums. They can be downloaded. Unauthorized sharing of files have increased to a great extent with access to Internet and aided by software programs that transfers files fast and easily. Music in the digital format is also sold by many companies too. These compact and portable digital audio players have become hugely popular.